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A comment on Uber stops upfront ride pricing in response to California worker law. Parent comment

Re:Uber stops upfront ride pricing in response to California... by gpvos on Saturday January 11, 2020 @09:43AM (#22020096)
If you can automate part of it with an app it could be cheaper. Maybe it won't work out cheaper than a taxi, but pretty likely cheaper than those black car services. And since there is a market for the latter, there might be enough market for something in between; I don't know how large.
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Re:Uber stops upfront ride pricing in response to California... by syshum on Saturday January 11, 2020 @03:07PM (#22021959)
So you believe the booking is the most expensive part of running a professional car service? and that by automating the booking they would cut costs significantly?

Really?

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Re:Uber stops upfront ride pricing in response to California... by jen20 on Saturday January 11, 2020 @06:10PM (#22023071)
In the UK, they have already automated it. Many cab companies allow booking by app, with a _similar_ experience to Uber (though with worse service, usually).

Importantly, they charge the full meter price as set by the licensing authority, and engage in the usual cab of tactics arguing about credit cards, taking sub-optimal routes and espousing disagreeable politics for the entire trip.

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