Re:For Uber and Lyft, the Rideshare Bubble Bursts
by UncleEntity on Sunday October 17, 2021 @09:15PM
(#28901313)
Of course people don’t like getting ripped of. Like the one who paid $25ish for a Lyft (because surge) which cost $4.65 in a taxi, did that trip many, many times as it was a popular bar-hop and know how much it costs.
But mostly it was the independent cabs ripping people off because they didn’t know to not get into Disco Cab because they were drunk and the cars (purposely) looked the same as the honest cabs.
So, yeah, Silicon Valley subsided rides were a lot cheaper because their whole plan was to drive out the competition and then raise prices to the actual cost of what it takes to haul people around which, surprisingly, is what the cab companies used to charge before Covid pretty much killed them off for good. Last time I was in Phoenix I couldn’t even get a cab to come pick me up…
Re:For Uber and Lyft, the Rideshare Bubble Bursts
by erik_seaberg on Monday October 18, 2021 @02:25AM
(#28902780)
I drove airport shuttles years ago in Seattle, and we rescued people whose cabs simply never showed up. It’s healthy if reputation affects competing businesses’ volume.
People don't like getting ripped off or having the fare change while en-route. Uber/Lyft at least told you upfront what you would pay and it was generally much less expensive than cabs. This increased ridership in most cities and thereby made it more likely drivers would have a passenger waiting at the destination.