Re:Uber and Lyft don't save money, time, or the planet
by afavour on Thursday October 21, 2021 @10:24AM
(#28944878)
I’d say that depends on where you live but broadly I agree with you. That said, Uber launched in 2009. The iPhone was only two years old at that point. It feels like a big assumption to say that absolutely no existing car service would have realised the benefits of allowing booking via smartphone.
I don’t wonder about past vs present, I wonder about present vs a possible present where VC funding doesn’t flood the market and destroy competition.
A good comparison is perhaps restaurants. Seamless, Uber Eats and the rest swallowed up the online food ordering business. Slowly more and more restaurants let you order direct, some using startups like ChowNow that facilitate the transaction without dominating it. But it’s still an uphill climb.
I don’t wonder about past vs present, I wonder about present vs a possible present where VC funding doesn’t flood the market and destroy competition.
A good comparison is perhaps restaurants. Seamless, Uber Eats and the rest swallowed up the online food ordering business. Slowly more and more restaurants let you order direct, some using startups like ChowNow that facilitate the transaction without dominating it. But it’s still an uphill climb.