Re:The End of Uber with Cory Doctorow
by MengerSponge on Monday February 07, 2022 @11:39AM
(#30247215)
"then other things, using technology" is about the level of sophistication I've come to expect here.
Uber had two paths to success: either invent self-driving cars and get enough of them to replace private car ownership, while costs of cleaning and maintenance are handled by riders fees. OR Use VC dollars to subsidize a taxi service, while not investing in infrastructure and simultaneously fighting against regulations that protect riders (such as background checks and commercial insurance).
Guess which one they're stuck on? Because self-driving cars haven't happened yet, and won't happen in a meaningful way on city streets for some time yet.
But you know what? I've ridden an autonomous vehicle in a major city. Line 14 of the Paris Metro is driverless. It's also a train, and a public good. Uber would rather not see the proliferation of that kind of self driving vehicle.
Uber had two paths to success: either invent self-driving cars and get enough of them to replace private car ownership, while costs of cleaning and maintenance are handled by riders fees. OR Use VC dollars to subsidize a taxi service, while not investing in infrastructure and simultaneously fighting against regulations that protect riders (such as background checks and commercial insurance).
Guess which one they're stuck on? Because self-driving cars haven't happened yet, and won't happen in a meaningful way on city streets for some time yet.
But you know what? I've ridden an autonomous vehicle in a major city. Line 14 of the Paris Metro is driverless. It's also a train, and a public good. Uber would rather not see the proliferation of that kind of self driving vehicle.