Re:Google launches Uber rival RideWith
by ChuckMcM on Monday July 06, 2015 @03:06PM
(#9841437)
I keep seeing a bunch of Google Express vans sitting around idle because they don't have any goods to deliver, this sort of thing could easily capture a bit of revenue from those idle vehicles. It was the first thing I thought of when I saw that Uber was doing deliveries.
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How do you weigh 8 hours of idle time vs 8 hours of driving time in the long term ownership cost of one of those vans, though?
Well according to the drivers they aren't getting paid if they aren't driving. So it perhaps motivates them.
EDIT: Thinking about this a bit more what is the value of having nominal control over a fleet of vehicles of various capabilities sitting around a metropolitan area? Someone wants to go from point A to point B? Dispatch a nearby passenger capable vehicle to pick them up and drop them off. Package needs to go from here to there? Send a vehicle and driver over to get this package and take it over.
Imagine the economics of consolidating courier service, taxi cabs, emergency transport, into a single 'app' will all 'contract' labor.