Uber?

September 10th, 2015 at 2:33:29 PM permalink
Evenbob
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 146
Posts: 25010
But Uber is NOT a good idea! You only
see it from the customer side. Uber can
advertise 'get a car in minutes' because
there are so many poor schlubs out there
sitting in their car doing nothing.

Nothing seeks it's own level like the cab
business. There are always just as many
cabs as there are passengers who need
them. Yeah, in busy times of day the wait
is longer, but when it slows down half
the cab fleet are sitting in stands waiting
for orders.

Uber is flooding the market with too many cars
for the amount of passengers. For every
Uber driver who realizes he's not making any
money, 1.5 new ones take his place. I always
had 30 cabs on the road and 20 at night. Any
more than that and there wasn't enough business
to go around.
If you take a risk, you may lose. If you never take a risk, you will always lose.
September 10th, 2015 at 3:16:59 PM permalink
petroglyph
Member since: Aug 3, 2014
Threads: 25
Posts: 6227
Quote: Evenbob
The one thing nobody understands until they do
it is, the devastating effect constant city driving
has on a car. Spending 6-10 hours a day of
stop and go driving, your tranny shifting up
and down hundreds of times, constantly using
the brakes, the air on all summer, never being
able to shut the engine off. Nobody does this
to a car except cab drivers and city cops. In fact,
we got a lot of our cars from them after the cops
put 75K on them. UPS, Fedex, USPS,
all have special vehicles. Face does stop
and go, but not for 8 hours a day.

We had drivers is their own cabs at times.
They we're always newbs, an experienced
driver would never use his own vehicle.
We always had a pool as to how long they
would last. I won a lot because I always
picked the shortest amount of time. It
was always the vehicle that made them
quit, they got tired of the constant repairs.

I read some of these Uber drivers have bought
brand new cars to destroy. That's just nuts,
a quickly depreciating car that you also have
to make payments on.
The expense of maintaining semi trucks is almost unbelievable, and with log trucks it is no surprise to have several flats per week and one castastrophic. Those tires each now can easily run 500, plus mounting and installation. That's why you see log trucks carrying they're trailors, so as not to put wear on the tires. But loading and unloading can be a project.

Hack's need a class B cdl, do they not? I was wondering if uber drivers have a requirement for random drug testing like other CDL's do? There are requirements to pass an eye exam and physical, yearly or bi yearly, depending.

I don't think there are many small business owners or sole proprietors that are obeying the law, especially as regards taxes.

This reminds me of just another fad business with a bell curve. Remember movie rentals, especially the vcr's? Every dink town had one. Usually for the un ambitious. What about take and bake pizza's?

When driver lawsuits begin and it is found out the ubers aren't insured enough, let alone unqualified and stoned, the business will plummet. There are drivers who pass a written test that should not be on the road. Do uber driver's pass a physical occasionally or is it some distressed out waiting for a heart attack driver trying to raise money for his medical treatments?

AZ, are you saying that there doesn't exist better and worse drivers? Back when cabbies were local grown, they were professionals.

What next, a niche cab company that uses only green cars? Would somebody be willing to pay extra to ride electric?
The last official act of any government is to loot the treasury. GW
September 10th, 2015 at 3:23:51 PM permalink
AZDuffman
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 135
Posts: 18136
Quote: Evenbob
But Uber is NOT a good idea! You only
see it from the customer side. Uber can
advertise 'get a car in minutes' because
there are so many poor schlubs out there
sitting in their car doing nothing.


Of course I am, because I am a customer.

Quote:
Uber is flooding the market with too many cars
for the amount of passengers. For every
Uber driver who realizes he's not making any
money, 1.5 new ones take his place. I always
had 30 cabs on the road and 20 at night. Any
more than that and there wasn't enough business
to go around.


As people do not make as much money they extras will leave the market. In any case, still a good thing. The entire market may expand. More people will consider using such a service for short trips. More will use it to bar hop instead of driving. Cab companies need to learn to move with the market.
The President is a fink.
September 10th, 2015 at 3:41:24 PM permalink
Evenbob
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 146
Posts: 25010
Quote: petroglyph
Back when cabbies were local grown, they were professionals.


This is a huge point. Cab drivers have far
fewer accidents than the public because
they're professional drivers. They drive
defensively every minute behind the
wheel. I would be terrified getting into
some soccer mom's Toyota, and I'm
serious.

No, there are zero drug tests required.
I guarantee there are ride share drivers
high as a kite the whole time they drive.
It's a job that attracts the lowest people
in society.
If you take a risk, you may lose. If you never take a risk, you will always lose.
September 10th, 2015 at 3:46:42 PM permalink
Wizard
Administrator
Member since: Oct 23, 2012
Threads: 239
Posts: 6095
Quote: Evenbob
But Uber is NOT a good idea! You only
see it from the customer side.


The customer side is all I care about because I'm the customer. If it is such a bad deal for drivers, then why are there so many of them?
Knowledge is Good -- Emil Faber
September 10th, 2015 at 3:51:14 PM permalink
Wizard
Administrator
Member since: Oct 23, 2012
Threads: 239
Posts: 6095
Quote: Evenbob
This is a huge point. Cab drivers have far
fewer accidents than the public because
they're professional drivers. They drive
defensively every minute behind the
wheel.


Have you ever observed Vegas cab drivers? They are aggressive as hell -- running lights and weaving between lanes. Yes, others do that too, but not in the same percentages as cab drivers.

I'd be willing to pay more for a taxi compared to Uber if I got more -- but I don't. In fact, I feel I get more with Uber and it costs less.
Knowledge is Good -- Emil Faber
September 10th, 2015 at 4:24:38 PM permalink
Evenbob
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 146
Posts: 25010
Quote: Wizard
The customer side is all I care about because I'm the customer. If it is such a bad deal for drivers, then why are there so many of them?


Because it's a no brainer deal. If you have
2009 or later car and clear license, you're
a cab driver. For every driver making money,
2 are not. But when they quit, they're replaced
with eager new ones.

This is like the gold rush of 1849. They saw
all those people heading west for gold and
thought it meant there was enough for
everybody. Far far from it. The number of
people that need rides is very finite, it's
fixed, it doesn't grow as the Uber fleet grows.
If you take a risk, you may lose. If you never take a risk, you will always lose.
September 10th, 2015 at 4:34:58 PM permalink
AZDuffman
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 135
Posts: 18136
Quote: Evenbob
The number of
people that need rides is very finite, it's
fixed, it doesn't grow as the Uber fleet grows.


Disagree here. Uber is creating new riders as they grow. I have met people out for the night saying they are calling Uber to save a DUI. Same people said they would never have called a cab.
The President is a fink.
September 10th, 2015 at 4:43:20 PM permalink
Nareed
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 346
Posts: 12545
Quote: Wizard
If it is such a bad deal for drivers, then why are there so many of them?


If multi-level marketing is a bad deal for sellers, why are there so many? If pyramid schemes are so bad for the suckers who "invest" in them, why are there always suckers falling for them?

Very likely Uber is a good deal for some people and a bad deal for other people. But it's also likely those who find it a bad deal do so only after working it a few days, weeks or months.

BTW, could this be scaled up? One problem seems to be cost. If you owned 50 cars rather than 1, your costs go down due to scale. You can get better prices for parts and repairs, credit for gas, etc. I don't think a company could buy or lease 50 cars and then hire drivers to Uber them, but perhaps a bunch of Uber operators could band together in a sort of co-op.

Just a thought.
Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER
September 10th, 2015 at 5:19:43 PM permalink
Wizard
Administrator
Member since: Oct 23, 2012
Threads: 239
Posts: 6095
Quote: AZDuffman
Disagree here. Uber is creating new riders as they grow. I have met people out for the night saying they are calling Uber to save a DUI. Same people said they would never have called a cab.


I agree with your disagreement. When I was in Seattle I took Uber rather than buses and light rail because of the low cost and convenience. So, that induced me to make a ride I otherwise wouldn't have made.

About whether Uber is a good deal or not for drivers -- I don't really care. I say let the free market run its course.
Knowledge is Good -- Emil Faber