Quote: (01-21-2016 12:31 PM)Quintus Curtius Wrote:
Another hidden lesson here is that Uber is not always the panacea that people make it out to be.
Yeah, it's cheaper than a taxi. Or it at least appears to be cheap.
But everything comes with a cost. With actual licensed taxis, both driver and passenger have some recourse if things turn bad. Taxis are licensed, bonded, insured, and everyone understands the rules of the game.
Not so Uber.
As a driver who's moonlighting or doing hack work, you're taking a risk. As we see here.
It caters to the laziness and "click" mentality of the modern millenial, who wants everything on his fucking slave chain smart phone.
If you're a passenger, you're taking a risk. It may not be a big risk, but it is foolish to pretend that there is no downside risk.
My point is that I think we as a society--and millenials especially--have come too much to adopt the "cheapo" or "free" mentality. If you want good products or services, you need to be prepared to pay.
Too many people want to play shit cheap, and then whine about the bad results or outcomes they got.
Everything has a cost. That cost may be hidden--as in social media, where you quietly surrender your privacy--or it may be more overt.
But nothing is free. Or nothing worth anything is free, I should say.
I'm not saying "Don't use Uber" or "Don't drive for Uber." But beware of hidden costs and risks.
.
Uber as a company and service is an interesting topic that we could go on and on about.
For a good read, check out
http://uberpeople.net/
I drove Uber for about a month and did quite well until they cut rates. It's now down to $1.10 per mile in Vegas. I used to get $30 to drive people to the strip and now it's half that. Not worth the time, gas, wear-and-tear, etc, plus I got a new job that's keeping me more than busy.
Regardless, Uber is interesting. The company gives zero fucks about their drivers. Their business model is to zerg rush the rideshare industry and get as many people signed up as possible. Mostly likely to data mine for the inevitable release of autonomous vehicles (AV). We'll most likely see AVs rolled out in high traffic, low speed environments like the Vegas strip or in dense downtown areas like Manhattan.
So the current Uber drivers are nothing more than a cheap stand-in for robots. There are some places in the U.S. that pay more per mile, but my understanding is that Uber rates are controlled by an algorithm that reacts to supply and demand. The more Uber drivers there are willing to work for a specific rate, the lower that rate eventually drops. Good for customers, bad for drivers.
And eventually, bad for customers too. You get what you pay for. My passengers consistently told me how awesome my ride is. While not a Lexus, my ride is fully loaded, was set up to play their music (in a premium sound system), I kept my car spotless, leather seats, with yours truly behind the wheel. On Fridays and Saturdays I was making $300 per day, clearing $1000 per week. Not bad for a job with no boss and all I had to do was drive people around and chat them up. Plus it was fun.
Now, at $1.10 per mile, the only drivers in Vegas are going to be Pakistani or Eritrean immigrants with a bare bones Corolla that smells like stale bread and onions.
In the grand scheme of things, ridesharing is a step in the right direction. Car ownership is largely a giant waste of money. But as stories like these show, there's going to be a few bumps on the way.
What's ironic about this particular story is that, while the justice system fails here, there is true social justice. Social justice is not standing up for people that are offended. Real social justice is the tar-and-feathing of this little twat. The online reviews and harassment, that's what true social justice looks like. It's maintaining a moral code and deciding as a society, "We will not tolerate this behavior."