www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38252405
Could it have the same impact in the UK ?
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Uber's business model has been copied by many others like Lyft.
On my last visit to India I observed that many retired people, who had previously kept cars with chauffeurs (common in India) have now sold their cars and using Ola (local ride share venture) and Uber. Overall it became cheaper than cost of owning car + chauffeur 's salary.
Power of collaboration over Internet can achieve wonders.
Last edited by: movilogo on Sat 10 Dec 16 at 09:20
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Take the reductio ad absurdum. Nobody has cars, everybody goes everywhere by Uber. Uber double their prices, and then double them again... Cue regulation.
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There is a globalist agenda towards austerity and people no longer owning stuff. They will make everything subscription based, the concept of family is being eroded, single people will happily live in expensive prison housing that they are told is trendy and luxury living.
UBER (+ Alphabet, Tesla et al) are working towards this agenda and lobbying for it.
UBER (+google etc..) will eventually go driverless and expect the masses to subscibe to a cars-as-a-service rather than own your own car and drive it yourself. No thanks.
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I mostly agree with that Shiny, although I would call it a trend rather than an agenda.
Businesses love recurring income/captive customers.
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I would like a family on the subscription model. Just cancel at the end of the month and get a new one.
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I used it the other day to get home from Leeds at 1am after an event at the university. Turned up within one minute in a spotlessly clean and new car with absolutely perfect driving. Cost £23 to go nearly 20 miles north.
Had a fairly long chat with the driver about Uber and their employment practices. He was perfectly happy with the income he can generate from driving and much prefers working for Uber than a traditional mini-cabbing company. Better work/life balance, apparently. He's self-employed either way but Uber take less of a cut.
I'm not surprised private hire companies are running scared, they were universally terrible when I was at uni in Leeds and Uber is easier, faster, cheaper and safer.
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>> UBER (+google etc..) will eventually go driverless and expect the masses to
>> subscibe to a cars-as-a-service rather than own your own car and drive it yourself. No thanks.
Is that necessarily a bad thing?
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>> Is that necessarily a bad thing?
Not if you live in the middle of nowhere, but otherwise, I think it's a great thing. Just think of all the cars that will no longer be sitting unused parked on residential streets. Wasted investment, slowly depreciating, blocking up the streets and looking untidy.
Driving home after a night out no longer a problem either. And much less traffic.
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>> >> Is that necessarily a bad thing?
Just use a bus/tram/taxi if you want a public vehicle with additional profit layer that you don't want to drive.
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"Had a fairly long chat with the driver about Uber..."
I did the same when I was in Nashville and Memphis earlier this year and both drivers said they loved the flexibility and were happy with the Uber deal over any other option. They were half the cost of local cab companies out there, and the info you get on your phone was new and impressive to me.
One thing I wasn't clear on - are you expected to tip Uber drivers?
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>> Uber double their prices, and then double them again... Cue regulation.
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I must admit I didn't know that Uber subsidised the fare at the moment - I thought it just varied depending on demand.
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As car enthusiasts, we are probably more averse to the concept of cars as a service than the general population, but on a strictly financial level, the idea has some merit. If you think about it, you pay a large sum of money for a depreciating asset, that for all bar a handful of people, spends significantly more time sitting sitting doing nothing than it does being driven. And if you live in a city where parking is tight, or you need to pay for a permit, the case for a service model is even stronger.
A lot of people attach no more emotion to a car purchase than they would to the purchase of a washing machine or a toaster. I'm not surprised companies like Uber are doing well.
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>>A lot of people attach no more emotion to a car purchase than they would to the purchase of a washing machine or a toaster.
Emotion? Why on earth does buying a car have anything to do with emotion? Bizarre.
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If emotion played no part then we would all just buy base models Hyundai's to get us from A to B, in fact there would be far fewer manufacturers and all cars would be the same colour......Model T anyone?
It is true to say that for a lot of people cars are nothing more than a "white goods" - I can see why the model works, and if I lived in a city it would be a serious alternative to the car.
I've been watching the US box set "the affair" and there must be some serious product placement going on - most episodes manage to squeeze in "I just got an uber" or "she ubered it here" I wonder if this is really paid for, or just s reflection of changing attitudes
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Is vanity an emotion?
My predictive thingy changed "Is vanity" to "insanity". :-)
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Some emotions associated with buying a car.
Envy. You neighbour has bought a new Mercedes
Anticipation. You buy a secondhand motor
Joy, first day of ownership
Fear a strange noise becomes apparent from the engine
Disgust. Dealer washes his hands of the matter
Anger.you are three grand down
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>>Some emotions associated with buying a car.
Save for the 'envy', not one of those represents any sort of emotion that is being referred to above.
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Ah, what emotions were you thinking of then MM?
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>> >>A lot of people attach no more emotion to a car purchase than they would
>> to the purchase of a washing machine or a toaster.
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>> Emotion? Why on earth does buying a car have anything to do with emotion? Bizarre.
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How a car makes me feel is a significant factor in my purchasing decision. It's what separates a car that simply meets my criteria from one that I look forward to getting in every day and driving. Don't all car enthusiasts feel the same?
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>> How a car makes me feel is a significant factor in my purchasing decision. It's
>> what separates a car that simply meets my criteria from one that I look forward
>> to getting in every day and driving. Don't all car enthusiasts feel the same?
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Absolutely but that's because I drive it virtually every day. Although I do get a good feeling most days as I walk past the Commer in the drive.
I can understand that for people who live in a big city cars can be totally unimportant and i know many colleagues who are London based who don't even have a car and who are ideal for the public transport / uber & taxis / car sharing options.
My late mother managed for her last 6 or 7 years in Paisley without driving although she kept her car so that my sister or I could take her out places when we were there.
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Is Uber ( in the USA ) getting too vital to fail? - movilogo
