They are not losng money at the operating level though, are they? They *are* burning huge amounts of cash rolling out rapidly across a wide number of locations, and huge amounts of promo spend,as well I'm sure as development. But that's the same model as many tech companies. Ease of use is what keeps people coming back, if the price is too high someone else will move into the space.
At the end of the day, it's a technology that has proved disruptive to the business model of most black cabs. But it's what consumers want... so if they'd been smart the black cab gang, instead of paying Sadiq Khan £300k to protect their interests (via the GMB) would have spend it on meeting consumer needs
Namely:
Easily accessible
Clean modern cars
Certainty of pricing
Safety / security in knowing the details of what and who was going to carry them
I have a hunch that it's actually the unlicensed mini cabs that have lost most wth the arrival of Uber, and that has definitely improved safety and security for passengers. But the £3000k wasn't spend making that point... ;)
Last edited by: PeterS on Sun 24 Sep 17 at 12:27
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