Uber CEO balks after a reporter tells him the cost of his 2.9-mile Uber ride: ‘Oh my God. Wow.’::undefined

  • Phyrin@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Not from the area, what’s the deal/context?

    I’m assuming it’s a traffic cluster fuck?

    • Bobby Bandwidth@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      It’s one of the densest, most populated 2.9 miles in the world. The route takes you through the core of manhattan/nyc.

    • KevonLooney@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      It’s 5 to 7 miles, possibly in traffic. 20 to 50 minutes, depending on the time of day. It’s like $30, but could double during rush hour or any popular time of day.

      So yeah, $50 whenever you want to go. $30 in the middle of the night.

        • KevonLooney@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          Cabs are less than Uber. But really just take the subway, unless you’re going across town or something where a car is faster.

          • bob_wiley@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            When cabs are cheaper I question the point of Uber existing in places with a health cab market.

            • Nix@merv.news
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              1 year ago

              Uber is way way more convenient to order because of the apps. Same reason airbnb is still better for most people when traveling/renting in a new city. Its way more convenient than the traditional way that fancy updated in decades

              We need monopoly and housing regulation so these companies can’t exploit people and cause huge harm to neighborhoods while people still get the benefit of the apps making things way easier.

              • bob_wiley@lemmy.world
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                1 year ago

                I went and looked, there seems to be an app for taxis. Seems like it would only be a matter of time before that happened. Looks like it’s been out for 3 years.

                https://apps.apple.com/us/app/curb-request-pay-for-taxis/id299226386

                I don’t find hotels any more difficult to book than an Airbnb. Go to a website, pick your dates and book. Hotels and actually easier, as you can assume certain things and don’t need to comb though all the details to check if the place requires you to do your own cleaning, has a crazy cleaning fee, is missing certain basic amenities, etc. The last Airbnb I got didn’t have a TV, I assumed it would. I never had to think about that with a hotel. There is a consistency in experience that both Uber and Airbnb lack.

                • KevonLooney@lemm.ee
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                  1 year ago

                  Curb is actually pretty bad. Only used them a few times and they kept overcharging me every month. Some repeat charge. The bank had to get involved.

                  Hotels only have good booking systems to compete with Airbnb. They used to have no way to book online, and you had to call.

                  • bob_wiley@lemmy.world
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                    1 year ago

                    Airbnb was founded in 2008, well after sites like hotels.com and Expedia. Airbnb didn’t invent online booking. And either way, booking a hotel online is ubiquitous and easy these days.

                • Nix@merv.news
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                  1 year ago

                  Uber and airbnb work in almost every country/city. I dont meed to figure out what taxi service or hotel website to use in every city/country i visit. Also i hate hotels. I want a kitchen i can cook in and a washer for my clothes.

                  Not sure how you didn’t know the airbnb wouldn’t have a tv they have a section with every feature the place has and photos of the space. you can easily ask questions and see reviews before booking too.

                  I hate what airbnb does to rental/homeownership markets but airbnb fills a huge gap in accessibility. Especially for renting longterm in new places. Many countries require really weird third party agencies and paperwork and weird loopholes to rent a home while airbnb lets you rent in 3 clicks.

                  Governments should regulate people and companies from owning so many properties and exploitative rent increases to prevent the terrible parts. They should also launch initiatives for open source national alternatives to uber/airbnb because clearly they’re providing services people really like but the venture capitalists are doing capitalist bullshit to ruin the service after they get a monopoly

                  • bob_wiley@lemmy.world
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                    1 year ago

                    Not having to know or sign up for whatever the local thing is does have its advantages, especially for short term travelers.

                    As far as the TV goes, I don’t think I had every stayed at any hotel or Airbnb in the past without a TV, so it never even crossed my mind to look for it. The absence of a TV is harder to spot than something that explicitly says no tv.

            • SCB@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              In addition to the other post, Ubers are incentivized to be clean, pleasant experiences, and cabs absolutely are not.

              • bob_wiley@lemmy.world
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                1 year ago

                I suppose. Cab companies could do something there, but probably deemed it wasn’t worth it. I will say, my last 2 Uber rides have left a lot to be desired. In one the backseat was full of trash, and even wigs and stuff on floor and the seat next to me. It was gross, but I felt bad giving a shit rating, so I didn’t.