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The Great Taxi Upheaval
An anonymous reader writes: Uber, Lyft, and a variety of competitors are becoming ubiquitous. Their presence is jarring not because of how different they are from conventional taxis, but simply because they're different at all. Taxis really haven't changed much over the years. Watch a movie from the '90s and you can't help but chuckle at the giant, clunky mobile phones they use. But you can go all the way back to movies from '30s and scenes with taxis won't be unfamiliar. New York Magazine has a series of articles about the taxi revolution currently underway. "So far, Uber appears to be pinching traditional car services—Carmel, Dial 7, and the like—hardest. (They have apps, too, but Uber's is the one you've heard of.) The big question is about the prices for medallions, because so much of the yellow-cab business depends on their future value. ... [I]t's hard to see how those prices won't slip. Medallions, after all, are part of a top-down system formed to fight the abuses and dangers of the old crooked New York: rattletrap cars, overclocked meters, bribed inspectors. Its heavy regulation in turn empowered the taxi lobby and (somewhat) the drivers union. That system may be a pain to deal with, but in its defense, it provided predictability and security. The loosey-goosey libertarian alternative, conceived in the clean Northern California air, calls upon the market to provide checks and balances. A poorly served passenger can, instead of turning to a city agency for recourse, switch allegiances or sue."
Really? You trust everything you read online?
Something about a bridge to sell you....
I was talking with a former cabdriver just the other day, and the major reason he left the field was because of the danger. In his urban taxi career he had eleven "runners", or people who dash without paying, but it was the one robbery that unnerved him to the extent he left the field. Although Phoenix is one of the most gun-friendly cities in the nation, management forbade him to carry, a rule typically enforced by insurance companies who care more about their liability exposure than employee safety.
The great advantage of Uber is that because everyone has to sign up as a member of the system before getting rides, the company knows who the customers are, and who is riding with whom at a given time. The increased driver safety, not any abstract political philosophy, is why services like this will replace traditional cabs.
I hate all the FUD about uber/lyft drivers ripping you off. here's how it works: when you end your uber ride they email you a receipt. it shows the route taken (on a map image), total distance, total duration, cost per mile, cost per min, and total price. that's perfect information. you can validate the route taken using your smart phone (either a route tracking app or by looking at your position during the ride), the distance traveled using google maps, and the total duration by looking at your watch. it doesn't get any more transparent than that.
and if you didn't like your ride, give them a low rating. any one or two star review, you'll never see that driver again. if a driver's rating gets low they'll fire him. it's really really simple.
It is quite common, yes.
Nonsense. The most desirable areas shift every decade or so. And you clearly have no idea just how sprawling California cities are.
Anywhere along the coast is high-rent. In SoCal, you could live in nice and expensive parts of San Diego, and commute to Burbank, without ever even driving through an area where condos cost less than half a mil.
In NorCal, going between the coast and Sacramento is common. 'cisco to San Jose is about 60 miles of high-rent areas, and you can't get a cheap house anywhere along the route.
Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
Sheesh. Is this really a question? How do you know when you buy a plum in the supermarket that it isn't poisoned?
Back in the 1800s, foods often did contain noxious ingredients, much the same way present day drug dealers cut their products. That's why developed countries started having government departments responsible for trading and food standards.
The reason very you can shop for your plums without worry is because of regulations and departments that check them.
You just demonstrated the opposite of what you hoped.