[mindcrime]

I am a perfect example of somebody who was a "loyal Uber user." They were here (Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill) before Lyft, and I was already familiar with them and had an account and all from having used the service while I was in San Francisco visiting. And so when my car broke down and I decided to go car-less for a while, I started using Uber all the time (along with walking and bicycle riding).

And then... Uber lowered their rates. Good for me, right? Rides are cheaper now. BUT... it appears that as a result, a LOT of local Uber drivers have quit doing Uber and over the past month, it's become increasingly difficult to even get an Uber here. More and more often, I fire up the app and get "No UberX available" (and usually no UberXL or UberSelect either). So I installed the Lyft app, and I consistently find that Lyft can get me a ride when Uber can't.

I still usually at least try Uber first just out of habit, but they're definitely ceding ground to Lyft in this area, just due to availability if nothing else.

OTOH, Uber does do some neat stuff... like I noticed that in Portland, they have "UberPedal" where you can get a car with a bike rack. I find myself hoping they expand that to our area, as it would be nice to be able to bike to work, knowing that if it's raining or cold or something later, I can call up an UberPedal bike-rack equipped car for the trip home.

[bsbechtel]

This is interesting because much of what has been written about Uber and lowering prices + surge pricing is the idea that Uber is trying to perfectly match supply and demand. If rides are consistently unavailable, that would be an indicator to me that their pricing is too low, and they aren't doing as good of a job as expected with this.

[s_q_b]

Their service here in Washington, D.C. is awful. I used to love Uber, evangelized it to friends, was even the first to show Sanju Bansal how it worked when we were at a gala. Everyone else was fumbling for their S-Class keys while our twin black Navigator vehicles proceeded to pick us up at the entrance.

That, to me, was the Zenith of Uber. The entire VC set of the city was waiting for cars and drivers gridlocked in the garage and lot, while some kid with an app summoned two fully appointed SUVs as if from nowhere.

I wore Uber shades, tried the various promotions. I was thrilled, absolutely certain that they were one partnership away from Google to automate city transport and leapfrog our ailing transport grid.

Then something changed. The lines between Uber and UberX blurred, and UberX drivers changed from well-dressed folks owner-operating, or working for car fleets, to guys with Jack Daniels hats, ponytails, and (this is literal) body odor.

Uber decreased in quality, both in fleet and drivers. Ubers used to be spit-polished tire-black shined towncars, and the drivers were excellent. Never an open door missed, a bottle of water offered, mints stocked, radio preference, and an AC at a comfortable temperature, which the driver would immediately offers to adjust.

It wasn't just the network that made Uber. It was the service. It literally outclassed the transportation of millionaires, with service options of the Four Seasons at the price of a Motel 6.

The service has now become so bad, that power users are like sailors following the rats off a sinking ship.

Then it's disclosed that one of the main showrunners has been spending all his time on some fucking branding project? And when it's finally released, the material he produced looks like it was created by a sentient bag of cocaine.

"We're particles that unite to form atoms, to something... something... interaction between meatspace and cyberspace.... unity, and particles and shit. Yo, you gonna hit that?"

Are you serious?

In summation: No moat, no network effect. It was nice of you to pave the way for self-driving car fleets, but unless you reorganize management from the bottom of the floor up, your balloon's about to deflate faster than Napster. Peace guys.

*Full disclaimer: I did turn down a second round interview at Uber due to their policies regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act. My consulting rate is $500/hr, and I'd consider fixing this mess with the ADA for half that.

I wish I had the opportunity to speak to your board for five minutes about the damage their ADA policies are causing.

Imagine a girl, unable to move unassisted, alone in the snow, as her driver throws her wheelchair to the curb screaming at how he doesn't accept people "like her."