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by legulere 3591 days ago
You just found the idea behind disruption:

Destroy all competitors by dumping. This is financed through investment and disregarding all regulation (who needs background checks for taxi drivers anyway?)

2 comments

This.

AirBnB put about $10M in SF fighting regulation in the last election. Smart money.

Their problem today is that despite their success in that round, the fiction that their business is about a 'share economy' is unraveling as details emerge from third parties on their actual revenue stream:

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/airbnb-probably-isnt-dr...

I look forward to regulation catching them.

Lyft and Uber both perform background checks on drivers. Lyft also has a mentorship program where new drivers are screened for safe driving, car quality/condition, and other criteria by an experienced driver.
http://www.fastcompany.com/3050145/fast-feed/ubers-backgroun...

Uber also fought against thorough background check legislation in texas if I remember correctly.

There are tons of other regulatory issues like insurance.

Ridiculous! I pay a $1 "safe rides" fee every time I ride. Uber wouldn't lie to me about its purpose!
It's called a booking fee now. I think they called it safe rides because it included the cost of insurance & background checks.

http://uberestimator.com/booking-fee

What's insufficient about the background checks Uber already performs? If they're quantifiably less safe than other transportation mechanisms, customers will vote with their wallets.

I'd be opposed to adding additional regulation if not needed.