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by pfarnsworth 3099 days ago
> That is that you can call a cab and it will pick you up and you will have an understanding of the price you will pay.

LOL you must never have taken a cab ride pre-Uber. Your two assertions are the two main reasons why Uber and Lyft exist.

> In an Uber/Lyft ride hailing system cabs can only be hailed via an app, and will only accept the most profitable rides.

You don't know how the Uber app works.
2 comments
megaman22 3099 days ago
Lol, where I live, the idea of finding any cab, even if you knew the cab company and called them, was laughable. Uber at least will come, and will give you an estimate beforehand.
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Tiktaalik 3098 days ago
> You don't know how the Uber app works.

So Uber drivers are not able to decline a ride request?

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pfarnsworth 3098 days ago
No, not the way that you're describing. They have no way to "accept only the most profitable rides". This is patently false.
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Tiktaalik 3098 days ago
Ok yeah I see what you mean.

The fear that I've heard described by politicians in my city is that uber drivers could position themselves in areas where they know from experience they will be most profitable (eg. dense downtown core) while avoiding areas that over time are not as profitable (eg. sparse outer areas). This fact, coupled with the fact that they are not obligated to travel to a certain area to receive a fare, means that certain areas could receive less reliable service as drivers chase high profit areas and are able to ignore others.

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pfarnsworth 3098 days ago
Your politicians are lying to you because they are paid off by the taxi monopoly. Service everywhere increases because of Uber and Lyft. The behavior you describe is exactly what taxis do. If you look at how things improved in all cities, service improved by orders of magnitude. In NYC, service to all 5 boroughs improved dramatically because of Uber and Lyft, because taxis would only service manhattan.

Before you follow blindly what your politicians are telling you, do some research and educate yourself first. Don’t rely on headlines and word of mouth.

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greenleafjacob 3098 days ago
If there is demand and lack of supply in an area then it will surge.
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