[JoshTriplett]

> Many times I call for an Uber and a cab comes first and then they lose my business to the cab, which kind of highlights the commodity nature of rides

In that scenario, Uber should be charging you a penalty for the cancelled ride.

> Right now, Uber can beat everybody on price and quality because they don't have to be profitable for a long time.

I certainly hope they're not losing money on each ride right now.

[toomuchtodo]

> In that scenario, Uber should be charging you a penalty for the cancelled ride.

Which would drive users to Lyft or other ridesharing services.

[necubi]

Lyft penalizes you $5 for cancelled rides after some amount of time, at least in SF. Also when the app makes a request on its own and you're not there.

[fragmede]

As does Uber - they'll charge $10 if you cancel after 5 minutes after the driver is assigned.

http://blog.uber.com/2012/05/01/updated-cancellation-policy/

[georgeott]

Uber charges the same $5 after 5 mins, if cancelled.