From Automakers To Mobility Providers - Let's Discuss The Future Today

[Junjie]

Is Uber going to survive? They've already been banned from London, UK. They've lost a huge court case in Europe. The court ruled they are a transportation company in Europe and will have to follow the laws other transportation companies follow in Europe. When do other cities and courts come to the same conclusion?

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/20/b...urope-ecj.html

Not only that but they lose $500 million to $1 billion per quarter. Uber is basically a scam to "outcompete" existing taxis and transit by subsidizing huge losses with venture capital infusions that will eventually dry up.

I think a lot of the predictions about self-driving cars are a little silly. Probably less will change than we think. Will anyone who can afford one still want their own car? Pretty much - having your own car means no waiting for your ride to show up, no sharing with strangers who left god-knows-what in the backseat... though of course I'm sure on the margins some people who would love to save the money owning a car [[or owning a second or third car) requires may decide they're better off without. I don't really see how it will be efficient for the "mobility companies" to keep huge roving fleets wandering thinly-populated exurbs and rural areas to be at your door at a moment's notice, so have fun waiting or else buy your own.

I think the auto industry will continue to make cars and people will continue to buy them. I think the increased efficiency of self driving cars will make traffic a little better, but the hugely increased total number of overall cars on the road [[kids, old people, frivolous usage since you can keep playing your iPad while "driving") will probably outweigh that. And I think it's coming less soon than we think.

[Wesley Mouch]

Not only that but they lose $500 million to $1 billion per quarter. Uber is basically a scam to "outcompete" existing taxis and transit by subsidizing huge losses with venture capital infusions that will eventually dry up.
...snip...

A scam? Are you on drugs? Uber kicks taxi ass on service quality, for the most part. The only reason taxis aren't in the dustbin of history is politics and graft. Sure, Uber is underpricing. Standard new business strategy. Gain market share. Try to be a monopoly. Lock out the competition. Who cares if Uber gets kicked out of London. There'll be another behind -- unless the vested moneyed interest buy enough politicians to keep torturing their citizens with overpriced monopolies. Its a broken model. But when you're London, you can make mistakes and you're forgiven. Can Detroit dump Uber? If they did, do you think Elon Musk would even open the proposal from Detroit?

Sorry, I just don't understand those who pine for the good old days of taxi service. Especially if you've ever been in a Detroit cab. My last was 30 years ago. Torn seats. Stink. Dirt. Perfume from hell. You want a return to the good ol' days? They weren't good. Taxi medallions are a scam. Commercial insurance for drivers is a scam. Background checks are a scam. Uber's a scam. Sure. Who cares. But what would make you want to defend the taxi scammers against the Uber scammers? I don't get it.

[EastsideAl]

A scam? Are you on drugs? Uber kicks taxi ass on service quality, for the most part. The only reason taxis aren't in the dustbin of history is politics and graft. Sure, Uber is underpricing. Standard new business strategy. Gain market share. Try to be a monopoly. Lock out the competition. Who cares if Uber gets kicked out of London. There'll be another behind -- unless the vested moneyed interest buy enough politicians to keep torturing their citizens with overpriced monopolies. Its a broken model. But when you're London, you can make mistakes and you're forgiven. Can Detroit dump Uber? If they did, do you think Elon Musk would even open the proposal from Detroit?

Sorry, I just don't understand those who pine for the good old days of taxi service. Especially if you've ever been in a Detroit cab. My last was 30 years ago. Torn seats. Stink. Dirt. Perfume from hell. You want a return to the good ol' days? They weren't good. Taxi medallions are a scam. Commercial insurance for drivers is a scam. Background checks are a scam. Uber's a scam. Sure. Who cares. But what would make you want to defend the taxi scammers against the Uber scammers? I don't get it.

But Uber loses money. Huge gobs of it, every moment they operate. Taxis are profitable, or they disappear. Under its current structure Uber would be out of business in a few days if forced to stand on its own revenue stream. The question is, what happens when the venture capital stream dries up and Uber has to actually make it on its own and attempt to make a profit?

There's no question that their fares will have to rise, at least to the level of conventional cab service, and most likely quite a bit more to sustain anything close to their current service level. And compensation to driver/operators will almost certainly be forced down too.

Will Uber then fade away? Will they be able to maintain something like their current level of service and coverage? Will their service become more like cab service, complete with the under-maintained and under-cleaned cabs? What of the cab service that Uber has and will have forced out of business with its VC supported aggressive under-pricing strategy? Will there then be a shortage of cab/ride service for consumers?

These are not questions of what consumers prefer or may "pine" for, but of what is realistically sustainable under foreseeable business conditions.

[hybridy]

A scam? Are you on drugs? Uber kicks taxi ass on service quality, for the most part. The only reason taxis aren't in the dustbin of history is politics and graft. Sure, Uber is underpricing. Standard new business strategy. Gain market share. Try to be a monopoly. Lock out the competition. Who cares if Uber gets kicked out of London. There'll be another behind -- unless the vested moneyed interest buy enough politicians to keep torturing their citizens with overpriced monopolies. Its a broken model. But when you're London, you can make mistakes and you're forgiven. Can Detroit dump Uber? If they did, do you think Elon Musk would even open the proposal from Detroit?

Sorry, I just don't understand those who pine for the good old days of taxi service. Especially if you've ever been in a Detroit cab. My last was 30 years ago. Torn seats. Stink. Dirt. Perfume from hell. You want a return to the good ol' days? They weren't good. Taxi medallions are a scam. Commercial insurance for drivers is a scam. Background checks are a scam. Uber's a scam. Sure. Who cares. But what would make you want to defend the taxi scammers against the Uber scammers? I don't get it.

Thank you Wesley! Uber and Lyft were started out of necessity by millenials in large cities not needing to own a personal vehicle. They preferred experience over things. Those companies outgamed cab companies at their own game. Think of executive transportation to metro-$75 ea way. Uber does that in same experience for 1/3 price...I won’t even consider cabs [[I’m a millennial). Its merely a nicer mouse trap. Why on earth wouldnt these companies continue on? Time will tell how all these snapchats and the like weather and adapt just like Compaq of the dot com era. Over regulation by cab companies and municipalities is an exercise in futility. Airbnb and the like aren’t retreating so easily. Naysayers likely have never needed or used these services.

[hybridy]

Thank you Wesley! Uber and Lyft were started out of necessity by millenials in large cities not needing to own a personal vehicle. They preferred experience over things. Those companies outgamed cab companies at their own game. Think of executive transportation to metro-$75 ea way. Uber does that in same experience for 1/3 price...I won’t even consider cabs [[I’m a millennial). Its merely a nicer mouse trap. Why on earth wouldnt these companies continue on? Time will tell how all these snapchats and the like weather and adapt just like Compaq of the dot com era. Over regulation by cab companies and municipalities is an exercise in futility. Airbnb and the like aren’t retreating so easily. Naysayers likely have never needed or used these services.

Also my friend living in latfayette place car insurance is 6x more for one car than coverage for me with 2 newish vehicles. Completely unattainable to a family staying long term with shit services, horrific schools, overt racisim/harassment from [[those who stayed-gentrifier) and minimal services. Why bother ? Honest assement...not a troll tho