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  1. #26
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    General Sherman's Favorite City
    Posts
    35,247
    Quote Originally Posted by Hugh Conway View Post
    man, I remember all of the great cheap things of 90s web bonanza that were lasting services!
    Hey man, Prodigy was the next big thing.
    I still call it The Jake.

  2. #27
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    SFCA
    Posts
    1,354
    I'm on the fence because they provide a valuable service, but it seems like not just anyone should be able to be hired for their ability to drive.

    The city I live in issues limited numbers of medallions. I'm not an expert, but a cab driver told me it's something like $100k to buy a medallion, after a 25 year wait? I'm not saying the money goes directly into their pensions. I'm saying that the money goes back to the city. At least, that was the attitude of the officer I spoke to.
    "Yo!! Brentley! Ya wanna get faded before work?"

  3. #28
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Portland, OR, U.S.A.
    Posts
    2,537
    Quote Originally Posted by BS720 View Post
    I'm on the fence on this whole thing. I routinely waited over an hour for a cab, making me late to work, before Uber. I was one of their first customers, and I am considering working for them as a side job.

    New Year's Eve, an Uber driver mowed down a mother with a child and a baby in the stroller. The child died. I hope this fuck burns in hell. The cops I spoke to in January said they have a blast harassing the Uber guys. They dodge the city system that puts money back into the city government, and ultimately, their pension.
    The driver who hit and killed the child is a friend of a friend of mine. He's not a fuck and he shouldn't burn in hell. He made a terrible mistake - lots of drivers (pros or not) make fatal mistakes daily.

    I love that Uber drivers are a helluva lot safer than the SF taxi drivers I occasionally ride with and often have to fend off on my bicycle.

    Surge pricing is painful, and a reason to find a regular cab, but seems pretty fair in concept. It made me not use Uber for a while, but now I understand the choice and can make an informed decision as to whether the cost is worth it to me.

    When Uber first came out I felt bad for the cabbies. The behavior of the drivers and dispatchers I interact with has absolved me of any feelings of sympathy - what a bunch of whining dinosaurs.
    another Handsome Boy graduate

  4. #29
    Hugh Conway Guest
    e? 1/3 of SF cabbies now drive for uber. Hence the whole "sharing" thing being bullshit. Like uber dicking over your friend by claiming they aren't responsible because he didn't have a fare, no?

  5. #30
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Making the Bowl Great Again
    Posts
    13,779
    Quote Originally Posted by iceman View Post
    Medallions are hardly everywhere though. I think there's only about a half-dozen cities in the US that have them.
    Even in fucking Montana, the cabs are regulated by the Public Service Commission. Want to start a business? The other cab companies get to comment on whether your services are required in your community.

  6. #31
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    SFCA
    Posts
    1,354
    Quote Originally Posted by Platinum Pete View Post
    The driver who hit and killed the child is a friend of a friend of mine. He's not a fuck and he shouldn't burn in hell. He made a terrible mistake - lots of drivers (pros or not) make fatal mistakes daily.
    I guess a lot of people make mistakes while driving. I guess most people get out of their car and express concern over the victim and remorse for what they've done. I guess most people don't say to the cops, "But I had the signal!! I had the light!!"
    "Yo!! Brentley! Ya wanna get faded before work?"

  7. #32
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    YetiMan
    Posts
    13,370
    If you figure operating cost at $0.50/mi, and you're paying a driver 25% of the fare, you have to take in fares at about $2 per loaded mile for your business to make $50 out of a really busy 10 hour shift (200 miles, roughly 40 rides). I never had a shift that busy, the best I was able to do in 10 hours was around 25 rides, 150 miles, $150 gross, making about $32 for the owner of the company over 10 hours.

    If you're paying less than $2/mi, ask yourself what corners are being cut...tires, insurance, driver pay?

    And if it's just going to be a free-for-all can I just buy some piece of shit $1000 old school bus and drive around the city bus routes charging people for rides? Can some guy with a cessna just start flying passengers around for money? Are we just going to go completely 3rd world now?
    Last edited by ill-advised strategy; 03-11-2014 at 02:43 PM. Reason: for clarity

  8. #33
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Access to Granlibakken
    Posts
    11,184
    Hey let's shut down municipal bus service as well, and replace with surge pricing private busses. It's ok, I've read my Ayn Rand so it'll work out fine.
    Know of a pair of Fischer Ranger 107Ti 189s (new or used) for sale? PM me.

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