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0 pointsbena6y ago0 comments

I would imagine he sees it as fraud because these are drivers who are ready and willing to drive and are waiting on fares but are not indicated on the app as so.

So when someone uses the app to find out about nearby rides, it shows no one, then it ups the rate to try and lure further drivers. Or the few drivers that are on the app currently. Then when the price is "right", all the waiting cars turn on the app at once to get the "surge" price.

These people are exploiting the rules of the system to violate the spirit of the system. The more available cars, the lower the price.

The more people find out that drivers are doing this, the more likely some form of retaliation will follow.

Either users will just start using cabs again because the price is no different or they'll do something else. Like give default bad reviews to any airport trip that they suspect of manipulating surge pricing.

0 comments

eropple6y ago

Drivers are not ready and willing to drive. They are ready and willing to drive for a higher rate. Lyft and Uber provide that higher rate when there is sufficient demand and insufficient supply. Working as designed, yo.

Multi-billion-dollar companies do not need you to cape up for them. Somehow, somehow, they will survive against those mendacious poor people who have found a way to represent their requirements to the company.

benaOP6y ago

Where did I say this was a good or bad thing? Nowhere.

I described things that could happen if the practice becomes too exploitative.

Also, I can see the argument that it violates the TOS for the drivers. The drivers agree to drive for the price determined by the service. They are then using exploits to manipulate that price.

If they don't want to drive for X fare, then they shouldn't be in their car.

And this is an incredibly complicated situation because there are at least three different principles involved. The driver, the company, and the passenger.

In some way, the passenger is being taken advantage of. The passenger _also_ has a contract with the company. And that part assumes that the price is determined fairly and not being manipulated by outside forces.

eropple6y ago

> Where did I say this was a good or bad thing? Nowhere.

You didn't. But nobody perturbs that many electrons if they don't have an opinion on the topic (and I'll be real, I've got one too but I'm not trying to cloak it in neutrality). And then we get this:

> In some way, the passenger is being taken advantage of.

This is nonsensical. It also proves out the hunch I expressed from my last post, so thank you for doing the legwork for me.

As to why it is nonsensical: the passenger is in no way being "taken advantage of", except insofar as Lyft and Uber already commit obvious fuckery on the regular. The prices are "being manipulated" all over the place--I get different prices on Uber than my girlfriend does when we're standing next to one another!--and there is no expectation that "outside forces" (oooooh) are somehow kept out of it.

The passenger is being given a price at which they will be transported. That's it. The driver is being given a rate at which they will do the transporting. That's it. If they both agree, the ride happens and Lyft/Uber take their cut. This is how a two-sided market maker is supposed to work.

I don't know why it would be okay for Uber and Lyft to fiddle-fart with prices but it's not okay for drivers to say "I won't drive for less than $X". Why are you choosing to shade, to preferentially "see the argument" against poor people when it means that they might make a little money using a market the way a market is supposed to work?

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mikeash6y ago

When these services first introduced surge pricing, they told us that it was a good thing because it encourages more drivers to get on the road and take care of demand. It’s working exactly as designed.

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0 pointsbena6y ago0 comments

I would imagine he sees it as fraud because these are drivers who are ready and willing to drive and are waiting on fares but are not indicated on the app as so.

These people are exploiting the rules of the system to violate the spirit of the system. The more available cars, the lower the price.

The more people find out that drivers are doing this, the more likely some form of retaliation will follow.

0 comments

eropple6y ago

benaOP6y ago

Where did I say this was a good or bad thing? Nowhere.

I described things that could happen if the practice becomes too exploitative.

Also, I can see the argument that it violates the TOS for the drivers. The drivers agree to drive for the price determined by the service. They are then using exploits to manipulate that price.

If they don't want to drive for X fare, then they shouldn't be in their car.

And this is an incredibly complicated situation because there are at least three different principles involved. The driver, the company, and the passenger.

eropple6y ago

> Where did I say this was a good or bad thing? Nowhere.

You didn't. But nobody perturbs that many electrons if they don't have an opinion on the topic (and I'll be real, I've got one too but I'm not trying to cloak it in neutrality). And then we get this:

> In some way, the passenger is being taken advantage of.

This is nonsensical. It also proves out the hunch I expressed from my last post, so thank you for doing the legwork for me.

1 more reply

mikeash6y ago

1 more reply

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse