Rumor: Uber's puts Lyft drivers in Hell?

[Taf the Ghost]

So Uber reverse-engineered information the Lyft app gave out, cross-referenced that with their own data and *paid* drivers more money to work for them.

 

It's anti-competitive, sure, but that isn't illegal.  Actually seems like a good deal for the Uber drivers.

[goodtofufriday]

3 hours ago, Scruffy90 said:

Cheap? Where? In NYC theyre as expensive and at many times more expensive than the local cab services over here. 

I'm in NYC. Thats entirely false.

 

I also dont see what the issue of the Hell program is.

[zMeul]

4 hours ago, DeadEyePsycho said:

Everyone: Uber seriously can't be any worse than that...

Uber: Hold my beer.

you mean:

hold my PEPSI while I eject this "doctor" passenger from my not United Airlines Uber car with sarin gas

[Scruffy90]

28 minutes ago, goodtofufriday said:

I'm in NYC. Thats entirely false.

 

I also dont see what the issue of the Hell program is.

The only way this is false is if you ride yellow cabs where they run the meters. I live in queens and at any given time, they're usually 1.5x to 2.0x more expensive than other cab services (Not other ride sharing services). Going from Manhattan to anywhere outside of Manhattan yields the same pricing.

[Xanthe_2871]

4 hours ago, deXxterlab97 said:

@Xanthe_2871

Thanks!

 

I don't know anything about a hell program. I do know that Lyft hasn't publicly denounced dual service drivers, but internally they hate it. This is evident in their rules, which do not specifically mention Uber or other services, but punish certain actions a dual driver might take, such as denying requests and frequently going offline then back online. 

[goodtofufriday]

14 minutes ago, Scruffy90 said:

The only way this is false is if you ride yellow cabs where they run the meters. I live in queens and at any given time, they're usually 1.5x to 2.0x more expensive than other cab services (Not other ride sharing services). Going from Manhattan to anywhere outside of Manhattan yields the same pricing.

NYC so yeah they run the meters, no flat fee. Uber ends up being much cheaper.

In New Jersey too they are cheaper than any cab. Almost always under 10$ for about 15 mile radius. 

 

Can't say anything about queens, Id imagine there is a frequent issue with the 1.2 or 1.5x pricing for high volume times.

[bgibbz]

4 hours ago, JoostinOnline said:

They're a great company.

Do you read the news? There countless instances of shitty practices that Uber has done. 

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/12/magazine/is-ubers-surge-pricing-an-example-of-high-tech-gouging.html?_r=0 - criticism of surge pricing, and denouncing it as simple price gauging that doesn't benefit either rider or drivers (Many blog posts by drivers and riders alike denouncing surge pricing, like THIS). While the rationale behind surge pricing is that it increases the amount of drivers on the road, it does so by screwing over the customer. Many customers who may not have an option are forced to pay exorbitant amounts of money for rides. My brother actually fell pray to this a couple of weeks ago. While on vacation, he took an Uber from his hotel, costing him about $15. However, on the way back he had to pay over $120 due to a surge charge, despite the relative area appearing fairly uncrowded. Despite taking 2 identical trips, with 2 identical travel times, one of those trips cost roughly 8 times more because supposedly there was higher demand. This almost perfectly fits the definition of price gouging, the practice of cranking up costs on a commodity during a natural disaster (sure, taking an Uber isn't a natural disaster, but higher than average customers shouldn't warrant Uber to jack up the prices, making many believe that surge pricing is simply an opportunistic way to make more cash).

 

There is also large amounts of evidence pointing to Uber mistreating there drivers. 

 

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/04/02/technology/uber-drivers-psychological-tricks.html  -  As someone who is quite fascinated by Psychology, I found this particularly interesting. Several practices used by Uber encourages drivers to stay out longer than they otherwise would. 

 

http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-uber-nationwide-class-action-20160502-story.html  -  Describes many of the issue that arose from having drivers classified as independent contractors rather than employees, again, a scheme of uber trying to pay there drivers as little as possible (in this case, its most significant impact is Uber's avoidance of paying for Gas, maintenance, minimum wage, etc). 

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/some-uber-drivers-say-companys-promise-of-big-pay-day-doesnt-match-reality/2014/09/06/17f5d82c-224a-11e4-958c-268a320a60ce_story.html?utm_term=.e2b743365c88  - Describes an systematic underpayment of drivers, with drivers making as little as $3 per hour due to the high amount of money Uber takes off the top and the lack of paying for gas and maintenance

 

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/feb/28/uber-ceo-travis-kalanick-driver-argument-video-fare-prices - Uber CEO gets into heated argument with driver when driver claims that he has been struggling financially due to Uber increasing standards while decreasing driver payments, essentially making it nearly impossible for Uber drivers to earn money. 

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/mar/03/uber-spreading-social-poison-travis-kalanick - Points out how CEO Kalanick's lack of respect and human deceny reflect on the overarching company. Uber has repeatedly been slammed with criticisms of workplace sexism and an overall negative corporate environment. Even ignoring the highly controversial socioeconomic impact of Uber, Uber is a pretty shitty company. 

 

 

 

 

This is simply 10 minutes of google articles that I remember, I'm sure there are countless other sources and scumbag moves that Uber as a company is doing. While I don't dislike the service offered, the overarching company is VERY poor. There CEO is an immature asshole, there corporate culture represents magnified instances of American cultural criticism (most notably misogyny), and there have been numerous instances of driver and customer treatment. 

 

 

It is naïve to claim that Uber is a "Good company", when nearly all evidence has pointed to the contrary. 

[Scruffy90]

1 minute ago, goodtofufriday said:

Can't say anything about queens, Id imagine there is a frequent issue with the 1.2 or 1.5x pricing for high volume times.

I would believe the high volume issue around rush hour, but the price doesnt vary during off peak hours either. 

[spartaman64]

so this program was beneficial to double appers? 

[Fetzie]

On 13/04/2017 at 6:53 PM, JoostinOnline said:

 They've created thousands of jobs, and provided a cheap alternative form of transportation.

In London they're more expensive than black cabs and the tube, and take longer than black cabs and the tube.