uber

[Guest countryboywny]

I get it. I'm glad that uber works for most (all?) of you. If you're comfortable with uber, then by-all-means use it. I'm taking my ball and going home.. in a professional taxi! LOL

[MiamiLooker]

Is it customary for the rider to tip the uber driver?

[+ Chris Eisenhower]

Is it customary for the rider to tip the uber driver?

It's automatic. You get in and get out.

[Vato Loco]

https://www.uber.com/safety

 

they have more insurance than most cab companies do.

 

uber is great and deserves to be more places where cab companies monopolize. competition is a good thing

 

 

For someone who claims to take Privates Jets around and shun Rolex watches , why in the world is "Uber" even in your lexicon?

 

Ride-sharing is for the proletariat darling.

[jimboivyo]

For someone who claims to take Privates Jets around and shun Rolex watches , why in the world is "Uber" even in your lexicon?

 

Ride-sharing is for the proletariat darling.

 

 

lol

[AdamSmith]

Ride-sharing is for the proletariat darling.

 

...[Joan] Rivers has had three big relationships since Edgar. “Spiros was my first one, my Greek shipping tycoon. That lasted four years.” Then there was Bernard, the cheap one. “He wouldn’t get a car and driver. A man who had $150 million. I was standing there in the pouring rain at Lincoln Center and he said to me, ‘You are so spoiled.’ I remember saying to him, ‘If you were an actor, Bernard, and had no money, we would be on the subway and I wouldn’t be saying a word. But you have $150 million, Bernard. And I’m wearing $700 shoes, and this is silly. What are we proving here?’ Bernard carried the ketchup back and forth to the Hamptons. Does that tell you everything?”

 

http://nymag.com/movies/features/66181/index6.html

[bigvalboy]

...[Joan] Rivers has had three big relationships since Edgar. “Spiros was my first one, my Greek shipping tycoon. That lasted four years.” Then there was Bernard, the cheap one. “He wouldn’t get a car and driver. A man who had $150 million. I was standing there in the pouring rain at Lincoln Center and he said to me, ‘You are so spoiled.’ I remember saying to him, ‘If you were an actor, Bernard, and had no money, we would be on the subway and I wouldn’t be saying a word. But you have $150 million, Bernard. And I’m wearing $700 shoes, and this is silly. What are we proving here?’ Bernard carried the ketchup back and forth to the Hamptons. Does that tell you everything?”

 

http://nymag.com/movies/features/66181/index6.html

 

http://www.autofiends.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/trabant.jpg

 

Uber would have been perfect for Bernard...Just what the Bourgeois needs.

[MiamiLooker]

. But you have $150 million, Bernard. And I’m wearing $700 shoes, and this is silly. What are we proving here?’ [/i]

 

She should have shopped at Payless.

 

Women's Myra Short Boot $20.00

http://demandware.edgesuite.net/aapr_prd/on/demandware.static/Sites-payless-Site/Sites-payless-catalog/default/v1431673495084/images/hi-res/134617_6_1400x1400.jpg

[+ honcho]

. But you have $150 million, Bernard. And I’m wearing $700 shoes, and this is silly. What are we proving here?’ [/i]

 

She should have shopped at Payless.

 

Women's Myra Short Boot $20.00

 

I think that Bernard might have wanted to shop at Payless or Walmart, but her point of

view was more likely that by spending $700 she got the kind of shoes that really pleased her,

that she wanted to make last by not walking all over Manhattan, and since it was worth it to

her, and since expenses of this kind (not done to excess) wouldn't have noticeably impacted

their wealth, it wasn't unreasonable for Bernard to indulge her.

 

Now personally, I would never spend that kind of money for shoes/boots if I could possibly avoid it. (Even though nice new shiny black leather police/riding boots are at least half that these days).

Edited May 15, 2015 by honcho

[AdamSmith]

Getting way off the OP here, but another thing about Joan that came out in 'A Piece of Work,' and in the many reminiscences and articles after her death, was how hard she worked, worked, worked for her dough. Not from fear of poverty but, as she herself said, from loving the work itself, and also from not wanting to 'pull it in' and live more modestly. What also came through in all that coverage was how generous she was to friends and acquaintances.

[AdamSmith]

PS Joan recounted one time being at a dinner party with some of her truly stratospherically wealthy friends, and one said to her, "Oh Joan, you don't have to think about money any more than the rest of us do."

 

Joan said she replied, "I promise you I am the only person in this room who is playing Cleveland on Saturday night!"

Edited May 16, 2015 by AdamSmith

[ZhenXBear]

I noticed that a reviewer today arranged for en escort to be picked up by uber. I have my uber app but I have not yet used it. I travel quite a bit but the opportunity has not yet come up. I was wondering if you can maintain anonymity while arranging for an escort to be picked up by uber. Are there any receipts handed out or any announcements of name or verification of any sort? In other words, if I arrange for an escort to be picked up by user, is my name and credit card shared with the rider? This is hard to understand from the uber site. Thanks

 

As others have said, Uber will have the information, but another option is to pay them is via PayPal. I kind of like this option better because I don't have to actually give me CC information to Uber and I trust PayPal more. In reviewing PayPay (just now) all it says was that Uber Technologies was paid 'X' on this date. There's no information on the PayPal who was picked up, where they were taken or anything other than the fare cost. The application does have a "trip history" section though with the date/times of the ride, the total fare, who the driver was, and a "mini-map" of the route taken.

 

I also might add that as a recent adopter of Uber, I find it fantastic to use over the typical cabs in San Francisco. On my first trip, I got off of BART, selected my information and hit the button, and the guy was there literally in under 2 minutes. What I didn't realize was that there was a "ride share" option, but I didn't mind paying a bit more to get there more expeditiously.

[+ quoththeraven]

Another drawback of Uber: their ability (or inability) to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act, which has caused some pretty ugly behavior, such as when a driver told a woman in a wheelchair that folds and fits in the trunk to take a hike (she accepted a ride from a female stranger instead), and has landed them in court.

 

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/05/21/uber-disability-laws-don-t-apply-to-us.html

 

Sorry, the "we're a tech company, not a ridesharing service" argument doesn't pass the laugh test. This is known as a "form over substance" argument. Guess what? Judges ignore the form and go for the substance.

 

The employee vs. independent contractor argument is a closer call, but I'd argue Uber loses that one, too. Either it enforces companywide standards and policies, making its drivers employees, or it doesn't, making its drivers independent contractors, but without effective branding and with a highly variable experience that will be unhelpful to establishing a good reputation.

 

I get the popularity, I really do, but I'm not sure the service works for me. I'd rather ride with someone with a track record who had to pass a test showing knowledge of the city who's also aware there are regulations governing her or his business. That is just not true with Uber, as these stories demonstrate. The whole "commercial use without notice invalidates your private auto insurance" bothers me because it sure looks like Uber's pricing is predicated on Uber's insurance being secondary and the driver's insurance being primary. If their drivers' insurance is out of the picture because the drivers are all relying on it when in fact driving for Uber invalidates coverage, Uber is undercharging and engaged in unfair competition, thereby legitimizing all the bitching and moaning by licensed drivers.

 

Sorry, besides the fact my phone is too small for web-based apps to work (I think), I'm not too crazy about getting into some stranger's car without real-time monitoring. Can I tell Uber I'll only accept rides from women? Doesn't that complicate things? There are horror stories out there, and Uber can only be helpful after the fact. Another situation I'd rather avoid upfront than try to fix afterward.

[+ dutchmuch]

https://www.uber.com/safety

 

they have more insurance than most cab companies do.

 

uber is great and deserves to be more places where cab companies monopolize. competition is a good thing

 

Now Jimboi, you won't be taking Uber when you alight from one of your G650's when flying into FLL, or Paris darling:

 

Uber is suspending operations in Broward County at the end of the month due to its ongoing battle with the board of county commissioners, company officials said Monday.

 

Calling Broward "one of the most hostile regulatory environments in the nation," Uber officials said they'll suspend operations beginning July 31.

http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Uber-Suspending-Operations-in-Broward-on-July-31-311815621.html

 

http://www.autoblog.com/2015/07/04/uber-suspends-service-france/

[rvwnsd]

I hate to hold the needle that pops the "sharing economy" balloon, but when payment is involved nothing has been shared. Sharing refers to giving something. If I buy the 978 pack of toilet paper at Costco and give someone 200 rolls and do not get anything in return, I have "shared" 200 rolls. If I get, say, 57 rolls of paper towels in exchange for my 200 rolls of toilet paper, I have "bartered" 200 rolls for 57 rolls of paper towels. If I receive money for my 200 rolls, then I have "sold" the 200 rolls.

 

Love 'em or hate 'em, Uber, airbnb, et al are facilitating the sale of a service. That's not sharing.

[+ dutchmuch]

Love 'em or hate 'em, Uber, airbnb, et al are facilitating the sale of a service. That's not sharing.

 

eu·phe·mism

ˈyo͞ofəˌmizəm/

noun

1. a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing.
   

[+ SundayZip]

Love 'em or hate 'em, Uber, airbnb, et al are facilitating the sale of a service. That's not sharing.

 

You have a good point in that calling it a "sharing economy" could be a misnomer or a euphemism. I'd prefer that they call it a "pairing economy" because it's about pairing an individual looking for a service with an individual willing to provide the service. This "pairing economy" provides an alternative to an economic model in which we buy most of our services from corporations. I have nothing against corporations (I worked for one for many years) but I am for having alternatives -- especially if alternatives provide equal or better quality at a lower price. Yes, the insurance industry and many government/regulatory entities have not yet adapted, but that does not make pairing services inherently bad. It just means that corporations and traditionally structured service providers continue to massively dominant our economy (and governments) to the point that they squeeze out alternatives. I will continue to use alternative services such as uber because my personal experiences with them has been positive and because I want them to succeed.

 

PS. I have a new goal in life which is to make QTRaven an Uber fan.

Edited July 7, 2015 by SundayZip

[Steven_Draker]

Can Uber-style apps make affordable private jets a reality?

 

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/150603115303-victor-2-exlarge-169.jpg

 

(CNN) Here's the scenario:

 

The business meet wraps up in Boston, now an urgent situation is developing in Los Angeles.

 

A quick check of flight schedules reveals there's a premium-rate business-class seat available.

 

However, the flight doesn't depart until first thing tomorrow.

 

But hang on, there's another option.

 

A private jet, leaving when you want it to leave.

 

And it's cheaper too.

 

Seriously.

 

In the wake of Uber's shake-up of the taxi market and AirBnB's impact on accommodations, that most exclusive industry of all, executive aviation, could soon be disrupted in the same way.

 

So does that mean that ordinary business travelers could soon be switching to low-cost private aircraft in the same way they've been switching to cheaper, convenient cabs across town?

 

Some aviation entrepreneurs think so.

 

They're creating simple, sleek mobile apps to optimize spare capacity in the private jet market and create a smooth booking experience.

 

Obviously private aviation isn't going to be for the masses, but what if this exclusive preserve of the super-rich is about to become accessible to the merely affluent -- those that today fill the front cabin section of commercial aircraft?

 

Instead of calling a broker or buying into shared exec jet ownership, these new apps allow travelers to secure a private aircraft with just a few clicks and no membership fees.

 

Online marketplaces like Jetsmarter, Victor or Ubair rely on complex predictive algorithms to aggregate aircraft availability data from hundreds of private jet operators and provide quotes within seconds.

 

 

Cheaper than driving?

 

"We are a high tech big data company at core," says Sergey Petrossov, Jetsmarter's founder, adding that most of his company's clients are newcomers to executive aviation.

 

Petrossov sees a future where the executive jet industry goes the way of the Uber-reshaped taxi market.

 

He believes apps could even become so efficient that prices drop to the point where private aircraft not only take business from traditional operators and airlines, but from road transport.

 

Fleets of small propeller aircraft could lure people away from cars and into the skies.

 

Richard Koe, managing director of aviation market intelligence consultancy WINGX, is more cautious.

 

Yes, some new players are streamlining the booking process, he says, but that might not be enough to bring prices down to levels that'll open up private flights to greater numbers.

 

 

Empty-leg solutions

 

Koe instead thinks the online players might simply end up taking business from traditional brokers rather than disrupt the industry's structure.

 

They could, however, offer an efficient solution to the problem of so-called empty legs.

 

These happen when private jets fly without passengers as operators reposition them.

 

According to some industry estimates, empty legs account for more than a third of all private flights.

 

Jetsuite, a light-jet operator based in California, pioneered discounted online sales of empty legs and others have followed suit.

 

 

Jetsmarter even offers empty legs for free to clients signing up for its optional membership plan.

 

There's a major drawback though.

 

The rigid and unpredictable nature of empty legs doesn't really suit the flexibility needs of the private jet crowd.

 

While heavily discounted "empty leg" flights make for excellent marketing material, only a fraction of those actually end up being sold.

 

With on-demand charters still the bread and butter of exec aviation marketplaces, it's in precisely this area that digitization can make a difference by adding extra layers of transparency.

 

Which is why Victor, a UK-based company that's just closed an $8 million funding round to expand in the United States, has decided to make of transparency its chief selling point.

 

Normally, passengers calling a broker would be told very little about the aircraft they're hiring -- nothing about the plane type, the operator or the commission they're being charged, says Victor's founder and CEO Clive Jackson.

 

By making all these details available through its website and app, Victor hopes to build long-term trust-based relationships with its clients.

 

 

All-you-can-fly

 

Other players are experimenting with new pricing models instead.

 

JetMe offers a reverse-auction feature on its website and app.

 

Customers enter the destination and dates of their flight on Jetme's website or app and are given a tentative quote based on an analysis of market prices.

 

They're then given the option to submit their own bid.

 

Jetme's system is smart enough to tell users what chances their bid has of being accepted by aircraft operators, allowing them to make a more informed decision on whether to submit it.

 

California-based Surfair and its East Coast equivalent, Beacon, are proposing an entirely different model: a flat fee all-you-can-fly membership.

 

Members pay a monthly fee ($1,750 for Surfair, $2,000 for Beacon) that allows them to fly as many times as possible on certain routes.

 

This model is more akin to that of scheduled airlines than to that of executive jet charter operators, since flights are limited to a number of trunk routes and passengers share the aircraft with other travelers.

 

However, this might suit the needs of ultra-frequent fliers who find themselves commuting between two given cities, let's say, New York and Boston, several times per week.

 

Beacon CEO Wade Eyerly claims this way of flying has helped seal many business deals, as the flights provide a perfect venue for professional networking.

 

Those that do not mind sharing the ride with strangers can also use BlackJet.

 

Launched in 2012 with the backing of some A-list celebrities, BlackJet has been recently repositioned as a marketplace for private jet seats after undergoing some financial turbulence

 

more: http://edition.cnn.com/2015/06/09/travel/uber-private-jets/

Edited July 7, 2015 by Steven_Draker

[+ dutchmuch]

Meanwhile in Jo'burg:

JOHANNESBURG—Uber Technologies Inc. on Monday asked police to protect its drivers and passengers from taxi drivers in South Africa’s biggest city, who have lashed out at a company they say is cutting into their business.

 

“Recent intimidation…only underlines why people are increasingly choosing safe, reliable alternatives like Uber,” the San Francisco-based company wrote on its website.

 

Several Uber users reported being harassed into taking metered taxis in Johannesburg’s business district Sunday and Monday instead of the cars they had hailed via Uber’s smartphone app.

[rvwnsd]

... This "pairing economy" provides an alternative to an economic model in which we buy most of our services from corporations. ...

 

Ummmm...uber and airbnb are both corporations.

[Steven_Draker]

Meanwhile in Jo'burg:

 

Meanwhile in Dubai:

http://i.imgur.com/q0z0CJ8.jpg

 

http://karage.tv/en/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Uber-McLaren.jpg

 

http://news.boldride.com/2015/02/lucky-people-use-uber-and-get-picked-up-in-a-mclaren-650s/68852/

[+ dutchmuch]

Would anyone here take a self-driving Uber car on a trip?

Google's self-driving cars are hitting the open road in Austin, Texas.

 

The company has selected the city to be the next testing location for its autonomous Lexus SUVs, Google said in a Tuesday Google+ post.

 

But don't expect to spot driverless cars whizzing past your favorite bar or BBQ joint in downtown Austin. Like in California, Google's self-driving cars will have a human onboard, ready to take over if there is an incident. It will also be contained to a few square miles north and northeast of downtown Austin.

 

"It's important for us to get experience testing our software in different driving environments, traffic patterns, and road conditions—so we're ready to take on Austin's pedicabs, pickup trucks, and everything in between," Google said. "Keep it weird for us, Austin, and visit our website to let us know how we're driving."

Google already has a presence in Austin; it rolled out Google Fiber there last year.

Google has been testing its self-driving car technology using Lexus SUVs and Toyota Prius vehicles for some time now. Since Google tipped the project in 2010, its cars have driven over 1 million miles.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2487322,00.asp

[+ dutchmuch]

https://www.uber.com/safety

 

they have more insurance than most cab companies do.

 

uber is great and deserves to be more places where cab companies monopolize. competition is a good thing

 

And Uber just paid out of court, big time!

 

http://www.cnet.com/news/uber-settles-lawsuit-over-fatal-sf-crash-that-killed-girl/

[bigvalboy]

And Uber just paid out of court, big time!

 

http://www.cnet.com/news/uber-settles-lawsuit-over-fatal-sf-crash-that-killed-girl/

 

And undercover is working the Key West International Airport. They are now starting to arrest Uber drivers in Monroe County.

[+ dutchmuch]

And undercover is working the Key West International Airport. They are now starting to arrest Uber drivers in Monroe County.

 

You mean if I fly my Private Jet into EYW to flit around at KW Pride, I can't use Uber?

 

Uber go Unter?

Edited July 15, 2015 by dutchmuch