The Rideshare Guy

AAA and others have good data (usually for new cars, though, so depreciation makes it $0.30-0.40/mi total). https://therideshareguy.com/is-a-toyota-prius-the-best-car-for-a-rides… has a 2011 and 2016 Prius.

I work at Uber outside of the rides/eats business and observed many feature releases to adjust the business after AB5. What I saw released: - Enabling drivers to see where a rider is going before accepting the trip [0] [2] - Removed a main penalty for declining rides, “No More 85% Acceptance Rate Requirement For Uber Pro” [2] - Drivers get set their own fare with a multiplier [1] (the article details screenshots and backend balance rules) Now every dollar coming in seems to very clearly go from rider to driver. - removed upfront pricing in California and once again charging riders the precise trip amount based on time and distance. [0] [2] - A new driver incentive was released too tied to purchasing the service fee at a lower rate [3] (since every dollar is supposed to flow clearly from the price breakdown) - “Favorite Driver Feature”, so even if they set higher fares, riders will be able to request one of their favorite drivers if they’re nearby [2] These seemed primarily to try to address the flexibility evaluated by “Prong A” of AB5, however some public experts were concerned it wouldn’t address “Prong B”, which requires the “drivers’ work is outside ‘the usual course of the company’s business,’” [0]. This might have been where the judge focused their ruling. Other companies didn’t make changes for drivers, “Lyft [also afaik Postmates, and DoorDash] continues to operate as if it’s business as usual.” [0] [0]…

I'm not sure if it's purposeful, or how long the hole will remain open, but you can see the full paper. Remove the "-Brief". [0] The paper is fairly open about their methodology, and give access to things like the actual survey being answered, rather than just saying "a survey matching these criteria was used". Most of their data apparently has come through Harry Campbell [1], and his yearly survey, which has it's own data and methodology out in the open [2]. I'm not remotely qualified to analyse it, but you can see the data from therideshareguy's survey if you're looking to critique the results of this paper. (I've edited this paragraph to try and get less push/offensive. I'm still not happy with it, but the aphasia is kicking my butt. Rest assured, I'm just trying to be helpful, and just wanted to point the direction to discussing the data. Still not happy with this phrasing either.) [0] http://ceepr.mit.edu/files/papers/2018-005.pdf [1] https://therideshareguy.com [2] https://therideshareguy.com/2018SurveyReport

I politely disagree. Taxi companies hate ride sharing companies. As an industry that refused change for decades saw a software company come in and eat away market share quickly. If Uber were to 'go away' and allow the taxi company to use the ride hailing software they would be all over it. [1][2][3][4] And this is just the taxi industry, there are plenty of industries that would love to use a logistics software to help their business. The only real magic Uber has is this software, the rest is easily replaceable or overhead. [1] https://daymondjohnssuccessformula.com/launch-pad/cab-companies-hate-u… [2]https://www.watchdog.org/california/the-uber-effect-why-cab-companies-… [3] https://www.quora.com/Why-do-taxi-drivers-hate-Uber-if-its-competitive… [4] https://therideshareguy.com/what-taxis-need-to-do-to-survive-uber-and-…

Uber enforces standards on drivers and cars to use their platform -- and take around 30% or more per ride. This is obviously completely different from HN's "Who's Hiring?" threads. https://therideshareguy.com/how-much-do-uber-drivers-make/

From a quick google, Uber may have lost something like $37 billion dollars. $12B from 2014-2018 [https://www.statista.com/chart/17705/uber-revenue-costs-and-cumulative… $25B from 2019-2022 [https://therideshareguy.com/uber-statistics/]

Yep. https://therideshareguy.com/uber-driver-survey/ Why is it so hard to believe drivers enjoy their freedom? They get to control their schedule. Turn the app on and off. Quit after two rides or drive for ten hours because the hits keep coming. This is not exploitation. There’s a small number of drivers taking advantage of free lawyers backed by the taxi industry. But more than anything. If you don’t like ride share don’t drive for ride share. Find a different job. Who said anyone has a right to demand a job to be created their way? Ride share works as it is. If you want a full-time with benefits go get a trucking job. There are a ton of those.

I do see the first link says 67-4, but the second link uses 71-4, which is the correct vote count. You can see on the ca.gov website: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billVotesClient.xhtml?bill_id=… If you agree that the workers should decide, the majority of drivers also don't want AB5 to apply to them. https://therideshareguy.com/california-proposition-22-2020/ In this blog's survey ~70% of drivers want to be independent contractors, and ~60% are a Yes on 22. In case you think it's biased, the writers ultimate argued for the No vote.

Might as well link the source of the survey vs a Forbes blag: https://therideshareguy.com/california-sues-uber-and-lyft-for-misclass… Too bad they didn't ask questions like "do you want to deal with independent contractor taxes" and "do you want to set your own hours" and so on, to drill down into why they liked the independent contractor status. Maybe the solution is to force ride share companies to truly act as matchmakers, where they show passengers and drivers the book and collect a small fee for completed transactions rather than using opaque pricing to maximize their take from both sides of the transaction.

> When we polled drivers about their preference between remaining an independent contractor or becoming an employee, an overwhelming number of drivers wanted to remain independent. > "What type of employment relationship would you like to have with rideshare companies" > (A) I don't know the difference: 3.3% > (B) I'd like to be an employee: 20.8% > (C) I'd like to be an independent contractor: 75.9% https://therideshareguy.com/california-sues-uber-and-lyft-for-misclass…

The RideShareGuy is the most prominent blog for drivers and their annual survey seems to reflect that [1] >66% of drivers said they wanted to be independent contractors vs 15.8% who wanted to be an employee [1] https://therideshareguy.com/uber-driver-survey/

Uber now lets drivers set their own rates, with a multiplier: https://therideshareguy.com/set-your-own-rates-uber-feature/

"Uber and Lyft say drivers prefer the flexibility of working as freelancers, while labor unions and elected officials contend this deprives them of traditional benefits like health insurance and workers’ compensation." I was curious about what drivers think. I guess they're not happy [1] but want to be independent contractors still [2]. 1. https://therideshareguy.com/uber-driver-survey/ 2. (In a May online survey drawing responses from 734 Uber and Lyft drivers nationwide, 71% said they wanted to be independent contractors) https://www.wsj.com/articles/uber-lyft-ordered-to-classify-drivers-as-…

There are likely fewer chargers than bikes, and the chargers are not consumer friendly: https://therideshareguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/7b01981f-8041-4…

https://therideshareguy.com/uber-lowering-rates/ is a detailed analysis of these (or very similar) changes. It's more complex than this headline or article makes it seem. The gist is that, at least in the markets covered by TheRideShareGuy's article, mileage rates are going down a little and time rates are going up significantly.

Without tipping, the base fare isn't enough to be a "proper amount". If they raise the base fare, people won't use ridesharing as "too expensive". The economy is at full employment (in the US; Australia has a substantial minimum wage already). 68% of Uber drivers churn within six months [1]. I doubt that's sustainable. [1] https://therideshareguy.com/7-reasons-why-uber-and-lyft-drivers-are-qu…

Not sure where you got those numbers from. These articles quote the number of active drivers at 1.5-3 million (end of 2017), which would come out to 40k-80k per driver http://www.businessofapps.com/data/uber-statistics/#3 https://therideshareguy.com/how-many-uber-drivers-are-there/

> Cab driving is a low skill job, which is why it's so important that proper competition can exist. My first ever Uber driver had water bottles and gum and even throw pillows and a blanket in the back. He was in a suit. He was really polite and all that. Because he's looking for 5 star rankings. I see the offers of water bottles and gum as expressions of desperation in the face of precarity: a 4.6 average will get you fired from Uber (https://therideshareguy.com/10-things-that-can-get-you-deactivated-as-… I want good service, which means a driver that does his job well, not a driver that makes me cringe because he feels pressured to humiliate himself in a performative display of over-the-top customer service.

Uber most likely thinks you're a habitual user, so it gives priority for newer riders. Uber dynamically prices rides based on the person and your ride history[1], as well as factors like your battery percentage. [1]: https://therideshareguy.com/uber-is-ripping-off-frequent-riders-and-he… [2]: https://www.theverge.com/2016/5/20/11721890/uber-surge-pricing-low-bat… - while it was only a study in 2016, in 2018 this is definitely true. Your upfront fares are hiked if your battery say 5%.

It's hosted on the domain and links to https://therideshareguy.com/NewLyft1 so it appears the blog is an affiliate

Here's an article about this issue from a couple of months ago, for anyone looking for additional information: http://therideshareguy.com/how-to-beat-ubers-upfront-pricing/

Just to clarify, you're completely wrong about the program. As I said, it's designed for full-time drivers, not casual drivers. But you can return it after 30 days with 2 weeks notice, and that's it. You are not on the hook for payments. It has unlimited miles and it includes oil change, air filter and tire rotations. http://therideshareguy.com/uber-xchange-leasing-a-kinder-and-gentler-l…

They only guarantee gross pay -- that figure doesn't include Uber's cut or operating expenses[1][2]. Together, that would make your taxable income something like 60% of the figure. [1] http://therideshareguy.com/what-to-make-of-the-2016-uber-hourly-guaran… [2] And seriously, phrasing the guarantee as before their own cut? Come on, guys.

Here's one: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/uber-driver-complaints-etiquette_5… > So we compiled a list of seven things you might be doing to annoy your Uber driver and destroy your rating. Avoid these behaviors to ensure a smooth ride for both you and your driver. > 2. You don't tip. From one of the biggest Uber driver blogs: http://therideshareguy.com/should-uber-passengers-tip-their-drivers/ > I often see drivers referring to passengers that don’t tip as ‘cheap bastards’ or ‘pieces of shit’ > As a driver, if tips really are important to you, then you need to educate your passengers about how Uber used to pay a better wage and drivers were ok with not accepting tips and now that rates are lower, more and more drivers depend on tips to make a live-able wage.

I see drivers doing this all the time, and here's a guide for drivers to doing it: http://therideshareguy.com/how-to-drive-for-uber-and-lyft-at-the-same-… "Once that is complete, you will be back online with Uber. Switch to the Lyft app to go back online with Lyft."

Which employees? FTEs that work in the corporate office and have gone through a 25% and an unspecified "performance" reduction in force? Merging the two companies would result in many redundancies that would be eliminated. Uber has about 32,000 employees(?! https://stockanalysis.com/stocks/uber/employees/ ). Lyft has about 3000. I doubt that any M&A of Lyft into Uber would result in Uber being 35,000 employees for long. For the drivers, many work for both ("But even though Uber is the dominant player among drivers, that doesn’t mean there’s a whole lot of driver loyalty. Nearly 80% of drivers have actually signed up for 2 or more services with Lyft, Postmates, the DoorDash driver sign up bonus, UberEats and Amazon Flex, all siphoning drivers away from Uber." https://therideshareguy.com/uber-driver-survey/ ) and so removing Lyft as an option isn't as impactful to the market. If a given city has the demand for N drivers - it doesn't matter too much if that's split across multiple services or not other than passenger preference. It probably would impact the cost for passengers since there would be less competition, but that happens in either case of Uber acquiring Lyft or Lyft folding.

Why Uber's pursuing a driverless model just baffles me. This quote is for 24,000 cars for around $1.4 billion, or around $58,000 per vehicle. Even if we assume 0 financing cost the car would need to earn over $58,000 in its lifetime to be more profitable for Uber to buy one of these than to continue to pay a driver. Current Uber drivers estimate their profit to be around $0.40 per mile[1] which means each driverless vehicle would need to drive about 150,000 miles just to break even. Let's guess driving that much that takes about 2 years[2]--if you assume a conservative 1 technician per 50 vehicles[3] to maintain these you also have 2% of their salary * 2 years (say another $3K). Throw in another $1000 for tabs etc, $1500 for the labor for a couple hundred car washes[4], $1000+ for losses related to crashes[5], $500 for parts and maintenance[6] and we're easily at another $7K+ in costs that have to come out of Uber's existing share. [1] https://therideshareguy.com/how-to-calculate-per-mile-earnings-instead… (This is for a 43MPG Prius, with ~$0.06/mile of depreciation. I exclude the depreciation for the calculation above, but need to add back in a similar amount for the difference in MPG.) [2] https://bizfluent.com/info-8446407-many-cab-driver-drive-yearly.html Estimates of how many miles per year a single taxi gets driven range here from ~40,000 to ~90,000, so 75K/year seems plausible for a fully autonomous vehicle. [3]…

Uber & lyft is really bad at showing how it works because the system is over complicated. The way it looks is they are getting ripped off all of the time and so they don't like it. http://therideshareguy.com/how-does-uberpool-pricing-work/ Basically they are paid the same way as an UberX ride, by mile and by time, at a lower rate (0.75/mile vs 0.85/mile). But they are also paid for going out of their way to pick up new people in between, which in uberX they are not compensated for. Some math nerd in the company probably calculated it as equivalent using their historical data, said eureka, and made the business case for uberpool. But that is way too complicated to understand, so natrually people feel like they are ripped off. If they just made it same uberX rate and just told drivers you get paid for distance and time and do not show them anything else, I don't think they will care. To them it's would be another uberX

I fully admit I may be wrong, though I don't believe I have contradicted myself. Are Uber drivers running at a loss? Perhaps. At least the analysis I've seen (such as [1]) don't point to that, especially if we assume drivers aren't buying an extra car exclusively for Uber (just wearing it more). The earnings are crap, but then again, the NYT article I linked above mentioned pre-tax income of $19k, which would be around $11/h today. And there more people driving, so the overall effect is positive. The monopolization effect is worrying, but while it may be naive, I believe it's a short-term concern. Uber has no "moat" - especially as they refuse to actually hire people, hence they can "hop" between apps -, and while some competitors may be in dire straits, others are still popping up (around here, the new one is Cabify). I don't like Uber; they're dishonest and I'll probably stop using it as soon as new competition arrives. But I think the medium term consequences will be beneficial to both drivers and users, at the expense of middle men. [1] http://therideshareguy.com/what-are-your-rideshare-expenses/