Car/Ride Sharing

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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

Post by Kasey Chang »

Got gibbed by ZipCar.

Rented a car for 1.5 hours. Ended up over by 14 minutes (traffic). They charged me an extra hour at OVERTIME rates... $50 per hour (normal rent for car is $13 per hour). WTF. So what should have been $25 trip ended up being $80.
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

Post by LawBeefaroni »

So a body was found on the train tracks this morning, disrupting train service into town. Lyft and Uber turned on surge pricing and were charging insane amounts. Like up to $125 for a few lol ride that is usually probably $15. Screenshots in the news link.
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

Post by Isgrimnur »

So how is this not price gouging?
It's almost as if people are the problem.
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

Post by LawBeefaroni »

Isgrimnur wrote:So how is this not price gouging?
It would be if it were licensed cabs doing it. When "contractors" and "disruptive innovators" do it it's Surge Pricing.
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

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LawBeefaroni wrote:
Isgrimnur wrote:So how is this not price gouging?
It would be if it were licensed cabs doing it. When "contractors" and "disruptive innovators" do it it's Surge Pricing.
I'm sure the attorneys general will be calling you soon for clarification.
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

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LawBeefaroni wrote:So a body was found on the train tracks this morning, disrupting train service into town. Lyft and Uber turned on surge pricing and were charging insane amounts. Like up to $125 for a few lol ride that is usually probably $15. Screenshots in the news link.
I thought there was some error with my 50% Uber discount. I was tempted to use it anyway, but found a cab on Curb.
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

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Enlarge Image
DNA wrote:Trying to ensure drivers would work to meet the demand, both companies implemented surge pricing. Lyft charged up to 6½ times more than normal. Uber was up at least 3½ times the normal fare, according to a rider.
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

Post by hitbyambulance »

does bike sharing go in this thread?

Seattle now has three different bikeshare companies operating here - LimeBike, Spin and OFO:

https://arstechnica.com/information-tec ... alleyways/
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

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In San Francisco, SF Bikeshare had been taken over by Ford GoBike with raised rates, and apparently vandals are going after their bike stands, by slashing tires on every bike, at least in the Mission area.

LimeBike is going to hit San Francisco soon, which is obviously making things hard for the tourist-oriented bike rental shops.
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

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hitbyambulance wrote:does bike sharing go in this thread?

Seattle now has three different bikeshare companies operating here - LimeBike, Spin and OFO:

https://arstechnica.com/information-tec ... alleyways/
We have Divvy, similar to your old Pronto. Except we don't have a helmet law. Dockless seems like a problem.
and then the system would spit out a loaner helmet and unlock a bike.
Eww. Can see why that didn't work.
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

Post by Kasey Chang »

I just dropped off my junker of a car at Salvation Army today. As of today, I am carless. (Yeah!) At the time of drop off, it had 303789 miles on the odo. I may miss it.
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

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Just found that San Francisco has yet ANOTHER bikeshare... Spin (spin.pm)

These station-less share bikes only seem to appear downtown. But it's $1 for 30 minute ride. Heck. I'd go for that, if my trips aren't so f***ing far.
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

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DNA I wrote:COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — A man charged in five Chicago area rape cases picked up one victim in a taxi and kidnapped four others by pretending he was an Uber driver, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Musaab Afandi, 33, was denied bail after DNA evidence linked him to three Chicago cases. In each attack, authorities said, Afandi preyed on women leaving bars and restaurants in Lakeview and River North.

He was previously arrested in Skokie in March and charged in two similar suburban rape cases, court records show. Both are still pending.

Piece of shit.
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

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Gizmodo
To improve functionality between Uber’s app and the Apple Watch, Apple allowed Uber to use a powerful tool that could record a user’s iPhone screen, even if Uber’s app was only running in the background, security researchers told Gizmodo. After the researchers discovered the tool, Uber said it is no longer in use and will be removed from the app.

The screen recording capability comes from what’s called an “entitlement”—a bit of code that app developers can use for anything from setting up push notifications to interacting with Apple systems like iCloud or Apple Pay. This particular entitlement, however, was intended to improve memory management for the Apple Watch. The entitlement isn’t common and would require Apple’s explicit permission to use, the researchers explained. Will Strafach, a security researcher and CEO of Sudo Security Group, said he couldn’t find any other apps with the entitlement live on the App Store.
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

Post by LawBeefaroni »

Lyft Beer? Of course there is/will be.

We are privy to a lot of weirdo partnerships in the alcohol market, but here’s one that potentially is knocking it out of the park: Lyft is partnering with a Chicago craft brewery to introduce its own beer brand in the city. And get this—when you purchase cans of the beer at Chicago bars, you save on Lyft rides! How obvious an idea is that, in hindsight? We’re amazed that they haven’t already done it before.

The country’s second biggest ride sharing company (after Uber, of course) is working in conjunction with Chicago’s Baderbrau Brewing to create and distribute a beer called Five Star Lager—in reality a rebranded version of Baderbrau’s South Side Pride helles lager, according to Josh Noel at the Chicago Tribune. One wishes that they might have put some more thought into designing a unique beer for this concept, but what the hey, Baderbrau makes some solid lagers. The companies reportedly hope that the lager will function as something of a “palate-cleansing nightcap,” a final beer that customers will order before getting their Lyft in order to go home or head to their next destination.

Price of the beer will be about equal to the discount so it's like getting a free can for the road. If you use Lyft.
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

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UberEATS driver sought in customer shooting.
Investigators are searching for a delivery food driver who they say opened fire and killed a customer just outside metro Atlanta.

The Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office identified the victim as 30-year-old Ryan Thornton of Atlanta.

Local media report that according to the Atlanta Police Department, Thornton ordered delivery from UberEATS on Saturday and went outside a Buckhead apartment complex, about 8 miles (13 kilometers) north of Atlanta, at 11 p.m. to pick up his food.

Investigators say witnesses said that Thornton and the driver exchanged words and then someone inside a white Volkswagen opened fire before it left the complex
.
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

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CNBC
California lawmakers passed a landmark bill on Tuesday that threatens to reshape how companies like Uber and Lyft do business.

But shares of Lyft popped more than 5.8% on Wednesday morning, while Uber climbed more than 3.1% after California Gov. Gavin Newsom told the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday that he’s still engaged in talks with Uber, Lyft and other gig economy companies about possible negotiations around the bill. Newsom recently voiced his support for the bill.

The legislation, known as Assembly Bill 5 (AB5), would require gig economy workers to be reclassified as employees instead of contractors. The bill passed in a 29 to 11 vote in the State Senate and now moves on to the State Assembly, where if it passes, it will land on Newsom’s desk.

Additionally, the bill has received broad support from Democratic Presidential candidates including Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), as well as South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

The bill has the potential to change the employment status of more than 1 million low-wage workers in California, not just gig workers at companies like Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Postmates and Instacart. It will make it harder for gig economy companies to prove that their workers aren’t staff, while ensuring key benefits and protections, like minimum wage, insurance and sick days.
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

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Lyft has taken over Ford GoBike and it's now just Lyft (bikeshare). And they even appear on the regular Lyft app.

I haven't seen the car rental in San Francisco offer. Not that I need a car yet.
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

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I got my commute benefits (using pre-tax dollars) working through the provided benefits "credit" card. Seems Lyft recognized it as "shared rides only". How cute. Apparently, only $275 a month can be tax free, or is that per pay period? *sigh*
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

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Learned something new today.

If I choose to use my commuter benefits card as the payment method for Lyft, Lyft is restricted to ONLY send me vehicles that can seat 6 (or more) (i.e. SUVs or minivans) due to IRS rule 132(f), which severely limits the available pool of vehicles and often, I end up waiting 15 minutes for a ride match, and up to 15 more minutes for them to route a vehicle to me. Add it to the ride share delays where they can add more people and stops, and I'm looking at double or triple my normal travel time vs. a regular ride share.

This completely throws off my commuting time table.

If I order direct Lyft (no share), I can get to work in 20-25 minutes. Ride would be here in about 5 minutes.

If I order Lyft rideshare, I can get to work in 35-50-minutes (roughly double), but only with normal credit card. I can usually find a ride match in 30 seconds, and a ride in front of me in about 5 minutes.

If I order Lyft rideshare, but with commuter benefits, the ride becomes 45-80 minutes, as it takes them 5-15 minutes to find me a larger vehicle, then 10-15 minutes for the ride to get to me. THEN they add co-riders on the route.

Almost makes me want to skip the commuter benefits and just pay out of pocket.
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

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Axios
Uber and Postmates are suing California over a law set to take effect this week that will provide gig-economy workers with additional employment protections.

Where it stands: The lawsuit was filed in a Los Angeles federal court Monday, and the law is set to take effect Wednesday. One driver from each company joined the suit as plaintiffs, arguing that the measure would breach equal protections provided by the Constitution.

Why it matters: The suit challenges the constitutionality of a recently passed law that codifies stricter requirements to classify workers as independent contractors.
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

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Kasey Chang wrote: Thu Sep 12, 2019 2:31 am Lyft has taken over Ford GoBike and it's now just Lyft (bikeshare). And they even appear on the regular Lyft app.

I haven't seen the car rental in San Francisco offer. Not that I need a car yet.
Just as an update, Car rental choice was temporarily on the Lyft app, but has since disappeared.

As Lyft is not one of the companies allowed to operate scooters in SF, no scooter option here (it is allowed in selected other metro areas)
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

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CNBC
A California judge granted a preliminary injunction Monday requiring Uber and Lyft to stop classifying their drivers as independent contractors pending further action by the court. The order will take effect after 10 days, as the companies requested a brief stay during the appeals process.
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

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I'm conflicted whenever I hear this stuff. I'm firmly in the workers' rights camp and skew socialist on many issues. But multiple reports have long shown Uber is unsustainable even at current levels of remuneration and is banking on driverless cars being their eventual saviour. I don't drive and don't see a clear path to being able to afford it anytime soon. (Though I'll have to figure it out eventually as my parents are getting older and live in a rural area.) I've frequently used Uber to get around over the past decade. If they and the other services went under I'm sure something else would pop up, but I don't look forward to the possibility of having to return to taxis. They're expensive, unreliable, and you still can't pay electronically in some cases. I remember once requesting a cab with a debit terminal as I didn't have any cash on me, and the dispatcher told me no problem. But they sent me one without, and the driver insisted we stop at a bank, costing me time and money I didn't have.

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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

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Sudy wrote: Tue Aug 11, 2020 1:21 am I'm conflicted whenever I hear this stuff. I'm firmly in the workers' rights camp and skew socialist on many issues. But multiple reports have long shown Uber is unsustainable even at current levels of remuneration and is banking on driverless cars being their eventual saviour. I don't drive and don't see a clear path to being able to afford it anytime soon. (Though I'll have to figure it out eventually as my parents are getting older and live in a rural area.) I've frequently used Uber to get around over the past decade. If they and the other services went under I'm sure something else would pop up, but I don't look forward to the possibility of having to return to taxis. They're expensive, unreliable, and you still can't pay electronically in some cases. I remember once requesting a cab with a debit terminal as I didn't have any cash on me, and the dispatcher told me no problem. But they sent me one without, and the driver insisted we stop at a bank, costing me time and money I didn't have.
Taxis here have an app similar to Uber. The real only difference is the price structure and availability.
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

Post by Kraken »

I read that a lot of city dwellers who've prided themselves on being car-free are rethinking that, now that mass transit and rideshares are risky, and buying used cars that are coming off leases and from fleets. Cars are sticky; once you have one, you're inclined to keep it. If cities remain only lightly occupied and start to depopulate, traffic will be a wash, but if they start to come back it could get horrendous.

If Uber's counting on self-driving cars, I hope their time horizon is 10+ years out, because that's how long it will most likely take to develop full Level 5 autonomy.
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

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Kraken wrote: Tue Aug 11, 2020 9:59 am I read that a lot of city dwellers who've prided themselves on being car-free are rethinking that, now that mass transit and rideshares are risky, and buying used cars that are coming off leases and from fleets. Cars are sticky; once you have one, you're inclined to keep it. If cities remain only lightly occupied and start to depopulate, traffic will be a wash, but if they start to come back it could get horrendous.

If Uber's counting on self-driving cars, I hope their time horizon is 10+ years out, because that's how long it will most likely take to develop full Level 5 autonomy.
As a Michigander by birth, I'd feel naked without a car. I put under 7K miles on per year but would never give it up.

However now I'm actually considering a second car. A beater 4x4 of some sort to street park and have in case of emergencies. When I drive to work the wife is home without a car. And for the foreseeable future she'll be there with at least one of the kids. Public transit has always been fine but with COVID and now rolling looters and the inevitable CTA funding issues, don't like to count on it anymore.
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

Post by ImLawBoy »

We have two cars with minimal mileage (my 2004 Audi has about 51K miles), but I think we actually kind of need it. We have a wheelchair equipped van that my oldest needs, and if the twins have to be somewhere else at the same time, we do need the second car.
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

Post by Jeff V »

We have 2 cars and need both at various times. Although after losing my job, one of those cars spent almost 2 months in the garage before I took it out a few weeks ago to bring the kids to a friend's swimming pool knowing I probably wouldn't be home before my wife left for work.
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

Post by hitbyambulance »

i have zero cars. my old commute consisted of bike to bus stop, take bus over the long bridge, then bike the rest of the way. i am not looking forward to the return to the office, but given i am in the west coast tech industry, that's not going to happen for quuuuiiiiiite some time.

however, i figure i'll likely just suck it up and take advantage of the new bike lane on the bridge about 100% of the time... it's not strenuous, it just takes about an hour each way. i do not like getting up in the mornings so i rely on the bus for speed. return trip in the evenings i would sometimes do the entire bike route because i felt like it or the return bus bike rack was full.
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

Post by Jaymon »

it was two cars for us for a long time. the office was a long ways away, and my job and schedule meant that public transport and carpooling were just not viable options. but now, I work from home full time. not just due to covid, but actual full time remote work.

Occasionally we are both gone at the same time, but thats less than once a month, those scheduling issues can easily be worked around. I am probably going to sell off one of the cars.
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

Post by Sudy »

So, Uber recently launched its acquisition of Cornershop (grocery delivery) locally. I tried grocery delivery a few times several years ago through a local chain and it worked fine, but I didn't like the large delivery windows. Also, as it was a premium chain it was generally poor value. When I moved, it put me less than 500 metres from a discount grocery and premium pharmacy, so there was never really a need to use it. When Covid hit I considered trying it again, but the wait times were understandably obscene. But I figured I'd give Cornershop a try since I was already registered through Uber, and it's always a pain to bring large and/or heavy items home since I'm on foot.

Uber's implementation of Cornershop charges a 10% surcharge for "partner stores", and 25% (!) for other ones. Delivery charge is waived for orders over $40 if you're signed up for the $10/month "Eats Pass" (which I am), which saves you fees if you useUber Eats more than a few times each month. My first issue is that there's no web interface on PC. (I presume this will be coming later?) Searching a grocery store database on your phone is annoying if you don't know exactly what you want. Secondly, on my phone (a premium model from a couple years ago only one Android generation behind), you can't scroll up in the app on some pages. This was a titanic frustration. I actually reported it in my review of the order, and I was surprised that someone responded! However, I realized that it was likely an outsourced, canned response. I've always found Uber's customer service to be abysmal. They've fixed my order/ride problems about 90% of the time, but it's impossible to have a real conversation with someone. Additionally, I'm always amazed at the bugs and poor design choices in an app worth billions, that must have a gigantic team constantly working on it.

I ordered from Walmart... since I'm familiar with the local store's products this was relatively painless. The app more or less promised delivery within two hours. My order was delivered about a half hour after that. The shopper apologized. (I didn't mind at all... I was just sitting around the house.) Where I have a big problem is how they handle substitutions. I get the feeling the shoppers are instructions to choose alternatives to anything they can't find as they shop, and then to go through the app or call you when they're doing to authorize them. Now, I understand why this is done for efficiency's sake. But you can go a couple of different directions with your guesses. I could tell me shopper put a lot of thought into what they picked out, but most of it still wasn't I wanted. E.g. I wanted raisin bread. They didn't have the artisan brand I selected, so she got cranberry-pumpkin seed loaf in the same brand rather than a different brand of raisin bread. They didn't have the size of margarine I requested, so she got me the huge size. There's no way we'll finish this before it goes bad. They didn't have the flaked cat food I ordered, so she got me pate. My cats don't like pate. They didn't have Cherry Pepsi, so she got Pepsi. We don't really like Pepsi... I just ordered this because Mrs. Nym wanted Cherry Coke and they don't carry that.

Now, there's no way the shopper could read my mind. That's OK! They can send back a modified list via the app and you can accept each item, request a different one, or just ask for it to be removed from the order. But, guess what happened to me? I scrolled too far down so I had back out and lose all my changes. As I tried to re-submit my requests, the shopper called me and told me the request had timed out and we'd have to do it over the phone. Which was fine; she was extremely kind and helpful. But I felt bad for requesting she make further changes and walk all over the store again. Some stuff I accepted because it was fine. But I feel the app would work a whole lot better if you could actually specify alternatives ahead of time, even though I realize that feels like crummy design philosophy.

All this said, I wouldn't consider it a bad experience. I'll use it again. It's great not to have to break my back lugging litter, liquids, and TP/paper towels home. The shopper brought everything up to my apartment door even though I told her I'd meet her downstairs. I gave her a tip even though the app tells you not to. "Shoppers are well compensated", it says. My question is, how is that possible? This must have been a 75 to 90-minute task for her. I know "gig economy" workers aren't paid minimum wage (they should be... or more), but as a reference point, minimum wage in Ontario is $14. My order was around $100, so Uber charged me an additional $10. Delivery fee was waived. I'm sure Walmart gives Uber a percentage of the gross. But how is anyone making money off this? When the chains themselves do delivery, they can streamline by having staff perform fulfillment from a warehouse setting. But personal shoppers have to wheel the cart around the store and shop like the plebs.

I saw a commercial on late night TV. It said, "Forget everything you know about slipcovers." So I did. And it was a load off my mind. Then the commercial tried to sell me slipcovers, and I didn't know what the hell they were. -- Mitch Hedberg
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Jaymann
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

Post by Jaymann »

I stopped driving for Uber a couple years ago - it was a fun experience but not worth the risks for the peanuts I was making. Since it is impossible to contact a breather, I replied to their bots that I was out. This was ignored and they are still sending me notices that my information needs to be updated.

Edit to add: This is the company that was sending me daily notices that my insurance was about to expire, but wouldn't accept my new proof of insurance until the day the old policy expired.
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

Post by Jaymon »

Sudy wrote: Sun Aug 16, 2020 9:48 am So, Uber recently launched its acquisition of Cornershop (grocery delivery) locally. I tried grocery delivery a few times...
We used grocery delivery multiple times over the past months. It was a tremendous help when we were injured and on crutches and such, but then march came, and the whole thing went into the crapper. Instacart is the service around me. They send real time texts for sold out items, to discuss substitutions, but even then, stuff gets screwed up. And with the number of things going wrong with supply chain these days, its frustrating. Once we got healed, we gave up on ordering delivery groceries, it was too much hassle with wrong items.
it was great when we could not shop, but its not that great overall.
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Sudy
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

Post by Sudy »

Yeah, that's the same reason we used it several times a few years ago. We had to take care of my grandmother while my dad was out of commission due to back surgery. We have Instacart here, but during the worst of Covid they weren't even displaying delivery estimates for most stores, so I gave up trying. I'm tempted to try them again now, but now I feel like I'm tethered to the Uber ecosystem due to this Eats Pass thing.

But both mean I can order from Costco without a membership. I'm getting a hankering for a 72-waffle box of Eggo.

I saw a commercial on late night TV. It said, "Forget everything you know about slipcovers." So I did. And it was a load off my mind. Then the commercial tried to sell me slipcovers, and I didn't know what the hell they were. -- Mitch Hedberg
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

Post by Max Peck »

Instacart should be fine now. I had to game the system to get orders delivered here in Ottawa back in April (there was a very short but predictable window early on weekend mornings when same-day delivery slots would open up), but these days any time I check it shows 2-hour delivery for any store they cover. I suspect it's a combination of Instacart scaling up their operation and possibly that demand may have tapered off as people get more comfortable with the risk involved in going grocery shopping.
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

Post by TheMix »

Sudy wrote: Sun Aug 16, 2020 12:19 pm But both mean I can order from Costco without a membership. I'm getting a hankering for a 72-waffle box of Eggo.
https://www.costco.com/cuisinart-belgia ... 17247.html

And

https://www.costco.com/kodiak-cakes-pow ... 84002.html

Mmmmmmm.... And so easy. We have the double sided waffle maker. Too bad they stopped carrying it.

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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

Post by Isgrimnur »

NPR
Voters in California delivered Uber and Lyft a major victory and labor unions a big setback on Tuesday by passing Proposition 22, keeping drivers for the ride-hailing companies classified as independent contractors.

The measure carves out a loophole for transportation and food delivery apps from a new state law that would have forced the companies to reclassify its thousands of gig workers in the state as employees, eligible for unemployment benefits, health insurance and paid sick leave.

With about 70% of ballots tallied, The Associated Press projected the measure would pass.

Supporters of the measure such as Uber, Lyft, Postmates and Instacart spent more than $200 million to push for Proposition 22. Uber and Lyft threatened to leave the state if the initiative did not pass, arguing that converting its drivers into employees would be a financial burden.
It's almost as if people are the problem.
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

Post by Sudy »

It's so frustrating. Why can't we have a system that adequately supports workers while letting the market decide whether the overall business model is sustainable? Isn't that how capitalism should work? E.g. classify the drivers as employees, and Uber etc. can either swallow the loss, or pass the expense on to the customer. If customers decide ride sharing is now too expensive, well, there it is. And yes, I'm aware Uber is already supposedly operating at a loss. But ride sharing and delivery services are a great idea. There has to be a model that would be fair for everyone, even if it meant higher costs and longer wait times. When ride sharing has temporarily left certain regions, Facebook groups etc. often pop up to fill some of the void. It's still often cheaper than traditional taxis services. Is that even less regulated and potentially dangerous? Totally. But the need is there. Someone should step in. As someone without a car, ride sharing has opened up a lot of possibilities for me, whether it's easy travel to places that are hard to get to on public transit, or choosing to pay a premium to sleep in for an hour and still get to work on time.

I saw a commercial on late night TV. It said, "Forget everything you know about slipcovers." So I did. And it was a load off my mind. Then the commercial tried to sell me slipcovers, and I didn't know what the hell they were. -- Mitch Hedberg
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Kasey Chang
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Re: Car/Ride Sharing

Post by Kasey Chang »

I voted no on 22, as I believe it won't work but whatever the voters wanted.
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