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256 points reubensutton | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0.251s | source
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thinkindie ◴[] No.21628527[source]
have you ever wondered what makes services like Uber affordable? 1) underpaid drivers 2) VC money dropped into an otherwise unsustainable business

I'm pretty sure Uber will raise prices the moment it kills the competition

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jclos ◴[] No.21628694[source]
The affordability is only one thing that draws people to Uber. The convenience of the app and the fact that the fare is prepaid (and therefore there is no incentive for the driver to fuck around to inflate their fare) are imho at least as important. If the fare is known in advance I can make an informed decision about whether I can afford this ride. Taking a normal taxi is just always a gamble: will they try to win me over by taking the short route? Will they try to fuck me over? Will they get far and then say that they only accept cash, thus driving me to an ATM and charging even more? Who knows!
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1. glfm ◴[] No.21630176[source]
Totally agree. And going further in the bad-intentioned-driver topic: There's also the issue with tourist getting fake curruncy, for expamle here in Buenos Aires a friend visiting from South Africa got fake pesos as change after paying in dollars. After that she only took Ubers.