Drivers for the most part are singular thinkers

Drivers Advice, Experiences
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#1

They think with what’s good for them and **** the rest. They would run the consumer out of using them and the consumer will move to another alternative.

There is no way a driver run TNC would work. The Taxi industry is bigger than TNC drivers and they can’t get their **** together to run Uber out of town.

As much as I would like to think that drivers have the consumer’s needs as a driving factor in their business model…they don’t. Even Taxi’s don’t get it and they make more than Uber Drivers.

Plus there is more to running a TNC than a $30,000 APP. You need support staff and marketing budgets to make people chose you. That’s why Hailo is gone…they didn’t and couldn’t keep up with the marketing. And our friend Uber undercut them out of the market in North America.

Great idea…but impossible to get off the ground. It would be better for drivers to acquire a smaller TNC like Sidecar or even Lyft. Then run it with a more driver friendly model. But lets face it…it’s crap rates that are keeping them float right now.

#2

If and when Uber has us start paying for our own insurance through something like metromile, then there is no reason to keep driving for them and I think it would be better to be independent and have access to an app like sidecar where driver sets prices, or something like when customer requests a pickup ahead of time and sets their price, and drivers choose to accept or not, which would be true ride sharing.

#3

You dolts do not have the slightest idea what it takes to run Uber. You do not understand marketing. You do not understand what it costs to run a server farm. You have no idea what it takes to keep programmers employed and on call or what it costs. You think insurance is the biggest cost? Do you have the software designed and patented that runs like Ubers? Your investor base would come from drivers? How much are they going to invest? Ask Lyft what it takes to compete in resources, time, infrastructure, software, personnel. Sheeeesh, what a bunch of dreamers you West Coasties are. (opps, sorry, I was born there, but am on the other side of the country now where our heads are not up in the smoke of your wacky tobacky)

#4

Yes. I believe it would work 100%.
Expenses are low compared to profits. We are in the computer age. Uber is a self sustained software running on an old platform of google map. It runs in auto pilot.
Raw software cost only $400. We should do it.

#5

Best case would likely be in a small(er) town where the city government would work with the TNC Cooperative.

The TNC would also get support from the Small Business Administration. Possibly even the local City Transportation Department would support the TNC Co-Op by offering logistics / programming support or even a Free Ride on local Transportation in a promotion to get paying customers (Drunks) off the streets and provide transportation alternative for areas not supported by public transport; take an Uber and get free Public Transportation or something like that.

#6

The Uber app isn’t really that sophisticated. Driver or rider version. Uber only understands marketing through deception (driver “earnings,” “industry leading BG checks” to name a few), getting bad press, or giving away investor money in free rides.

I like the idea.

#7

I’m a systems engineer that works with virtual server environments. It’s not that hard. In fact, using Amazon’s AWS is not only an easy way to launch it, it’s probably a good host for it even if the service got as big as Uber. Not many companies can run a datacenter cheaper than the costs of just renting from AWS.

#8

And the soup kitchen in your area will be taking drivers in soon. At least the delusional ones.

You obviously don’t know much beyond driving a car if you think running a TNC is easy. Or running your own company for that matter.

And Uber can’t afford me. Not here in the local office. Plus their ethics don’t jive with mine.

#9

Instead of giving a company a percentage, the drivers would pay a fixed fee to join a guild. The Guild would be self policing and set standards via votes and a board. The fee would cover third party expenses such as app development, marketing, and 3rd party document reviews. The association or guild would be non profit designed to support self employed drivers and promote them.

#10

Some of the self policing would be a one of. For example, to join guild you and your vehicle are interviewed by an existing guild member as a pay forward. In return the new member must after passing a trial period interview another perspective new member or face suspension for the association. Incentives work both ways…by growing the guild members increase marketing muscle and guild power, and also have incentive to keep up community standards which impact the bottom line.

#11

I also have a degree in computer eng. And ran an IT shop for Canada’s largest bank. So I’m not daft on the subject. But tech is only one side of the coin. There is the marketing, the HR side of things, the lawyers, lobbyists, corporate security. You name it. To be Uber its a huge machine. And no way the driver community has a chance to build an Uber clone overnight. And Uber has become too big. Only hope in hell is they get locked out city by city.

#12

The software already exists. Really, a smaller company like Sidecar (type) should really look to partner with local city transportation departments. The intellectual property / software / startup know-how which Sidecar (just an example) has would be perfect.

#13

Wouldn’t it be great to actually offer 50,000 Vets a real business model to get back into the stateside workforce, gain confidence, and either continue full or part-time, be a student and work a flexible part-time job, or just go onto another job at their own pace? Or should local government support the Uber “screw them all for as little as possible” model? Obviously not limiting this to Vets but just brought this up since Uber did this.

#14

It takes more than software. You have to have the entire infrastructure. Server farm, IT staff, and as others have already mentioned, marketing…legal…the list is long.
Look, folks - if it was that easy and low cost to transport passengers from A to B in a decent car, with automated dispatch, at a moment’s notice, don’t you think all of the existing limo companies would have been doing it already? There is a reason most of us don’t regularly have cars trolling for fares, and it is NOT lack of technology.
The truth is, the “on demand” car service is costlier than old dispatch systems. So many of the TNC champions believe this is more efficient, cheaper, etc. but it isn’t. The TNC culture has created this new expectation of instant access for something which is difficult to provide “instantly” for a low price.

#15

And is this way Uber/TK says that “we will not raise prices but lower them”. Raising prices would allow new comers/competition easier entry while lowering fares raises the entry capital required?

So what would allow a Driver Co-Op, other TNC Competitors to entry the market and succeed?

#16

If you think drivers are going to continue driving their newer and/or well maintained cars for Uber as the rates continue to drop, you’re delusional. I’ve already had many customers say the other Ubers they’ve taken have been questionable. The quality is on a massive decline in recent months, especially since the last rate cut. This means Uber is leaving itself exposed to competition willing to charge more than Uber for better quality.