The driver didn’t wait, I waited for them. Four cents is twice the cost of my brand loyalty.

I hope this starts a trend. If these greed-driven whoring corporations want to glom onto every penny they can, fuck 'em. I’m out.

      • Medic8teMe@lemmy.ca
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        6 days ago

        Actually I mean like a bus or train, perhaps a bicycle. Shocking I know. I didn’t really word it that way but that’s what was going on in my strange little brain.

      • Etterra
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        6 days ago

        Taxi, if they still exist near you. The tech assholes have done their level best to exterminate them and have largely, but not completely, succeeded. Fun fact, taxis tend to be unionized, though I don’t know how broadly that applies across States.

        • ButteryMonkey@piefed.social
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          6 days ago

          The experience is completely different, as well.

          Professional drivers know where they are going, best routes to get there depending on time of day, and are willing to talk to you about the area and offer tips. Plus they are held to much higher driving standards than Uber/lyft drivers, who are literally just some random person.

    • SirMaple__@lemmy.ca
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      6 days ago

      Agreed. For the nicer days a e-bike might be worth looking into. Just make sure the motor meets the requirements in your area, normally it’s 500watts and make sure for your own safety that the battery has all the proper certs such as UL. Last thing you want is the battery going off between your legs while riding or inside your home.

        • grue@lemmy.world
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          6 days ago

          Is it possible for there to be an “Uber clone” whose business model isn’t fundamentally exploitative? What the alternative should be is stuff like public bike/ped infrastructure and transit.

          I guess the rental bikes and scooters are okay, although well-designed municipal bike-share systems would still be better.

          • corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca
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            6 days ago

            although well-designed municipal bike-share systems would still be better.

            Thing is, I’d worry I never had a bicycle helmet if I ever had one. If I wait long enough, can we wait until my (non-US) area lets us weez a bike without a bucket?

  • RockBottom@feddit.org
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    6 days ago

    Greed driven is how capitalism works. They are doing it the way the system is set up to function. This system can be changed and should be changed!

    • ikt@aussie.zone
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      6 days ago

      Greed driven is how capitalism works

      I think it works using market forces, as in when someone doesn’t like how they are treated, they cancel their uber account, this means people like the OP can sign up with a competing company and give them his money, thus strengthening the economic power that customers should be treated well in order for the business to survive

      this is the opposite of communism, where you are forced to use the governments uber service and when you are treated like shit you treat this as normal expected behaviour because you have no other choice in the matter

      • ☂️-@lemmy.ml
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        6 days ago

        market forces is just fancy talk for “the oligarchs will decide”

        which usually means all services are (or quickly become) garbage because they are all driven by greed.

      • jjjalljs@ttrpg.network
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        6 days ago

        What if there’s no competing companies, but a monopoly (as is the dream of capitalists) or a cartel (a lesser dream)?

        Let’s not forget that these companies aren’t really running on profits from customers. They’re running on venture capital bro driven development. Uber lost money for 15 years.

      • Avid Amoeba@lemmy.ca
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        4 days ago

        Market forces are not capitalism, they’re a component that is utilized under certain conditions in capitalism, and not only in capitalism. Most markets trend towards oligopoloes and monopolies. It’s now easy to see how. Competition literally leads to consolidation. The market share of failed competitors, often their equipment and other assets, and even often their former employees become part of the winning competitors’ operations. Rinse and repeat till you end up with very few, very big players.

      • agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works
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        6 days ago

        Capitalism works great in theory, but in practice “market forces” are undermined by monopolies, collusion, and regulatory capture. ISPs are a good example, in many places they collaborate to ensure their coverage areas don’t overlap so that they can all charge as much as possible.

        • Reannlegge@lemmy.ca
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          6 days ago

          That is one good thing about living in Saskatchewan, we have crowns to force the service providers such as phone, internet, and TV down in price.

      • Zorque@lemmy.world
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        6 days ago

        Provided someone is willing to provide such a fair and effective competing service, and doesn’t go out of business due to much lower profit.

      • bdonvr@thelemmy.club
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        6 days ago

        you have no other choice in the matter

        Except you do because everything like that is under democratic power.

        OP can sign up with a competing company

        Which? Lyft is dying. Maybe it would work in some markets but in many markets especially smaller ones you have Uber and the local taxi service which will cost at least as much, maybe a lot more.

  • Reannlegge@lemmy.ca
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    6 days ago

    In January I closed both of my Uber accounts, sure the local cab company is not much better but at least it is local and not owned by some US overlord.

    • pubquiz@lemmy.worldOP
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      5 days ago

      Well you helped…? FUCK OFF. What “local options”?

      Service before Uber was non-existent with a monopoly controlling the market. Uber, Lyft and their ilk introduced competition into a stagnant monopoly. And yes, I supported them with my dollars. Eventually they also started nickel and diming we the paying public. Now, there’s no service anywhere and all the whores are mimicking each other, so I’ve abandoned my “new” whore for an “old” whore.

      The race to the bottom of the barrel is complete. Service matters naught. Only money. There were never any local options: a cab monopoly whore, they the likes of Uber who became whores, and now a whole ecosystem of money-grubbing whores.

      Fuck you for thinking anything else…

    • BCsven@lemmy.ca
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      6 days ago

      If you don’t hop in the uber at the slated time. Not sure about the posters contract or situation, but here we get 5 minutes wait time included

      • HubertManne@piefed.social
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        6 days ago

        Yeah 5 mins seems needed just for differences in time devices. I sorta get that charge but it sorta feels like something the rating system could handle. Time is money for the driver though but the thing is will the driver get the whole thing?

        • BCsven@lemmy.ca
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          6 days ago

          In talking to the uber drivers they lose a lot to uber, which is stupid because uber just needs to facilitate.

          The last airport I was at there was an independent guy waiting curbside with a blacked out SUV. He was standing at the doors.
          Burly dude “Yew naid ride?”.

          Me : “yep.” (Thinking he’s the curbside assistant)

          Him: " Where you go?"

          Me: rattles off a hotel name on other side of city.

          Him: “Ged in, I take you”

          Dude drove right to it no GPS, and along the way I’m thinking we didn’t talk about price, and him and the SUV are like something from a shady underworld ring. But turned out fine, he was cheaper than uber, and no middle man skimming profits