• kevincox@lemmy.ml
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    2 days ago

    “Rideshare” is also the least accurate term used to dodge regulations. It is just a taxi/cab. You are paying someone to get you from one place to another. They aren’t sharing their ride, they were never going where you are going before you told them to.

    • hddsx@lemmy.ca
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      2 days ago

      Taxis/cabs are legal. Also, perhaps because of age, I tend to view taxis and cabs as phone numbers you call for a car to show up (or go to a taxi stand), whereas I see rideshare as reserve via an app.

      I think ride share really just means a vehicle that is used not solely for commercial purposes

      • kevincox@lemmy.ml
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        2 days ago

        They are legal if you follow the regulations. The problem with the “rideshare” companies is that they don’t. We should just call them “unregulated taxis” rather than pretending that they are a different service. I think just about every taxi company these days is on some app or another (often the same that call unregulated cabs in countries that actually got their shit together and banned the unregulated ones).

        • Sabrinamycarpet@sh.itjust.works
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          2 days ago

          I think just about every taxi company these days is on some app or another (often the same that call unregulated cabs in countries that actually got their shit together and banned the unregulated ones).

          I’d like to point out this probably would have taken another 10-15 years to achieve had it not been for the disruption of said ridesharing apps.

          • Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world
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            1 day ago

            Just because there’s a inconvenience for consumers doesn’t mean you make workers suffer instead of fixing the problem.

            • Sabrinamycarpet@sh.itjust.works
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              1 day ago

              I’m assuming/ hoping you mean the taxi drivers when you say workers.

              I empathize with anyone who’s livelihood is affected by changes in society. But stagnating progress because someone somewhere will be negatively impacted only assures no progress will ever be made.

                • Sabrinamycarpet@sh.itjust.works
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                  23 hours ago

                  I mean we could build a better social safety net so this doesn’t happen…

                  You telling me you think we should continue to endure a transportation system that is basically a monopoly, where the user has little transparency on what they get charged beforehand, where they can only use the service if they call or are lucky enough to be in a high traffic location, just so no one loses their job?

                  • Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world
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                    7 hours ago

                    Cities have a medallion system to prevent congestion of taxis on the roads. If there was a problem, increasing the number of medallions and scheduling surge pricing (like NYC has done with all cars now) would have improved service.

                    Alternately, simply declaring Uber a taxi service and subject to employment laws would have fixed most everything.

                    I guess since flying is a hassle, I should buy a jet and land it in parking lots to make it convenient for consumers. So what if a few hundred die a year if tens of thousands have easier air travel.

      • Mongostein@lemmy.ca
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        2 days ago

        I use a local cab company. They smartened up after getting crushed by uber in the first couple years of their existence. Now they have an app that’s similar to uber, but I just call and use the web link that shows me where the car is.

        It’s literally the same service, but I have to give my info to Uber’s app to get it.