Uber to Resume in Calgary December 6 2016

[Ducay]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

New Year's Even partygoers in Edmonton had the opportunity to pay up to $1200 for a ride home thanks to Uber's price gouging algorithms.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmont...4-71-1.3387808

I'll pull a bit from the 1,000 comments on reddit on why this is a non-issue. The guy agreed three times to the 8.9x surge pricing, and then took the ride on a multi stop trek that went 63km and over an hour. Normal price would have been $125.

https://www.reddit.com/r/news/commen...w_years_eve_a/

for those who never used uber. You have to agree to the surge pricing twice before requesting a ride (one of which you have to manual type it for full effect) then the driver even warned them. He certainly knew this was going to be extremely costly trip. Since it was multiple trips they should have split the fair on the app as well.
this is 100% on the user.
Uber is even helping the guy
Uber offered to cut his fare in half, he said. Uber said surge pricing is one way to ensure everybody can get a ride home on a busy night.

At the end of the day if you don't want to pay for the surge pricing, don't use uber, and don't use it drunk for a city wide tour of Edmonton.

[Looch City]

"Price gouging algorithms" haha, I don't think you know how Uber works. This is simply the user being stupid.

[Resolute 14]

I know very well how Uber works.

And one of the reasons why Uber works so hard to ignore and sidestep taxi regulations is so that they can take advantage of people when need, desperation and in this case, intoxication arises.

[Ducay]

Well surge pricing exists to curtail demand at times when there is too much demand. If this guy did not take the Uber, another few fares would have, at the same surge pricing.

The surge pricing is what make Uber at all viable economically for drivers, without it, you would have no Uber, and thus, a large amount of people who can't get a cab (see:Calgary) and thus, a few more DUIs on the road.

There are a host of arguments against Uber for a lot of other reasons, but I don't think this guy's case is much of one against Uber as a whole.

[Fuzz]

Surge pricing also puts more drivers on the street. If they didn't have it, this guy may well have had to wait 2 hours for a taxi. It gives you the OPTION of paying more to get quick service. I've got a lot against Uber, but surge pricing isn't one of them. The only issue I have is maybe they should limit it to 5x or something, as at a certain point you aren't getting more drivers out and it IS just gouging.

[FlamesPuck12]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

I know very well how Uber works.

And one of the reasons why Uber works so hard to ignore and sidestep taxi regulations is so that they can take advantage of people when need, desperation and in this case, intoxication arises.

Surge pricing is great, it at least gives me an option to pay extra to catch a ride if I really need one rather than not being able to find one at all.

I personally wouldn't use it to tour around Edmonton for an hour on NYE but when I have to catch a flight, I rather pay extra during high demand period to get a ride than having price-capped but no ride at all.

[Kavvy]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

I know very well how Uber works.

And one of the reasons why Uber works so hard to ignore and sidestep taxi regulations is so that they can take advantage of people when need, desperation and in this case, intoxication arises.

Wow - Uber is not responsible to protect drunks from themselves anymore then a casino does - yet they apparently do with multiple checks to ensure the rider agrees with the rate increase.

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by Iggy City

"Price gouging algorithms" haha, I don't think you know how Uber works. This is simply the user being stupid.

In today's lack of personal responsibility world, is it now deemed unreasonable that the average person understand multiplication?

[Kavvy]

Am I the only one who reads the "I am only trying to get home responsibly" as embarrassing on the riders part?

I am reading to much into it, probably, but his statement should just say "I am only trying to get home". Driving sober should be assumed no matter the barriers.

I don't know why this line frustrated me so much.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Kavvy

Wow - Uber is not responsible to protect drunks from themselves anymore then a casino does - yet they apparently do with multiple checks to ensure the rider agrees with the rate increase.

Taxi laws and regulations exist to protect the consumer, because we all know taxi companies won't if given the choice. And that is the point here - which some of you guys are inadvertently arguing for me - Uber cannot be viable unless they benefit from an uneven playing field.

And don't sit here and pretend that you wouldn't be all over a taxi driver who tried to charge someone nearly $1200 for the same scenario.

[Kavvy]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

Taxi laws and regulations exist to protect the consumer, because we all know taxi companies won't if given the choice. And that is the point here - which some of you guys are inadvertently arguing for me - Uber cannot be viable unless they benefit from an uneven playing field.

And don't sit here and pretend that you wouldn't be all over a taxi driver who tried to charge someone nearly $1200 for the same scenario.

Well they can't legally, so it would be illegal and of course I would be angry.

Check my post history, don't assume I am on the pitchfork camp to destroy the taxi industry.

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

And don't sit here and pretend that you wouldn't be all over a taxi driver who tried to charge someone nearly $1200 for the same scenario.

Depends on the scenario. If said cab driver saw dude was drunk, drove him 63kms and then demanded $1,200, I would be all on the passengers side. If said cab driver on the busiest night of the year said hey I have a lot of calls to get to at the moment in the dispatch queue but to jump the queue this ride is going to cost you 8.9 times the normal metered rate. Then proceeds to give an accurate estimate of the cost for the passenger, and then has them agree to this three times before proceeding, then I'm going to side with the driver.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Cowboy89

Depends on the scenario. If said cab driver saw dude was drunk, drove him 63kms and then demanded $1,200, I would be all on the passengers side. If said cab driver on the busiest night of the year said hey I have a lot of calls to get to at the moment in the dispatch queue but to jump the queue this ride is going to cost you 8.9 times the normal metered rate. Then proceeds to give an accurate estimate of the cost for the passenger, and then has them agree to this three times before proceeding, then I'm going to side with the driver.

According to the story, the driver did not do that. Only gave him the multiplier.

The important question remains unanswered, however: Why should Uber be exempt from taxi regulations that exist to protect the consumer from this very scenario? Why should Uber be allowed to gouge customers where other taxi companies can not?

[Zarley]

Wow, what a moron. I can't believe this guy is asking for sympathy - he should be embarrassed.

[HotHotHeat]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

According to the story, the driver did not do that. Only gave him the multiplier.

The important question remains unanswered, however: Why should Uber be exempt from taxi regulations that exist to protect the consumer from this very scenario? Why should Uber be allowed to gouge customers where other taxi companies can not?

It would have said the estimate of cost is $125 and then alerted him of the 8.9 surge pricing.

I thought you knew how Uber worked?

[Kavvy]

Originally Posted by HotHotHeat

It would have said the estimate of cost is $125 and then alerted him of the 8.9 surge pricing.

I thought you knew how Uber worked?

I don't know how Uber works, but I am guessing this didn't quite happen.

I think what happen every time he stopped a new trip was started and he kept getting estimated costs with the surge for each trip.

It was the addition of multiple trips and multiplication of the surge rates this drunk couldn't handle.

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

According to the story, the driver did not do that. Only gave him the multiplier.

The important question remains unanswered, however: Why should Uber be exempt from taxi regulations that exist to protect the consumer from this very scenario? Why should Uber be allowed to gouge customers where other taxi companies can not?

Does the consumer really need protecting? Outside of this idiot I would hope people either understand at least one of the two following things:

1) How multiplication works

2) When you're a drunk idiot and rack up charges, the world does not owe it back to you

Should there be a topless dancer commission set up at the City of Calgary to protect consumers from high cost champagne room visits?

Maybe someone after an expensive night at the Maid should go public to the media and explain how they were taken advantage of.

[HotHotHeat]

Or the Oilers racking up a $15k bill in Calgary on NYE a few years back then whining.

It's an Edmonton thing.

[heep223]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

According to the story, the driver did not do that. Only gave him the multiplier.

The important question remains unanswered, however: Why should Uber be exempt from taxi regulations that exist to protect the consumer from this very scenario? Why should Uber be allowed to gouge customers where other taxi companies can not?

You're looking at this the wrong way. It's the regulations that are ####ing all this up in the first place. The taxi industry should loosen the regulations they've demanded because it's hurting them now that there's competition.

The "regulations that protect the consumer" is an intervention on the market which results in a horrible lack of service, complacency and oligopolies. Just like anything else it started with good intentions but turned into something that actually hurts consumers.

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by Kavvy

I don't know how Uber works, but I am guessing this didn't quite happen.

I think what happen every time he stopped a new trip was started and he kept getting estimated costs with the surge for each trip.

It was the addition of multiple trips and multiplication of the surge rates this drunk couldn't handle.

You are guessing wrong.