Passenger Trains > Cities begin levying fees on Uber Lyft for transit benefit

NY Times reports that several cities have begun levying fees on ride services like Uber, and using the proceeds to pay for transit improvements. Philadelphia expects to raise more than $3 million this year, while New York City may impose a $2 to $6 fee per ride (ouch!) which will generate up to $600 million in revenue. Curiously, Uber does not oppose the fee if it is applied to all vehicles entering the central business district.

Chicago applies a separate fee to Uber drivers calling at the airports, also marked for transit rebuilding.



https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/18/nyregion/uber-lyft-public-transit-congestion-tax.html?ribbon-ad-idx=4&rref=politics&module=Ribbon&version=context&region=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Politics&pgtype=article

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> NY Times reports that several cities have begun
> levying fees on ride services like Uber, and using
> the proceeds to pay for transit improvements.
> Philadelphia expects to raise more than $3 million
> this year, while New York City may impose a $2 to
> $6 fee per ride (ouch!) which will generate up to
> $600 million in revenue. Curiously, Uber does
> not oppose the fee if it is applied to all
> vehicles entering the central business district.
>
> Chicago applies a separate fee to Uber drivers
> calling at the airports, also marked for transit
> rebuilding.
>
>
>
> https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/18/nyregion/uber-l
> yft-public-transit-congestion-tax.html?ribbon-ad-i
> dx=4&rref=politics&module=Ribbon&version=context&r
> egion=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Politi
> cs&pgtype=article

GOOD! It is not a tax that I will be paying, as I ALWAYS ride conventional taxis. Uber and Lyft do not properly vet their drivers and operate free of the regulations that protect the public. I would like to see both of them either conform to the taxi laws and regulations or go out of business.

Yeah take a taxi that has screwed me over too many times or take an uber for a third the price.... gee, what should i do... sorry, taxis reap what they sow.

Posted from Android

Two thoughts presented here, each with some merit.

TJY

These taxes are meant for nothing more than attempting to protect the yellow cab monopoly present in most cities.

altoonafn Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> These taxes are meant for nothing more than
> attempting to protect the yellow cab monopoly
> present in most cities.


The yellow cab monopoly in NYC is in disarray. The cabs never served the outer boroughs or Harlem with any frequency, and the city looked the other way when livery services filled the gap. But, the city would issue new million dollar medallions now and then.

The price of new medallions has plunged, which is a huge issue for folks who paid a lot more for what they thought was a government supported monopoly.

What goes unmentioned in that article, and in general, is the falsehood of Uber and Lyft pricing. Both services, and especially Uber, are subsidized by a vast amount of capital that seems bent on cementing the service into a market but driving other services out. The fares people I know get in Chicago are absurd and unsustainable.

I've repeatedly seen a 4 mile trip cost $2, or a 10 mile trip cost $4 from Uber. These a trips that take 20-60 minutes because of congestion and traffic. Some of that is the nature of driving in the city, but some of it is the impact of rideshare, which brings ignorant and untrained drivers into complicated city streets, and promotes ridiculous driving, like pulling over ANYWHERE at random, blocking bus stops, block bike lanes, and other nonsense. They have increased congestion, and particularly increased the danger to bikers and pedestrians.

Yet through the absurdly low fares, which do not cover the cost of driving, maintaining, owning, and insuring a car in a city, they snag a portion of transit ridership. This risks cuts to service and funding for transit, which is the efficient and reliable way for many of the trips.

A tax is a tax. Illinois and Chicago, be interesting to see what portion actually makes its way to transit. Lottery was for education is an Illinois joke. At best it is used for education and then other funding is reduced.

A tax for transit, a tax for education, cigarette settlement for smoking education. All smoke(sorry about that).

If you want to impose a tax, fine. But don't try to justify it with some PR baloney.

Bob

inCHI Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What goes unmentioned in that article, and in
> general, is the falsehood of Uber and Lyft
> pricing. Both services, and especially Uber, are
> subsidized by a vast amount of capital that seems
> bent on cementing the service into a market but
> driving other services out. The fares people I
> know get in Chicago are absurd and unsustainable.
>
>
> I've repeatedly seen a 4 mile trip cost $2, or a
> 10 mile trip cost $4 from Uber. These a trips that
> take 20-60 minutes because of congestion and
> traffic. Some of that is the nature of driving in
> the city, but some of it is the impact of
> rideshare, which brings ignorant and untrained
> drivers into complicated city streets, and
> promotes ridiculous driving, like pulling over
> ANYWHERE at random, blocking bus stops, block bike
> lanes, and other nonsense. They have increased
> congestion, and particularly increased the danger
> to bikers and pedestrians.
>
> Yet through the absurdly low fares, which do not
> cover the cost of driving, maintaining, owning,
> and insuring a car in a city, they snag a portion
> of transit ridership. This risks cuts to service
> and funding for transit, which is the efficient
> and reliable way for many of the trips.


Did you ever stand at bus stop in Chicago during winter, then push on standing holding on to strap while the bus bumps and grinds stopping every two blocks?


Bob

inCHI Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What goes unmentioned in that article, and in
> general, is the falsehood of Uber and Lyft
> pricing. Both services, and especially Uber, are
> subsidized by a vast amount of capital that seems
> bent on cementing the service into a market but
> driving other services out. The fares people I
> know get in Chicago are absurd and unsustainable.
>
>
> I've repeatedly seen a 4 mile trip cost $2, or a
> 10 mile trip cost $4 from Uber. These a trips that
> take 20-60 minutes because of congestion and
> traffic. Some of that is the nature of driving in
> the city, but some of it is the impact of
> rideshare, which brings ignorant and untrained
> drivers into complicated city streets, and
> promotes ridiculous driving, like pulling over
> ANYWHERE at random, blocking bus stops, block bike
> lanes, and other nonsense. They have increased
> congestion, and particularly increased the danger
> to bikers and pedestrians.
>
> Yet through the absurdly low fares, which do not
> cover the cost of driving, maintaining, owning,
> and insuring a car in a city, they snag a portion
> of transit ridership. This risks cuts to service
> and funding for transit, which is the efficient
> and reliable way for many of the trips.

You’re making a lot of assumptions here. Uber isn’t designed to be a primary source of income. Most drivers I’ve talked to use it as a way to make their vehicle costs disappear and nothing more.

If a person has a license, they are a trained driver. Period. As I said, ‘this is nothing more than protecting taxis and public transit unions. Public transit in most major cities is a joke, and it has nothing do to with funding.

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>> The yellow cab monopoly in NYC is in disarray. The
> cabs never served the outer boroughs or Harlem
> with any frequency, and the city looked the other
> way when livery services filled the gap. But, the
> city would issue new million dollar medallions now
> and then.
>
> The price of new medallions has plunged, which is
> a huge issue for folks who paid a lot more for
> what they thought was a government supported
> monopoly.

Probably can pick one up for $80,000 now. Wait a little bit and it might get down to $50,000.

Over the years that was a lot of protection against competition.

ts1457 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lackawanna484 Wrote:
(SNIP)
> >
> > The price of new medallions has plunged, which
> is
> > a huge issue for folks who paid a lot more for
> > what they thought was a government supported
> > monopoly.
>
> Probably can pick one up for $80,000 now. Wait a
> little bit and it might get down to $50,000.
>
> Over the years that was a lot of protection
> against competition.

I suspect many people who might have considered part time work as a cab driver have migrated to Uber, etc. Why split 50-50 with the medallion owner when you can work the shifts you want with Uber? And, pay for your own car in the process.

Working for a monopoly has its advantages, until it collapses...

Dumb Uber drivers for the most part are geographically challenged. They cannot find their way without staring at a GPS toy attached to the car.

Posted from Android

I have yet to get into an absolutley filthy uber car. Taxis are another story.

What about insurance on a Uber?

RockyGoat Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have yet to get into an absolutley filthy uber
> car. Taxis are another story.

UBER allows you to rate the driver, and allows the driver to rate YOU.

When a customer summons a ride, they can request Good or higher scores for their driver. Likewise, the driver can specify she won't accept customers rated below Good.

Given the way some folks here dump on Amtrak OBS, they might wait a while for a driver willing to pick them up. If the driver decides you are a nasty, abusive, cheap skate, the next driver may decline your summons.

Posted from Android

icancmp193 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Two thoughts presented here, each with some
> merit.
>
> TJY

With Taxis they are insured properly, the others, well depends on if they are doing it under the company insurance or poke and hope they don't get caught doing it on the side with just the decal on the windshield. I also agree about there drivers has been reported that not are quite vetted like they should have been.

Also since they are undercutting taxies prices and operating under different rules don't go for it.

KCRW287 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What about insurance on a Uber?
The company provides an umbrella policy.

In NJ, the Port Authority decided to harass UBER drivers by deciding they were commercial drivers, and check for workers comp, etc.

After a few huge jams at the Lincoln tunnel, they abandoned that project.

Posted from Android

Uh you are picked up by the person in your app shows car and everything. Also uber and lyft each have a million dollar policy. Some cities drivers are screwed others like sf they can make a good income. I was a client of uber started 5 years ago when i called a taxi the night before, they never showed up and i almost missed my flight. Once i downloaded the app there was a driver4 minutes away. Requested and was there no problem and was half the price. Payment was taken care of in the app, so i didn't have to worry about the cabby screwing me with his no change bs... never looked back. Now 9 months ago i was burned out in my current job and decided to drive for uber and lyft in SF.... made 88k since april and had 13k in expenses.... not too bad.

Posted from Android

Forget about the full time drivers. At the end of the day there needs to be a service that helps casual motorists fill their empty seats on trips they normally make. Ride share services can double or triple the capacity of the road network that typically only serves single occupant vehicles.

The major problem with Uber is that it is too hands on. If it were set up as a simple match-making service running a bid-ask model it would not be vulnerable to all of these regulatory and court challenges. Uber would vet drivers, management payments and provide a reputation service, riders and drivers would do the rest.