# "Season Of The Switch". How Uber/Lyft ruined the promise of the rideshare revolution.



## KevinH (Jul 13, 2014)

*Season Of The Switch*
February 12, 2017 Philip Macafee
from "RIDESHARE JUSTICE REPORT"
Mission Statement:
Rideshare Justice Project will promote:
Fair wages and safety for drivers and other transportation workers.
Cooperation between workers, regulators, politicians, and government officials worldwide.
Big picture thinking about sustainable transportation models that incorporate walking, biking, transit, taxi, carpooling and new, evolving forms.
Advances in technology that enhance efficiency and safety.
Charity for transportation workers harmed in the line of work.
Public acknowledgement of government officials for ensuring public safety and fair workplace standards.​
In his 2012 book. "Season Of The Witch" author David Talbot chronicles the decline of San Francisco's flower children scene of the 60's into hard drugs, violence and crime. Within a few short years, a counter-culture revolution that promoted egalitarian values, shared assets and experimentation became a caricature of itself and then turned ugly.

Fifty years later another revolution in was born in San Francisco with similar optimistic values of sharing and common purpose. This modern revolution is centered around transportation and unfortunately, lacks stewardship and has begun the same downward spiral.

...


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## heynow321 (Sep 3, 2015)

i love these grandiose descriptions of the "new" "sharing" economy and all that shit. There's nothing new or innovative about boober. They're simply a taxi company with cheaper prices than the older taxi companies. Nothing has been "revolutionized". surest sign we're in another ridiculous bubble.


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## SEAL Team 5 (Dec 19, 2015)

Uber/Lyft didn't ruin the promise. It was the hundreds of thousands of drivers that either continued driving or joined to drive after the catastrophic rate fall in June '14. Uber was awesome for the first 5 years. On demand driving for $5/mile. Many of us loved it. It was basically just a supplement to our already established livery services. We were already properly licensed, insured and regulated by our governing authority. There was never an issue until half the country thought they knew the transportation industry and signed up to drive. And as rates kept plummeting to go along with continuous bad press more and more drivers kept signing up.



heynow321 said:


> i love these grandiose descriptions of the "new" "sharing" economy and all that shit. There's nothing new or innovative about boober. They're simply a taxi company with cheaper prices than the older taxi companies. Nothing has been "revolutionized". surest sign we're in another ridiculous bubble.


I must disagree on one of your points. Uber did revolutionize one thing. They revolutionized the art of persuasion. I mean how in the hell can you convince hundreds of thousands to basically work for free without placing them in shackles and chains?


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## Michael - Cleveland (Jan 1, 2015)

SEAL Team 5 said:


> There was never an issue until half the country thought they knew the transportation industry and signed up to drive.


When was the last time you had an English speaking, US born cab driver in NYC, Boston, Miami, Houston, LA, Chicago or San Francisco?
Yeah - those immigrants sure do know the "transportation industry' backwards and forwards...
Where? In Kenya? India? Jamaica?

You are also forgetting to note that Uber & Lyft brought personal car service to thousands of communities that had none to speak of. Millions of people who had never used a cab/taxi service now use Uber & Lyft - because they CAN.

Don't get me wrong - you are 100% right about the evil empire and how it treats human beings and society.
But you sound silly trying to blame people in need of work and income for trying to take advantage of what may be one of the only opportunities available to them at any given time. People will do whatever they have to do do feed their families and keep a roof over their head.


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## SEAL Team 5 (Dec 19, 2015)

Michael - Cleveland said:


> When was the last time you had an English speaking, US born cab driver in NYC, Boston, Miami, Houston, LA, Chicago or San Francisco?


Our entire livery company is US born drivers with a vast knowledge of the Phoenix metro area. Our most experienced driver has been transporting in Phoenix since '78.
I'm really having a tough time with people saying that this is their only chance at work. Hell, rideshare is less then 2 years old in most places. What the hell were all these drivers doing before Uber, collecting welfare and food stamps? I've said this countless times in this forum. It's the ignorance of people signing up to drive that has ruined the fare for hire industry. Since the drastic rate cuts of 3 years ago Uber has on boarded 100 times more drivers then before. Is it really great recruiting by Uber or is it the unknowing of the drivers?


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## Ca$h4 (Aug 12, 2015)

The third category is another legal ploy to take benefits and rights away from employees. Other Uber (Gig economy) ploys are misclassification and pre-emption. These Uber strategies are hurtful and degrading to Drivers and all Gig employees.

*Gig economy workers 'set to be let down' by Government review, unions warn

https://uberpeople.net/threads/gig-...nment-review-unions-warn.182822/#post-2720408*


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## Michael - Cleveland (Jan 1, 2015)

SEAL Team 5 said:


> Our entire livery company is US born drivers with a vast knowledge of the Phoenix metro area. Our most experienced driver has been transporting in Phoenix since '78.
> I'm really having a tough time with people saying that this is their only chance at work. Hell, rideshare is less then 2 years old in most places. What the hell were all these drivers doing before Uber, collecting welfare and food stamps? I've said this countless times in this forum. It's the ignorance of people signing up to drive that has ruined the fare for hire industry. Since the drastic rate cuts of 3 years ago Uber has on boarded 100 times more drivers then before. Is it really great recruiting by Uber or is it the unknowing of the drivers?


I honestly have a tough time understanding how you can judge everyone else based solely on your own experience and what appears to be a narrow view of how the world is or should be - and no disrespect intended ... I just don't get it.
But to each his own, I guess.


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## Taxi Driver in Arizona (Mar 18, 2015)

SEAL Team 5 said:


> Our entire livery company is US born drivers with a vast knowledge of the Phoenix metro area. Our most experienced driver has been transporting in Phoenix since '78.
> I'm really having a tough time with people saying that this is their only chance at work. Hell, rideshare is less then 2 years old in most places. What the hell were all these drivers doing before Uber, collecting welfare and food stamps? I've said this countless times in this forum. It's the ignorance of people signing up to drive that has ruined the fare for hire industry. Since the drastic rate cuts of 3 years ago Uber has on boarded 100 times more drivers then before. Is it really great recruiting by Uber or is it the unknowing of the drivers?


That's true for the livery business, but you know as well as I do that every airport taxi is driven by an immigrant from east Africa or Eastern Europe.


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## heynow321 (Sep 3, 2015)

SEAL Team 5 said:


> Uber/Lyft didn't ruin the promise. It was the hundreds of thousands of drivers that either continued driving or joined to drive after the catastrophic rate fall in June '14. Uber was awesome for the first 5 years. On demand driving for $5/mile. Many of us loved it. It was basically just a supplement to our already established livery services. We were already properly licensed, insured and regulated by our governing authority. There was never an issue until half the country thought they knew the transportation industry and signed up to drive. And as rates kept plummeting to go along with continuous bad press more and more drivers kept signing up.
> 
> I must disagree on one of your points. Uber did revolutionize one thing. They revolutionized the art of persuasion. I mean how in the hell can you convince hundreds of thousands to basically work for free without placing them in shackles and chains?


By exploiting the fact that your average person here is an undereducated dumbass who doesn't understand basic math. Same trick politicians use.


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## Michael - Cleveland (Jan 1, 2015)

heynow321 said:


> By exploiting the fact that your average person here is an undereducated dumbass who doesn't understand basic math. Same trick politicians use.


Otherwise known as "_Marketing_".


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## heynow321 (Sep 3, 2015)

Michael - Cleveland said:


> Otherwise known as "_Marketing_".


I call it demagoguery but marketing works too.


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## Ca$h4 (Aug 12, 2015)

Michael - Cleveland said:


> Otherwise known as "_Marketing_".


Uber's deceptions are hurtful to Drivers.

*FTC Announces Settlement with Uber over Allegedly Deceptive Earnings Claims; Commissioner Ohlhausen Dissents *

h*ttp://www.adlawaccess.com/2017/01/articles/ftc-announces-settlement-with-uber-over-allegedly-deceptive-earnings-claims-commissioner-ohlhausen-dissents/*


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## Michael - Cleveland (Jan 1, 2015)

Ca$h4 said:


> Uber's deceptions are hurtful to Drivers.


Their deceptions are hurtful?
_UBER_ is hurtful to drivers, hehe


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## Mars Troll Number 4 (Oct 30, 2015)

Michael - Cleveland said:


> You are also forgetting to note that Uber & Lyft brought personal car service to thousands of communities that had none to speak of. Millions of people who had never used a cab/taxi service now use Uber & Lyft - because they CAN.


Here's the problem, if someone *COULD* have made a profitable service in those communities they would have. The fact there WASN'T is sort of proof that even charging taxi rates you couldn't make a profit in those areas.

Uber and lyft have created a bubble, the strange thing is with these bubbles it's usually the companies that thrive until they pop, this time it's the consumer.

When it pops... and the subsidies stop, there will be no services in these communities that anyone can actually afford.

In the town i grew up in , you HAD to have a car, or else... a lot of America was like that. If you couldn't drive you lived somewhere with actual public transportation. I biked 3 miles to Sheetz when i was a kid. Sheetz...

This is a temporary condition that will go down in history as a multi-billion dollar farce.


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## run26912 (Sep 23, 2015)

SEAL Team 5 said:


> Uber/Lyft didn't ruin the promise. It was the hundreds of thousands of drivers that either continued driving or joined to drive after the catastrophic rate fall in June '14. Uber was awesome for the first 5 years. On demand driving for $5/mile. Many of us loved it. It was basically just a supplement to our already established livery services. We were already properly licensed, insured and regulated by our governing authority. There was never an issue until half the country thought they knew the transportation industry and signed up to drive. And as rates kept plummeting to go along with continuous bad press more and more drivers kept signing up.
> 
> I must disagree on one of your points. Uber did revolutionize one thing. They revolutionized the art of persuasion. I mean how in the hell can you convince hundreds of thousands to basically work for free without placing them in shackles and chains?


If your interpretation of "persuasion" includes manipulation, bait-n-switch, deception, fraud, keeping two sets of books, channel stuffing rides, double dipping on commissions they subsidized through the metals program and boost, lying, cheating, screwing, commoditizing, minimalizing, abusing and exploiting drivers, then you're spot on.

oops, left out "hiding behind algorithms" designed to squeezed the boogers out of George Washington's nose on every last nickel held by drivers... and cognitive learning technology meant to predict the best ways to cut driver payout and line uber's pockets...

Back to my sardine nachos...

BONG!!!


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## SEAL Team 5 (Dec 19, 2015)

run26912 said:


> If your interpretation of "persuasion" includes manipulation, bait-n-switch, deception, fraud, keeping two sets of books, channel stuffing rides, double dipping on commissions they subsidized through the metals program and boost, lying, cheating, screwing, commoditizing, minimalizing, abusing and exploiting drivers, then you're spot on.
> 
> oops, left out "hiding behind algorithms" designed to squeezed the boogers out of George Washington's nose on every last nickel held by drivers... and cognitive learning technology meant to predict the best ways to cut driver payout and line uber's pockets...
> 
> ...


My interpretation of "persuasion" really didn't factor into that much detail. I was basically suggesting that drivers should of researched Uber X pricing of 3 years ago compared with today. Seeing rates go from $2.25/mile to $.75/mile should have been a big red flag. But who am I to say what people need to profit in this business. I think it was a very very simple task to research pricing.


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

KevinH said:


> http://********************/index.php/2017/02/12/season-of-the-switch/
> *Season Of The Switch*
> February 12, 2017 Philip Macafee
> from "RIDESHARE JUSTICE REPORT"
> ...


Do you REALIZE just how much money and time the Government and. the F.B.I. spent on destroying that movement ?

Look it up.


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## run26912 (Sep 23, 2015)

tohunt4me said:


> Do you REALIZE just how much money and time the Government and. the F.B.I. spent on destroying that movement ?
> 
> Look it up.


Finally... a journalist that actually GETS IT!!!

https://www.buzzfeed.com/carolineod...left-employees?utm_term=.hgZyV7OZN#.toQzAdoLn

"But the company's great breakthrough isn't the concept of cars on demand, or even the technology that enables it. It's an accelerated restructuring of the American labor force and dramatic redefinition of the future of work. In Uber's vision, work time is elastic, workers are expendable, and the workday itself has no clear start or end.

For drivers, this means accepting ride after ride with cash bonuses, hourly incentives, and a five-star rating system in which drivers are expected to maintain at least a 4.7-star rating. Without those drivers, their cars, and the millions of miles they've driven, Uber wouldn't exist. But all that work has cost Uber very little - drivers receive no benefits, pay their own income taxes, and earn, based on Uber's estimation, wages that are roughly equivalent to an employee at McDonald's.

Uber revolutionized work by turning people into flexible, mobile, iPhone-wielding, car-driving widgets. It is a machine for squeezing value out of people - and that applies as much to its many thousands of drivers as to the 14,000 corporate employees working in offices around the globe."

.. and ironically, Uber STILL manages to find new and innovative ways to LOSE BILLIONS $$$... amazing.

This chick GETS IT!!

Time to upgrade to Ritz crackers...

BONG!!!


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## Michael - Cleveland (Jan 1, 2015)

Mears Troll Number 4 said:


> Here's the problem, if someone *COULD* have made a profitable service in those communities they would have. The fact there WASN'T is sort of proof that even charging taxi rates you couldn't make a profit in those areas.


Can't agree.
Rideshare did what cab companies couldn't: it puts drivers where riders live - because the riders ARE the drivers.


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## SEAL Team 5 (Dec 19, 2015)

Michael - Cleveland said:


> Can't agree.
> Rideshare did what cab companies couldn't


Find hundreds of thousands to turn their personal vehicles into a cab and get paid one third the rate of a cab driver.


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## KevinH (Jul 13, 2014)

Michael - Cleveland said:


> When was the last time you had an English speaking, US born cab driver in NYC, Boston, Miami, Houston, LA, Chicago or San Francisco?
> Yeah - those immigrants sure do know the "transportation industry' backwards and forwards...
> Where? In Kenya? India? Jamaica?
> 
> ...


Michael, that is the dilemma of underpaid work everywhere. There will always be workers no matter what the wage is. Sweat shops, child labor, below minimum wage, etc. There was a sad Uber story about 2 years ago about a woman whose husband had become disabled. She drove for Uber for 10 hours a day for both weekend days. She knew she was only making $5/hr but that $200 a month extra allowed them to pay the mortgage and keep the house.
If we dropped the minimum wage to $3/hr, hundreds of thousands of jobs would be created across the country.
What we have to define is exploitation, where the worker is willing because they have no alternative. Do we look the other way on exploitation because there are those that are exceptionally needy and actually benefit from it?


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## Michael - Cleveland (Jan 1, 2015)

KevinH said:


> Michael, that is the dilemma of underpaid work everywhere. There will always be workers no matter what the wage is. Sweat shops, child labor, below minimum wage, etc.


I hear ya. And that's why our government has laws that protect people from exploitation - and sets minimum standards for labor. Today's companies are doing everything possible to get around having to meet those standards and minimums. It's a sham. And no, unless we want a country with no middle class, we cannot look the other way. (I think you're referring to Cassandria? I wish she could have stayed in touch.)


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