Inside Uber: Math, Money, and Metrics | Hacker News Reader

Inside Uber: Math, Money, and Metrics

venturebeat.com

I have been using Uber a LOT - several times a week, for work.

I live in an area of SF where it is difficult to get a cab - and was previously banned from a couple cab companies because they would never show up and I would call 3 different companies to get them to pick me up.

FUCK THAT.

I never use any other cab service if I can help it.

I fly in and out of SFO several times a month - a metered cab to/from SFO and my house is $55 not including tip. Uber is flat of $65 - its more professional, includes the tip - already has my CC details and no money exchanges hands. ITS AWESOME.

Plus the drivers are typically really cool, have candies and water bottles in the cars for you.

The only complaint I have about Uber is the receipts.

I want to be able to TAG my ride with information about what project it should be billed to.

I want the little map details that you can see on the uber.com site included in the receipt.

This is the best cab services there is. I have been probably spending ~$400 a month on it - and its totally worth it.

If it's just in one city (e.g., SF), I wonder why people don't find a good private car service and save the X% Uber overhead.

I'm as far from SFO as you can get in SF and my Mercedes car service to the airport is $45, and $20 for anywhere within the city.

Are there any fees per month you have to pay? If not, that's an amazing price.

I used to have several black car drivers I would call, for date nights etc. and had similar rates.

With Uber, I have the convenience of the CC handling, the receipts and the power of many more cars available to me than I would if I was only calling one guy, like I used to.

Uber takes 20% of the sale, the car company then splits the 80% remainder at some % level. The last driver I had mentioned that he was trying to hire three more drivers. He has the cars - but has a hard time trying to find drivers.

He said that the drivers can make between 3 and 4 thousand per month. Which is great. I recommended a friend who has a degree in cartography but cant find a job. 4K/month is a great salary for anyone struggling in this economy.

The iphone app is fantastic. Call the car, see it on the map, get a txt when they arrive - or the driver calls if he needs better directions.

You don't get that with a private car.

Although - There is CERTAINLY a market for an open version of the Uber app.

Imagine the open-cab concept - works just like Uber - but drivers register their availability in the app and users make pickup requests just the same. The drivers select the client they are going to get - and the app manages the queues.

Totally doable.

It's good that they acknowledge politics, but I'd still be very worried.

The U.S. is more lax than Europe or the South American countries I know in that regard - Uber or AirBnB would have been shut down as soon as they showed up on politicians' and unions' radars.

Software for taxi dispatch works reasonably well, here in Uruguay the main taxi fleet has GPS and a maximum of 3 minutes for showing up.

On marketing, the article mentioned...

"This may never be needed, however, as he also points out that they have a “blessed” viral loop of seven: for every seven rides, a new rider is acquired."

What exactly does the last line mean?

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