and depending where you live, that dominance of corporate greed is more or less
egregious and evident, a slap in the face
On Jul 18, 2015, at 12:33 PM, Carl Jarvis <carjar82@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
This is interesting , Alice. Thanks.
It set me to thinking about how conditioned really are. People will
extend themselves for a few dollars, going out of their way to provide
transportation to others. Can this caring for others for profit be
transferred to a caring for the well being of our community? What a
service it would be if each of us made ourselves available to our
neighbors for a variety of support. Out here in the Wilderness where
only a handful of folks huddle, we do have such services. Need a ride
to town? Call around and someone's bound to be headed that way.
Haven't seen our elderly neighbor for a day or two? Pop in with a
batch of hot, fresh from the oven cookies and make certain she is
doing okay. Your horse drops dead? Call the neighbor with the
backhoe and he'll do the job of burying it. Generator break down?
Neighbor brings his tools and within minutes it's purring like a happy
cat. Offer to pay? "I'll catch you next time", but next time never
comes around. All this helpfulness is given freely. While we don't
see much of one another, we know our neighbors are always there. And
they know they can count on us.
I fear that we are more influenced by corporate greed than any of us
care to admit.
Carl Jarvis
On 7/18/15, Alice Dampman Humel <alicedh@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi, all,
saw this on another list.
This is at least partially the kind of challenge to the taxi industry and
expansion of ride sharing into something better that might be possible.
I will admit that the statistic about Uber being worth $50 billion was a bit
of an unpleasant shocker!
http://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/four-new-apps-give-uber-a-run-for-its-79576/?utm_source=JD-Supra-eMail-Digests
Four New Apps Give Uber a Run for its Money
In the realm of ridesharing, Uber reigns supreme, with an independent
valuation of $50 billion that dwarfs not just all its competitors, but every
other privately held company in the world. Yet the innovations it has
spurned in ridesharing have attracted a new batch of competitors who are
trying to fill voids in the company’s business plan. Three new apps, and a
new use for Google’s Waze app, show some early indications of what
competitors might offer in this newly emerging market.
Starting on Monday, Google’s Waze navigation app began utilizing Ridewith
technology to allow carpoolers to find one another. Unlike Uber and other
on-demand ride services, Ridewith is not contracting any drivers, or hiring
anyone on the streets to facilitate its entrance into the market. Rather, it
is coordinating everyday commuters who may be willing to transport another
rider headed in the same direction. For now, the Ridewith app is only
available in Israel, but if Google finds success, it is likely to expand.
This continues the friendly competition that has developed between Uber and
Google in the last several months, with Uber hiring self-driving car
researchers to compete with Google’s experiments, and also acquiring mapping
technology in hopes of weaning itself off its reliance on Google Maps.
Meanwhile, three apps are creating taxi alternatives for minors, filling in
the void created by policies in place at Uber, Lyft and Sidecar that
prohibit their drivers from giving rides to minors who are not accompanied
by an adult. The apps, called Shuddle, HopSkipDrive and Boost, all focus on
providing rides to 8- to 16-year-old kids who need to get to school or other
events but cannot find a ride. HopSkipDrive and Boost both require rides to
be booked at least a day in advance, but Shuddle recently added ShuddleMe,
an app that lets the kids themselves book a ride within an hour (all of the
apps still have parental approval in place before a car will pick up any
children). Shuddle also charges a monthly membership fee and prices that are
roughly 15 percent higher than Uber, surcharges it says allow it to conduct
more in-depth background checks and face-to-face interviews with prospective
drivers, all of whom must either be parents or have previous experience
working with kids.
These apps are further indications that ridesharing is not going away
anytime soon, and that the market for these services is not completely
satisfied by the current offerings. While Uber still dominates the industry,
innovators like Shuddle, HopSkipDrive and Boost are evidence that this area
is still growing and developing, with new potential services, and new
potential challenges, just around the bend.
