Posted on 09/20/2015 11:28:50 PM PDT by Vision Thing
Southern Nevada Uber customers got their first taste of "surge" pricing over the weekend.
And for most, it left a bitter aftertaste.
(snip)
A ride from Sahara Avenue and Arville Street to the SLS Las Vegas, a distance of about 2.7 miles, cost $26; a trip from the Embassy Suites Convention Center on Paradise Road to the Palms, a distance of about 3.8 miles, cost $44...
(snip)
…those rates are at least twice as high as what it would cost to take a taxi. Cabs have set rates on cab meters and are prohibited from charging more during busy periods.
(snip)
(Excerpt) Read more at reviewjournal.com ...
I don’t get the bitter aftertaste part. No one’s forcing them to take Uber. They could have taken the cheaper taxis instead — if they were available. Uber offers a choice, and in this case you can choose to pay more — if you really want to get somewhere pronto. Or, if you’re really cheap, or you’ve gambled away all your money, you can choose to walk the 2.7 miles.
Don’t forget there’s a monorail too.
Yup, the article doesn’t say whether the complainers actually agreed to use Uber at those prices. The complainers should’ve just kept their mouths shut and called a cab instead.
Along The Strip, yes. However, I think Uber is prohibited from doing trips that start and end on The Strip, based on the taxi lobby's political pull in Vegas.
The trips quoted in the article mostly involve off-Strip locations.
This would never work in a country like Thailand.
The cab drivers would mob the Uber drivers and cause them bodily harm.
It’s understandable that cab drivers around the world are upset by Uber drivers. However, if the cabbies wanted to cause Uber drivers bodily harm, how can they target the Uber drivers? Do Uber drivers place Uber signs on their cars?
Not the ones I’ve used. The cars look like all other cars.
That’s what I thought, which makes me wonder if anonymous Uber users can get around the restrictions in some towns such as Vegas.
For example, if a customer wants to go from Strip resort A to Strip resort B (which is against the rules in Vegas), all the customer needs to do is request a ride from A to an off-Strip location.
Then when he meets with the driver, they can change the agreement in the car and have the driver drop off the customer at the truly intended destination, namely, the Strip resort B.
How will the vegas authorities and cabbies know this is happening when the Uber driver has no “Uber” sign on the car?
How can they possibly enforce that?
Yes, that’s the question I ask in reply #9 just above yours.
We took a ride in Uber here in Vegas this evening which was about $30 vs the earlier $40 fare in a taxi. Plus the driver was nice, and the car was much nicer than a taxi. No cash exchange hands. And a tip is not expected so your out of pocket price is even better!
LV newspaper sees supply & demand in action and is confused. Also wonders why they are slowly going bankrupt.
I need to revise my reply. Vegas only restricts uber drivers from picking up passengers at the airport. But still, I’m wondering how they can enforce it.
Looks like you were able to avoid the surge pricing. I’m guessing these surge prices are in effect between Friday afternoon and Saturday night/Sunday morning in vegas.
Also wonders why a capitalist such as Trump is able to make so much money.
>> Don’t forget there’s a monorail too.
Not 24/7
The surge will not last long. The free market will solve the surge problem. Drivers will flood into the Vegas market forcing the prices down.
Indeed, the free market will sort itself out. This is not newsworthy.
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