4 Things Every American Should Know About Uber.Com, AirBnB.Com, et. al.

Townhall.com ^ | October 19, 2014 | Austin Hill

[bigdaddy45]

Thats a ridiculous argument. Just because the Emanual boys are invested in Uber means I should stay away? It’s a capitalistic, anti-big government solution to a transportation problem. I couldn’t care less who was/is the money behind it. Its a damned good idea.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

To be fair, many taxi service operators have a legitimate gripe with Uber.Com and Lyft.Com. In most cities across the U.S. (some far worse than others), owning and operating a taxi business requires thousands of dollars in training, licensing, permitting, bonding, insuring, and permitting, just to get government approval to launch the business. And then there are the recurring expenses of permit renewals and vehicle inspections - once again, all paid to the government - just to keep the business going.

Sounds to me like they have a legitimate gripe with the government not the websites.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

There is a vetting process. Not a harsh one but there is one.

As for people using it for criminal purposes, possible. Just as it is possible with any taxi service. But since you can check the driver before you get into his car you can avoid the ones with ratings that say "he robbed us and dumped our bodies in the river"

[Carry_Okie]

That hasn't been my experience with our insurance carrier, USAA (homeowner’s policy, auto policy, and rental insurance policy for princess riverdawg). I have to answer questions every year at policy renewal time regarding conditions in and around my house, driving habits and records of the insured persons on the policy, etc.

When they send a firefighter to your house to score it and email you a rate chart with the options, including the relative competence of your local FD, the access through the neighborhood, their fuel loads, etc. then I'll believe that.

I'd say that is very pro-active risk management.

It isn't pro-active risk management when the fire insurers can go to the State and get a rate hike because they lost a bucket-load insuring for earthquake damage. Those kinds of shenanigans are rampant. Where was the insurer of the airlines who put in cheesy cockpit doors before 9-11? Nope, the FAA assumed that risk (that's you and me). And so on. Flood insurance? FEMA? OSHA? How about the EPA??? Please.

Risk management in this country is highly socialized. It's the single biggest justification for the regulatory government that's killing us.

[riverdawg]

“When they send a firefighter to your house to score it and email you a rate chart with the options, including the relative competence of your local FD, the access through the neighborhood, their fuel loads, etc. then I’ll believe that.”

The insurance company asks the distance to the nearest fire hydrant, and knows the rating of the local firefighting department. (A neighboring county got downgraded recently because of concerns with water pressure in many neighborhoods.)

Insurers don’t “rate” every characteristic of the insured. I wish they could, cheaply, because those of us who are relatively responsible would pay lower premiums. I agree that many risks have been “socialized,” and I am a vocal opponent of taxpayer-subsidized flood insurance, student loans, mortgages, etc. But you made the blanket claim that insurance companies “don’t manage risks” and my experience is contrary to that. Do they manage risks perfectly? Of course not; it would be much too costly to acquire the relevant information. Do government regulations exacerbate moral hazard and adverse selection? In many cases, yes.

[Carry_Okie]

But you made the blanket claim that insurance companies “don’t manage risks” and my experience is contrary to that.

By my standards and your description, they don't. What they are doing is a paper exercise.

Of course not; it would be much too costly to acquire the relevant information.

There we differ. As things are now, our local STATE fire department gives us a score that the insurer uses. Twice now the information has been wrong and I've had to get the agent to get on Google Earth to see that the description of the hazard was bogus. That is not an expensive form of validation.

[gogeo]

Auto insurance companies are starting to include provisions in their policies that explicitly forbid the vehicle owner form using it as an "Uber car" or "Lyft car," and similar issues arise with a homeowner's policy and/or an apartments lease...

My personal auto policy explicitly excludes commercial use...IE, uber activities would not be covered.

[SamAdams76]

You now have several choices of Uber, from UberX (just some guy driving his car) to a black car service.

The pricing you see on the app is what you pay when you push the button for the ride but it can go up and down significantly within a few minutes (surge pricing).

Not too long ago, I was going to Uber to LaGuardia and it was about $28 on UberX. Then it started pouring rain and the price suddenly went close to $100. A black car would have been close to $300.

[Rebelbase]

“And mayors, governors, and elected officials nationwide are disposed to not liking any of this freelance enterprise because they don’t know how to tax it and regulate it.”

The city of Asheville passed a ban on short term rentals due to airbnb proliferation.

One renter said FU and the daily fine the city levied upon him has grown to nearly 1 million dollars.

[wgmalabama]

You may be truthful and are just out of touch. Or your bragging to make a point you don’t use their services. I don’t use any of the services but I know who and what they are. I live in the boonies. No Uber and no one wants to rent my house for the weekend.

Having said that - I do think some rich Asians would love to spend a long weekend shooting guns, stomping around in the woods and getting to be a redneck for a bit. Probably pay a bunch of yen to play redneck.