Vegas experiences first taste of Uber 'surge' pricing

Las Vegas Review Journal ^ | September 20 2015 | Richard N. Velotta

[BobL]

...lots of buses in Las Vegas too. I don’t believe that they have surge pricing.

[Moltke]

However, if the cabbies wanted to cause Uber drivers bodily harm, how can they target the Uber drivers?

Use the app to call an Uber driver...

[Flick Lives]

But some customers weren't ready for the high fares they paid when dynamic pricing hit Friday and Saturday night.

What rubbish. The Uber app lets you pre-check what the ride from point A to B will cost at the current moment before you make a ride pickup request. Price seems to high? Take a cab.

[Flick Lives]

Use the app to call an Uber driver...

The Uber apps brilliance is the Uber driver and ride are both known to the Uber system, and each other. There are no anonymous pickups. This helps protect both parties.

[norwaypinesavage]

There's this little thing in economic theory called 'The Law of Supply and Demand'. There was a post a half hour before this one decrying the fact that the price of electricity in Texas went negative for a while when the winds were blowing the wind turbines, and no one wanted the power. That's right, the evil power companies were actually PAYING customers to take their power.

This is what happens when government tries to muck up natural laws. The true price for anything is dictated by the demand, not by government bureaucrats. The bureaucrats may be able to tinker about the fringes, but in the long run logic will prevail.

[Balding_Eagle]

I disagree.

The surge will last way beyond our lifetimes.

There are certain laws, the economic ones for example, which will always be enforced.

[Moltke]

What’s to stop any cabbie (or his/her friend...) from signing up with Uber? A fake name will probably suffice as well. If 30 million Mexicans can scam the US gov, how difficult can it be.

[Flick Lives]

What’s to stop any cabbie (or his/her friend...) from signing up with Uber? A fake name will probably suffice as well. If 30 million Mexicans can scam the US gov, how difficult can it be.

A customer signup requires a valid credit card, so riders are identified. Signing up as an Uber driver requires proof of vehicle insurance, registration, inspection, and a background check.

A cabbie or livery driver can signup, but they will be a known entity. Plus with every ride Uber provides for a driver rating and offers a feedback if there is a problem.

[Moltke]

Because documents and credentials have never been faked. Ever. And some stupid app is on top of it. Got it.

[saminfl]

What do the insurance companies say about using your personal vehicle as a business? I have wondered about this since I first heard of Uber.

[Flick Lives]

What do the insurance companies say about using your personal vehicle as a business? I have wondered about this since I first heard of Uber.

---

Not sure how it is with your auto insurance renewal. With my own auto insurance company, one of the renewal questions asks if your vehicle is used in a business. I’m sure the rate is adjusted if so.

[SamAdams76]

In NYC, the Uber cars definitely have signs in the windows indicating they are Uber.

Not sure what the rules are in rest of country.