Uber/Lyft ride-sharing in Kansas City

[brewcrew1000]

Saw an ad on my Facebook that Uber is looking to hire drivers in the KC area. Uber is a little more expensive than Taxis but the transaction is done with your phone and you know what price you are paying. I think this will be a great for short trips in the P&L, a lot of the taxis don't like making short trips because it doesn't make them any money.

https://partners.uber.com/signup/kansas_city/

[pash]

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[bobbyhawks]

Both are coming to KC at once? Fan-freaking-tastic! The only thing we have even close to them now is the Taxi Magic app, and the app actually removed the GPS feature after cabs kept ignoring people. I get ditched on about 1 of every 3 Taxi Magic booking, and most seem to be when I indicate ahead of time that I would like to pay through the app. Uber is way better, and the GPS tracking really does work well. Lyft is great too, but I've only experienced that one for a single weekend. The driver ratings seem to actually matter in these apps as well.

[KCMax]

Hopefully KC is less hostile to Lyft and Uber than St. Louis.

http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/blog ... sions.html

[pash]

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[KCtonic]

The Launch for Lyft in KC, Omaha, & Lincoln is tonight apparently. Free rides for 2 weeks with a download of the app.

http://blog.lyft.com/posts/2014/4/23/ly ... n-the-24th

http://www.siliconprairienews.com/2014/ ... ontent=api

Details on the launch in KC http://get.lyft.com/lyftapalooza/?city=mci

[pash]

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[smh]

I just downloaded the Lyft app only to find it uses Facebook login. So I guess I'm waiting for Uber.

Question: What's the trouble with that? Other than if you don't have a fb login.

[pash]

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[smh]

I think you might have answered your own question. ...

Fair enough. It's easy to make a FB account, even with bogus, or limited information. Might be worth it just for the $25 in free rides.

[bobbyhawks]

If I recall, Lyft more closely relies on reviews by the driver of the passenger and to also create better safety through social media connection. Facebook just happens to be one of the better ways of making sure people don't try to game the system by setting up a number of fake accounts. Not that it isn't possible with Facebook, but Facebook seems to be pretty good at discouraging fake accounts.
http://www.lyft.com/help?article=1228947

Just as an example, I feel like comments sections of newspaper websites are quite dramatically changed when they require Facebook logins. People tend to behave better when their reputation is connected to the online activity.

[pash]

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[smh]

I understand that, though I'm disinclined to accept that getting from point A to point B is "inherently a social experience", as Lyft will tell you if you ask why you need a Facebook account to get a ride. You don't need one to use any other transit service, including Über's.

I had a Facebook account a decade ago but deleted it in about 2008. It annoys me when companies whose products have essentially nothing to do with Facebook tie themselves to the platform. And though I understand the desire to keep the anonymous idiots in check, I really dislike the increasing usage of Facebook accounts as a sort of Internet-age replacement for a government-issued ID.

You should read The Circle by Dave Eggers.

[KCPowercat]

Uber is much more my style....Lyft seems really casual. Not sure I need to fistbump the person I'm paying $15 to take me to the plaza.

[pash]

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[KCMax]

Ride sharing service Lyft comes to Kansas City

Bill George, chief executive of Kansas City Transportation Group, which operates Yellow Cab, called the company’s operation here “brazen.” He likened it to selling liquor out of a minivan on the street or serving meals from a food truck without submitting to health inspections.

“And ‘nobody can tell me what to do because the young folks love it,’ ” George said. “Do you know how ludicrous that sounds?”

Chris Hernandez, a spokesman for Kansas City, said, “Lyft drivers would need to be permitted to do this, and the company would have to be licensed.”

Hernandez said the fees likely would be similar to those charged taxicab drivers and companies.

Katie Dally, a Lyft spokeswoman, said in an email that Lyft officials were “reaching out to city leaders and look forward to working together.”

[chaglang]

So the cabbies are confident that they can compete with Lyft and Uber, but are leading the charge to keep ride-sharing out of KC?

[pstokely]

So the cabbies are confident that they can compete with Lyft and Uber, but are leading the charge to keep ride-sharing out of KC?

it's a threat to their monopoly

[Pork Chop]

Here's a petition to both the council and the mayor if you wish to sign it:

http://www.change.org/petitions/mayor-j ... ter_mobile

[brewcrew1000]

How is this not a good thing, i remember this story about how P+L cab drivers flat out refuse to drive people 1 or 2 miles. The drivers argument was that it loses them money on the longer suburban routes that are 30 dollars plus. If they do take them some will scam them and they end up paying for a 30 miles cab ride.