{"id":325392,"date":"2021-08-16T11:59:41","date_gmt":"2021-08-16T08:59:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/ubers-doomed-and-so-are-the-cities-that-supported-it\/"},"modified":"2021-08-16T11:59:41","modified_gmt":"2021-08-16T08:59:41","slug":"ubers-doomed-and-so-are-the-cities-that-supported-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ubers-doomed-and-so-are-the-cities-that-supported-it\/","title":{"rendered":"#Uber\u2019s doomed \u2014 and so are the cities that supported it"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a28a0d838692\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a28a0d838692\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ubers-doomed-and-so-are-the-cities-that-supported-it\/#What_happens_when_ride-hailing_picks_up_the_slack\" >What happens when ride-hailing picks up the slack?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ubers-doomed-and-so-are-the-cities-that-supported-it\/#Uber_a_business_model_of_loss\" >Uber: a business model of loss<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ubers-doomed-and-so-are-the-cities-that-supported-it\/#All_this_effort_for_food_delivery_and_shipping\" >All this effort for food delivery and shipping?\u00a0<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#Uber\u2019s doomed \u2014 and so are the cities that supported it<\/strong>&#8221;<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image?fit=796%2C417&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn0.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2021%2F08%2Frsz_scenario-3_restaurant_packing-food_0279-1.jpeg&amp;signature=f0899aafa1474e6641f27389dcdc94b2\" \/><\/p>\n<div><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What would our cities look like without Uber and the ride-sharing competitors that followed? According to author and tech privacy activist Cory Doctorow, city planners might be chasing the wrong horse by giving Uber such freedom in many cities.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Doctorow recently <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/marker.medium.com\/end-of-the-line-for-uber-901e3077bbbc\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">published a scathing article on Uber<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. He describes Uber as<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a shiny distraction that made it harder to do stuff that <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">does<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> work, like dedicated bus lanes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By focusing on a modal of transport that encompasses all manner of public and private transport options, have we let our cities take less responsibility for initiatives to get us out of our cars and green options such as buses and trains?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_happens_when_ride-hailing_picks_up_the_slack\"><\/span><strong>What happens when ride-hailing picks up the slack?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span>I grew up in a fairly large city: Melbourne, Australia.\u00a0<\/span>Melbourne is 13 times larger than New York and a comparable size to London or Paris. It\u2019s home to an international airport.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Melbourne international airport is 22km (13 miles) from the city center. Currently, COVID-aside, the journey by public transport costs under $5AUD ($3.70USD). However, it takes an hour and 40 mins \u2014 yep, for 22km.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Otherwise, there\u2019s a privately owned shuttle bus for $18 ($13USD) or you can grab a cab, Uber, or Lyft and be in the city in about 20 minutes. Melbourne Airport set up a pickup bay for Uber in 2017 but it\u2019s only this year that the city started building <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a rail connection to Melbourne Airport.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>For too long Melbourne, like many cities, relied on private providers to pick up the slack\u00a0<\/span><b data-stringify-type=\"bold\">\u2014<span>\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span>a trend that Doctorow sees in many cities to their peril,\u00a0<\/span>especially when it comes to Uber<span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Uber_a_business_model_of_loss\"><\/span>Uber: a business model of loss<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span>Doctorow breaks down the economics of Uber\u2019s business model. He calls Uber a \u201cbezzle,\u201d which he describes as<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span> \u201cthe magic interval when a confidence trickster knows he has the money he has <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ropriated but the victim does not yet understand that he has lost it.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>Over the years, we\u2019ve seen Uber expand their reach beyond ridesharing and carpooling. They focus on meal and freight delivery, electric bikes and scooters, self-driving cars, and urban aviation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, in 2020, Uber sold off some of its most ambitious projects. Specifically:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In May, Uber sold off its bike and scooter business JUMP to Lime. This coincided with the announcement that the<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> company has lost $2.9 billion since the start of 2020 and laid off 14% of its workforce.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In December, Uber sold off its autonomous vehicle unit, Advantage Technologies Group, to Aurora.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"UBERAIR: Closer than you think | Uber\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JuWOUEFB_IQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Also in December, their flying taxi unit <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uber.com\/in\/en\/elevate\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Uber Elevate<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was acquired by Joby Aviation.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While they maintain an investment in all of these projects, it\u2019s a blow for R&amp;D in micromobility, autonomous vehicles, and infrastructure for flying taxis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"All_this_effort_for_food_delivery_and_shipping\"><\/span><strong>All this effort for food delivery and shipping?\u00a0<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Were they doing this to focus their attention or something more innovative? Not really. Uber acquired delivery service Postmates for $2.65 billion in December, cementing its focus on food delivery.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This year they\u2019re <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/supplychaindigital.com\/logistics\/uber-freight-acquire-transplace-dollar22bn-deal?page=15\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">acquiring<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">logistics company Transplace<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to integrate into their Uber Freight logistics platform.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Those praising Uber as disruptors can hardly cut them slack for their unwillingness to classify drivers as employees, <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/article\/uber-funding-saudi-arabia\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">questionable investment sources<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and inability to stop drivers sexually assaulting passengers when they are no longer paving the way for the next generation of mobility innovation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Further, <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/jjkinahan\/2021\/08\/02\/uber-and-lyft-race-to-raise-hood-on-driver-shortages-alternative-revenue-sources\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a shortage of Uber drivers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and less than stellar 20201 Q2 profits, mean that Doctorow\u2019s belief in Uber as doomed just might be right.\u00a0<span>The company left an indelible mark on urban transport \u2014 but our cities might not look that all that different when Uber is no longer in business.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/cory-doctorow-uber-innovation-transport\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Uber\u2019s doomed \u2014 and so are the cities that supported it&#8221; What would our cities look like without Uber and the ride-sharing competitors that followed? According to author and tech privacy activist Cory Doctorow, city planners might be chasing the wrong horse by giving Uber such freedom in many cities.\u00a0\u00a0 Doctorow recently published a scathing&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":325393,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/shift?filter_last=1&fit=1280,640&url=https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/08\/rsz_scenario-3_restaurant_packing-food_0279-1.jpeg&signature=9709ac6802c8c34c40686b5851b3073a","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-325392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325392","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=325392"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325392\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/325393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=325392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=325392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=325392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}