RIDEGURU
Chris Hawes (chawes)
Ride Guru from Boston, MA
CTO of RideGuru, tech expert & enthusiast
756 Rider GuruChris has been involved with the Taxi industry since co-founding TaxiFareFinder.com in 2007, and has been an avid follower of the rideshare industry since its inception. An expert in full-stack web design and development, Chris oversees all the technical aspects of Unleashed's innovative products.
Activity
Posts by chawes
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How to keep your car safe during COVID
Check it out, some smart people figured out how to make airflow in your car safest for avoiding getting germs … -
Due To New California Law, Uber Allows Some Drivers To Set Their Own Rates
Whoahttps://www.npr.org/2020/01/28/800437791/due-to-new-california-law-uber-allows-some-drivers-to-set-their-own-rates?utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR25AV1xVIyT5ykvB3lF6EcC8thYJ4pf4BX2pBKCOZmGCZV8isrR5a_-KOU -
Uber: The ride-hailing app that says it has ‘zero’ drivers
Reality distortion field...Uber contract drivers helped bring in more than three-quarters of the company’s revenue in this year’s first … -
Bird raises new funding at a $2.5 billion valuation, thanks to longer-lasting scooters
Lot of cash for a company that can't turn a profit......That may have something to do with grim reports … -
Inside the new Uber: Weak coffee, vanishing perks and fast-deflating morale [Washington Post]
It's official. Uber has gone from hip startup to boring big company.https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/09/30/inside-new-uber-weak-coffee-vanishing-perks-fast-deflating-morale/Sounds like morale is pretty low among … -
Inside Uber’s plan to take over city life with CEO Dara Khosrowshahi
https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/26/20885185/uber-ceo-dara-khosrowshahi-interview-exclusiveIt’s an ambitious play to become the de facto transportation and delivery service in every major city. But the … -
New York City’s first self-driving shuttle service is now open for business
https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/6/20755163/new-york-city-self-driving-shuttle-serviceMuch like other autonomous vehicle (AV) shuttle services that have cropped up in recent years across the country, it … -
Woman gives birth in back of taxi. Driver is cool.
Warning: graphic. Can anyone top this??? -
The Uber for helicopters is now Uber
This pricing doesn't seem that bad. Getting from Manhattan to JFK can be a nightmare. Helicopter in 8 minutes? Where … -
As was predicted, Uber’s IPO means you’ll be paying higher fares for your rides
This article nicely sums up what I think a lot of us were already thinking.As we’ve reported before, Uber's … -
The future of the gig economy...
Is this it? LOL -
Uber rang in its IPO with champagne and mimosas. Then the hangover began.
You just can't teach an old dog new tricks, can you.SAN FRANCISCO — Uber shut down a party at … -
Beijing Taxi Trajectories
Check out this cool visualization of a day of taxi trips in Beijing. Talk about busy huh! Click on the … -
Four reasons Uber’s IPO stalled on Friday
So the Uber IPO is a huge dud, surprising exactly no one (especially after Lyft's weak performance since it's IPO). … -
Uber and Lyft stop hiring new drivers in New York City
NYC's new regulation around rideshares is officially doing its job now, for better or for worse. Uber and Lyft have … -
Electric scooters may not be around for long [The Verge]
The article is light, but watch the video for more detail.The fundamental numbers don’t really add up because scooters … -
Lyft becomes the first ride-hail company to go public, beating Uber
Welp, here it is folks.https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/1/18246328/lyft-ipo-ride-share-bikes-scooters-uber-public-secI am surprised to see how much Lyft's market share has increased in the … -
Uber and Lyft reportedly giving some drivers cash bonuses to use towards buying IPO stock
So, would you buy the IPO, or just pocket the cash? I know what I'd do...The two programs are … -
Uber Exploring Autonomous Bikes and Scooters [TechCrunch]
Pretty wild. Scooters that can drive themselves to their charging stations, and redistribute themselves to wherever they are needed. So … -
Uber Is Headed for a Crash [nymag]
Interesting read. How long can Uber survive hemorrhaging money?Uber’s investors have been buying your satisfaction in the form of …
Featured Answers by chawes
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Ok since a few people have wondered about this:
How much does it cost to charge a scooter? Less than you might think. Just to run some rough numbers:
The scooter batteries' capacities are reported to be about 8800mAh at 36V. We can convert this to watt hours: 8800 * 36 / 1000 = 316.8Wh
Electricity costs on average of 12 cents per kilowatt hour (ie. 1000 watt hours) in the US. So, the cost of charging one of these scooters from empty is going to be something like:
(316.8 / 1000) * 12 = 4 cents
It's probably a bit more than that since chargers are not 100% efficient. And, the cost of electricity varies between different locations, so take this with a grain of salt. But it's safe to say the electricity cost of charging these things is not something to worry much about.
Also posted here: https://ride.guru/lounge/p/uber-cutting-400-jobs-in-their-marketing-department
Actually that is a great idea. Get on it.
🤣
Uber really sucks at logos. Their last one was horrible. Then they realized it and now it's just the word uber. In helvetica font. The laziest logo possible but at least it looks nice and inoffensive. But now this driver logo somehow manages to ruin even that! It looks so bad!
Amazing. Boggles the mind.
That's... a good question... I felt totally weird watching it. Like, I wish whoever posted this had at least blurred some bits of it to maintain some privacy.
Daamn.
I wonder how cutting 400 marketing people achieves this...
Ya know that's one thing they don't check in car inspections now that I think about it... "Steering wheel properly secured"
No tip?! Come on. BTW even if weed was illegal isn't CBD oil ok?
Simple rule: if someone contacts you out of the blue, whether through a phone call or email or txt message, don't give them any sensitive information or take any action with regard to your account with them. Doesn't matter if they say they are Uber, or the cops, or the IRS, or that you're being sued for a billion dollars. It's probably a scam. If you are unsure, ask for a name and a call back number. Then you can hang up and take your time to think about it before doing something rash.
They will try to scare you. Don't buy it.
It is important to think about this before it happens. Anyone can be fooled under the right circumstances. When you get a phone call like this at a vulnerable time it can be tempting to just go along with it. After all you have a million other things to worry about. Don't.
That's why I always order food that comes in a single well defined shape. Pizza is a good choice. Hard to sneak a bite of pizza without the customer knowing.
Fries are a very bad choice. They will 100% get eaten. It's like torturing the poor driver.
How was it being the only driver around? Do you have to wait long for rides usually? Do you just wait around at home with the app on? Do you ever get surge pricing?
Better yet, Uber RV. Then I can binge watch Netflix while im being driven to the dentist!
Yeah I think a generous tip is in order after an incident like this!
Ha yeah def gotta take his name. Hope it's a boy!
Not sure he's gonna want this one getting out...
This must be the dumbest scam I've ever heard of. Like, how does he see this going down? Pax will just not notice? Maybe you could get away with it once or twice... maybe.
No way. They can want whatever they want. If you live in some dense urban locale where parking is very inconvenient and you can walk to get most of what you need, I can see it. For the rest of us, no way. I like to be able to hop in the car to drive somewhere when I need to.
😄
All I can say is you are a truly good dude to do all that for this guy. Truly good. I hope Lyft comes through for you. Like Uberserge said, stand your ground with them. They owe you.
Not any time soon... Once they've been proven and battle hardened for a number of years then maybe.
Aside from safety concerns, I am afraid they are going to be really slow and overly cautious, leading to a very annoying and frustrating riding experience.
So, how Uber and Lyft used to be?