"About a third of what passengers pay goes to Uber for commissions and booking fees."
Holy shit. That's way too much commission for a company that uses software and not actual labor to connect drivers to riders.
Software costs labor to develop, maintain, and operate. If you feel operating Uber's systems should cost much less, why not invest or found a competitor ?
Hmm. Not an Uber user myself as we have cheap and reliable taxis in Germany, but how is payment handled? Does Apple take their usual 30/15% cut as with Netflix, Spotify and friends?
I'm an American in Munich, and while taxis here are indeed reliable, I wouldn't call them cheap. Ballpark, I'd say they're about twice as expensive as the Uber/Lyft trips I've taken back in the States.
> I'm an American in Munich, and while taxis here are indeed reliable, I wouldn't call them cheap.
Compared to the stories I have heard about US taxis (underqualified drivers, bad technical maintenance, general unreliability), I am not surprised. You can't have reliable and cheap.
In addition to the mentioned factors, of course Uber/Lyft can be less expensive in the US - they ditch the contributions to social security, healthcare and pension system that is required for German employees.
btw, I am Munich-based too... yes our taxis are expensive indeed but so are the living costs. Can't have no taxi drivers when they don't have a place to live in.
Just to add to a sibling poster, Uber doesn’t require, but does allow you to use Apple Pay for rides. Apple Pay costs about the same as a regular credit card payment to the merchant.
