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Originally Posted by wong21fr
a) automate the drivers out of a job,
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You apparently missed my previous response; don't believe everything you read. What would you guess the cost of buying a fleet of self-driving cars would be let alone the insurance and maintenance etc. Besides that's still a couple of decades away except for perhaps designated routes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wong21fr
or b) become the market dominate option and jack up prices.
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My best guess with ride-share is that they're close to being cash-flow positive; Uber Eats also. I wouldn't be surprised if rates drifted higher on some types of rides; we'll see. Uber's latest iteration is a 'comfort' option which merely guarantees the rider a Not small car or a crummy old car. It's especially popular for airport rides for example and is ~$5 more so maybe $23 instead of $18.
The unknown in Uber's case is that they're in various countries and I have no idea how those are performing.
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Originally Posted by wong21fr
Transit agencies could farm out their on-demand service to ridesharing companies and subsidize the fares, but how much of a subsidy are we talking?
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I am still a big believer that in time 'shuttle bus' style on-demand service can make a lot of sense.
In some cities (not in Phx) Uber is offering Uber Pool for those who qualify for the XL platform which means they have three rows of seats, usually a Van for carrying more than 4 pax. I've heard some drivers grumbling about the pay versus hassle but whatever.
In time shuttle buses, preferably operated by the private sector could be great in DTC for transporting riders from light rail and likely subsidized by the DTC. It can and has to a degree made sense already in Lone Tree who does subsidize the effort. These fancy shuttles could work well in downtown Denver IMO especially for nearby neighborhoods.