In general, it seems that ridesharing companies like
Uber and
Lyft are loved by their users but hated by governments
both national and
local. There's no doubt that these apps
are a huge force in changing transportation in many cities. However, they raise the question of whether removing much of the regulation from the industry is actually an improvement? A recent piece on
GeekWire delves into this and comes up with six reasons why Uber might not be so great in the long run.
The author continually returns to the argument that an unregulated market is not the same thing as a free market, and smart rules on ridesharing would make the services better for everyone. His other major point is that Uber's dynamic pricing model might be a great alternative to taxis today, but it's flawed in the long run.
Some of the claims in the piece are more convincing than others, though. For example, the argument about Uber creating tourist and local prices for the same areas seems entirely hypothetical, at least at this point. Still, the article is definitely worth reading if you have any interest in the possible future economic implications of ridesharing services.
The author continually returns to the argument that an unregulated market is not the same thing as a free market, and smart rules on ridesharing would make the services better for everyone. His other major point is that Uber's dynamic pricing model might be a great alternative to taxis today, but it's flawed in the long run.
Some of the claims in the piece are more convincing than others, though. For example, the argument about Uber creating tourist and local prices for the same areas seems entirely hypothetical, at least at this point. Still, the article is definitely worth reading if you have any interest in the possible future economic implications of ridesharing services.
