Vancouver Rideshare Discussion

[fredinno]

Originally Posted by queetz@home

The loses are very disturbing for someone that loves Uber...then again, Ballard Power has been loosing money for God knows how long, analysts say it won't turn a profit until 2020, and they are still in business...



Then all the more reason why there needs to break this cartel since they are never a good thing for the consumer.

It's probably pulling an Amazon and trying to pull the taxis and other ridesharers out of business, then turn around and raise prices once the free money from the EU and Japanese QE sessions and low global interest rates inevitably dries up.

It's the same with pretty much everything else, newspace had a similar boom because investors had wayy to much $$$ to spend, so they dumped it in ventures that made null. It's good for them, until the money stops pouring in.

Now, NewSpace companies are shutting down and merging almost on a monthly basis now.

Let's hope Uber plays its cards right.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by queetz@home

The loses are very disturbing for someone that loves Uber...then again, Ballard Power has been loosing money for God knows how long, analysts say it won't turn a profit until 2020, and they are still in business...

Then all the more reason why there needs to break this cartel since they are never a good thing for the consumer.

Ballard has had continued investment from automakers that are far larger.

Uber has had money pour in from investment & hedge funds. That could dry up. Bottom line is, the business isn't profitable for what they are charging today.

As for cartel, that's pretty funny. Uber will be the new monopoly, only this time they will be global.

[CanSpice]

Originally Posted by phesto

Anyone wanna bet we hear a Liberal announcement about ridesharing before the May election?

I think they got scooped by Andrew Weaver, and since an opposition MLA introduced it they won't touch it now.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by CanSpice

I think they got scooped by Andrew Weaver, and since an opposition MLA introduced it they won't touch it now.

The Green party has become a proxy tool of the Liberals to split the Left vote.

[phesto]

Originally Posted by CanSpice

I think they got scooped by Andrew Weaver, and since an opposition MLA introduced it they won't touch it now.

Nah, I'm betting we hear something in the next 60 days.

[Genauso]

The province and the city have already collaborated with the Taxi license owners to eliminate the opportunity for any outside player:
- You can order a taxi through an app without speaking to a human
- Kater is a local app that gets around the $70 minimum limousine fare by serving Chauffeurs on demand

[Pinion]

car2go is really going upscale now

Mercedes-Benz CLA car2go by Stephen Rees, on Flickr

I hated the original run of smart cars but the new ones are nice. This seems excessive.

[Reecemartin]

[Deleted]

[retro_orange]

Originally Posted by Reecemartin

Does Car2Go actually make enough money to justify this?

Kind of throws the whole environmentally friendly thing down the drain ( though at least maybe people won't need to own a car) I think EVO does it best using Prius C, which is a good combo of Space and efficiency.

It's disappointing that they are using these cars as a fleet vehicles IMO. These Mercedes' get abysmal fuel economy for cars of their size.

[Reecemartin]

[Deleted]

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

they aren't getting rid of Smart Cars, they are just adding very few larger cars for people who need more then 2 seats. they added, i think it was 20 B Classes to the lower mainland. a drop in the bucket compared to how many smart cars they have.

[Reecemartin]

[Deleted]

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

Originally Posted by Reecemartin

I know but, still there are alot of more environmentally friendly larger options than CLA's.

Car2Go is owned and operated by Mercedes Benz.

[Reecemartin]

[Deleted]

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Reecemartin

The must have a more environmentally friendly car in their portfolio than the CLA though

They introduced B-series 4 door cars last year. Hardly any of them in the fleet though, ditto for these CLAs and GLAs they have recently deployed. We're talking a handful of cars in a 1000+ car fleet.

That said:

http://fortune.com/2017/02/14/daimler-smart-electric/

Daimler will stop selling combustion engine Smart cars in the United States and Canada and focus the brand on electric vehicles in the two markets, the company said late on Monday.
Dietmar Exler, head of Mercedes-Benz USA, said in a letter to dealers reviewed by Reuters that the sale of Smart cars with gasoline engines would stop when the 2017 model year ends this fall.

Their strategy for car2go is unclear at best.

[Reecemartin]

[Deleted]

[SpongeG]

Outlook 2018: Hospitality businesses bemoan lack of ride-hailing

More and more guests are complaining about lack of transportation options

By Patrick Blennerhassett | Dec. 19, 2017, 7 a.m.

It's a story frequently heard all over the region. Business people or tourists from out of town get to their hotel somewhere in the Lower Mainland, or come off a cruise ship or arrive at Vancouver International Airport. They then open their Uber app, looking to ride-hail to a conference, a dinner or out for drinks or to check into their hotel. Then they’re astonished to find out Vancouver has the odd distinction of being the only major city in North America that doesn’t allow ride-hailing (or, as it’s also known, ride-sharing).

Philip Meyer, managing director for the Rosewood Hotel Georgia in downtown Vancouver, said when out-of-town guests ask him why B.C. doesn’t have ride-hailing at all, all he can offer is “It’s complicated” as a response.

“One of the most common questions we are asked is why doesn’t Vancouver have Uber,” Meyer said, noting he worries customer satisfaction is starting to take a hit because of the lack of transportation options and long waits for cabs during peak riding times.

“Our business is international, and when it comes to production and entertainment from cities like San Francisco, New York, even Montreal and Toronto, people expect it. The taxi business cannot keep pace. Ask our doormen at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia or any hotel, restaurant or bar in town. Or take a look on a rainy December night during the holidays, during TED Talks in April or any given day during cruise ship season; these are just some examples.”

...

https://www.biv.com/article/2017/12/...-ride-hailing/

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

They introduced B-series 4 door cars last year. Hardly any of them in the fleet though, ditto for these CLAs and GLAs they have recently deployed. We're talking a handful of cars in a 1000+ car fleet.

That said:

http://fortune.com/2017/02/14/daimler-smart-electric/

Their strategy for car2go is unclear at best.

New news on the Smart cars which will disappear from the Car2Go fleet:

The trademark smart cars rented out by car-sharing service car2go will be gradually phased out and replaced with Mercedes-Benz vehicles over the next few years, the company has recently confirmed.

Since its Canadian launch in Vancouver in June 2011, car2go has been synonymous with its white-and-blue smart fortwo two-seaters, available for rent to car2go subscribers on-the-fly for minutes, hours, or days.

But the next-generation fortwo is set to lose its gasoline engine options and instead go fully electric only, and the car-sharing company – which is owned by Daimler, the same automaker that makes the smart – doesn’t see EV car-sharing working out as well.

As a result, the smart fortwos currently in the company’s fleet will be gradually replaced by other Mercedes-Benz vehicles, like the GLA crossover and CLA sedan that were rolled into car2go service in Canada in early 2017.

While car2go does operate electric car fleets in Europe – specifically Amsterdam, Madrid, and Stuttgart – the charging infrastructure required to make adding for-rent EVs possible in Canada is not here right now. However, a car2go spokesperson confirmed the car-sharing service would consider adding an electric smart fortwo to its fleet if that changes.

Most of car2go’s roughly 2,700-car fleet in Canada lives in Vancouver (1,100 cars) though the cars in Toronto are the most utilized, on average spending no more than 30 minutes parked. The company also loans out cars in Calgary and Montreal. Car2go has more than 320,000 Canadian subscribers.

http://www.autofocus.ca/news-events/...its-smart-cars

Similar to what they said in January:

http://vancouversun.com/news/local-n...ancouver-fleet

They also added 200K new members in 2017 to make 1 million in Canada..

[casper]

Originally Posted by Reecemartin

Does Car2Go actually make enough money to justify this?

Kind of throws the whole environmentally friendly thing down the drain ( though at least maybe people won't need to own a car) I think EVO does it best using Prius C, which is a good combo of Space and efficiency.

They charge quite a bit more for these than the smart cars. The difference with Cars2Go is the company is owned by an auto manufacture, all the cars are manufactured by the parent company. They don't have a Prius like vehicle.

[moosejaw]

Wow I cant beleive people get worked up over a CLA for christ sakes, they get like 30mpg (hwy)+ or whatever KM/L that translates too. Thats pretty good for this type of car.

Its not like my 12mpg Raptor I daily drive