Threat to ride-sharing at Sky Harbor (Phoenix: rentals, cost of, store)

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by oceangaia

I think the same article suggested what you could do - take the train to a station to meet your rideshare driver. Admittedly an extra step and a hassle. It would probably be in uber's best immediate interests to pass along the fee. They would probably lose far less revenue. I'd bet far more people will be reluctant to take a train to meet an uber than to pay an extra fee and continue as is. But uber is probably more interested in winning the war than losing the battle, and is sending a message to all the other airports that they aren't going to roll over and pass the buck.

Don't forget they are losing money on every ride as they build an economy of scale, brand loyalty, locking in as an early adopter, etc. So it's easy to pull out to teach someone a lesson. Because in the short term, they lose less $$'s by pulling out. It's why people who posted "they won't pull out" are wrong. Now if one company capitulates (Lyft OR Uber), the other probably will jump back in. I wouldn't be surprised if they are talking amongst one another.

My popcorn bag is popped and ready for the show.

[hikernut]

IMO...

This is a temporary standoff. A game of chicken. Uber/Lyft are hoping public sentiment will tip in their favor and the fee will be eliminated or at least reduced.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by hikernut

IMO...

This is a temporary standoff. A game of chicken. Uber/Lyft are hoping public sentiment will tip in their favor and the fee will be eliminated or at least reduced.

Agreed. So how long will they play the game of chicken if PHX doesn't budge?

[hikernut]

Originally Posted by MN-Born-n-Raised

Agreed. So how long will they play the game of chicken if PHX doesn't budge?

I'd be surprised it the standoff lasts more than a few months. We'll see...

[DetroitN8V]

I wonder if Dallas had as many crybabies. https://www.skyharbor.com/docs/defau...rsn=23186989_8

[veritased]

There's our volunteer driver finally showing up... Detroit, please have ready a passenger van so we can Uber XL you as needed.

[DetroitN8V]

Originally Posted by veritased

There's our volunteer driver finally showing up... Detroit, please have ready a passenger van so we can Uber XL you as needed.

You’ll be waiting around for a very long time.

After seeing the list of other the major airports’ fees, and understanding Sky Harbor’s lack of tax revenue, I think it seems a bit more reasonable.

[veritased]

Let's examine your newly found 'reasonable' from your recent discovery of this doc, presumably, which of course is not biased since it's produced by Skyharbor people promoting this new tax.

Says this doc:
At many major airports, terminal curb service is
no longer available.
• PHX Sky Train was created to reduce traffic on
roadways and curbs.
• It has done its job so well, that
there is now room on the curbs
for rideshare companies to
conduct business. There are as
many as 900 rideshare pickups
per hour at Sky Harbor.

So let's see. First of all I have never even heard of PHX Sky Train period, before all this hullabaloo. So much for PHX making the public aware of this option. I have no idea why it's there and what purpose it serves. Great job, PHX, but OK, whatever.

SkyTrain has done it's job SO WELL, which is to reduce curb-side traffic, that there is now room for rideshare companies to do business. BUT... at the same time, PHX is going to artificially disincentivize rideshare riders and providers from using this supposedly newly found curb space, with this new tax, to presumably drive more traffic to PHX Skytrain, but wait... I thought PHX Skytrain is DOING SO WELL. Why then this increased tax on what is supposedly a less contended for resource (curb side usage)?

I'll cut through the thinly veiled turd, and that is because actually not enough riders use the SkyTrain, assuming they have even heard about it, and this PHX/Kate tax gambit is a great way to gin up controversy, create awareness for Skytrain, make some money, and force more riders away from rideshare and to use Skytrain. What's not to like from Mayor Kate's point of view.

Let's hope voters remember dear Mayor Kate and her crew come election time.

[DetroitN8V]

Isn’t the Skytrain free? Is this wild conspiracy that Mayor Kate has apparently concocted overlooking that? What an imagination it must take to weave some weird conspiracy theory about the mayor of one of the largest cities in the nation pushing people to a free train as part of some evil scheme. Amazing!

As for the document being biased, it seems to be stating facts. What is erroneous?

[veritased]

How would I know if it's free? I have no idea where the station(s) are, and where it goes. Like I said, it's a pretty well kept secret. If it's free, my point if even more valid: why if it's so great, doing so well, AND free, does Kate have to practically tax people out of curbside drop off onto the Sky Train.

BTW, there is no way that is more efficient to the traveler. Why do I want to go wait on a 115degF platform for the next train to swing by, when the Uber can go just a little further drop me off at curbside. It will be on the whole more inefficient and a net social negative.

Funny, you remind me of someone in a CA SF Bay area thread, who's totally accepting of new laws that inconvenience her, since it was her party that passed them. Like who cares, this is such a minor inconvenience. And folks, this is how SF got to how SF is... apathy and tolerance for bad policy slowly flooding the plains of common sense.