Uber's Business Model pivot?

There's a bigger demand for drivers. They will collaborate just fine. If anything a self driving car will be optional because people will be scared to try at first. A self driving car can't offer you water or chat about inquiries.

>>2009209

Maintaining cars en masse will be cheaper than paying drivers en masse. When you pay a driver, the cost of him maintaining his car is already factored into his wage. Nobody would drive for Uber if the wages didn't cover the cost of maintaining your car plus some extra on top to pay for the rest of their lives. With drivers out of the picture, the cost will only be for cars and not for human survival.

>>2009212
This is true but they are getting into the driverless/automated game because they can see the writing on the wall, one day almost all cars will be driverless. I just don't understand how they intend to do the transition and take on tangible assets and the upkeep of them.

>>2009213
>When you pay a driver, the cost of him maintaining his car is already factored into his wage
True, but also the whole point of Uber, at least originally was that it was a freelancer gig, it wasn't meant to pay for a livelihood - like that's their personal car, the one they probably drive to their part time job in as well?

Or is it still cheaper for Uber to outright own and maintain driverless cars?

>>2009209

They don't have to buy the cars. They can keep
the business model.

You would buy a driverless car, register it with Uber, then send it to pick up passengers. Same process just without you actually driving it.

>>2009281
Yeah I was thinking about that. You mean it'd be like:
>I just got home, will charge up the car and then let it do a Uber session until tomorrow morning when I need the car again

Nah you let it do it all day while youre at work and it ubers you home then goes out for more

>>2009209
The point of uber is they broke the regulators. Now anyone can create a ridesharing app, it really is a simple application. So Uber needs something new because the competition will eat them alive.

>>2009209
What is stopping bums from getting a 5 minute Uber and then just sleeping in the car and never leaving

>>2009209
I'm gonna use the opensource decentralised Driver Sharing app i installed on my car anyway.
I don't care about uber

>>2009212
This.

As self driving cars grow in popularity and preference they will have the market cornered and ready to go.

If self driving cars do what they are supposed id rather order one from my phone when I need it instead of paying thousands for hunk of metal, gas, rego and insurance.

>>2009377
So what's their endgame with this? I was under the impression they wanted to move more into "one button press" couriers and delivery like with Uber Eats: except it'll be everything: booze, cosmetics, medicine... and eventually they'll compete with Amazon

>>2009412
good question. Won't happen often, how many bums have a smartphone and a valid credit card or debit account?

>>2009428
kek

>>2009441
>If self driving cars do what they are supposed id rather order one from my phone when I need it instead of paying thousands for hunk of metal, gas, rego and insurance.
I get that, already I have friends who save money by using Uber instead of owning their own car. But I just don't see how Uber management intends to deal with having so much added cost and complexity to a business model with minimal assets. I mean compare them to Apple who over the last 20 years have done all they can to switch to JIT inventory and hardly own any of their own factories anymore, they outsource all the manufacturing.

I think it's what other anons have suggested, it'll be people register their cars with Uber and let it earn them money when they don't need it.