Here's a breakdown of the key themes from the Hacker News discussion, supported by direct quotes:
The Declining Quality of Rideshare (Uber/Lyft) Experience
Many commenters lamented the degradation of service quality in traditional ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft, citing unprofessional, unpleasant, or even disturbing driver behavior.
- "I swear the last two or so years of ride share of sucked. [...] I have about a 50% likelihood of my Uber drive getting either racist, preachy about religion, or taking a wrong turn that ends up tacking on another ten minutes." - jjice
- "Just a month ago my Lyft driver said that God was telling him that the girl he was seeing was a whore because she said he should seek alcohol counseling." - jjice
- "My Uber driver (out of nowhere) said that the driver next to us on the highway (an Audi driving completely normally) must sell drugs to be able to afford a car that nice. The Audi driver was a black man." - jjice
- "Several times I have ordered Uber Black early in the morning and watched as the driver clearly was leaving their house and walking out to their vehicle taking a nice 5+ minutes -- somewhat frustrating. You can't even spend your way out of the problem on Uber." - iwontberude
- "Uber has been one long and consistent regression towards the mean in that sense." - morkalork
- "Uber just prizes availability above service while Lyft perplexingly fails to differentiate itself. To the extent Waymo is cracking the market, it’s not by being an AV provider. It’s by being higher quality." - JumpCrisscross
Waymo's Appeal as a Superior Alternative
Several users expressed a strong preference for Waymo due to its reliability and professionalism, contrasting it with the perceived decline in Uber/Lyft standards.
- "I ended up cancelling and requesting a Waymo. It may not be perfect but at least it comes when requested" - gonzalohm
- "That all said, I'd take a Waymo in a heartbeat." - jjice
The Gig Economy's Role in Service Degradation
A recurring argument connected the decline in ride-sharing quality to the gig economy business model, suggesting it incentivizes a "race to the bottom" where professional standards are sacrificed for increased availability.
- "It’s not an issue of social class. It’s an issue of the gig economy being a race to the bottom that cannot afford (legally or monetarily) to hold workers to professional standards." - dcrazy
- "Uber just prizes availability above service while Lyft perplexingly fails to differentiate itself. To the extent Waymo is cracking the market, it’s not by being an AV provider. It’s by being higher quality." - JumpCrisscross.
The Social Implications of Autonomous Vehicles (and Public Transit)
The discussion touched on the potential social consequences of widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles, including the displacement of drivers and possible increased social segregation.
- "On a societal level I’d say, maybe it’s helpful not to be completely segregated from a certain social class that seems to exist in your town and to be exposed to them, albeit briefly during a cab ride." - baxtr"
- "On a societal level, I think more “normal people” would take public transit if they could guarantee the removal of homeless people and people behaving antisocially" - rangestransform
- "But on an economic level, a subset of blue-collar workers (which numbers in the tens of thousands in San Francisco) would find themselves either regionally displaced or outright vocationally exterminated by a branch of artificial intelligence." - standardUser (introducing the broader theme)
The Future of Uber in a Waymo-Dominated World
Several commenters speculated about Uber's long-term viability and potential strategies in a market increasingly influenced by Waymo and other autonomous vehicle providers. Some argued that Uber's value lies in its brand recognition and user base, potentially leading to partnerships or acquisitions.
- "Waymo and Uber have partnerships in some cities, like Phoenix, where you can only order a Waymo through the Uber app. So they don't view each other only as competitors, though I have no clue what Uber's thinking long-term." - standardUser
- "Uber has tremendous brand recognition and marketing in ways that Google has never been good at. I don’t think it’s the most likely outcome, but I would not be shocked to see Uber take an minority ownership stake in Waymo, use it as the preferred self-driving option, and phase out human drivers in many areas over the next 10 years." - brookst.
- "In a world where Uber is just the app, Uber's margins would be extremely thin and it wouldn't justify the market price it has now. Also, why would Waymo, in the long term, use Uber for this?" - emilsedgh
Waymo's Potential Beyond Ride-Sharing
One user suggested further ways Waymo could expand its business operations beyond simply transporting passengers, and instead transporting business goods or delivering supplies.
- "Waymo could develop some type of modular docker-type container that would significantly fill the interior of their vehicles, or maybe even replace the interior of their vehicles. So equipped, a Waymo vehicle could be used to deliver supplies and stock to small businesses throughout the city throughout the week. Think small chains such as convenience stores, they could lower the per-store inventory and refill from remote, cheaper-rent areas, if they had three Waymo deliveries during the work day." - dotancohen
A More Nuanced View on the Impact on Drivers
At least one user thought that displacing the rideshare jobs of drivers was a bad thing since people valued the ability to set their own hours instead of having a boss breathing down their neck.
- "Next time you take an Uber, ask your driver how much they'd like it if they abruptly lost their job. Nobody is forcing people to drive Uber, unemployment is incredibly low, it's not like there aren't other opportunities. Some people actively value being able to set their own hours and not constantly have a boss breathing down their neck." - levocardia