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A lot of people use it because it's so obvious that they're operating at a loss. That's why the ride is so cheap. If they brought prices up to what they "should" be, volume would go down or the competition would snatch it up.

If Uber wants to take a loss on my ride, I'll be there every time.

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> If they brought prices up to what they "should" be, volume would go down or the competition would snatch it up

Last I checked, Uber made money on each ride in New York and San Francisco. The model can make money. I just don't know if it can make money everywhere.

... and if they brought prices up to what they "should" be, I'll just use Lyft. Or if that isn't an option, get to my destination on my own.

Lyft is in the same boat--or arguably worse. I fully expect these services will see significant price increases. One of the consequences will be that both the driver and passenger sides of the network will thin out, which probably means they won't work as well in less-dense areas.

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