Aren't you all agreeing then - when there's competition, such as public transit, Uber will keep its prices competitive. When there's no competition ...
The when is a bogeyman. It's never happened. We're trading present benefits against a hypothetical downside with easy remedies if it appears.
It’s not. That’s not Republicans’ fault, there isn’t a great reason for West Virginians to subsidise San Francisco rail.
There's not a great reason for Washingtonians to subsidize Florida's hurricane insurance, but here we are...
What are the easy remedies? Restart public transit?
Yes, it’s a market failure. The solution is not to never attempt anything that might result in market failure.
> Wait until the competition cancels your favorite air route and see what happens to the prices
Bad comparison. The locality controls the airport. Not the route. Not the destination. With Uber, the locality controls the pick-up and at least significant parts of the route. (There also isn’t any federal preëmption of ride share regulation the way there is in the air.)
> What are the easy remedies? Restart public transit?
In the event Uber bankrupts the bus system and also Lyft and Waymo? Tax them. Increase use fees. Revoke bus lane privileges.
Again, this is a bogeyman. It’s never actually happened in urban transportation in the modern era, particularly, never with Uber.
(Also, regarding Uber, how many times have they been in a market with no competition?)
> In the event Uber bankrupts the bus system and also Lyft and Waymo? Tax them. Increase use fees. Revoke bus lane privileges.
What if Uber doesn't provide equitable service? How about hospitals getting shut down by for-profit owners, leaving communities without healthcare? Businesses chase profit and cut losses - not a good choice when you need equitable servcies.