Decentralized Ride Sharing is Here: No Driver Fees, Any Payment Method

[BADecker]

Decentralized Ride Sharing is Here:
No Driver Fees, Any Payment Method

This week Cell 411 Inc. announced Version 5 of their mobile app with a new major feature: giving users the ability to request and offer rides (in emergencies or otherwise) to each other; but their approach to ride sharing is quite innovative in several areas: there are no driver fees, no background checks, no car requirements, no centralized pricing and no required payment methods.  In essence, the drivers and riders are in full control of how much they charge or pay and what methods of payments they are willing to use. The ride sharing feature is being officially launched in Austin, TX on November 5th. A launch party is taking place at Brave New Books, 1904 Guadalupe St. at 6:00 PM.

Users willing to offer rides with Cell 411 are able to choose payment methods like cash, credit, silver, crypto currencies like Bitcoin and even bartering. The drivers can even set their own pricing formula in order to compete with each other for rides, giving them full control over their markets. Unlike Uber, Lyft and other ride sharing companies, riders get to choose their driver based on pricing, payment methods and the vehicles used.

...

We don’t control who signs up to use our platform, how they use it and when, therefore we have no plans to and we lack the ability to comply with Austin’s burdensome regulations; we are not going to fingerprint every single person downloading our app.

Read more at https://getcell411.com/2016/10/27/decentralized-ride-sharing-is-here-no-driver-fees-any-payment-method/.

[Milkduds]

Feels a little like a race to the bottom as the drivers undercut each other to get the customer.
This seems to be a driving issue when it comes to new technology,as it always is great for the customer but not always great for the worker or business owner.
Always think back to when debit started to become a big thing and some of the smaller mom and pops would want you to spend at least $5 to recoup the cost of having to use the machine. So the potential for a driver that needs work to under slash the competition is a serious problem.

[BADecker]

Feels a little like a race to the bottom as the drivers undercut each other to get the customer.
This seems to be a driving issue when it comes to new technology,as it always is great for the customer but not always great for the worker or business owner.
Always think back to when debit started to become a big thing and some of the smaller mom and pops would want you to spend at least $5 to recoup the cost of having to use the machine. So the potential for a driver that needs work to under slash the competition is a serious problem.

The benefit is freedom and competition.

If you can't cut it in the competition, vote for government, because when government takes control, prices go up, and government takes its cut.

[European Central Bank]

sounds like the perfect recipe to end up getting your asshole reamed or being turned into a cripple when your uninsured meth head driver smacks into a bridge. I think i'll pass.

[cpfreeplz]

sounds like the perfect recipe to end up getting your asshole reamed or being turned into a cripple when your uninsured meth head driver smacks into a bridge. I think i'll pass.

Hahaha that's a bit of an exaggeration but ok. Fair point.

The benefit is freedom and competition.

If you can't cut it in the competition, vote for government, because when government takes control, prices go up, and government takes its cut.

Here here! If you can't compete then you're in the wrong business! Figure it out or a better business person will and they'll take your place.

[BitcoinBarrel]

I think this is perfect because one of the drawbacks of Uber and Lyft is their low payouts. With this the better drivers and cars can charge what the free market decides.

[Milkduds]

The benefit is freedom and competition.

If you can't cut it in the competition, vote for government, because when government takes control, prices go up, and government takes its cut.

The freedom to drive each other into the ground!

Government label seems a stretch,was more a pro union stance.

Some times I have a problem with changes that can potentially do more harm without some kind of fail safe.
Look at how certain groups based on religion,race or location take over a set field of work. It blocks honest and open competition that a supposed free market brings.
The idea of a free market sometimes feels like another term for NWO as I know Soros would be down with this concept. Make people believe they have control when they actually have less.

[BADecker]

The benefit is freedom and competition.

If you can't cut it in the competition, vote for government, because when government takes control, prices go up, and government takes its cut.

The freedom to drive each other into the ground!

Government label seems a stretch,was more a pro union stance.

Some times I have a problem with changes that can potentially do more harm without some kind of fail safe.
Look at how certain groups based on religion,race or location take over a set field of work. It blocks honest and open competition that a supposed free market brings.
The idea of a free market sometimes feels like another term for NWO as I know Soros would be down with this concept. Make people believe they have control when they actually have less.

Imagine no government. Imagine that there is freedom to contract in any way for any thing. The result is that there will be some shrewd operators who figure out how to do it cheaper. The bigger they get, the smaller the rest of the companies get.

If there isn't any force involved, it doesn't work that way. It costs extra money to grow and remain big. The small competitors will out bid the big companies in the end.

Government is the big guys' attempting to maintain expensive operations against small competition. Government regulation makes it hard for the small guys.

The product listed in the OP is a way that government can't easily control. It will, ultimately, bring costs down, and increase quality, while holding government at bay.

Any business can use it. It's just that it has its start with a few types of operations. One of the biggest ways to use it is to shrink phone companies to the small size of individual home businesses, and then operate the Internet over them. Soon there will be no need even for ICCAN, which the UN has recently taken over.

[justdimin]

Good initiative and invention. This is what bitcoin has to offer to our world, since its invention lots of business ideas like this one have been springing up to give our life a new freedom. With this type of service, one can be sure to save a lot from the fee scraping.

[NorrisK]

Won't this run into the same problems as Uber POP? Becuase drivers are not licensed to transport paying customers (ie. no taxi license) they are not allowed to do this type of business?

I would expect a lot of anger and campaigning by the taxi lobby again if something like this takes of. This will be accompanied by massive fines that in this case will not be covered by a company like Uber.

[Wind_FURY]

I like the whole idea of freedom to leave us alone to do what we want in theory but in practice I feel that this idea might open an avenue for criminal activities. The "no background check" policy is a big red flag for me because there are predatory people out there who are capable of sick acts. If I had a daughter I will never allow her to catch a ride thru that.

[avatar_kiyoshi]

The ideas is clever, just an app for facilitate between the driver and passenger.
Created driver own market is obviously can compete other ride app like uber, besides the payment even can use bartering.

[Tyrantt]

sounds like the perfect recipe to end up getting your asshole reamed or being turned into a cripple when your uninsured meth head driver smacks into a bridge. I think i'll pass.

Haha my first thoughts of things like these, uber driver,etc...

[QuestionAuthority]

sounds like the perfect recipe to end up getting your asshole reamed or being turned into a cripple when your uninsured meth head driver smacks into a bridge. I think i'll pass.

Spot on, why would I get into the car of a total fucking stranger, without a commercial license, without business insurance, without formal training and trust my life to them? 

Uber users = dumbasses that have nothing to live for

Other side of the coin: Why would I let some scumbag that I don't know get in the back of my car so they can stab me at a stop sign and steal my car to make $5?

Uber drivers = escapees from a mental institution

[newIndia]

This is not going to work. U can not decentralize anything and everything.

[yayayo]

This is not going to work. U can not decentralize anything and everything.

It's true that you can't decentralize everything and expect it to work. But for this use case it will clearly work. However it remains to be seen if the app will have meaningful adoption. It's clearly a positive thing, because it increases the degree of freedom. On the other hand, passengers and drivers have to be increasingly aware about the risks acting in a free marketplace. Without background checks, safety is not the same as with the established companies in the sector.

I think it's a form of modern hitchhiking. Bitcoin fits perfectly here as a fast and convenient payment option. In the end however, there will be little room left for self-employed drivers to earn a living as fares will come down further due to the fact that there will be a high number of drivers that are satisfied with low fares, because they just pick up people along their way to/from work for example.

ya.ya.yo!