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> volunteer staff

Why would some people work for free so that drivers can earn more or riders could pay less?

Uber racked up a $20 billion cumulative deficit by subsidizing both drivers and riders.

Even if you cloned the Uber app and had people volunteer to do customer support, you'd still wind up with a service where riders pay more, or drivers earn less, or both.

That works for BlaBlaCar [0] that's true carpooling, without drivers trying to make a living on the platform. Riders pay less and drivers get paid less.

But if Uber is losing $4 billion a year at the current prices, it's hard to see how there would be a sustainable market where drivers make more and riders pay less.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BlaBlaCar



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