In response to all of the hoopla with Uber and Lyft in California, an honest assessment about the two ridesharing companies.
The truth is that Uber and Lyft used to be disrupting forces but are now rent seekers who are interested in holding onto their power and keeping out others.
The turn from upstarts to bullies started when Austin, TX called the ridesharing companies on their bluff, forcing them to leave town. Alternatives popped up but the 2017 South by Southwest Festival that most of them weren't ready for prime time. Whining by the elites attending the festival helped the experienced players lobby Texas legislature to pass a law that overruled the will of the Austin City Council in 2015 and Austin voters in 2016. After Governor Abbott signed it, the big companies returned while the alternatives saw their share plummet with most of them going out of business.
Ridesharing has taken place in cities where bus service has been slashed. There's a reason why Vancouver has bucked the trend. There has been talk about cooperatives and decentralization. If it happens, then, Uber and Lyft will deserve whatever happens to them when things are opened up.
