Submitted 1 year ago by nix@merv.news to technology@lemmy.world
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/coopride/co-op-ride-a-rideshare-app-but-owned-by-the-drivers
I remember seeing this app a couple months ago and being excited about a team finally doing this. They’ve been available in New York City for a while and now they’re trying to raise money to expand to more places. Hopefully they open source the app\server in the future since it would be great to have more co-op apps for the other “gig economy” style apps.
As a customer I’d rather use a platform that is not owned by drivers.
Well, in sole cities in France we have Uber Shit Eats alternatives owned by the people who make the deliveries, and it’s smooth sailing so far.
I think it’s way better this way, because entitled/abusive customers lose a lot of the power they usually have.
How come?
Because in any dispute between a driver and a customers, drivers will protect drivers.
Two lines from two disparate forms of art spring to mind when reading this headline :
"they'll be fighting in the streets with out children at our feet, and the morals that they worshiped will be gone" ~ the who
""The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which." ~ george orwell
Haha, how are those quotes relevant? This just reads like nonsense to me
themeatbridge@lemmy.world 1 year ago
That’s not really a kickstarter so much as a gofundme for a business. $50 for a stress ball? $500 for a ride in NYC? Kickstarter rewards ought to be close to the value that you’re giving, because it’s analogous to an investment. Kickstarter is not a charity fundraiser.
Why not give credits as a reward? You’re raising capital for a business, so theoretically you should be profitable enough to pay back investors. And if not, there are no rides because there are no drivers.
rynzcycle@kbin.social 1 year ago
Honestly today, this was competitive pricing against Lyft...
fidodo@lemm.ee 1 year ago
Isn’t new York flooded right now?
StarManta@lemmy.world 1 year ago
And if I could get a ride in this service today that might be relevant
themeatbridge@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Thanks for the correction.
nix@merv.news 1 year ago
It makes sense to use the kickstarter money for the development of the app and not to cover the costs of the kickstarter rewards. I personally think kickstarters should offer the least amount of physical rewards as possible and instead offer digital things they don’t have to worry about sourcing/shipping so the money can go to the development of the software/game/animation etc.
themeatbridge@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Of course the money is used to invest in the startup. That’s what startup money is always used for. But typical startup capital comes from investors who expect to receive a share of the profits. Kickstarter gives startups the chance to reward “investors” in other ways, like funding an initial production run or providing rewards of similar value that don’t cost the company as much to produce. For example, an author might write an investor into the book, or a theater production might provide a VIP experience with the cast.
Kickstarter is not a charity. They’re asking for donations. There isn’t even a digital reward, because presumably the app will be free. It’s more akin to PBS giving away tote bags to subscribers, but even those subscribers get a discount card supported by local businesses.
The fact that they don’t understand the difference creates significant doubts regarding the competrnce and feasibility of the endeavor. I think a FOSS ride sharing app is an excellent idea, but I will not hold my breath for this one.