Indelaware

I oppose this. What's next, a taxi forum? Stay with the basics.

CMK10

If people want that and there's a market, why not? This is a travel website and Uber has become a large part of travel. We should adapt not purposefully leave ourselves less relevant.

NYCFlyer10001

Oppose for the reasons Prospero mentioned in #3.

rwoman

All,

Apologies for my lack of engagement - I was away last week for the military, ran the London Marathon on Sunday, and am continuing to catch up.

Upon the first suggestion of a Ride Services forum, I supported the creation of such a forum given the seemingly rapid growth. That said, I understand there are a lot of dynamics involved - location, service, etc. and, as others have posted, do not agree with placing ride services with rental cars.

Given this, and various FTers' comments, I will vote no on this motion.

exilencfc

Much as it pains me to do so I agree with Prospero.

So far as I can see, Uber etc are already so popular and widespread that they do not need their own forum in order to be promoted/understood - one of the main reasons for the European rail travel forum. However they vary enough from place to place that generalisations are dangerous and therefore putting all discussion in one area is liable to lead to misinformation - they aren't like the various airline or car rental forums.

I think the best place to discuss Uber, ride sharing etc is in the destination forums, perhaps with a thread in travelbuzz for the benefit of people who haven't used them before and want to know precisely what they are and how they work.

wharvey

So, would this forum cover which UBER vehicles you can smoke in?

Seriously, I think the current forum setups work fine for UBER and similar services.

SkiAdcock

Rather than quote many of the FTers above me, this basically sums it up for me. I was originally in favor of it (although not necessarily tossing it in with rental cars), but a # of the no arguments make sense to me so my input would be to vote no.

Cheers.

Cloudship

That should be the same forum.

I am just an average poster, but I think that I represent at least some contingent of Flyertalk members who view the forums as more than just about earning points. We see Flyertalk as a travel forum. It is easy to assume that everyone knows everything about a subject, in this case taking taxis or using shared car services. But many people do not. They don't know where to start, and don't know where to even look for an answer. While certainly specifics about using a taxi or Uber or any other ride service in a particular city should go in that forum, there are many general questions that I think people have, but don't know where to ask.

Perhaps the problem is that Car Rental Programs itself is too specifically about car rental rewards, and really needs to be a ground transportation forum.

greg99

OK, but I would direct you to the very first two sentences of the FT rules:

Further, ridesharing isn't really about "travel" any more than, for instance, city buses, which is a transportation activity that often accompanies "travel."

I have no idea what the nuances are of taking a bus in NYC. Never done it, wouldn't know how to begin to buy a ticket. Does that mean we should have a bus forum? No - it goes in the NYC destination area.

Greg

CMK10

When I got the Uber app on my phone yesterday, I was able to register to earn double Amex MR points and SPG Points through it. How is that not maximizing points for the enhancement of my travel experience?

I only knew how to do it because of two FT threads on the subject.

By your narrow interpretation of the FT rules, we shouldn't have destination forums, forums dedicated to travel products, the LGBT Forum, Travel Photography etc. etc.

Canarsie

I already voted no on this motion.

greg99

I totally agree that those topics are appropriate for FT, but the threads belong in Amex and SPG (I learned about them here too). It shouldn't be in its own separate forum.

As I said before, if Uber had its own loyalty program, I'd be all in favor of giving it a separate forum.

Greg

Prospero

FT is a travel website and an excellent one at that. Please don't deny the fact that the present forum structure allows (and has the capacity) for discussion of all aspects of travel.

Which of the following travel related innovations have no home for discussion in FlyerTalk?

CMK10

I wasn't denying the current forum structure couldn't accommodate this, maybe it could, but this is the motion we came up with and I think it's a step in a very positive direction.

mia

Did you decide based on the merits of the proposed forum itself, or based on the proposed placement in the Miles & Points Rental Car section?