Originally Posted by
Machka
Given that in Wipekitty's example, we're mainly talking about transportation after 11 pm, all the driving and switching drivers etc. is happening in the early part of the night ... midnight, 1 am, 2 am, etc.
Given that there are often price increases at night, say by 1.5 (low estimate) ... that brings the price to what we'd pay for a taxi. Without the hassle of driving, handing off the car, being stuck out wherever at 3 am, etc.
This is an inefficient solution for a problem that doesn't exist.
Really it depends on whether the vehicles used for driver-ride sharing are privately owned and/or whether the owner has to accompany the car or whether the car can be used while the owner sleeps (whether that owner is a private individual or corporate owner).
If ridership goes down at night, then there would be more vehicles available that are not being used. If you can pick one up and drive it to your destination and park it and leave it for someone else to pick up in the morning, that would basically just be like a dockless car-share.
If you're drunk and there's no one to drive for you, you would probably just have to pay taxi rates because you're paying for someone else's utter inconvenience, as you say.