It's absolutely no surprise that the majority of people might prefer a particular resource to be allocated by lottery instead of auction, because they can't afford to outbid the wealthy minority for those resources.
That would be rational if the supply was fixed; but since it isn't (the number of drivers increase with the surge pricing), it's far from clear whether the average person is negatively affected by the temporary price increase (as far as I know, surge prices usually last a very short time).
(the number of drivers increase with the surge pricing)
I doubt there would be suddenly tens of thousands of additional drivers more after the WC final on Sundary in Germany to drive all the people home from the bars and public viewing locations, when more than 80% of the population is watching the game.
(as far as I know, surge prices usually last a very short time)
Well, that's already sucks enought, when it's late in the night and you want to get home. Might as well wait until I can get public transport in the morning...
Having talked with many Lyft drivers about it, the drivers are definitely aware of what times pay better rates and many of them choose to schedule their workdays around it. I don't know if it works for one off events like the WC but it definitely increases supply during evenings and late nights.
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He never said there would magically be enough drivers to cover all the demand all the time. But there will be comparatively more drivers at times when their profits are higher.
Might as well wait until I can get public transport in the morning...
Ok then, that's fine. Nobody is claiming Uber to be a magic bullet that solves all transportation problems. It's amazing, the sort of expectations people develop. It's a service that is offered, it's an additional option, if it doesn't meet your needs then just continue doing what you did before Uber existed...
This whole "price gouging" thing - people who don't like it can simply choose to not use Uber and move on with their day as usual. All of this outrage reeks of entitlement.
That would be rational if the supply was fixed; but since it isn't (the number of drivers increase with the surge pricing), it's far from clear whether the average person is negatively affected by the temporary price increase (as far as I know, surge prices usually last a very short time).