
Behind the Failure of Leap Transit’s Gentrified Buses in San Francisco - edward
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/15/technology/behind-the-failure-of-leap-transits-gentrified-buses-in-san-francisco.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur
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hapless
Leap never bothered to secure a license to operate a transit service. They
were illegal from day one, they were issued a cease and desist in May of 2015,
and they started auctioning off the buses in June.

For-profit city bus services were both normal and somewhat profitable up until
the 1920s, when private cars became affordable. Leap borrowed a 19th century
business model and pretended they didn't need to meet 21st century
requirements.

As usual, Farhad Manjoo misses the forest for the trees.

~~~
ubercore
Isn't that addressed in the article?

~~~
hapless
He mentions the c&d in passing, but blames "gentrification" and "failing to
win fans," as if failing to obey the law is a branding problem.

I would say it is the _primary_ cause of failure. The founders did not bother
to research the most basic facts about their business before raising funds,
buying capital assets, and attempting to operate.

------
edward
"Hint, a subtly flavored brand of bottled water that seems to flow as freely
in San Francisco as the tears of the people who were evicted to make room for
the incoming software engineers"

~~~
oldmanjay
At least the author was kind enough to make their biases evident.

