Harry here. It wasn’t a huge surprise when we heard that Sidecar was going out of business, but less competition is never a good thing for drivers. I for one was a big fan of Sidecar but I always felt that they were a little too ahead of their time.
They had some super driver friendly features like back to back rides, set your own rate and favorite drivers years before Lyft and Uber started implementing these features. But they failed when it came to delivering a flawless passenger experience. Uber passengers were able to hail a ride with one click while with Sidecar you had to enter your destination, filter through a bunch of different drivers with different prices and it was just too much work for the passenger.
Today, RSG contributor John Ince explores the history of Sidecar and why they failed.
Burnt Out Talking To Passengers? Deliver Food With Caviar!

Why Did Sidecar Fail?