&gt;If Uber allowed drivers to set their own rates that would initiate a &#x27;race to the bottom&#x27;<p>Not necessarily, it could easily go both ways as it would create a market for people that want to pay more for &quot;better&quot; drivers.. people with nice cars (teslas and generally expensive automobiles) just to be seen in them or to experience riding in them, drivers that pamper their clients with newspapers, in vehicle entertainment, free water, etc.