Uber offices raided in Paris by French police in 'car-pooling' controversy
theguardian.com
theguardian.com
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-uber-ta...
Of course, UberX drivers are still out there saving people money over the virtual monopoly held there by big cab companies like Mears. From Uber's point of view, I can't see why not. Every ticket the city issues for being too cheap is a PR win for them.
I just can't bear Uber arrogance as they think they can just violate local laws because they are "useful".There is no justification for that.
While there may be a specific mindset regarding the law in US, most European countries do not work that way at all. French regulators will come very hard on Uber if they think they can just ignore laws.
I love Uber's arrogance. The local laws being violated are more often than not the product of regulatory capture, inefficient processes, and antiquated eras. The regulators have been whining like crazy about "unsafe drivers" and all sorts of other downright libelous nonsense that it takes nothing short of flouting the rules to disprove, to say "It turns out that when we ignore the regulators, the world doesn't actually end after all, and in some cases actually gets better" - a valuable lesson for business and everyperson alike.
No person with power likes being ignored, so you get actions like this. Petty tyrants, retaliating at the slight. That's how I see the governments in this case.
And I love them getting bitch slapped by european regulators as they fail to understand the "european mindset". This isn't the farwest here.
A private corporation does not get to make the laws. If they want to change the law they need to respect it at first place then join the democratic process ,end of story.
Except clearly they don't. The democratic process is broken. Politicians have no incentive to change laws. Uber's modus operandi is to ignore those laws and build strong public support to force change. It works very well. Uber is happy. Joe public is happy. And politicians can pass new regulations shockingly quick when their job is on the line.
Seattle's broken ass cab system proposed creating a ride hailing app a few years ago. They were stopped because no one was willing to update laws. Then Uber and Lyft came in. Those laws have now been changed and the old, broken system is being allowed to update to become slightly less shitty. It's still awful though.
Uber plays a dangerous game. They know the risks. They're willing to take them. I have zero issues with this. I do have issues with anti-consumer regulations that primarily exist to protect entrenched business owners.
Uninsured Uber drivers are causing harm to other road users. Uber is blatantly ignoring the law to make more money at the expense of the rest of society. This leads to Uber getting punished by the courts. No laws need changing.
Because in London Uber could very easily obey the law but they chose not to.
That's why many people are happy to see Uber kicking the anthill. What Uber unlocks, others (like Lyft) benefit too.
If the reality on the ground conflicts with the theory behind the laws, the laws should change. Nothing wrong with helping to make that happen by a little calculated disobedience in my opinion.
So it's a case of the free insurance market working correctly to price risk, and Uber coming in and shitting all over that and effectively asking for governments to legislate to exclude Uber drivers from the normal insurance market by allowing them to drive commercially without commercial insurance.
If Uber gets their way it would mean jacking up insurance prices for everybody and making the insurance market far less efficient. Why should wider society pay to insure Uber drivers just to make Uber more profitable?
https://help.uber.com/h/3c76c923-3818-4330-a0a1-b5fc9310ed39
Isn't this enough to replace commercial insurance?
https://help.uber.com/h/f7fbe4af-c0db-4406-9ee5-59613b38a84e
> There are a number of insurance providers that offer policies for ridesharing. Uber recommends working with your insurance agent to find a plan that works for you.
> For US ridesharing partners only, please note that although the Rasier policy will act as primary insurance while you are using the Uber Partner app, keep in mind that all partners must also carry personal auto insurance.
"The service uses non-professional drivers who may not be licensed or insured, raising safety concerns. Some have poor local knowledge so potentially offer a poor customer experience."
Is this really common in France? To have an abundance of unlicensed and uninsured motorists? I thought that was against the law in most countries. I wouldn't think this would be a specific issue with Uber drivers if its the case where this is common.
Also, doesn't Uber use people who live the areas they drive in? How would they have poor knowledge of an area they live in?
But at the moment, i highly doubt that's the main scenario, by far.
You need a specific insurance if you drive people for profits.
Uninsured and unlicensed drivers are normally very rare because many, many people in large cities such as Paris (where Taxis services thrive) very rarely drive. Companies such as Uber incentivize unlicensed and uninsured motorists to drive by making it profitable with seemingly far less control than existing businesses, hence the panic reaction and public debate on the matter.
Paris is relatively small but very dense, and can be maze-like. You can live in Paris and be completely lost a few hundred meters away from your place. Streets and directions are hard to follow and remember, and distances are skewed by traffic, one-way-streets, pedestrian zones, bus lanes and cycle lanes. Some streets open and close depending on the hour of the day/night or the season. It can seriously be a mess and you simply can't assume you're going to be a decent professional Parisian driver just because you live in Paris.
Lastly we all have a proper ID, so it's absolutely viable not to have a driver's license at all (provided you don't drive). Driving itself in Paris is generally a time-sink and a money sink. You only drive when you don't have a choice. For me, that's only when I'm on holiday away from the city.
Insurance is another matter, and yes it's illegal to drive an uninsured vehicle, and you also need a special license to drive for profit.
It's devaluing their actual taxi service. By failing to address the serious safety concerns head on they're opening themselves up to litigation that they don't need and also removing trust in the overall brand. All for what, getting more drivers, you've got to ask, is it worth it?
How "professional" do you have to be to drive a car from point A to point B via GPS? Anyone who's even a little terrible at it is likely to get rated out of the system.
-They show up when they say they will and do so quickly
-They take my preferred method of payment (credit card) without question
-They are transparent about the route they are taking and they don't try to screw me over
-The cars are clean and reasonably new
-The drivers don't talk on the phone the entire time or listen to music
-They don't drive like maniacs to complete the trip as quickly as possible
I can safely say none of these things about local cabs where I live.
Even with a picture, I could just wear stuff that obscures my hair, etc. so they wouldn't get a good look to the difference.
The last couple of times someone I know had a phone stolen the result was indifference.
Actually, its not really a solution. All of these identifiers are easily duplicated :/
http://www.purdueexponent.org/city_state/article_8748c000-a1...
Faking Uber would be easier. Admittedly, iirc, these people were scammed relatively easily and at less of a threshold than pretending to be an Uber drive would require.
everyone with a drivers license should be able to get through traffic safely "which is why there have been no car accidents at all involving licensed drivers since the introduction of the system!"
Why can't they do the same thing in France?
https://help.uber.com/h/f7fbe4af-c0db-4406-9ee5-59613b38a84e
> There are a number of insurance providers that offer policies for ridesharing. Uber recommends working with your insurance agent to find a plan that works for you.
> For US ridesharing partners only, please note that although the Rasier policy will act as primary insurance while you are using the Uber Partner app, keep in mind that all partners must also carry personal auto insurance.
That's Uber-speak for driving an Uber.
Good luck claiming anything from the drivers insurance if you're harmed or killed while riding in such a vehicle.
Fair point, I was more thinking about accidents and assaults, not the aftermath.
>which is why there have been no car accidents at all involving licensed drivers since the introduction of the system!
I'm not saying that an accident isn't possible, just that it isn't much more likely than if you'd drive yourself or use an ordinary taxi service, especially since an Uber driver would probably get kicked out of the system if he didn't drive safely.
1. You know the driver in uber. It's registered before they pick you up and send to your phone. Not so with a taxi
2. Uber tracks your GPS and the drivers. They know who's in the car (driver and passenger). Not so with Taxi
3. Drivers are rated on uber. A couple of bad ratings and they're out. Not so with taxi.
4. Uber requires no cash. Many taxi drivers don't except cards or will pressure for cash. No cash on you = less reason for assault.
So no, there is no proof that Uber has more assaults than normal taxis. So far there is only proof there are some assaults in uber and no records are kept about taxi assaults so we don't know. Searching for "cab driver assault" though brings up many many hits
1. You know the driver in uber. It's registered before they pick you up and send to your phone. Not so with a taxi
2. Uber tracks your GPS and the drivers. They know who's in the car (driver and passenger). Not so with Taxi
3. Drivers are rated on uber. A couple of bad ratings and they're out. Not so with taxi.
4. Uber requires no cash.
While I agree that assaults by Uber drivers are rare (even though they are pretty poorly vetted unless it becomes a pr problem) the insurance argument and Uber's callous disregard for the privacy of their customers are deal killers for me.
I do not know European regulations very well, but in America far too many jobs are bound to regulation and certification requirements than is reasonable
It isn't difficult. You're "professional" if you are charging people for transportation services. And if you are doing so, your standard car insurance isn't going to cover you in the case of an accident.
This isn't some case of over-reaching government; if you kill or maim someone while driving from point A to point B, the likelihood of which increases as a professional driver spending more time on the road, you need to ensure that you can cover associated costs of said disaster.
People fail to see that at least part of the reason Uber is able to be cheaper than a taxi service (much like AirBnB is cheaper than hotels) is that they are skirting a requirement that taxis have: sufficient insurance.