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Uber to pay $272M to Australian taxi operators

smh.com.au

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Re: Uber to pay $272M to Australian taxi operators

#111

Post by aeyes »

Ekaros wrote: post #61
Eddy_Viscosity2 wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They could fix the whole system by issuing as many medallians as people want. Fixed reasonable price, renewable each year. You have to meet certain criteria for public safety, like good driving record, not a sex offender, the car must pass annual safety inspections, etc. But other that, let the market decide how many taxis.

It makes level of sense to limit number of medallions. And then also at same time cap prices and mandate availability. That is if you have a medallion you must have car on order or on road at all times. This could be achieved by multiple medallion owners working together so that there is a taxi available Wed-Thu night during rainstorm. Also you do not want to give out so many medallions that owners cannot possibly ma…

> cap prices

> Also you do not want to give out so many medallions that owners cannot possibly make a living

Do you really think that some government agency can come up with the correct price and license cap using Excel magic? Of course not, most likely this will just lead to corruption and an inferior service.

Let the free market find the price. If it's not possible to make a living people won't drive. Where I live taxis usually charge whatever Uber is showing.

Re: Uber to pay $272M to Australian taxi operators

#112

Post by MattGaiser »

tensor wrote: post #74
tianqi wrote: post #71

This is like compensating purse snatchers because the promotion of mobile payments reduces their income. Sydney's taxi is a shame to this wonderful city. I still remember when I first just arrived in Sydney, I took a taxi from the airport to Waterloo and was charged $95, which made me fearful of Sydney prices. It took me time to realise that I had just run into a scam and that the ride should have cost just $20+. Now…

Toronto is notorious for this too. Either the credit card machine is broken and you must pay too much cash, or the credit card machine steals your card number, or you are refused a ride because it’s not far enough. Even travelling through Europe I’ve been refused a ride because it was too short, and got overcharged by 2-3x once. I’d use Uber at this point even if it’s more expensive than a taxi.

This is also my experience with Toronto (and Athens and Barcelona and numerous other cities).

I’ll stand for a half hour in the rain before I take another Toronto cab.

Re: Uber to pay $272M to Australian taxi operators

#113

Post by mihaic »

crowcroft wrote: post #110
mihaic wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

'Being forced' is doing a lot of work in that statement. What if I'm asked to drive an employee and I willingly want to help out and drive someone around, and I then simply file expenses and get reimbursed for mileage? Are taxi companies going to sue every company that has ever done something like that? Two sales reps in one car driving around – sue them as well?

What you're doing is bad-faith arguing. There's a clear difference between someone doing something in a very limited capacity and a company that's basing their entire revenue on the same thing.

For instance, me recommending to a colleague some off-the-shelf painkiller or someone without a medical license doing this through an app are not the same thing.

Re: Uber to pay $272M to Australian taxi operators

#114

Post by askl »

tianqi wrote: post #71

This is like compensating purse snatchers because the promotion of mobile payments reduces their income. Sydney's taxi is a shame to this wonderful city. I still remember when I first just arrived in Sydney, I took a taxi from the airport to Waterloo and was charged $95, which made me fearful of Sydney prices. It took me time to realise that I had just run into a scam and that the ride should have cost just $20+. Now…

Why would you even use a taxi for that? There seems to be a decent public transit connection. It costs $2.90 for that trip.

Re: Uber to pay $272M to Australian taxi operators

#115

Post by bowsamic »

resolutebat wrote: post #36

It's worth noting that Australian taxis are generally terrible . They're expensive and notorious for ripoffs, particularly from the airport: scenic routes, bogus surcharges, "broken" credit card machines (plus 5% surcharge when they do work), drivers refusing destinations (by law they're not allowed to), and to top it all off they're not even safe, with taxi drivers responsible for a long string of sexual assaults. U…

I honestly think people forget how bad taxis were in general before Uber. In many places people just didn't use them because they were considered unreliable, expensive, and dangerous. Taxi companies had a reputation of being scummy. Now a lot of taxi companies have decided to be better, and it's largely due to pressure from Uber

Uber, for all its faults, is the classic example of "disruption". Now great taxi experiences are the new normal

Re: Uber to pay $272M to Australian taxi operators

#116

Post by gentleman11 »

tensor wrote: post #74
tianqi wrote: post #71

This is like compensating purse snatchers because the promotion of mobile payments reduces their income. Sydney's taxi is a shame to this wonderful city. I still remember when I first just arrived in Sydney, I took a taxi from the airport to Waterloo and was charged $95, which made me fearful of Sydney prices. It took me time to realise that I had just run into a scam and that the ride should have cost just $20+. Now…

Toronto is notorious for this too. Either the credit card machine is broken and you must pay too much cash, or the credit card machine steals your card number, or you are refused a ride because it’s not far enough. Even travelling through Europe I’ve been refused a ride because it was too short, and got overcharged by 2-3x once. I’d use Uber at this point even if it’s more expensive than a taxi.

I have never had an experience like this with a taxi in any city

Re: Uber to pay $272M to Australian taxi operators

#117

Post by JumpCrisscross »

tensor wrote: post #74
tianqi wrote: post #71

This is like compensating purse snatchers because the promotion of mobile payments reduces their income. Sydney's taxi is a shame to this wonderful city. I still remember when I first just arrived in Sydney, I took a taxi from the airport to Waterloo and was charged $95, which made me fearful of Sydney prices. It took me time to realise that I had just run into a scam and that the ride should have cost just $20+. Now…

Toronto is notorious for this too. Either the credit card machine is broken and you must pay too much cash, or the credit card machine steals your card number, or you are refused a ride because it’s not far enough. Even travelling through Europe I’ve been refused a ride because it was too short, and got overcharged by 2-3x once. I’d use Uber at this point even if it’s more expensive than a taxi.

Same in New York. Also fuck you if it’s shift change or you’re my former black roommate, who despite being a habitual suit wearer and Brown graduate would get passed by 90% of the cabs on Fifth Avenue.

Since Uber, granted, they’ve massively improved. But take it away and, of course, the incentive structure guarantees one outcome.

Re: Uber to pay $272M to Australian taxi operators

#118

Post by Staple_Diet »

askl wrote: post #114
tianqi wrote: post #71

This is like compensating purse snatchers because the promotion of mobile payments reduces their income. Sydney's taxi is a shame to this wonderful city. I still remember when I first just arrived in Sydney, I took a taxi from the airport to Waterloo and was charged $95, which made me fearful of Sydney prices. It took me time to realise that I had just run into a scam and that the ride should have cost just $20+. Now…

Why would you even use a taxi for that? There seems to be a decent public transit connection. It costs $2.90 for that trip.

Depends when they made that trip. I lived in that area for a while. The train is a little bit exxy and only used to go to Greensquare. You'd need two buses otherwise and there is sfa room for bags, so if you have luggage etc a taxi is an easier option for the $20 it should cost.

Re: Uber to pay $272M to Australian taxi operators

#119

Post by crowcroft »

mihaic wrote: post #113
crowcroft wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

'Being forced' is doing a lot of work in that statement. What if I'm asked to drive an employee and I willingly want to help out and drive someone around, and I then simply file expenses and get reimbursed for mileage? Are taxi companies going to sue every company that has ever done something like that? Two sales reps in one car driving around – sue them as well?

What you're doing is bad-faith arguing. There's a clear difference between someone doing something in a very limited capacity and a company that's basing their entire revenue on the same thing. For instance, me recommending to a colleague some off-the-shelf painkiller or someone without a medical license doing this through an app are not the same thing.

Yea, you're right there. Uber has absolutely crossed the rubicon between 'gig workers' getting paid to drive someone around a few times a week as a side hustle, to being a full blown transport company.

I do think it's interesting to see how different countries/states etc. legislate Uber though because you can make a lot of arguments that they are doing things in a novel way.

Re: Uber to pay $272M to Australian taxi operators

#120

Post by Ekaros »

aeyes wrote: post #111
Ekaros wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It makes level of sense to limit number of medallions. And then also at same time cap prices and mandate availability. That is if you have a medallion you must have car on order or on road at all times. This could be achieved by multiple medallion owners working together so that there is a taxi available Wed-Thu night during rainstorm. Also you do not want to give out so many medallions that owners cannot possibly ma…

> cap prices > Also you do not want to give out so many medallions that owners cannot possibly make a living Do you really think that some government agency can come up with the correct price and license cap using Excel magic? Of course not, most likely this will just lead to corruption and an inferior service. Let the free market find the price. If it's not possible to make a living people won't drive. Where I live…

If you want free market to find the price. Why not force Uber and Lyft to accept pricing from their drivers. Absolutely any pricing and any rules. I think that would be reasonable.
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