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Uber sign-ups soar by 850 percent as cab drivers protest

csmonitor.com

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Re: Uber sign-ups soar by 850 percent as cab drivers protest

#11

Post by ceejayoz »

f76 wrote: post #7
rakoo wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Taxi drivers went on strike because taxi drivers and uber drivers don't have the same requirements for doing what amounts to be the same job. In short, becoming a taxi driver is hard and extremelly expensive, becoming a uber driver is easier and cheaper. So these strikes are more against the unfair regulation than against Uber and the likes.

Why don't they become uber drivers, then? I guess that keeping the taxi driver status is quite expensive also.

They've already invested an average of 34 months learning the London streets. You'd get a similar reaction if itw ere possible, say, for someone to become a doctor by signing up with a startup rather than going to medical school. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxicabs_of_the_United_Kingdom#...

Re: Uber sign-ups soar by 850 percent as cab drivers protest

#12

Post by untog »

f76 wrote: post #7
rakoo wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Taxi drivers went on strike because taxi drivers and uber drivers don't have the same requirements for doing what amounts to be the same job. In short, becoming a taxi driver is hard and extremelly expensive, becoming a uber driver is easier and cheaper. So these strikes are more against the unfair regulation than against Uber and the likes.

Why don't they become uber drivers, then? I guess that keeping the taxi driver status is quite expensive also.

Because they've already gone through the expensive, time consuming part. They would have very little to gain from switching from a black cab to an Uber car, and a lot of potential customers to lose.

Re: Uber sign-ups soar by 850 percent as cab drivers protest

#13

Post by [deleted] »

rakoo wrote: post #6
Maskawanian wrote: post #3

So... taxi drivers go on strike to punish Uber? Why would uber care if they do? Or are they going on strike just to not work?

Taxi drivers went on strike because taxi drivers and uber drivers don't have the same requirements for doing what amounts to be the same job. In short, becoming a taxi driver is hard and extremelly expensive, becoming a uber driver is easier and cheaper. So these strikes are more against the unfair regulation than against Uber and the likes.

[deleted]

Re: Uber sign-ups soar by 850 percent as cab drivers protest

#14

Post by paddyoloughlin »

f76 wrote: post #7
rakoo wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Taxi drivers went on strike because taxi drivers and uber drivers don't have the same requirements for doing what amounts to be the same job. In short, becoming a taxi driver is hard and extremelly expensive, becoming a uber driver is easier and cheaper. So these strikes are more against the unfair regulation than against Uber and the likes.

Why don't they become uber drivers, then? I guess that keeping the taxi driver status is quite expensive also.

I believe there is a large investment in becoming a taxi driver in London. It takes years of training (see, the Knowledge[1]) and money. Uber drivers presumably do not have to make such a big investment, so permitting them to go without the same regulations taxi drivers need creates a lot of extra, cheaper competition.

I also suspect that the taxicab regulations would prohibit taxicabs from using alternative meters, so taxi drivers could not be Uber drivers at the same time.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxicabs_of_the_United_Kingdom#...

Re: Uber sign-ups soar by 850 percent as cab drivers protest

#15

Post by antonwinter »

illumen wrote: post #8
antonwinter wrote: post #5

the post got me because i just signed up. I live in melbourne. it is not possible to get a cab on a friday or saturday night. trial run coming up tomorrow

Beware that you may get fined in Melbourne because it is illegal. It's more likely your driver will get fined though.

wouldnt surprise me. the state and the cab companies here have it locked down so no one can muscle in on their action.

Re: Uber sign-ups soar by 850 percent as cab drivers protest

#16

Post by paddyoloughlin »

Company's PR says that possibly controversial event for company results in huge benefit for said company.

Hm.

I'm not saying it not true, but it's playing in to an expectation that a lot of people had when they heard about this protest. So until there's independent evidence, I'll take the specifics of this claim with a dose of salt.

Edit: Suggesting that one be reasonably skeptical of unverified company PR is downvote worthy? Come on...

Re: Uber sign-ups soar by 850 percent as cab drivers protest

#17

Post by mseebach »

ceejayoz wrote: post #11
f76 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why don't they become uber drivers, then? I guess that keeping the taxi driver status is quite expensive also.

They've already invested an average of 34 months learning the London streets. You'd get a similar reaction if itw ere possible, say, for someone to become a doctor by signing up with a startup rather than going to medical school. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxicabs_of_the_United_Kingdom#...

If you could be a 95% effective doctor by using a $200 consumer electronics device, it'd be perfectly fair for people to be "Uber doctors" without going to medical school. And existing doctors would be up in arms, because technology rendered their investment almost worthless, not because they could present a meaningful challenge to the usefulness of "Uber doctors".

"The knowledge" may very well at one point have been a reasonable requirement for a taxi driver, but at least as GPS satnavs got good, it's just not anymore. The purpose of "the knowledge" today is only to serve as a barrier to entry to protect incumbents against competition.

Edit: Footnote on doctors: It's a poor analogy as a taxi-driver taking a poor route (picking good routes is the singular advantage the knowledge provides) doesn't carry anywhere near as bad consequences for the "patient" as a doctor making a mistake.

Re: Uber sign-ups soar by 850 percent as cab drivers protest

#19

Post by csomar »

0x0 wrote: post #10
f76 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why don't they become uber drivers, then? I guess that keeping the taxi driver status is quite expensive also.

Because some would argue running a taxi-like business without a taxi license is breaking the law.

Sorry something doesn't strike me as correct here. Do you mean that "taxis" working with Uber don't actually have a Taxi-License? How is this even legal?

Re: Uber sign-ups soar by 850 percent as cab drivers protest

#20

Post by alextgordon »

ceejayoz wrote: post #11
f76 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why don't they become uber drivers, then? I guess that keeping the taxi driver status is quite expensive also.

They've already invested an average of 34 months learning the London streets. You'd get a similar reaction if itw ere possible, say, for someone to become a doctor by signing up with a startup rather than going to medical school. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxicabs_of_the_United_Kingdom#...

In theory, that's great. In practice, cabbies still rip people off sometimes. I'd be happier if they always took the Google Maps route.

It's sad but they are simply a victim of technology. Before sat nav, minicab drivers were very unreliable. They would get lost, they would have to consult maps, etc. Now, a minicab is as good or better than a taxi.

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