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Uber has defeated Bill de Blasio’s plan to rein them in

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Re: Uber has defeated Bill de Blasio’s plan to rein them in

#41

Post by bitJericho »

JoshTriplett wrote: post #36
deegles wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, once Uber takes the crown they will behave ethically, operate within the confines of the law and re-classify their drivers as employees with full benefits. They also won't even consider dropping them as soon as self-driving car technology matures. /s

> re-classify their drivers as employees with full benefits In what way is this an ethical concern? Many other businesses work with contractors. Considering that drivers compete with each other, work hours of their choice, and supply their own equipment, what exactly makes them employees?

Seems like a somebody thinks so:

http://uberlawsuit.com/OrderDenying.pdf

Re: Uber has defeated Bill de Blasio’s plan to rein them in

#42

Post by twright0 »

JohnTHaller wrote: post #15

Does this mean Uber's daily spam robocalls from "Molly" to New York City residents that offer no option to be removed from the list or speak to a live person will stop?

If this is what they were actually doing, and not hyperbole, I suspect you would have a reasonable case to fill out an FCC complaint - see their "Rules and Resources for Dealing with Unwanted Calls and Texts" at https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us/articles/2028738...

Re: Uber has defeated Bill de Blasio’s plan to rein them in

#43

Post by onewaystreet »

greenyoda wrote: post #35
onewaystreet wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not really, defeating the cap was much more important to Uber than the data access.

They haven't defeated the cap yet. According to the article, there will be no cap while a four-month study proceeds, and a cap may still be imposed, depending on the conclusions of the study: The city will conduct a four-month study on the effect of Uber and other for-hire vehicle operators on the city’s traffic and environment. While the study is being conducted, de Blasio won't seek to cap the number of new vehicle…

That's just political face-saving.

Re: Uber has defeated Bill de Blasio’s plan to rein them in

#44

Post by antihero »

ethanbond wrote: post #34
marssaxman wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When their business model is only illegal due to a corrupt, inefficient, entrenched monopoly which is just as hostile to its customers as its employees, yes, it is indeed a pleasure to watch someone take on the machine and win.

This seems like a non-sequitur. The business model was made illegal by people who were voted into office to make business models like these illegal. Uber isn't wrong to push the letter of the law, but no one should be surprised that it will take a little bit of time for the law to adapt to this. Uber's vicious and cavalier attitude towards law in general is really disgraceful. This seems like a classic "ends justify…

But people didn't vote people in because of their stance on taxis, apart from small vested interest groups. For most people this wasn't even an agenda they thought about, but because Uber exists, and they see an alternative to the rubbish taxi companies, it's coming to the spotlight.

Re: Uber has defeated Bill de Blasio’s plan to rein them in

#45

Post by JohnTHaller »

twright0 wrote: post #42
JohnTHaller wrote: post #15

Does this mean Uber's daily spam robocalls from "Molly" to New York City residents that offer no option to be removed from the list or speak to a live person will stop?

If this is what they were actually doing, and not hyperbole, I suspect you would have a reasonable case to fill out an FCC complaint - see their "Rules and Resources for Dealing with Unwanted Calls and Texts" at https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us/articles/2028738...

I've gotten several. I still have one recorded in voicemail. It likely wouldn't matter since Uber would call it a "political" call, thus utilizing one of the loopholes so they can spam the heck out of your phone number. All they accomplished by calling me over and over and over is ensuring that I'll never use their service.

Vonage's auto-translate results for the curious: "Hi it's Molly with Huber and we need your help. We ended the days when you couldn't get a ride home because cab didn't wanna leave Manhattan now married to blog Theo is trying to bring the bad old days back because his millionaire taxi donors are telling him to why on earth would your council member. Ever consider voting for something like that. They should stand up for you. Not orders from the mayor your council member is sponsoring this bill and we need your voice. Please call your council number and tell them to take their name off of mayor-to-bother-as(?) an title bird(?) because you and all New Yorkers deserve a reliable transportation. Paid for by Huber 212-257-1745." "

Re: Uber has defeated Bill de Blasio’s plan to rein them in

#46

Post by onewaystreet »

ethanbond wrote: post #34
marssaxman wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When their business model is only illegal due to a corrupt, inefficient, entrenched monopoly which is just as hostile to its customers as its employees, yes, it is indeed a pleasure to watch someone take on the machine and win.

This seems like a non-sequitur. The business model was made illegal by people who were voted into office to make business models like these illegal. Uber isn't wrong to push the letter of the law, but no one should be surprised that it will take a little bit of time for the law to adapt to this. Uber's vicious and cavalier attitude towards law in general is really disgraceful. This seems like a classic "ends justify…

> Uber's vicious and cavalier attitude towards law in general is really disgraceful.

If a law is wrong and stupid why is it disgraceful for someone to fight to remove it (sometimes that means breaking it)?

Re: Uber has defeated Bill de Blasio’s plan to rein them in

#47

Post by [deleted] »

bitJericho wrote: post #41
JoshTriplett wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> re-classify their drivers as employees with full benefits In what way is this an ethical concern? Many other businesses work with contractors. Considering that drivers compete with each other, work hours of their choice, and supply their own equipment, what exactly makes them employees?

Seems like a somebody thinks so: http://uberlawsuit.com/OrderDenying.pdf

[deleted]

Re: Uber has defeated Bill de Blasio’s plan to rein them in

#48

Post by jrockway »

I don't really like Uber's business practices but they do fill an essential niche in New York City.

A couple years ago, the city allowed independent car services to paint their cars green and take street hails. They previously did this, of course, but it wasn't legal. And of course, not every "black car" became a green cab, so this still happens. It's the standard way to get around the outer boroughs of New York.

I watched a very common event unfold the other day in Brooklyn Heights. A woman hailed a green cab. It pulled over and the driver opened the window, asking "where to?" The woman mentioned an address in Manhattan. The driver said, "sorry, green cabs can't go to Manhattan" and drove away.

That is 100% false. Like yellow cabs, green cabs have to take you anywhere in the five boros, but they're reluctant to take you to Manhattan because they aren't allowed to pick up fares there. They have to drive back to Brooklyn empty and not make any money, so they lie to customers to avoid that. The end result is that you still can't get a taxi in most of New York City, at least one that will pick you up near where you live and take you exactly where you want to go.

The "ridesharing services" rectify this problem; I've never had an Uber driver refuse to take me anywhere. If the licensed taxis want to be free from competition, they need to follow their own rules.

Anyway, this Forbes article about green cabs tells the exact same story: http://www.forbes.com/sites/johngiuffo/2013/09/30/nycs-new-g...

Re: Uber has defeated Bill de Blasio’s plan to rein them in

#50

Post by threeseed »

marssaxman wrote: post #10
rquantz wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, a company with an illegal business model stayed under the radar until they got big enough that they could combat the legal challenges to their illegal business model. Always a pleasure to watch.

When their business model is only illegal due to a corrupt, inefficient, entrenched monopoly which is just as hostile to its customers as its employees, yes, it is indeed a pleasure to watch someone take on the machine and win.

The US is not the only country in the world. Not all countries have a corrupt, entrenched monopoly nor do all countries have the same antagonism towards taxi services.

And yes it's great to see someone siphon billions of dollars away from government/taxpayers and into the hands of a select few. It's also great to see them do this by ignoring any and all laws they see fit to. What a shining example of corporate responsibility and ethics.

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