Quebec passes law to regulate Uber • Hacker News Board

Re: Quebec passes law to regulate Uber

#51

Post by cmarschner » Sat, Jun 11, 2016, 8:54 PM UTC

yummyfajitas wrote: post #31

rodgerd wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And yet in New Zealand, Uber is instructing its drivers to ignore the legal requirements for commercial passenger transport, which boil down to a background check, a license endorsement, and a more frequent warrent of fitness check. Uber is opposed in principle to even the most minimal safety legislation.

Of course they are opposed. Uber demonstrates that regulation is unnecessary and generally harmful, and typically only exists to rip off consumers. Taxi regulations typically limit supply (raising costs for consumers), protect drivers over passengers (in Vegas a complaint against drivers must be notarized), and protect favored ethnic groups (c.f. Shiv Sena's taxi law in Maharashtra). Can you name any contemporary rea…

Not sure if I understand your point. Unregulated taxi is a perfect market. What does this mean? No profit for the drivers. So what has happened over the last hundred years? Right, lobbying for market controls so that drivers can keep a part of the profits. Guess what will happen with Uber...!

Re: Quebec passes law to regulate Uber

#52

Post by chrstphrhrt » Sun, Jun 12, 2016, 3:51 AM UTC

Living in Montreal, I'd like to know what the company's response will be. I'll be sad if the service is discontinued, and am still rooting for Uber Eats to come to town.

Re: Quebec passes law to regulate Uber

#53

Post by rodgerd » Sun, Jun 12, 2016, 9:42 AM UTC

yummyfajitas wrote: post #31

rodgerd wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And yet in New Zealand, Uber is instructing its drivers to ignore the legal requirements for commercial passenger transport, which boil down to a background check, a license endorsement, and a more frequent warrent of fitness check. Uber is opposed in principle to even the most minimal safety legislation.

Of course they are opposed. Uber demonstrates that regulation is unnecessary and generally harmful, and typically only exists to rip off consumers. Taxi regulations typically limit supply (raising costs for consumers), protect drivers over passengers (in Vegas a complaint against drivers must be notarized), and protect favored ethnic groups (c.f. Shiv Sena's taxi law in Maharashtra). Can you name any contemporary rea…

> Uber demonstrates that regulation is unnecessary and generally harmful, and typically only exists to rip off consumers.

And then to "prove" your point you completely ignore the case I discussed, presumably because it doesn't fit your pre-canned rant which would look more at home, frankly, on /r/hailcorporate.

> So again, the simple question: what problems that currently exist would regulation solve?

The one where I'd like to have a commercial driver held to the standard of passing a police background check, a heightened demonstration of driving competence, and a properly maintained vehicle, none of which I see any evidence of Uber particularly caring about.

Or the one where they appear to be criminal fraudsters? http://arstechnica.co.uk/tech-policy/2016/06/uber-hired-inve...

Re: Quebec passes law to regulate Uber

#54

Post by sokoloff » Sun, Jun 12, 2016, 11:07 AM UTC

rodgerd wrote: post #53

yummyfajitas wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course they are opposed. Uber demonstrates that regulation is unnecessary and generally harmful, and typically only exists to rip off consumers. Taxi regulations typically limit supply (raising costs for consumers), protect drivers over passengers (in Vegas a complaint against drivers must be notarized), and protect favored ethnic groups (c.f. Shiv Sena's taxi law in Maharashtra). Can you name any contemporary rea…

> Uber demonstrates that regulation is unnecessary and generally harmful, and typically only exists to rip off consumers. And then to "prove" your point you completely ignore the case I discussed, presumably because it doesn't fit your pre-canned rant which would look more at home, frankly, on /r/hailcorporate. > So again, the simple question: what problems that currently exist would regulation solve? The one where I…

Where are these places where taxi drivers have a heightened demonstration of driving competence and vehicles better maintained than Ubers?

Around here (metro Boston), I can be virtually certain that the cab will have at least warning light on the dash, have wheel bearings that audibly rattle, and the driver doesn't strike me as someone who has gone to extensive training nor seem to have a superior awareness of the traffic laws nor common traffic courtesies.

Re: Quebec passes law to regulate Uber

#55

Post by yummyfajitas » Sun, Jun 12, 2016, 11:47 AM UTC

rodgerd wrote: post #53

yummyfajitas wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course they are opposed. Uber demonstrates that regulation is unnecessary and generally harmful, and typically only exists to rip off consumers. Taxi regulations typically limit supply (raising costs for consumers), protect drivers over passengers (in Vegas a complaint against drivers must be notarized), and protect favored ethnic groups (c.f. Shiv Sena's taxi law in Maharashtra). Can you name any contemporary rea…

> Uber demonstrates that regulation is unnecessary and generally harmful, and typically only exists to rip off consumers. And then to "prove" your point you completely ignore the case I discussed, presumably because it doesn't fit your pre-canned rant which would look more at home, frankly, on /r/hailcorporate. > So again, the simple question: what problems that currently exist would regulation solve? The one where I…

Here's evidence that Uber cares about all those things in New Zealand:

http://auckland.ubermovement.com/uberx/

http://auckland.ubermovement.com/required-documents/

It looks as if your proposed regulation is not solving a real problem. Personal attacks don't change this.

I'm all in favor of regulation where it makes sense. If there's a problem that can demonstrably solved by regulation, I'm all in favor of it. But this hardly seems to be one of those situations.

Re: Quebec passes law to regulate Uber

#56

Post by yummyfajitas » Sun, Jun 12, 2016, 12:38 PM UTC

yjnut wrote: post #49

yummyfajitas wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Uber and Lyft already require this in the US, according to a quick google search. http://www.idrivewithuber.com/uber-driver-requirements/ https://help.lyft.com/hc/en-us/articles/213585758-Requiremen... In India, Uber now imposes a background check that drastically exceeds the regulatory minimum (police-issued "character certificate", approx an 8k bribe). http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-12-09/uber-drive...…

It is outrageously silly to compare Uber's self-regulation in an environment where it is surrounded by the constant threat of more intrusive government regulation; to it's hypothetical behavior in a hypothetical world where government regulation was not on the table. One of the MAJOR positive spillover effects from government regulation is that companies self-police themselves more effectively, as part of their attem…

You could be right. Maybe the optimal policy would be for politicians to rattle their sabre in Uber's general direction while doing nothing.

Re: Quebec passes law to regulate Uber

#57

Post by apricot » Sun, Jun 12, 2016, 2:35 PM UTC

refurb wrote: post #46

koblas wrote: post #42

Was talking to a few folks in both Alberta and Quebec and they mentioned that they felt that the Taxi drivers were really run by organized crime. Since they (including a few drivers) felt that there was lots of favoritizism and back room dealings with contracts over who could and couldn't service airports etc. Does anybody know if there is any basis for this view?

There was a great article about the corruption in snow removal in Quebec. People getting beat up for bidding on the wrong contracts. Wouldn't surprise me if that extended to the taxi business! Not quite organized crime, but not far from it! https://www.vice.com/read/of-course-there-is-a-snow-removal-...

> Not quite organized crime, but not far from it!

It's Montreal. They couldn't organize crime if they tried.

Re: Quebec passes law to regulate Uber

#58

Post by deodorel » Sun, Jun 12, 2016, 4:38 PM UTC

Ok, let me tell you my experience: Fyi I am left wing guy, like european left wing guy :), currently living in Bucharest, Romania. Here the taxis are regulated so the supply is limited but you can't really buy a licence, there is some kind of queue in place. Anyway we have a few dozen of taxi companies, however the experience is abysmal comparing with uber. What I can't understand is why there is no competition between the taxis to provide a better service, even in this restricted market: If some company would try to provide better service for a slightly higher price I would be the first to give up uber and use them ... But they don't care I think they are colluding to keep the costs down and that's it. Very sad.