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I fundamentally disagree with your belief that disobeying bad laws is an undesirable way to get bad laws to change. I think it is a very valid way to change bad

by baddox 11y ago

I fundamentally disagree with your belief that disobeying bad laws is an undesirable way to get bad laws to change. I think it is a very valid way to change bad laws, and in many cases the only remotely viable way. Do you honestly believe there was a viable way to get taxi regulations changed other than the general approach taken by Uber and Lyft? Granted, some of Uber's reported specific actions are slimy even to me, but I am convinced that their general approach (ignore the regulations and hope that the population realizes the superiority of your service faster than the government can shut you down) is the only viable way to do it. I'm tempted to go so far as to call this approach downright progressive, although I realize many self-proclaimed progressives will find that attribution repulsive.

TeMPOraL 11y ago
Europe had its own taxi revolution going on for more than a decade. From personal experience in my city, the companies trying to change the status quo did exploit loopholes they could find, but they did not went and blatantly disregarded the laws. Ultimately the case of taxis vs. "people transport" companies got solved in court, proper adjustments to the law were made, and everyone is happy. That's how things should be done in a civilized society. The superiority of Uber's service over regular taxi is true (a bit smaller advantage over "people transport" companies we have in Europe, but Uber brought some "innovative" solutions to the continent too, like controlling taxi radio via Spotify...), but I absolutely disagree with the approach they take and even more I dislike the way this particular company behaves. There's also some blame to be put on the governments too, for not reacting quickly and decisively enough (kudos to Germany for doing it right) - there's little that can undermine the trust in the rule of law more than seeing people getting rich by ignoring the rules.

by baddox 11y ago

TeMPOraL 11y ago

Europe had its own taxi revolution going on for more than a decade. From personal experience in my city, the companies trying to change the status quo did exploit loopholes they could find, but they did not went and blatantly disregarded the laws. Ultimately the case of taxis vs. "people transport" companies got solved in court, proper adjustments to the law were made, and everyone is happy. That's how things should be done in a civilized society. The superiority of Uber's service over regular taxi is true (a bit smaller advantage over "people transport" companies we have in Europe, but Uber brought some "innovative" solutions to the continent too, like controlling taxi radio via Spotify...), but I absolutely disagree with the approach they take and even more I dislike the way this particular company behaves. There's also some blame to be put on the governments too, for not reacting quickly and decisively enough (kudos to Germany for doing it right) - there's little that can undermine the trust in the rule of law more than seeing people getting rich by ignoring the rules.