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Pittsburgh has finally realized it’s in a toxic relationship with Uber

47 points by fmihaila 10y ago

PeterisP 10y ago
So, the city is asking a company to pay extra money in addition to the normal taxes, and if they decline, that's called "a toxic relationship" ? The main purpose of a municipality is to provide infrastructure that's convenient for people and businesses in it, in that context the things Uber asked (according to the article) seem reasonable - it's also reasonable to not provide what a single company asks because/if there are other priorities, but it certainly is reasonable to ask them. Not offering to fund it yourself isn't a sign of an one-sided relationship - the company is providing direct taxes through sales and indirect taxes through jobs, and it's reasonable to expect proper infrastructure in return.
- lithos 10y ago
  It's pretty frequently used for larger projects (airport scale). The govt. is just now realizing that the amount of political capital spent on Uber will have no returns, which is pretty taxing to politicians with the public perception of Uber plummeting and tech becoming newly political themselves.
- Eridrus 10y ago
  Uber has also gotten political cover, which is usually what you need to pay extra for. They don't have it in Seattle and are ending up fighting a local ordinance letting their regular drivers vote on whether all Uber drivers need to be union members in court. If you're as big as Uber, paying your taxes is not enough, you need to show that you are a positive contributor to society so that society decides it shouldn't regulate you out of existence.
  - thomasthomas 10y ago
    If you're as big as Uber, paying your taxes is not enough, you need to show that you are a positive contributor to society so that society decides it shouldn't regulate you out of existence. what theory of economics is this i'm not familiar. if you are a big company that means customers show every day with their wallets that they value the company unless some govt regulation is restricting competition.
    - toomuchtodo 10y ago
      Too bad customers aren't always voters. Voters are the ones who count.
    - Eridrus 10y ago
      From the theory of realpolitik.
Isamu 10y ago
>After bending over backward to accommodate the ride-sharing company’s driverless car ambitions, city officials are tired of being taken for granted. >Pittsburgh wrote a letter in support of Uber when the company was fined $11.4 million for operating in Pennsylvania without permission. >Pittsburgh opened its streets to tests of self-driving cars with real people, and played along with Uber’s hasty and elaborate press event. >Peduto asked Uber to spend $25 million on a new transit connection So the local govt "bending over backward" is that they "wrote a letter" and allowed use of streets. In return they wanted a $25M project. Ok. >On Feb. 4, protestors marched on the Advanced Technologies Center in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, decrying the company’s “one-way” partnership with workers. Ah, I think this is the heart of the matter. Mayor Peduto wants to seem supportive of the protesters.

47 points by fmihaila 10y ago

So, the city is asking a company to pay extra money in addition to the normal taxes, and if they decline, that's called "a toxic relationship" ? The main purpose of a municipality is to provide infrastructure that's convenient for people and businesses in it, in that context the things Uber asked (according to the article) seem reasonable - it's also reasonable to not provide what a single company asks because/if there are other priorities, but it certainly is reasonable to ask them. Not offering to fund it yourself isn't a sign of an one-sided relationship - the company is providing direct taxes through sales and indirect taxes through jobs, and it's reasonable to expect proper infrastructure in return.

lithos 10y ago
It's pretty frequently used for larger projects (airport scale). The govt. is just now realizing that the amount of political capital spent on Uber will have no returns, which is pretty taxing to politicians with the public perception of Uber plummeting and tech becoming newly political themselves.
Eridrus 10y ago
Uber has also gotten political cover, which is usually what you need to pay extra for. They don't have it in Seattle and are ending up fighting a local ordinance letting their regular drivers vote on whether all Uber drivers need to be union members in court. If you're as big as Uber, paying your taxes is not enough, you need to show that you are a positive contributor to society so that society decides it shouldn't regulate you out of existence.
- thomasthomas 10y ago
  If you're as big as Uber, paying your taxes is not enough, you need to show that you are a positive contributor to society so that society decides it shouldn't regulate you out of existence. what theory of economics is this i'm not familiar. if you are a big company that means customers show every day with their wallets that they value the company unless some govt regulation is restricting competition.
  - toomuchtodo 10y ago
    Too bad customers aren't always voters. Voters are the ones who count.
  - Eridrus 10y ago
    From the theory of realpolitik.

Isamu 10y ago

>After bending over backward to accommodate the ride-sharing company’s driverless car ambitions, city officials are tired of being taken for granted. >Pittsburgh wrote a letter in support of Uber when the company was fined $11.4 million for operating in Pennsylvania without permission. >Pittsburgh opened its streets to tests of self-driving cars with real people, and played along with Uber’s hasty and elaborate press event. >Peduto asked Uber to spend $25 million on a new transit connection So the local govt "bending over backward" is that they "wrote a letter" and allowed use of streets. In return they wanted a $25M project. Ok. >On Feb. 4, protestors marched on the Advanced Technologies Center in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, decrying the company’s “one-way” partnership with workers. Ah, I think this is the heart of the matter. Mayor Peduto wants to seem supportive of the protesters.