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> Taxi drivers are not knowledge workers, or artists and clearly not entrepreneurs. > They are easily replaceable "cogs in the machine", like many non-speciali
by Ansil849 5y ago
> Taxi drivers are not knowledge workers, or artists and clearly not entrepreneurs.
> They are easily replaceable "cogs in the machine", like many non-specialised factory workers, office clerks, retail employees and so on.
> There's a reason why humanity introduced protections for vulnerable workers in almost every society.
I appreciate the point you're making, but I also think you are grossly undervaluing the specialisation of cab drivers.
In the UK, the Knowledge [1] is a notoriously arduous exam which certainly makes cab drivers anything but "replaceable 'cogs in the machine'".
In fact, I think the fact that people view these jobs as being replaceable is what leads to their deterioration. Someone who has a GPS but no innate and learned knowledge of the terrain does not provide a service comparable to someone who has a thorough understanding of the domain. And the more people rely on the former, the more they think that that's all there is to it, and so it becomes a race to the bottom of sorts.
I'm not sure if I'm articulating this fully, but basically: jobs such as cab driving require specialisation and skill to be done well, but are often replaced by those without that skill doing freelance driving, which leads to a deterioration of expected service, and people ultimately thinking that the workers are all interchangeable.
[1] https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/taxis-and-private-hire/licensing/learn-the-knowledge-of-london https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/taxis-and-private-hire/licensing...
- starfallg 5y ago>In the UK, the Knowledge [1] is a notoriously arduous exam which certainly makes cab drivers anything but "replaceable 'cogs in the machine'". >In fact, I think the fact that people view these jobs as being replaceable is what leads to their deterioration. Uber and the online routing within the app made this obsolete. The jobs that gig economy jobs may be skilled, but these gigs now aren't. The platform took the skill away from the job. The workers are just drones now.
- bitdivision 5y agoI agree uber drivers =/= black cab drivers, but I'd also argue that most people don't want or need a black cab driver today. What extra services does a black cab driver provide over an Uber driver in London? - Better knowledge of traffic patterns? - Ability to recommend places, give you local knowledge That's all I can really think of. I agree that local knowledge is sometimes useful, but the vast majority of the time I know exactly where I want to go, and if I'm looking for recommendations I'm likely to trust the internet more than a taxi driver.
- Ansil849 5y agoIt's all about the subtle nuance of the service provided. A skilled driver will know which route to take if the passenger wants the absolute quickest route, or if the passenger wants a scenic route, or which cobble-stone roads to avoid if the passenger says they're feeling a bit ill, or hundreds of other such intricacies and peculiarities which come with offering expert service which someone who just has a GPS app on their phone and some free time can't begin to offer.
- tgsovlerkhgsel 5y agoThat's nice. They should continue to offer this premium service at premium prices, then, for the few people who are willing to pay the premium.
- Ansil849 5y agoMy point up-thread was that this tier of service used to be more or less the de facto standard of service that you would get for a standard, not a premium, fee. Over time, it has deteriorated and is now the domain of specialty car hire services. I'm not sure that that's a good thing.
- tgsovlerkhgsel 5y agoMy point is that the "standard" fee is premium when compared to Uber which tends to cost half as much in the countries where I tried it. Aside from solving the trust/scam problem, that's one of the reason why people like Uber - it made 'car as a service' affordable. Without Uber, I might have bought a car, because a factor of 2 completely changes the picture.
- kwhitefoot 5y ago> he Knowledge Only applies in London.