4 ms·

It’s hilarious how everyone acts like the pre-Uber taxi world was one of generous wages, honest hard working companies, and politicians working hand in hand wit

It’s hilarious how everyone acts like the pre-Uber taxi world was one of generous wages, honest hard working companies, and politicians working hand in hand with stakeholders. The taxi industry was (is?) insanely corrupt. There are literally state-sanctioned limits on taxis and artificial markets for medallions that made early purchasers absurdly rich.

onion2k 4y ago
Replacing a corrupt system with a different corrupt system isn't progress.
- elbigbad 4y ago
  Isn’t it strictly better if no groups from the old system got worse, but some groups that transferred got better.
- AnotherGoodName 4y ago
  It is though. There's now 2 corrupt systems lobbying in different directions. We can now have them play against each other. When corruption is enshrined by the law itself what other way do you have to fight it except to have the corrupt play off against each other. The taxi industry existed for centuries (perhaps longer) in the cartel form. It's amazing progress to see that their power is no longer absolute.
  - hgomersall 4y ago
    At least one of which has the explicit aim of displacing the actual solution to the problem: effective public transport.
  - otikik 4y ago
    More lobbying isn’t good for the public, even if it’s done in “different directions “
JKCalhoun 4y ago
Sounds though like an orthogonal problem that could have been solved independent of destroying the entire industry?
urthor 4y ago
Much of the general public genuinely believed that. The picturesque London Taxi driver lives on even today. Many of the 21st Century's worst attributes aren't due to society falling apart in the digital age. Online life is exposing the seediness of society, which wasn't reported in old world media. Lying on the internet is... difficult.
- dylan604 4y ago
  >Lying on the internet is... difficult. And yet it is done many many times a day
adra 4y ago
Forget the reason for the change a minute, and focus on the outcomes. You've replaced a terrible set of local players with a handful of international mega players who I'd argue are just as crap as the ones you've displaced. There is still corruption in the sense that these platforms make the rules, and the drivers have basically no freedom to push back (baring some form of unionization). All of this medallion nonsense can just as easily come back with Uber whenever they feel that competition has driven down prices too low. With a wink and a nudge, all the large players will play ball because they can. As for what it is today, these companies still aren't profitable which means you're still living in a halo of speculative investment supporting you're current quality of service. The only viable remedy is to raise rates, which puts the service as a more expensive solution that could actually cost more than taxied ever did in the long run.
- JumpCrisscross 4y ago
  > still corruption in the sense that these platforms make the rules, and the drivers have basically no freedom to push back I sort of agree with your broader points. But this statement mangles the definition of corruption beyond recognition.
- chrischen 4y ago
  > You’ve replaced a terrible set of local players with a handful of international mega players who I'd argue are just as crap as the ones you've displaced. You’ve clearly not used both a taxi pre-Uber or an Uber. I’d wager my annual salary that a poll of users would rank the user experience of app based ride hailing as superior to that of the previous options. Uber didn’t even start out cheaper than taxis. They just slowly won out by being better. Cheaper just helped them grow faster later on.
  - pessimizer 4y ago
    > You’ve clearly not used both a taxi pre-Uber or an Uber. You know this is extremely unlikely, so it's not good to base any argument on it.
    - 4y ago
remflight 4y ago
- blowski 4y ago
  I really don't think you're arguing in good faith here. You're using unsourced anecdotes to support Uber and aggressively attack its competition, while ridiculing anyone who does the same for the "other side". There's a lot of nuance to this debate, but you're not providing any.
- lentil_soup 4y ago
  No, you can critizise Uber and also think the old taxi industry is bad. They're not mutually exclusive and the world is not binary

onion2k 4y ago

Replacing a corrupt system with a different corrupt system isn't progress.

elbigbad 4y ago
Isn’t it strictly better if no groups from the old system got worse, but some groups that transferred got better.
AnotherGoodName 4y ago
It is though. There's now 2 corrupt systems lobbying in different directions. We can now have them play against each other. When corruption is enshrined by the law itself what other way do you have to fight it except to have the corrupt play off against each other. The taxi industry existed for centuries (perhaps longer) in the cartel form. It's amazing progress to see that their power is no longer absolute.
- hgomersall 4y ago
  At least one of which has the explicit aim of displacing the actual solution to the problem: effective public transport.
- otikik 4y ago
  More lobbying isn’t good for the public, even if it’s done in “different directions “

JKCalhoun 4y ago

Sounds though like an orthogonal problem that could have been solved independent of destroying the entire industry?

urthor 4y ago

Much of the general public genuinely believed that. The picturesque London Taxi driver lives on even today. Many of the 21st Century's worst attributes aren't due to society falling apart in the digital age. Online life is exposing the seediness of society, which wasn't reported in old world media. Lying on the internet is... difficult.

dylan604 4y ago
>Lying on the internet is... difficult. And yet it is done many many times a day

adra 4y ago

Forget the reason for the change a minute, and focus on the outcomes. You've replaced a terrible set of local players with a handful of international mega players who I'd argue are just as crap as the ones you've displaced. There is still corruption in the sense that these platforms make the rules, and the drivers have basically no freedom to push back (baring some form of unionization). All of this medallion nonsense can just as easily come back with Uber whenever they feel that competition has driven down prices too low. With a wink and a nudge, all the large players will play ball because they can. As for what it is today, these companies still aren't profitable which means you're still living in a halo of speculative investment supporting you're current quality of service. The only viable remedy is to raise rates, which puts the service as a more expensive solution that could actually cost more than taxied ever did in the long run.

JumpCrisscross 4y ago
> still corruption in the sense that these platforms make the rules, and the drivers have basically no freedom to push back I sort of agree with your broader points. But this statement mangles the definition of corruption beyond recognition.
chrischen 4y ago
> You’ve replaced a terrible set of local players with a handful of international mega players who I'd argue are just as crap as the ones you've displaced. You’ve clearly not used both a taxi pre-Uber or an Uber. I’d wager my annual salary that a poll of users would rank the user experience of app based ride hailing as superior to that of the previous options. Uber didn’t even start out cheaper than taxis. They just slowly won out by being better. Cheaper just helped them grow faster later on.
- pessimizer 4y ago
  > You’ve clearly not used both a taxi pre-Uber or an Uber. You know this is extremely unlikely, so it's not good to base any argument on it.
  - 4y ago

remflight 4y ago

blowski 4y ago
I really don't think you're arguing in good faith here. You're using unsourced anecdotes to support Uber and aggressively attack its competition, while ridiculing anyone who does the same for the "other side". There's a lot of nuance to this debate, but you're not providing any.
lentil_soup 4y ago
No, you can critizise Uber and also think the old taxi industry is bad. They're not mutually exclusive and the world is not binary