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> What the drivers are understandably pissed off about is that they spent 2 years developing the navigational knowledge to get people from A to B quickly, so th

> What the drivers are understandably pissed off about is that they spent 2 years developing the navigational knowledge to get people from A to B quickly, so they could get their cab license, and now these other people are competing with them without havign had to had to meet any particular standard to start doing so. No, it's not understandable at all. It's no different from Luddites destroying machinery that allowed unskilled workers to replace skilled ones. Progress might be a bitch (for the cabbies), but that doesn't give them the right to obstruct it.

anigbrowl 12y ago
It is very different, because there were no laws requiring weavers to meet exacting standards of manual skill before atetemtping to make a living as a weaver. Of course, a a pracical matter a weaver without those skills would get no employment, but that was the market at work. London cab drivers, by contrast, had to make a significant economic investment (as well as meeting character requirements like having a clean criminal record) in order to get a cab license, a requirement imposed by the government body responsible for transit oversight (Transport for London). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Knowledge#The_Knowledge http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Knowledge#The_Knowledge I find it quite reasonable that cab drivers question why standards should suddenly vary for other people such that they can offer similar service without having to meet any special requirements. This is not the same as an arbitrary monopoly grant like cab franchises in the US.
- blibble 12y ago
  > London cab drivers, by contrast, had to make a significant economic investment in order to get a cab license you think your average Londoner cares? all they want is a service that gets them where they want to go; a random guy off the street with a £150 satnav will do this 95% of the time without issue, for a lot less than the same ride in a black cab.
  - hcho 12y ago
    They will quickly start to care when the number of hailed rides increase 10 fold. Which will gridlock the streets and bring the city to a halt.

anigbrowl 12y ago

It is very different, because there were no laws requiring weavers to meet exacting standards of manual skill before atetemtping to make a living as a weaver. Of course, a a pracical matter a weaver without those skills would get no employment, but that was the market at work. London cab drivers, by contrast, had to make a significant economic investment (as well as meeting character requirements like having a clean criminal record) in order to get a cab license, a requirement imposed by the government body responsible for transit oversight (Transport for London). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Knowledge#The_Knowledge http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Knowledge#The_Knowledge I find it quite reasonable that cab drivers question why standards should suddenly vary for other people such that they can offer similar service without having to meet any special requirements. This is not the same as an arbitrary monopoly grant like cab franchises in the US.

blibble 12y ago
> London cab drivers, by contrast, had to make a significant economic investment in order to get a cab license you think your average Londoner cares? all they want is a service that gets them where they want to go; a random guy off the street with a £150 satnav will do this 95% of the time without issue, for a lot less than the same ride in a black cab.
- hcho 12y ago
  They will quickly start to care when the number of hailed rides increase 10 fold. Which will gridlock the streets and bring the city to a halt.