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"The Berlin authority said passengers may not be covered by insurance because they aren't traditional cabs." Well, figure it out. Seems like something that cou

"The Berlin authority said passengers may not be covered by insurance because they aren't traditional cabs." Well, figure it out. Seems like something that could be answered with a phone call to an insurance company. It probably would have taken less time than banning Uber. If they had and the answer was "no, they're not" it would be an easy fix. I'm probably reading into it, but this is a pretty shaky excuse.

claudius 12y ago
The regulations regarding commercial passenger transport are relatively strict requiring appropriate driver’s licenses, vehicles etc. This is the main reason for the “ban” (it’s really more of a reminder ‘hey, what you’re doing is illegal‘). Furthermore, essentially all standard car insurance companies explicitly exclude commercial use of the vehicle, so it stands to reason that most Uber drivers do not have an appropriate insurance.
anonythrow 12y ago
It's figured out. They're not properly insured. Thus the ban. It's just bad reporting.
Xylakant 12y ago
Well, the Hamburg Authority did that, it's a funny read: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2aok79ru2kyrn30/SBWVI-PRT-714071812190.pdf https://www.dropbox.com/s/2aok79ru2kyrn30/SBWVI-PRT-71407181... The response of the insurance company was: No, this is not covered under the insurance contract and we canceled the contract for that violation. So yes, the insurance for private car owners does not cover commercial activities - no surprise here. And it's not an easy fix, because the premiums for commercial contracts are much higher, making the whole business idea much less profitable. And then, there's another long laundry list of code violations that Uber has to fix. I'm all in for letting Uber compete with cabs, but please, stick to the same rules and don't pretend that "disruption" is an excuse for "illegal".

claudius 12y ago

The regulations regarding commercial passenger transport are relatively strict requiring appropriate driver’s licenses, vehicles etc. This is the main reason for the “ban” (it’s really more of a reminder ‘hey, what you’re doing is illegal‘). Furthermore, essentially all standard car insurance companies explicitly exclude commercial use of the vehicle, so it stands to reason that most Uber drivers do not have an appropriate insurance.

anonythrow 12y ago

It's figured out. They're not properly insured. Thus the ban. It's just bad reporting.

Xylakant 12y ago

Well, the Hamburg Authority did that, it's a funny read: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2aok79ru2kyrn30/SBWVI-PRT-714071812190.pdf https://www.dropbox.com/s/2aok79ru2kyrn30/SBWVI-PRT-71407181... The response of the insurance company was: No, this is not covered under the insurance contract and we canceled the contract for that violation. So yes, the insurance for private car owners does not cover commercial activities - no surprise here. And it's not an easy fix, because the premiums for commercial contracts are much higher, making the whole business idea much less profitable. And then, there's another long laundry list of code violations that Uber has to fix. I'm all in for letting Uber compete with cabs, but please, stick to the same rules and don't pretend that "disruption" is an excuse for "illegal".