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This. Many commentators especially in Germany are complaining about the lack of a will to innovate, yet uber is nothing new under the sun. They pretend to be pa

by sveme 12y ago

This. Many commentators especially in Germany are complaining about the lack of a will to innovate, yet uber is nothing new under the sun. They pretend to be part of a sharing economy, yet charge more than the fuel costs of a trip, which is the quintessential difference to ride sharing. They are simply a global taxi company with a fancy app that is trying to benefit from not being regulated by claiming to be something new - ride sharing. They are a taxi company so should have to follow the same regulations as all the other taxi companies.

james1071 12y ago
Yes, of course they are a taxi company and they are playing a game of words in pretending not to be. The reason that they do so is that the licensing rules for taxis protect the incumbents from new entrants.
- alkonaut 12y ago
  Licensing/quotas/medallions etc. are horrible ideas. Uber is doing right for breaking into these markets, pretending to be taxis but saying they aren't. So for all the other markets, where there is no medallion system or other barrier for entry to the market (other than "expected" things like insurance etc.), that is where Uber is just a taxi. And here they don't even SAY they aren't taxis. My guess: taxi license/medallions are a relic that is bound to disappear pretty quickly. Since in some places people have to BUY these things, it's obviously not going to be done overnight.
  - xamolxix 12y ago
    > My guess: taxi license/medallions are a relic that is bound to disappear pretty quickly. Since in some places people have to BUY these things, it's obviously not going to be done overnight. I agree, however until they lawfully become a thing of the past is not fair to people who have bought them (or followed the possibly lengthy procedure of getting licensed)
    - james1071 12y ago
      It will be hard to maintain the current structure when Uber can offer a better, cheaper service.
      - alkonaut 12y ago
        I can't see how they can offer a cheaper service once all major companies have decent apps, dynamic pricing etc. At least here decent apps are standard for all major companies on the market (no live tracking or pre payment but at least very good booking and price info up front). Given that a lot of the income for the major taxi companies come from major deals (school rides, elderly, large corporations) that uber won't take, I don't even think they need to adopt all of ubers' practices to compete with them. As a matter of fact I don't think Uber is any cheaper!

by sveme 12y ago

james1071 12y ago

Yes, of course they are a taxi company and they are playing a game of words in pretending not to be. The reason that they do so is that the licensing rules for taxis protect the incumbents from new entrants.

alkonaut 12y ago
Licensing/quotas/medallions etc. are horrible ideas. Uber is doing right for breaking into these markets, pretending to be taxis but saying they aren't. So for all the other markets, where there is no medallion system or other barrier for entry to the market (other than "expected" things like insurance etc.), that is where Uber is just a taxi. And here they don't even SAY they aren't taxis. My guess: taxi license/medallions are a relic that is bound to disappear pretty quickly. Since in some places people have to BUY these things, it's obviously not going to be done overnight.
- xamolxix 12y ago
  > My guess: taxi license/medallions are a relic that is bound to disappear pretty quickly. Since in some places people have to BUY these things, it's obviously not going to be done overnight. I agree, however until they lawfully become a thing of the past is not fair to people who have bought them (or followed the possibly lengthy procedure of getting licensed)
  - james1071 12y ago
    It will be hard to maintain the current structure when Uber can offer a better, cheaper service.
    - alkonaut 12y ago
      I can't see how they can offer a cheaper service once all major companies have decent apps, dynamic pricing etc. At least here decent apps are standard for all major companies on the market (no live tracking or pre payment but at least very good booking and price info up front). Given that a lot of the income for the major taxi companies come from major deals (school rides, elderly, large corporations) that uber won't take, I don't even think they need to adopt all of ubers' practices to compete with them. As a matter of fact I don't think Uber is any cheaper!