6 ms·

Nevada puts stop to ridesharing Uber for now

40 points by j8hn 12y ago

SG- 12y ago
Meanwhile in Ottawa it was simply city bylaw officers who booked calls undercover and gave two $650 fines which Uber covered on behalf of the drivers. The service launched three weeks ago and the city simply wanted to show it's muscle, the drivers have been operating since without issue since.
joelrunyon 12y ago
> When asked by the operator if he needed anything else, he told her, “I want my car to be taken out of impound as soon as possible because I have to go to work tomorrow morning, but I know that won’t happen. And I don’t want to have to pay any fines so put some of that $18 billion you all have behind me, will yah?” Well seems like Uber picked a great driver that got stung. Would be interesting to see how this plays out vs. a driver with less of a sense of humor.
vonklaus 12y ago
Why do states love to promote rent seeking behavior? They ban Tesla and promote cabs, ISPs, etc. This is especially silly in a State that is trying to have a significant tech community in Vegas. Promoting rent seeking behavior and banning a service you constituents are embracing is anti-competitive, ant-business, and illogical.
- yock 12y ago
  Why do states love to promote rent seeking behavior? Because they receive the rent. Rather, the individuals in government receive the rent.
- A1kmm 12y ago
  Usually states make laws in good faith to solve real or perceived problems like unsafe taxis and unfit drivers. Then those who get through the process lobby to raise the barriers higher to protect their 'investment' in the process and reduce competition. Lobbyists are experts at regulatory capture; they might have previously had a government job and by close friends with regulators / legislators, they might fund the campaigns of those in power, and they are willing to spend real money - far more than the other side usually - to tell their side of the story. Uber is a single company that is most likely globally bigger than most of the taxi cartels - so when they are on the outside trying to get in, they are the first time there has been significant lobbying for less regulation.
- baddox 12y ago
  > Why do states love to promote rent seeking behavior? Because a "state" is really just a group of individuals with significantly more power than the average individual, and the easiest way for them to benefit themselves is to use that power to promote rent seeking behavior. I would be surprised if they didn't promote rent seeking behavior.
j8hn 12y ago
It sure is getting interesting. Uber is battling the Nevada Attorney General and once again operating in Las Vegas as of today. http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/las-vegas/uber-challenges-court-order-drivers-still-working http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/las-vegas/uber-challenges-...
rustyconover 12y ago
If Uber can break the Vegas cab cartel[1] it would be very surprising to me. So far the cab companies have been able to survive everything, they've even prevented the monorail from going to the airport. Which if it did go to the airport would eliminate so many fares, because once you get to your hotel you normally just walk everywhere else. Since this is Vegas, I'd say the proverbial smart money is still on the side of the cab companies being able to force enforcement of the law. Las Vegas has perfected the science of aligning widely varied financial interests to preserve the status quo of business as usual. [1] - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxicabs_of_the_United_States#Las_Vegas http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxicabs_of_the_United_States#L...
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
- spilk 12y ago
  > Which if it did go to the airport would eliminate so many fares, because once you get to your hotel you normally just walk everywhere else. I disagree, there is tons of intra-strip cab travel taking place. Hotels are far apart on the strip. It'd probably take a couple hours to walk between Mandalay Bay and Encore. Either way, Uber's implementation isn't supporting pickups at the airport or anywhere between the 15 and Paradise Rd along the strip, and even that is causing all this drama.
  - blairbeckwith 12y ago
    > It'd probably take a couple hours to walk between Mandalay Bay and Encore I've only done that particular walk once, but walking from Tropicana to Encore (a bit farther than Mandalay - Encore) took about 45 minutes I believe; a bit of a trek, but definitely manageable. I think in an entire week on the strip, I took a cab exactly twice; once from the airport to the strip, and once to a shopping mall off the strip. Had Uber been around when I was there, I certainly would have used it more.
    - jknightco 12y ago
      The Mandalay is at the southern tip of the strip—further south than the Tropicana and further away from the Encore.
daimyoyo 12y ago
I find it funny that Nevada is willing to bend over backwards for one tech company(Tesla) yet wants to prevent another from gaining a fair shot at the market.
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
- tzs 12y ago
  Your comment makes no sense, unless we assume that tech companies are interchangeable, and so governments should approach them all the same regardless of what the company actually does.
ghshephard 12y ago
I don't think this will last for long - there are a lot of services for which you can make a solid argument for, and against (AirBnB has two very different sides to the coin) - but, as long as Uber is able to ensure that all of it's drivers are insured, my experience (over 100 rides in the bay area, and many, many thousands of rides with taxis), is that Uber is an overwhelmingly good service. The Vehicles are cleaner, the drivers better mannered, the service unquestionably better (I'd almost be prepared to say that my worst uberX ride ever was better than my best taxi ride, not quite - but pretty close. With the Uber Black Car service, they aren't even in the same league, so no comparison can be made there.) And, most importantly of all, the rides are a lot safer; on the peninsula, a lot of the taxis are very old, somewhat decrepit, and it's not unheard of to get in one in which the Taxi Driver has to open your door -you can't open it from the inside - I dread what would happen in an accident. If this were purely a question of public good, there is no question what decision the Nevada authorities will make. We'll see how much power the Taxi Cartel has...
- chrismcb 12y ago
  If this were purely a question of public good, the Nevada authorities will shut down uber.
  - ghshephard 12y ago
    Okay, I'm interested in you defending that position. Given that I cited convenience, safety, customer service, cleanliness, and efficiency as reasons for Uber, what "public good" rationale is there for not allowing them to operate?
malandrew 12y ago
Two undercover officers wore black ski masks. Since when do undercover officers wear ski masks. Furthermore, what are taxi authority officers undercover?
quest88 12y ago
I love Uber and Lyft and have been using them the past two years or so, and I think the taxi scene in Las Vegas is great. The best experience I've had with cabs is in Las Vegas. I forgot my luggage in a cab and it was there within two minutes to return it. The lines outside clubs are always long but I can _always_ count on a line of Taxis waiting to pick people up. I would imagine drunk people stumbling onto the rode to get in an Uber / Lyft would make the traffic that much worse down the strip and probably more dangerous.

40 points by j8hn 12y ago

SG- 12y ago

Meanwhile in Ottawa it was simply city bylaw officers who booked calls undercover and gave two $650 fines which Uber covered on behalf of the drivers. The service launched three weeks ago and the city simply wanted to show it's muscle, the drivers have been operating since without issue since.

joelrunyon 12y ago

> When asked by the operator if he needed anything else, he told her, “I want my car to be taken out of impound as soon as possible because I have to go to work tomorrow morning, but I know that won’t happen. And I don’t want to have to pay any fines so put some of that $18 billion you all have behind me, will yah?” Well seems like Uber picked a great driver that got stung. Would be interesting to see how this plays out vs. a driver with less of a sense of humor.

vonklaus 12y ago

Why do states love to promote rent seeking behavior? They ban Tesla and promote cabs, ISPs, etc. This is especially silly in a State that is trying to have a significant tech community in Vegas. Promoting rent seeking behavior and banning a service you constituents are embracing is anti-competitive, ant-business, and illogical.

yock 12y ago
Why do states love to promote rent seeking behavior? Because they receive the rent. Rather, the individuals in government receive the rent.
A1kmm 12y ago
Usually states make laws in good faith to solve real or perceived problems like unsafe taxis and unfit drivers. Then those who get through the process lobby to raise the barriers higher to protect their 'investment' in the process and reduce competition. Lobbyists are experts at regulatory capture; they might have previously had a government job and by close friends with regulators / legislators, they might fund the campaigns of those in power, and they are willing to spend real money - far more than the other side usually - to tell their side of the story. Uber is a single company that is most likely globally bigger than most of the taxi cartels - so when they are on the outside trying to get in, they are the first time there has been significant lobbying for less regulation.
baddox 12y ago
> Why do states love to promote rent seeking behavior? Because a "state" is really just a group of individuals with significantly more power than the average individual, and the easiest way for them to benefit themselves is to use that power to promote rent seeking behavior. I would be surprised if they didn't promote rent seeking behavior.

j8hn 12y ago

It sure is getting interesting. Uber is battling the Nevada Attorney General and once again operating in Las Vegas as of today. http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/las-vegas/uber-challenges-court-order-drivers-still-working http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/las-vegas/uber-challenges-...

rustyconover 12y ago

If Uber can break the Vegas cab cartel[1] it would be very surprising to me. So far the cab companies have been able to survive everything, they've even prevented the monorail from going to the airport. Which if it did go to the airport would eliminate so many fares, because once you get to your hotel you normally just walk everywhere else. Since this is Vegas, I'd say the proverbial smart money is still on the side of the cab companies being able to force enforcement of the law. Las Vegas has perfected the science of aligning widely varied financial interests to preserve the status quo of business as usual. [1] - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxicabs_of_the_United_States#Las_Vegas http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxicabs_of_the_United_States#L...

deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
spilk 12y ago
> Which if it did go to the airport would eliminate so many fares, because once you get to your hotel you normally just walk everywhere else. I disagree, there is tons of intra-strip cab travel taking place. Hotels are far apart on the strip. It'd probably take a couple hours to walk between Mandalay Bay and Encore. Either way, Uber's implementation isn't supporting pickups at the airport or anywhere between the 15 and Paradise Rd along the strip, and even that is causing all this drama.
- blairbeckwith 12y ago
  > It'd probably take a couple hours to walk between Mandalay Bay and Encore I've only done that particular walk once, but walking from Tropicana to Encore (a bit farther than Mandalay - Encore) took about 45 minutes I believe; a bit of a trek, but definitely manageable. I think in an entire week on the strip, I took a cab exactly twice; once from the airport to the strip, and once to a shopping mall off the strip. Had Uber been around when I was there, I certainly would have used it more.
  - jknightco 12y ago
    The Mandalay is at the southern tip of the strip—further south than the Tropicana and further away from the Encore.

daimyoyo 12y ago

I find it funny that Nevada is willing to bend over backwards for one tech company(Tesla) yet wants to prevent another from gaining a fair shot at the market.

deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
tzs 12y ago
Your comment makes no sense, unless we assume that tech companies are interchangeable, and so governments should approach them all the same regardless of what the company actually does.

ghshephard 12y ago

I don't think this will last for long - there are a lot of services for which you can make a solid argument for, and against (AirBnB has two very different sides to the coin) - but, as long as Uber is able to ensure that all of it's drivers are insured, my experience (over 100 rides in the bay area, and many, many thousands of rides with taxis), is that Uber is an overwhelmingly good service. The Vehicles are cleaner, the drivers better mannered, the service unquestionably better (I'd almost be prepared to say that my worst uberX ride ever was better than my best taxi ride, not quite - but pretty close. With the Uber Black Car service, they aren't even in the same league, so no comparison can be made there.) And, most importantly of all, the rides are a lot safer; on the peninsula, a lot of the taxis are very old, somewhat decrepit, and it's not unheard of to get in one in which the Taxi Driver has to open your door -you can't open it from the inside - I dread what would happen in an accident. If this were purely a question of public good, there is no question what decision the Nevada authorities will make. We'll see how much power the Taxi Cartel has...

chrismcb 12y ago
If this were purely a question of public good, the Nevada authorities will shut down uber.
- ghshephard 12y ago
  Okay, I'm interested in you defending that position. Given that I cited convenience, safety, customer service, cleanliness, and efficiency as reasons for Uber, what "public good" rationale is there for not allowing them to operate?

malandrew 12y ago

Two undercover officers wore black ski masks. Since when do undercover officers wear ski masks. Furthermore, what are taxi authority officers undercover?

quest88 12y ago

I love Uber and Lyft and have been using them the past two years or so, and I think the taxi scene in Las Vegas is great. The best experience I've had with cabs is in Las Vegas. I forgot my luggage in a cab and it was there within two minutes to return it. The lines outside clubs are always long but I can _always_ count on a line of Taxis waiting to pick people up. I would imagine drunk people stumbling onto the rode to get in an Uber / Lyft would make the traffic that much worse down the strip and probably more dangerous.