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>Uber is so obviously superior to any regulated taxi service. Please do tell us how a taxi service with uninsured drivers is superior.

reasonish 12y ago
It's cheaper. Until something horrible happens or goes wrong. It's exactly the same as airBnB. There's a reason these things are properly regulated.
- toyg 12y ago
  In a way, services like AirBnB and Uber remind us of how very rarely things actually go wrong. In a way, they act as correction to the usual scaremongering we get through most mass-media: "you can ride in uninsured cabs with complete strangers and sleep in unregulated and potentially dangerous flats, and you'll likely be fine anyway". This said, good on the German government for forcing the company to actually respect their laws. Being a trendy net-based startup is not a license to flaunt all rules, especially consistent rules that exist for very good reason.
  - TeMPOraL 12y ago
    Insurance isn't there because you have a good chance of having something bad happen to you. It's there because bad things happen predictably and often, and victims of those would have serious problems for the rest of their lives if not for insurance.
  - Tomte 12y ago
    One thing most commentators cannot seem to grasp: the German government hasn't applied for the injunction, and it isn't running the taxi service. Government regulates private companies running the service. And those private companies are standing up to a shitty company that openly says that they won't comply with laws or verdicts, because they are the future. Or something like that.
wyager 12y ago
In every way. Have you ever used Uber? The whole experience is so nice compared to the low-quality/bad-service experience typical of a government-approved taxi. I'm not introspective enough to enumerate every single reason I love Uber, but here are a few: It's cheaper. It's faster in less densely populated areas. The service is better and the drivers are friendlier. The cars are nicer.

reasonish 12y ago

It's cheaper. Until something horrible happens or goes wrong. It's exactly the same as airBnB. There's a reason these things are properly regulated.

toyg 12y ago
In a way, services like AirBnB and Uber remind us of how very rarely things actually go wrong. In a way, they act as correction to the usual scaremongering we get through most mass-media: "you can ride in uninsured cabs with complete strangers and sleep in unregulated and potentially dangerous flats, and you'll likely be fine anyway". This said, good on the German government for forcing the company to actually respect their laws. Being a trendy net-based startup is not a license to flaunt all rules, especially consistent rules that exist for very good reason.
- TeMPOraL 12y ago
  Insurance isn't there because you have a good chance of having something bad happen to you. It's there because bad things happen predictably and often, and victims of those would have serious problems for the rest of their lives if not for insurance.
- Tomte 12y ago
  One thing most commentators cannot seem to grasp: the German government hasn't applied for the injunction, and it isn't running the taxi service. Government regulates private companies running the service. And those private companies are standing up to a shitty company that openly says that they won't comply with laws or verdicts, because they are the future. Or something like that.

wyager 12y ago

In every way. Have you ever used Uber? The whole experience is so nice compared to the low-quality/bad-service experience typical of a government-approved taxi. I'm not introspective enough to enumerate every single reason I love Uber, but here are a few: It's cheaper. It's faster in less densely populated areas. The service is better and the drivers are friendlier. The cars are nicer.