Deutschland, Uber allowed (for now): Ban on taxi app lifted A judge in Germany has scrapped a temporary injunction banning Uber's taxi service in the country. Today's decision by the Frankfurt Regional Court overturns an earlier ruling that put Uber's German operations on ice as it battles a legal challenge from the nation's taxi drivers. The injunction was made as Uber and Taxi …
Taxi companies have created these Taxi Associations in every major city in the free world. They then fund these Associations by charging the drivers dues, Then they take a portion of these dues and wine and dine politicians and judges to get laws passed that makes it virtually impossible for a new cab company to get started. The laws themselves vary from city to city, but its always just an incredible set of hoops to get through, and approvals needed from people that are paid by the Taxi companies, that a new company is almost never allowed to even start offering taxi services. The companies that formed the Association pretty much dictate what the rates will be, how many cabs each company can have on the streets at any given time, and so on. Its all very carefully crafted to make sure they never have any more competition than they had when they put the Association together, and that they always make a very nice fat profit for themselves.
Uber is slowly but surely cracking that shell open all over the place, putting Taxi's out there with friendly drivers, sometimes at lower prices than the established companies, and gaining traction.
While I no longer live in a large city, I wish I lived in one that Uber is in, because cab companies have been essentially a multiple owner monopoly in most cities in the free world for decades because of the politicians and judges that their Association has bought off over the decades.
Personally I don't like the people backing it, and the amounts of money. Anything with that much money sloshing round it is eventually going to make the problems you suggest it is fixing now look mild by comparison to those it will eventually cause when it starts doing much the same, only on a bigger scale.
And prices? In London, if you're talking black cabs, the prices are of a muchnes, with Uber a little cheaper. But compared to minicabs, its very expensive. A mincab to Stansted airport from my house is £28, a black cab probably £60 (thats what it is on the return leg for one picked up at the airport), Uber quotes £44-60. From my local station to home; minicab £4.50, Uber £6-8, black cab £7-8. Granted there's probably a place for Uber, particularly in central London, but minicab bases in London are ten a penny outside the centre, although timing can be iffy at busy times every now and again. But for me personally, there's not much question which I'll use, although the situation might be totally different elsewhere.
If that were the case, then they would have asked for much laxer laws than are currently out there. It is very expensive, at least in Germany, to get a licence and to ensure your vehicle meets all the regulations and if you ply for hire without a calibrated meter - which needs to be done annually - then you face big fines. Inspectors travel around the town every day and they have to power to remove taxis from the street if the driver isn't licensed or the vehicle shows safety problems or the meter certification isn't current and issue fines.
At present, Uber has two alternatives. Either their drivers need to get a licence or they cannot work for profit - car sharing by non-taxis is allowed, as long as the passenger travels for free or contributes towards the fuel. If the driver takes more than how much the fuel cost, then he is breaking the law, unless he has a taxi licence (and if he doesn't have a taxi licence, then his insurance is null and void).
"Either their drivers need to get a licence or they cannot work for profit"
That's fine then. The driver does not make a profit; Uber does :-)
Kidding aside, the truth is in the middle ground. A calibrated meter is not really necessary if the price is agreed upfront. For the same reason it is superfluous to test a driver's knowledge of inner city routes. Plus there's satnav.
OTOH, I like my taxi drivers to be friendly, safe, and non-discriminatory. And a taxi with reasonable leg room and storage for my luggage. I do appreciate a certification process that ensures these properties. Uber's approach seems to be capitalistic: bad drivers are eventually weeded out by rider's down-votes. Sorry, but the market doesn't work like that.
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