France: Taxi drivers hate competition, asked the government to bully other companies

[aGameOfThrones]

To the surprise of virtually everyone in France, the government has just passed a law requiring car services like Uber to wait 15 minutes before picking up passengers. The bill is designed to help regular taxi drivers, who feel threatened by recently-introduced companies like Uber, SnapCar and LeCab. Cabbies in the Gallic nation require formidable time and expense to get their permits and see the new services -- which lack such onerous requirements -- as direct competitors. The legislation managed to pass through parliament despite reservations from the French competition authority, which deemed it ill-thought-out. Meanwhile, a spokesman for the private services called the new law "absurd, unjust and incomprehensible" and vowed to attack it. One SnapCar rep even told TechCrunch it would never leave a customer on a rainy street, and pointing to the French Minister responsible, said "what would Manuel Valls want for his mother?"

http://www.engadget.com/2013/12/30/french-uber-users-face-15-minute-delay-starting-next-year/

[Suzanimal]

Ride-sharing services are coming under fire in the good ol USA as well.


As ridesharing apps grow in popularity, other states also are stepping in to regulate the nascent industry:

• Colorado's Democratic governor in August urged regulators there to shelve rules that would have run Uber out of the state. "Rules designed to protect customers should not burden businesses with unnecessary red tape or stifle competition by creating barriers to entry," wrote Jack Finlaw, Gov. John Hickenlooper's chief lawyer. Last month, Colorado's utilities commission let Uber stay.

• Massachusetts' Division of Standards initially sought to shut down Uber in the state in August 2012, because it could not guarantee the company's smartphone meters measured distance correctly. But the agency quickly reversed course, after Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick's office publicly backed Uber.

• Maryland's Public Utilities Commission announced in May it would decide whether Uber must obey the state's laws for taxi companies. The same commission rejected an earlier request from Yellow Cab to subject Uber to those rules.

Despite its victories in some states, the app-based ride-hailing companies still face stiff resistance in many cities, including New York, Philadelphia and Austin. The International Association of Transportation Regulators has supported local efforts to "curb the unsafe, unregulated expansion of rogue car service apps."

Taxi and limousine companies argue it is unfair for Uber and its competitors to sidestep local rules that ensure passengers travel in safe vehicles, are ferried by qualified drivers and are covered by insurance in case of an accident.

Alfred LaGasse, who heads the Taxicab, Limousine and Paratransit Association, questioned whether California's new regulations will keep passengers safe and protect them against discrimination. Companies such as Uber and Lyft target affluent customers with smartphones and credit cards, LaGasse said. He noted that while taxi services must serve poor, elderly and disabled passengers, Uber and Lyft generally do not use vehicles equipped for disabled passengers.
....
"More regulations are headed their way, you can count on that. Maybe fewer regulations are headed our way," LaGasse said. "Changes are coming for both sides, but in the end, safety will trump the economic freedom of the operators."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/10/stateline-ridesharing-services-lyft-uber/2958025/

[FrankRep]

Yes, French Leadership is Socialist. :-p


http://www.thenewamerican.com/media/k2/items/cache/0d69594db8dd959e8cef8b9de7d189e1_M.jpg (http://www.thenewamerican.com/world-news/europe/item/12847-french-socialists-plan-big-tax-hikes-for-rich)



The new socialist president of France, Francois Hollande, wants to soak the rich, but the result may be an exodus of the wealthy to other nations.

French Socialists Plan Massive Tax Hikes for Rich (http://www.thenewamerican.com/world-news/europe/item/12847-french-socialists-plan-big-tax-hikes-for-rich)



15 September 2012 | The new Socialist president of France, Francois Hollande, has stated that he is planning to soak the rich in his nation even more, through a new tax rate of 75 percent on income over €1 million (about $1-1/4 million).

Some of his supporters, however, are still not satisfied. Union leader Jean-Pierre Mercier complained of the new tax hike, “It’s not at all, at all sufficient. We should take more of their wealth.”