WM_in_MO
01-14-2014, 08:47 PM
http://www.yahoo.com/tech/why-french-taxi-drivers-attacked-an-uber-car-in-paris-73347907700.html
The attacks by striking cab drivers on Uber cars in Paris on Monday — with protesters shattering windows, smashing mirrors and slashing tires (http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-01-13/paris-cabbies-slash-tires-smash-windshields-in-protest-against-uber) — appear to be the first violent clashes in the ongoing battle between local cabbies and app-based car services.
But tensions, in Paris and elsewhere, have been brewing for months. Cab drivers say Uber and apps like it, which allow customers to hitch rides nearly instantly from their smartphones, create unfair competition and undermine the traditional cab-hailing business.
When Uber launched in New York, the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission reportedly pressured (http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/16/uber-shuts-down-new-york-city-taxi-beta/) the drivers of licensed “yellow” taxis not to join Uber’s fleet.
http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/151316/not-taking-kindly
But the San Francisco-based startup has faced stiff legal hurdles at nearly every turn. Last month, Toronto officials charged Uber with operating without proper licenses. The company ran into similar regulatory issues in Vancouver (http://www.biv.com/article/20120918/BIV0112/309189915/-1/BIV/ride-for-hire-alternative-enters-market).
In Portland, Ore., Uber has urged lawmakers to change an ordinance (http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2013/10/uber_makes_case_to_portland_ta.html) requiring town cars to wait an hour before picking up would-be passengers.
In Paris, a “15-minute law” went into effect on Jan. 1, requiring all Uber drivers to wait 15 minutes after a request is placed to pick up a passenger — a move aimed at leveling the competition for traditional Parisian cabbies.
Jesus christ, really? Not even trying to hide the fascism at work.
The attacks by striking cab drivers on Uber cars in Paris on Monday — with protesters shattering windows, smashing mirrors and slashing tires (http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-01-13/paris-cabbies-slash-tires-smash-windshields-in-protest-against-uber) — appear to be the first violent clashes in the ongoing battle between local cabbies and app-based car services.
But tensions, in Paris and elsewhere, have been brewing for months. Cab drivers say Uber and apps like it, which allow customers to hitch rides nearly instantly from their smartphones, create unfair competition and undermine the traditional cab-hailing business.
When Uber launched in New York, the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission reportedly pressured (http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/16/uber-shuts-down-new-york-city-taxi-beta/) the drivers of licensed “yellow” taxis not to join Uber’s fleet.
http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/151316/not-taking-kindly
But the San Francisco-based startup has faced stiff legal hurdles at nearly every turn. Last month, Toronto officials charged Uber with operating without proper licenses. The company ran into similar regulatory issues in Vancouver (http://www.biv.com/article/20120918/BIV0112/309189915/-1/BIV/ride-for-hire-alternative-enters-market).
In Portland, Ore., Uber has urged lawmakers to change an ordinance (http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2013/10/uber_makes_case_to_portland_ta.html) requiring town cars to wait an hour before picking up would-be passengers.
In Paris, a “15-minute law” went into effect on Jan. 1, requiring all Uber drivers to wait 15 minutes after a request is placed to pick up a passenger — a move aimed at leveling the competition for traditional Parisian cabbies.
Jesus christ, really? Not even trying to hide the fascism at work.