Wednesday, July 16, 2014

International protest of Uber by cabbies last month, London,Paris, Madrid, Berlin... and in San Fransisco, a taxi cab president predicts cabs will be out of business by 2016

More than 30,000 drivers from London, Paris, Madrid, and Berlin blocked access to airports, shopping districts, and tourist centers, in hopes that the demonstrations would convince regulators to apply stricter rules to Uber. The biggest turnout is in London, with an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 drivers of black cabs and private hire cars converging on Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square, snarling traffic in a "go-slow protest."

On the other side of the globe, taxi drivers in Rio de Janeiro also disrupted traffic to protest Uber ahead of the World Cup.

http://www.fastcompany.com/3031779/most-innovative-companies/on-two-continents-cabbies-protest-uber-by-bringing-traffic-to-a-st

But why are they protesting, what are Uber and Lyft if not just other taxi services? (answer...honest)

.... San Francisco's taxi system is notoriously horrible, with too few cabs on the road, too many cabbies who lie about having broken credit card machines so customers will pay cash, and problematic drivers.

A look at 1,700 customer complaints by the Bay Citizen reveals all sorts of issues, including cabbies smoking, texting while driving, falling asleep at the wheel, and just being rude.

 In some cities, ridesharing services like Lyft, Sidecar, and Uber are just starting to take hold. But in San Francisco, they're already clobbering the taxi industry. The president of DeSoto Cab Co., one of the biggest cab companies in the city, said in a recent interview that he would be surprised if San Francisco's cab industry survives another 18 months.

It's not that ridesharing services are perfect, but when getting a cab is nearly impossible, apps promise quick rider pick-ups, online payments, and these new rideshare companies have two-way driver/rider rating systems.... and taxis? Don't.

http://www.fastcoexist.com/3031448/heres-an-idea/head-of-san-francisco-cab-company-predicts-lyft-and-uber-will-put-the-industry


“Just as broadband served as rocket fuel for Google, smartphones and the always-on mobile Internet are powering Uber.”

Uber, like Google, is taking a highly disorganized business--in its case, private transportation such as taxicabs and private limousines--and ordering it neatly. Just as broadband served as rocket fuel for Google, smartphones and the always-on mobile Internet are powering Uber. CEO Travis Kalanick is playing the speed game as well: Uber has expanded rapidly into more than 90 cities in 34 countries worldwide, adding drivers (and cars) by the thousands because more cars means getting one to pick you up more quickly. The faster that happens, the less likely you are to look elsewhere. As a result, both Google and Uber are hated by those who fear the repercussions of the more efficient worlds they're creating.

http://www.fastcompany.com/3029457/technovore/uber-is-the-new-google

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