Uber killed (is killing) the NYC taxi industry
 

Cab medallion owners sue NYC, blame Uber for ruining business | Ars Technica


I just think this is the invisible hand at work. If they feel like they overpaid for the medallions, well, tough. I have bought stock that turned out to be overpriced and I never sued the SEC.

It's not called "disruptive" for nothing.

Uber is to taxis as Netflix was to blockbuster. Good riddance. NYC taxis are not too bad but the ones we have in Philly are generally beat to hell and barely run. On the other hand I took an uber home last week and paid about as much as a taxi but it was a brand new e class.


Sent from an abacus

Just let me go on record to say that I'm not on Uber's side. Free enterprise is important but following laws and safety requirements is even more important. Uber seems to skirt the laws regulating taxi service. Make no mistake, they are a taxi service. If they are operating as a taxi service, they should have to meet all licensing and insurance requirements of a taxi service in the city they are operating.

If they can meet the same licensing and insurance requirements as a legit taxi service, I'm all for the increased competition. However, from what I read, they do not meet the insurance and licensing requirements in all markets and skirt the laws regulating taxi services.

The insurance issue is interesting. Most personal auto insurance will not cover claims when the car is being used for professional services, like being a taxi, as you would need a commercial policy. Real estate agents know about that.

However, Uber and Lyft provide a $1M policy if the driver's insurance denies coverage (which is pretty much guaranteed) and unlike commercial taxi policies, they also provide Uninsured Motorist coverage, to cover when the car that causes the accident isn't insured.

Its interesting, IDK why taxis have to be regulated in the first place.

X2. Same with Lyft, AirBnB and any other "app" business which sprung up and doesn't meet the laws of the industry they operate as.

Why does the govt stick it's fingers in any service business? Why can't I start flying uber service and tell the FAA to suck it like Uber has with taxi laws?

Medallions are $$$$$$$...


Sent from an abacus

Taxis may be less popular, but are far from dead. Much easier to stick your hand out in Manhattan than fiddle with a smartphone crapplet and wait for a car to graciously show up. Same with competing car services.

Other problem with Goober is lack of anonymity. You can't pay with cash or a pre-paid card, meaning that your trip data are tied to your identity for life. Travis Nogoodnick's view of privacy frankly stinks.

Licensed taxis are considered "common carriers" and there is a whole subpart of the law that creates special duties and responsibilities on airlines, buses, trains, taxis. For instance, common carriers cannot discriminate against who they transport and they have a slightly higher "duty of care" to their passengers.

Taxis don't discriminate? Tell Al Roker

Safety, price gouging?

The get a crash course in why cities started to regulate Taxi service check out a Cagney film, The Roaring Twenties.

It can get ugly out there on the streets when there is lots of money involved.

Anyone could run a Taxi service back then. Of course anyone could also meet with an 'accident' if they tried to go it alone. When the Mob found out how easy it was to squeeze individual drivers cities stepped in to regulate the business in the hopes of driving out the crime bosses.

But that was then and this is now and times have changed. When you start building your own airports you can start making your own rules. Just make sure your place is so remote no other aircraft ever come into the area since they are like cars on the highway and follow the rules of the road.

You are also free to build your own highway. All it takes is money.

And.....

The main competition for Taxis in the old days was the trolly car service. They were regulated by cities because they used city streets. Cities also set their fares.

But a trolly could not take you to your front door so when they started to feel the heat from taxi companies they demanded the cities step in and level the playing field.

And when a city was faced with losing the trolly or passing a few taxi regulations the regulations won out.

And once a government body was set up to regulate anything.......