Uber in Calgary
Nov. 7th, 2015 08:30 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jamesqUber, the ride-sharing platform that makes a lot of money for the organizers, and not much money for the drivers, is moving into Calgary.
I predict that we're going to have a long, cold war between the city and Uber. One where the city says "you can't be here without abiding by these rules", and Uber simply ignoring them since the fines will fall on the drivers (whom they don't care about). Attempts to fine Uber directly will result in long protracted legal battles that end when we settle out of court at a sufficiently small amount that Uber's profits aren't too badly dinged.
Throw some Uber execs in jail, they'll come around.
I'm certainly not against the concept of casual taxis. I'd like to see, at a minimum:
If this no longer makes Uber a viable option for making a living, the fault is not the regulations, it's that Uber is exploiting its drivers. Consider that.
I predict that we're going to have a long, cold war between the city and Uber. One where the city says "you can't be here without abiding by these rules", and Uber simply ignoring them since the fines will fall on the drivers (whom they don't care about). Attempts to fine Uber directly will result in long protracted legal battles that end when we settle out of court at a sufficiently small amount that Uber's profits aren't too badly dinged.
Throw some Uber execs in jail, they'll come around.
I'm certainly not against the concept of casual taxis. I'd like to see, at a minimum:
- Drivers need their Alberta class 4 license.
- They need to pass a background check. I've had this done and it's neither expensive nor onerous.
- The cars need to pass a regular inspection.
- They need to have sufficient insurance.
- They can't go over a defined amount of hours per year, or they're no longer casual and need to get a taxi license. 200 hours of time available as a driver on the system (as opposed to time actually driving) seems like a good point to start the discussion.
If this no longer makes Uber a viable option for making a living, the fault is not the regulations, it's that Uber is exploiting its drivers. Consider that.
