Uber Faces Ban in Germany as Taxi Group Wins Court Order: Can’t offer the consumer a better product for a lower price? No problem! Just get government officials to outlaw all those that can.
Uber Faces Ban in Germany as Taxi Group Wins Court Order: Can’t offer the consumer a better product for a lower price? No problem! Just get government officials to outlaw all those that can.
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http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/4780/hamburg-holy-war
(This is in response to CO2)
OK, this requires a bit of backstory but =I= think it's worth it. There is a musician/comedian by the name of Peter Schickele who presents the music of his fictional alter ego, P.D.Q. Bach. He's a sort of classical Weird Al, but has been around a lot longer. One of his saucier titles is "Hansel & Gretel & Ted & Alice -- An Opera In One Unnatural Act." Older readers may recognize the allusion to one of the first mainstream semi-porn movies. Despite the title, the "opera" is really quite tame. ALL TO THE POINT -- at one point, one of the characters asks after "Alice", to which is responded, "Alice who?" "Alice Uberdeutschland!"
At this point, the audience boos enthusiastically.
I'm not too up on all this, although I've heard about it, but I do believe that most jurisdictions, whether municipal, state, or national, require cars for hire be licensed. I think here in Mass., a distinction is made between cabs, which are what you know, and "Livery" license plates, which do NOT cruise around looking for fares, but may only be dispatched on request: thus the limo drivers you see at the airport holding up the signs for "Johnson" or whoever. (Which I understand is a bit of a dodge sometimes; they ARE just looking for riders but need the pretense of being there for someone, and if you need a ride, WHOOPS! Johnson just cancelled.)
All to the point, I don't believe cabs should be a specially protected business, but I do believe the government has a legitimate interest in seeing that drivers for hire adhere to some minimum standards of competence and insurance.
It's less about safety and more about the government getting their cut of the money. $265,000 for a London Cab license is not what I would call a reasonable fee, and surely not needed to cover the cost of inspection and enforcement.
Bingo. Getting a medallion is ridiculously expensive and is a purposely designed barrier to entry for new players.
PS -- I also believe that any company which chooses to affect the snotty, pretentious, hipster-esque name of "Uber" deserves whatever it gets.
They should rename it Über Alles then they'll be cool.