[Gruengelbblau]

You see it on TV, hear it on radio, Uber has a very bad stand in Europe. In many countries taxi drivers are just complaining about it and others about security issues. What is going on here ?

Posted via CB10

[thymaster]

Europe can be a scary place. Have you ever watch Hostel? It's creepy and I would think twice who's car I get in.

[smart548]

You see it on TV, hear it on radio, Uber has a very bad stand in Europe. In many countries taxi drivers are just complaining about it and others about security issues. What is going on here ?

Posted via CB10

Well, I'm from Europe,Italy and so I believe I can simply explain that you. We live in countries with a lot of burocracy and where it is given little to no freedom to people who wanna start their own jobs. Uber is considered 'illegal' because it would also be illegal to sell shirts in the streets if you do not have the right 'papers'. Taxi drivers are complaining because an Uber driver is cheaper and because of that a lot of people are preferring Uber to the usual Taxi service. Moreover, consider that -at least in Italy- it's only since 2008 (if I recall correctly) that the so-called licenses have disappeared. Before 2008 you had to pay something like 150.000$ in order to gain your right to drive a taxi..It is kind of annoying having paid so much to see that 5 years later everybody can do your job without spending a penny..

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[RH1Pearl]

Starting and maintaining a taxi service is expensive as the government makes it so. In some countries, you need to purchase the car first then submit the engine number to the government agency for registration. It can take up to a year in some countries for a taxi licence to get approved, all the while your car is sitting idly in the garage eating up insurance. There are also conversion costs such as painting and installing the meters. When the business gets going, there will be periodic checks by government agency on your taxi and renewal of licence every five years as well as benefits paid to the drivers. In HK, the cost of a taxi licence with car is US$645,000. Imagine spending this amount and going through government regulations and then finding out an Uber service can start a taxi type service with significantly less capital.

[Originalloverman]

Well, I'm from Europe,Italy and so I believe I can simply explain that you. We live in countries with a lot of burocracy and where it is given little to no freedom to people who wanna start their own jobs. Uber is considered 'illegal' because it would also be illegal to sell shirts in the streets if you do not have the right 'papers'. Taxi drivers are complaining because an Uber driver is cheaper and because of that a lot of people are preferring Uber to the usual Taxi service. Moreover, consider that -at least in Italy- it's only since 2008 (if I recall correctly) that the so-called licenses have disappeared. Before 2008 you had to pay something like 150.000$ in order to gain your right to drive a taxi..It is kind of annoying having paid so much to see that 5 years later everybody can do your job without spending a penny..

Posted via CB10

It's the same in the Netherlands


Send from the amazing powers of the  Z30

[sentimentGX4]

In HK, the cost of a taxi licence with car is US$645,000. Imagine spending this amount and going through government regulations and then finding out an Uber service can start a taxi type service with significantly less capital.

Is that Hong Kong? There isn't enough road for many cars in the densely packed city. That's not a great example.

[ZedMacahan]

One thing, they don't follow the regulations required for other serious taxi business at the locations where they are competing. The money is from high risk capitalists and they don't care much about tax. Probably more things. But when big players like google and others are behind the wheel, expect nothing else than making money and ignoring most else.
How Uber Breaks the Rules (And Why You Should Care) - TIME

[Prem WatsApp]

It's a regulation vs. deregulation issue. Government has really been bad. It's oppressive, can't do shtuff without the friggin' papers for just about anything.

You need a permit for door-to-door sales. To set up a friggin' stall. Australia is similar, no permit for d2d sales, but stalls, busking, everything... :-|

Now Uber is here and people don't giving a (insert whatever) ... anymore is just the backlash from years of over-regulation. People don't worry about privacy on the internet anymore. They just wanna do their stuff and be left alone pretty much. Nanny gov't wants to feel needed and exercise power, "Hey, we're still here..."

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[ZedMacahan]

Yeah, lets go back in time and let everyone govern their own rules. Anarchy!!
Lead paint, perfect for kids toys.
Asbest insulation, for everyone it's cheap and it works..
Arsenic paint for our homes...
Radium in our toothpaste, radiant is good.
Market knows what's best for people.. Government bad.
--
Smoking is good for you
Climate change is a hoax..

Who cares, Jesus will fix it.

[early2bed]

I read that in London, driving a taxi is considered a profession only to be handled by experienced drivers who know their way around. Now with maps, people aren't as concerned about getting lost so it's as much about technology as anything else.

[MTBBguy]

Yeah, lets go back in time and let everyone govern their own rules. Anarchy!!
Lead paint, perfect for kids toys.
Asbest insulation, for everyone it's cheap and it works..
Arsenic paint for our homes...
Radium in our toothpaste, radiant is good.
Market knows what's best for people.. Government bad.
--
Smoking is good for you
Climate change is a hoax..

Who cares, Jesus will fix it.

Wow, who pissed you off? Next thing you know you might tell Europeans if they don't like it where they live they should move to Somalia right? You sound like you are criticizing the Tea Party. If anyone knows about government involvement in every aspect of their lives it's them. Let them talk about it because maybe we can learn something instead of jumping to wild conclusions about folks who maybe, just maybe don't want every part of their lives regulated.

[ZedMacahan]

Wow, who pissed you off? Next thing you know you might tell Europeans if they don't like it where they live they should move to Somalia right? You sound like you are criticizing the Tea Party. If anyone knows about government involvement in every aspect of their lives it's them. Let them talk about it because maybe we can learn something instead of jumping to wild conclusions about folks who maybe, just maybe don't want every part of their lives regulated.

You know the Tea Party wasn't really started by ordinary folks. It's a fake "grassroots" movement sponsored by commercial interests. Check it out.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-z...b_4136722.html
http://www.theguardian.com/commentis...-koch-brothers
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Tea_Party
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_Par...nt#Fundraising

[reversekcid]

Legal and cultural issues in Germany. Taxi drivers have to pass tests and need a license but also the issue that drivers or passengers are not protected in the event of accidents.

Additionally, I have read that the great majority in Germany is satisfied with the existing Taxi services and therefore they are not interested in Uber.

Furthermore, many people (me included) here in Germany think that businesses like Uber exploit people and change the whole society for worse. First it is just a minority that can not really live from their jobs and then the number is growing slowly but surely.

Posted via CB10

[MTBBguy]

You know the Tea Party movement wasn't really started by ordinary folks.. Check it out.
The Tea Party movement: deluded and inspired by billionaires | George Monbiot | Comment is free | The Guardian
Tea Party - SourceWatch
Tea Party movement - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You missed the point completely. Not all rich people are evil even if MSNBC tells you they all are. Please pretend that I never mentioned the Tea Party. It seems all you care about is who started it and not what they want to do. Unless you are European and are going through what these members are talking about then you couldn't possibly complain about them wanting less government. They are not calling for anarchy, they are just talking about intrusions that they find annoying and perhaps unnecessary.

[Prem WatsApp]

....
...

Who cares, Jesus will fix it.

Agreed! :-D

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[RH1Pearl]

Is that Hong Kong? There isn't enough road for many cars in the densely packed city. That's not a great example.

OK, what about this example - $800,000 Canadian dollars for a taxi licence in Vancouver. Good enough?

[RH1Pearl]

Is that Hong Kong? There isn't enough road for many cars in the densely packed city. That's not a great example.

Why is this a poor example. There's Uber service in HK. If you spent that insane amount for a licence, you'd complain if Uber moved in

[RH1Pearl]

What about Uber doctors. People that get their medical degree from another country, move to the US and set up a clinic in their basement. Lots of Asians go to doctors and dentists that operate in their basements in the US because they're cheaper. Is regulation needed since Uber is all about consumer choice and cheaper prices? No barriers to entry in the medical field for these types of doctors. All the while they'll compete with US doctors that spent $400,000 or more on their medical degrees.

[ginobb]

The United States isn't far behind. Our Govt is doing everything it can to kills small business and the entrepreneurial spirit....i don't use uber often but I do like the fact that it sticks it to the beaurocrats.

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[simu31]

I'm not entirely sure why so many people commenting here think that regulation is a bad thing.
Sure when it goes too far, then that's one thing and it should be avioded. Putting rules and checks into place just to keep civil servants in work is not a good thing.
But no regulation at all is a recipe for disaster. Or are we so short sighted that the financial meltdown, basically caused by nobody checking on greedy idiots, is just a thing of the past. Or the unregulated fertalizer plant in Texas that blew-up. Or the whole host of airlines banned from flying in Europe because their safety and maintenance record is so bad.
I'm not saying over-regulation is a good thing. I live in France, I know what bureaucracy is. It definately feels like it was invented here.
But having some bloke drive you around knowing full well he's not had any testing or checks done on him... I understand how that can be scary.

Just as a side note. I think the UK has done a fairly good job with a two tier taxi system. There's the black taxis (what foreigners would think of if you say "London black taxi"), and the mini-cab business. Black taxis can pick up and take people wherever they want, whenever they want. Mini-cabs have to be called and the taxi is sent out. The difference in price is quite large, a mini-cab can cost about a third that of the black taxi. But both services are regulated and licences issued. Which means you know that checks have been done on the vehicle and the driver, that the vehicle is safe and that they are insured to carry you if anything does happen en route.

Si.

[byex]

You want to operate a business in a country or be self employed you got to pay the man.
Simple fact. Regulate and tax. I wouldn't want somebody coming on to my land trying to operate his business without paying me for the use of my property, for the resources I developed, and for the land I maintain.

Same goes for a country state.

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[MobileMadness002]

Europe can be a scary place. Have you ever watch Hostel? It's creepy and I would think twice who's car I get in.

That movie series is the reason alone I will never across the pond. Bad enough with us below you border. And I tell you if I find some wing nut with the bull dog that I am turning around and high tailing away.

Just kidding. That was a well done and yes creepy movie series. Loved it actually, and tonight might just be a hostel marathon night.

Z30STA100-5/10.3.2.500

[Prem WatsApp]

That movie series is the reason alone I will never across the pond. Bad enough with us below you border. And I tell you if I find some wing nut with the bull dog that I am turning around and high tailing away.

Just kidding. That was a well done and yes creepy movie series. Loved it actually, and tonight might just be a hostel marathon night.

Z30STA100-5/10.3.2.500

Eastern Europe is much scarier than Western... :-)
If you're at all uncomfortable, start with the Oktoberfest, haha....

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