Where do people here come down on Uber et. al.?

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

Great opportunity for thousands of part-timers, fair competition. Cool app!

Unfair competition to middle class professionals, subject to regulations and restrictions, trying to provide for their family. Another example of libertarian "race to the bottom" economics wherein technology is ahead of the law.

[Agnosticsherbet]

1. Typical captialist organization, using workers with no benefits, working under no reglations,

and driving smaller bussiness out of busisness to create a monopoly.

I would never use Uber

[Initech]

23. What's the smaller business that they're "forcing out of business:?

Most taxi services are very large and they have almost monopolistic business practices of their own (for instance LAWA, the organization that runs LAX, was bullied by cab companies out of building a MTA Green Line stop at the international terminal). And a lot of them are run by ultra corrupt business men. They need competition. If not Uber, who then?

[Agnosticsherbet]

24. Many Taxi drivers are independents who must be licensed

and even thoses workig for taxi companies have some benefits.

Uber is just naked capitlism.

[TeddyR]

27. Is there something wrong

With "naked capitalism"? I myself am a big fan of the free market, though I don't like the price gouging that Uber engages in during any period of high demand (even though a result of free market forces).

[immoderate]

29. I'm a big fan of "ideal gasses" myself.

Lots of room to analogize.

--imm

[Agnosticsherbet]

52. Is there something wrong with running an unregulated

Business that thumbs it's nose at consumers and governments. Capitalism requires meaningful regulation.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

57. "Free Market" = Thread Fail

[laundry_queen]

96. +1 nt

[Recursion]

87. The medallion owner/driver thing is a myth in a lot of cities

No NYC or SFO hack comes up with a million dollars for his own medallion. So even if he owns the car he doesn't own the right to "be a cab", and that's what's at stake here. Though like I said downthread Uber makes a lot more sense in some of the bigger coastal cities than it does in other places.

[mythology]

2. Their entire premise that drivers are contractors is wrong

And so the people running it are just trying to avoid paying their fair share by not paying benefits or taxes.

[Recursion]

80. The drivers get screwed in both systems

It's just that Uber is making centralized profits whereas in the old system an oligopoly of medallion owners were making the profits.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

3. They should have to work under the same regulations as anyone else.

The reason we have regulations is to protect worker safety, public safety, and the environment. They shouldn't get a 'pass' on such things simply because they're not 'employees' or whatever.

[PoliticAverse]

11. Sometimes the reason there are regulations is to protect a monopoly. This is often the case

in the case of car for hire regulations where the number of licenses is artificially limited.

[jberryhill]

19. "artificially limited"

How many cars fit into Manhattan?

Uber has caused a noticeable increase in traffic congestion there.

http://www.streetsblog.org/2015/07/22/ubers-own-data-reveals-it-slows-manhattan-traffic-9-percent/
Uber’s Own Numbers Show It’s Making Traffic Worse

So it should just be "cram every vehicle into Manhattan till nothing moves"?

[we can do it]

66. What monopoly is that?

Requiring background checks on someone who could be transporting elderly is a problem how?
Making vehicles pass safety checks and be insured is a problem how?

[PoliticAverse]

68. My post concerned the case when the number of licenses granted is limited regardless

of any other qualifications being met (such as safety checks and insurance).

[we can do it]

69. Bullshit. See post 19. Another scam to suck the life out of workers.

Like the fucking pizza shops that hire "drivers" when they really want someone to run the wheels off their cars with their own gas for next to nothing.

[PoliticAverse]

71. You know most cab drivers in NYC actually have to lease their vehicles

from medallion owners, yes?

For an example of the economics of a typical NYC taxi driver, see:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/23/nyregion/new-york-taxi-drivers-unsure-they-will-see-benefits-of-a-fare-hike.html?_r=0

[we can do it]

73. Most places taxi drivers lease vehicles. so.

[Recursion]

74. No, arbitrarily limiting the number of medallions back in the 1930s

and then never being able to raise it because of political pressure from the very rich medallion owners.

It's a huge problem in a lot of larger cities.

[we can do it]

78. Can see that could be a problem.

But throwing just anyone with any car and a phone out there doesn't make sense.

[Recursion]

82. How much vetting do you think the yellow cabs do of their drivers?

The medallion cabs are expoloitative too; this is a question of which rich person gets the profits: a local poobah who will exercise a chokehold on city politics, or some dude in Palo Alto.

[madville]

4. In places where a taxi medallion might be $300,000

I could see why they are upset. The governments there create an artificial shortage which raises costs and prices. Uber comes in and undercuts this with no limits and lower costs to the operator and consumer but of course with less regulation.

I think it's a neat concept and an Uber here costs around half of what a taxi ride does.

I had to take a taxi 14 miles awhile back and it was $37. I looked the same route up on Uber later and it was like $20.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

58. Owning a medallion is a misinformation campaign

cab drivers lease their cabs daily or weekly, 12 hours or 24 hour shifts.

Go to school, take your exam, pay all your fees that provide the city with revenue, and you too can be a cab driver.

That medallion meme is pure Uber jibber jab. Unfortunately, it has taken.

[Recursion]

75. If you can find a medallion owner who will lease to you

The cartel here is the medallion owners, not the hacks. Hell, the two Uber drivers I've had were former hacks.

[Spider Jerusalem]

5. Uber is stealth deregulation and union-busting

taxi drivers in many places are not only regulated and licensed but union members.

[Maedhros]

6. I'm waiting for automobile insurance companies to figure out that they can justify

charging Uber drivers through the roof because they are now "commercial" drivers.

One irresponsible Uber driver causing an accident that kills a passenger will be enough to cause some changes.

[B Calm]

10. Bingo!

It's going to happen anytime.

[philosslayer]

13. Or......

Uber could just make a deal with an insurance company and have all insurance through that company. Thousands (millions?) of Uber drivers all needing insurance. They would have huge buying leverage and could force the price of their insurance down.

[Xolodno]

14. As some one who works in the insurance industry....

...sometimes the commercial rates are lower.

Right now, most of the major carries wont touch Uber. But that is changing, Farmers started insuring them in California (probably because the lawsuit against Uber forced them to change insurance standards), USAA and GIECO have also started offering insurance.

Prior to that, it was much like Marijuana stores are insured, through a broker who works with several niche insurance and reinsurance companies who all share the risk, premium and losses (imagine being insured for 100k, with 10 companies only insuring 10k each...and if there is a loss of say 10k, each company forks out 1k).

With that said, this also creates another problem. Its assuming the Uber car is being used part time as opposed to a cab as full time (and given some insurance companies do track the miles you drive...). So, Uber cars will still have a lower rate.

What will drive the rate up...insurance requirements by the state (as well as other regulations, particularly when a nut job Uber driver does something horrible and there is a public outcry)....but then I could imagine that cab companies demand they start getting charged by the mile, which could drive their rates down.

[Major Nikon]

17. I had this question also

But someone pointed out that Uber provides commercial insurance for the drivers.

[dflprincess]

79. I wondered about that

when my auto policy renewed earlier this month it came with a new rider that I was not covered if decided I wanted to drive for Uber (I can't remember the exact language, and as I have no plans to be a driver it doesn't matter.)

[LeftyMom]

63. One ran over a kid in a crosswalk in San Francisco

[Xithras]

7. I'm on the fence about it.

Generally, the goal of many modern social employment apps is the destruction of the traditional "employee/employer" system. Everyone works for themselves, and big companies cease to exist. On one level, that model fits well with some of my more anarchist left-wing tendencies. Decentralization of power away from corporations, government, and companies and into the hands of individuals is a GOOD thing.

On the other hand, the leadership of Uber has made it clear that they're primary goal is profit-taking and obstructing even the most basic of regulatory schemes to protect both drivers and passengers. I can support that.

Personally, I'd like to see something like Uber with a decentralized leadership structure. Like an "driver owned" version of the company.

[csziggy]

28. I like your analysis and your idea about driver ownership!

If the drivers keep the profits and own the business then their work will not just be a profit source for corporate owners!

[Humanist_Activist]

8. Its a transitional company that will eventually replace most taxi services with automated cars...

right now they are earning money to invest in that very thing, the part timers are truly part time, eventually the taxis and Uber drivers will be out of jobs.

[immoderate]

36. Yes, it's transitional.

Who is thinking of how capitalism will work with automation? Drivers, of all kinds are on the block. And soon, doctors.

--imm

[Humanist_Activist]

53. What you say is true, but, if we are able to implement good public policy to...

alleviate the need for full employment then the loss of these jobs wouldn't be a major concern. Ideally I think automated fleets of vehicles should be integrated into multi-modal public transportation systems.

It appears computers are better drivers than humans. In the United States alone, tens of thousands of people die a year in car accidents, most of those are due to human error. The thing is, computers don't have to be perfect, just better than people, which isn't hard to do, unfortunately. That will be enough for insurance companies to start refuse insuring non-automated vehicles without you paying through the nose in higher premiums, similar to "high risk" drivers today with horrible driving records. There will be a transitional period, along with allowances for grandfathered vehicles, but eventually they may outright refuse to insure vehicles that aren't automated in some fashion.

Capitalism and automation won't be compatible for long, as you pointed out, even doctors could be replaced someday, and we need public policies to address the fact that large sections of our population, and not even those who are working poor, but much of the professional and middle classes as well, will be replaced by machines, computers, bots, automated agents and robots. Because of this, we need to seriously consider policies for a post-employment society, a livable mincome, without strings, etc.

[HooptieWagon]

9. I know some carless people that use Uber...

And it saves them some money. A couple people have been charged more than a taxi. No background check isn't good. Taxi drivers here don't make that much, and Uber cuts in to their fares. The negatives outweigh the one or two positives, imo.

[Recursion]

85. You don't need a background check to drive a yellow cab, either, in most places

Drivers are exploited by yellow cab companies, and exploited by Uber. Pick your poison.

[ripcord]

12. Thete are some nice yhings about Uber

I'm tiredof getting into filthy taxis driven by someone with an odor in an unsafe manner.Uber drivers drive their owns cars so they take some pride in them, the rating system also holds them accountable because of their rating drop they are cancelled.

I don't know about the rest of the country but in LA they have a background check and insurance that is in effect from the time the driver activates the app.

[KamaAina]

15. They are presently spamming NYC media with ads

almost as though it was campaign season.

They appear to have succeeded in getting Mayor de Blasio to back down from imposing a cap on Uber's growth inNYC until various studies can be completed.

[Iggo]

16. I live in SoCal and I don't drive.

So basically Uber means I get to stay out later than 5pm on the weekends.

Love it.

[philosslayer]

86. So you like unlicensed, unregulated people driving you around?

Whats wrong with getting a cab?

[yeoman6987]

90. Cabs are ridiculously expensive

[groundloop]

18. It's an unlicensed, unregulated commercial taxi service which is also skirting tax law

The drivers don't have Commercial Drivers Licenses, they're not insured to carry passengers for hire, and Uber gets around wage and tax laws by claiming their drivers are 'contractors'.

[HereSince1628]

20. I think it undermines access for people with disabilities.

It's great for now, even as it kills off easy access licensed livery service, services still exist.

That won't continue in a market where the old business model can't compete.

A couple of years down the road it'll be a real problem for the disabled.

[nadinbrzezinski]

21. I love my state's approach on it

they are mulling over making them treat contractors as employees, subject to minimum wage and all that.

and the labor board did this...

That might sound like a mundane bureaucratic distinction, but it’s a concrete reality for the drivers, personal shoppers and lunch deliverers who enjoy the flexibility of setting their own hours but do not get standard employee benefits like overtime pay and worker’s compensation. In California, unlike most other states, employers are explicitly on the hook for reimbursing employees for all expenses necessary to do the job. And if the workers like Berwick win their cases, there are more than 15,000 other drivers in San Francisco alone who might want to be reimbursed too.

“Uber has essentially shifted to its workers all the costs of running a business, the costs of owning a car, maintaining a car, paying for gas,” says Shannon Liss-Riordan, a Boston-based attorney who has a class-action case pending against Uber in California federal court. “Uber has saved massive amounts …. It’s important that the labor laws be enforced so that the companies can’t take advantage of workers that way. Uber’s a $50-billion company and I think it can afford to bear the responsibilities of an employer.” She expects her trial will be underway by next year and will make arguments for class certification later this summer, saying this ruling “could be a lot of help.”

http://time.com/3924941/uber-california-labor-commission-ruling/

It's been grand but the model of letting your "contractors" pay for all while you skim the profits, I think, will come to an end. Uber and Lyft are also at threat of geting kicked out of France and the rest of the EU

http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/26/europe/france-paris-uberpop-protests/

They are out of Spain

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2867163/Uber-banned-Spain-Popular-taxi-service-app-barred-judge-just-day-thrown-New-Delhi.html

And even American cities are going, NO MORE

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/news/2015/04/01/uber-done-in-san-antonio-could-make-comeback-after.html

And buzzfeed has a very comprehensive list

San Antonio
Los Angeles and San Francisco
Portland, Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Boston, Massachusetts
Nevada
Pennsylvania (except for Philadelphia)
Philadelphia
Jacksonville, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Broward County, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Colorado
South Carolina
New York City
Illinois
Fairfield County, Connecticut

http://www.buzzfeed.com/johanabhuiyan/here-is-where-uber-and-lyft-are-facing-regulation-battles-in#.ts99LyjVmb

So this is now a real battle, Do we keep this sharing economy which is the end stage in my view of capitalism with rules and regulations meant to protect workers rolled back on legal fictions, or do we fight back?

[former9thward]

43. Buzzfeed is wrong.

Uber operates in Chicago and throughout Illinois. I wonder how many other "mistakes" are on that list.

[nadinbrzezinski]

45. They have an update on it

and I know this whole situation is in flux

[Sherman A1]

47. Precisely

[hunter]

22. Automobiles suck.

We need to build communities where automobiles -- private, taxi, or otherwise -- are of little or no use to the "average" person.

I ought to be able to walk to the grocery store, post office/bank, pharmacy/general store, pub, and restaurants fast-food-and-otherwise, no automobile required.

Automobiles are tools of fascism, and they always have been. Who the hell cares what flavor of fascism it is?

[seveneyes]

25. Some people like to venture freely beyond walking distance

Drive to the mountains, Grandma's house, the swimming hole or just cruise the countryside.

[hunter]

26. I've always been within walking or sailing distance of the entire planet.

I always get a bit suspicious whenever it's otherwise.

[TeddyR]

30. Really?

I'd like to know your precise reasoning for the statement that automobiles are "tools of fascism"? Have you ever lived in any place other than a large city? Growing up in the mountains of N.C. there wasn't a single business within walking distance. I'm pretty sure that's the case in most of the U.S. And I personally don't want grocery stores, pubs, restaurants, etc. to invade my relatively quiet neighborhoods. I'd prefer to drive to a restaurant when I need it.

[EX500rider]

54. "I ought to be able to walk to the grocery store"

Indeed you should.....and those of us in hot, humid, sunny, rainy climates might have little desire to trudge to the store and then back with a dozen grocery bags...hopping in my car and cranking the A/C and stereo works well though...


Automobiles are tools of fascism ??? how so?

[Lizzie Poppet]

31. Real taxis all the way.

Fuck Uber.

[Nye Bevan]

32. If you don't like Uber, don't ride with them,

and don't sign up to drive for them. See how easy it is? Personally, I think Uber is wonderful. The drop in DUIs which it has caused is pretty cool too.

[randome]

38. What makes you credit Uber with a drop in DUIs? And do you have a link to support that?

[hr][font color="blue"][center]“If you're not committed to anything, you're just taking up space.”
Gregory Peck, Mirage (1965)[/center][/font][hr]

[Nye Bevan]

39. "Uber Might Already Be Reducing DUIs"

Uber has only been around for a few years. But data compiled by coder Nate Good show the chauffeuring app may already be reducing the incidence of driving under-the-influence.

Good scraped the last decade of Philadelphia DUI counts (though he is a Pittsburgh native, the city's data were inadequate for his study), then created a chart showing when Uber, along with SideCar, began operations. Finally, he split up between individuals over and under the age of 30, figuring the latter are more familiar with ride-sharing apps.

While correlation doesn't equal causation, the decline is unmistakable:

After all ride sharing services were in effect (April 2013 through the end of 2013), the average number of DUIs per month dropped across the board by 11%, with those under 30 being mostly responsible for the drop.

http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-might-already-be-reducing-duis-2014-7#ixzz3glAYlqdC

[randome]

48. "Might." Even if true, the reasons can and should be adopted.

Giving Uber free reign to run rampant over employee rules (remember, their drivers are only contractors and thus not eligible for benefits) is the wrong way to go.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]“If you're not committed to anything, you're just taking up space.”
Gregory Peck, Mirage (1965)[/center][/font][hr]

[Nye Bevan]

49. Powerful circumstantial evidence.

And I know quite a few people who are now taking Uber to and from parties when previously they would have driven. And plenty of legacy cab drivers too, are "contractors".

[tammywammy]

42. DUIs....exactly.

I went to a concert last week. We were able to pregame, got über there (which dropped off close to the gates) and then we could drink while at the concert and we uber-ed back. We could have a drunken good time and be safe on the road.

[randome]

50. So because you could drink more than usual, Uber contractors (not employees, remember)...

...are simply collateral damage. So long as they benefit you, who gives a damn, right?
[hr][font color="blue"][center]“If you're not committed to anything, you're just taking up space.”
Gregory Peck, Mirage (1965)[/center][/font][hr]

[whatthehey]

70. What damage did the drivers suffer?

They got paid to drive a car. Hell I drive an EV that costs less than 5c a mile to run. If Uber ever comes here (pretty darned unlikely tbh in a metro about 100k) weekend evening/nights extra money for sitting in a comfy chair driving people home safely would be pretty sweet, especially as I live less than a mile from the local big meat market bar.

[daredtowork]

33. Uber represents the gig economy - thumbs down

Uber is about avoiding taxes, undermining labor laws, and destroying regulated businesses through unfair competition. If the only choice left standing is Uber, people will be left working at gig jobs.

This sort of thing has to be nipped in the bud. Same with AirBNB. The few "winners" cannot be allowed to over-shout the vast majority of losers in what these kinds of companies do to our economic structure.

By the way, Amazon led the way on this, and people should be taking a hard look at what Amazon did to bookstores and how Amazon treats employees.

[kimbutgar]

34. I know some people who drove for Uber

They didn't make enough money to justify, the gas, wear and tear on the car and increased insurance. And no benefits, you are an independent contractor, responsible for your own taxes also. It's a scam. I would never use Uber for that reason.

[LuvLoogie]

35. Uber, to me, is like Twitter

I'm like, "whut?"...

[randome]

37. Desperation capitalism with the owners rolling in millions.

It stinks.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]“If you're not committed to anything, you're just taking up space.”
Gregory Peck, Mirage (1965)[/center][/font][hr]

[TeddyR]

40. Why?

The owner came up with an idea that makes him or her money in the free market. This doesn't "stink," but is a great example of the free market at work (even though I hate Uber's price gouging).

[randome]

46. The owners make millions. Drivers, for the most part, break even or lose money.

Some drivers make money but they are all getting paid a pittance so that they keep trying harder and harder to make ends meet.

That's how 'desperation capitalism' works. I don't care how many personal anecdotes posters come up with, they are only following the greed of the owners: "If it's good for me, who cares about anyone else?"

The free market is not the solution to everything.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]“If you're not committed to anything, you're just taking up space.”
Gregory Peck, Mirage (1965)[/center][/font][hr]

[former9thward]

41. Laura Washington, an AA columnist in Chicago, wrote a column about how Uber

is solving the problem of 'Hailing while Black' in Chicago.

I flinch every time I get into a taxi. I have been dissed, ignored, waylaid, and mistreated every which way by taxi drivers. If you are African American or live on Chicago’s South or West Side, you know the story. My biggest taxi meltdown came when I hailed a Yellow downtown, late for a meeting. I gave him directions. He drove the other way. An argument ensued. He sneered, “that’s why I don’t like picking up ‘you people.’ ”

No more hailing while black: 54 percent of UberX trips in the city of Chicago “begin or end in an area deemed as underserved” by taxis and public transportation, the company says. In June, UberX drivers connected more than 500,000 trips on the city’s South and West Sides, according to spokesperson Brooke Anderson.The service is blasting through Chicago’s job deserts. There are currently 8,000 UberX drivers from the city’s South and West Sides. Last month Uber teamed up with the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership to recruit 10,000 new drivers. Local organizations are hosting recruitment fairs in neighborhoods like Austin, Garfield Park and Auburn Gresham over the next year.

UberX changed her life, says Austin resident Bree Rodriguez. A year ago, she had lost her job. The African-American single mom had dropped out of college. She and her baby were living with her mother, A friend suggested she drive for UberX. Now Rodriguez, 25, is driving 30 to 40 hours a week, when and where she wants. UberX gives her flexibility and time. Time to spend with her son, who will be 2 in November. “It’s like school — he even has homework!” Rodriguez told me the other day. “I can handle all my running, spend time with my son, pick him up from school.” “The money is good,” she said. “In my previous job I was pretty much living from paycheck to paycheck.” In Chicago, UberX drivers have earned $200 million since the service was launched two years ago, Anderson says. In the first three months of 2015 alone, UberX drivers in Chicago have earned more than $50 million.

http://chicago.suntimes.com/opinion/7/71/780975/laura-washington-uber-upends-problem-hailing-black

[Ace Rothstein]

92. Getting a cab to pick you up on the Southside is difficult in general.

I always had issues getting a cab to pick me up when I lived in the Southside about 4 miles from downtown.

No issues with Uber when I've gone back.

[KoKo]

44. Union Breaking Cab Service for the Elite!

Last edited Fri Jul 24, 2015, 08:19 AM - Edit history (1)

Not that Cab Companies weren't due for a Challenge Considering the Low Wages they Paid even to their Unionized Drivers.

But....Who Vetts the Drivers? Where's the first UBER DRIVER who has a wreck or assaults a passenger?? What about Rogue Hires who haven't been vetted who could be Hard Drug Users, Rapists, Psychopaths who somehow manage to get through UBER's Screening? A Nice Car without Cab Logo Color is very enticing and for now there are Good People signing up to drive these cars to fill in for College Debts, Part Time Jobs, etc. in our Failing Economy...but, still....

Lots of Problems there...but, would I call one and ride in one of their "Fine Cars" preferable to some broken down junk that most Taxi's use these days? Probably....if I lived in a Big City and had to wait for a Cab for longer than I needed to get where I needed to go.

So.....there's that. Cab Owner Monopolies not keeping up with Cab Maintenance and but still "BackChecking their Drivers" because Union's Require it and yet forcing those cabbies to drive Sub-Par Cars and blaming it on their Unions that the Service and Hiring doesn't meet the Needs of the Populace.

That's part of the problem. Who knows if it will be worked out to the advantage of both.

[stevenleser]

59. Definitely not for the elite. Elites have car services with luxury cars and limos.

Uber charges about what cabs charge.

[olddots]

51. I hate it

n.t.

[WestCoastLib]

55. I like it. I took uber home last night

I have a friend who drives for uber. I took uber home last night.

I like it. It's a better service than what we had in this area previously.

Taxis will have to evolve. Connected technology is here and is going to force many business models to evolve. It's better for the consumer than what we had before.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

64. Another industry a liberal wants to drive the wages...

of middle class professionals down. But you like it!

Another liberal who wants to see professionals have to take multiple part-time jobs to raise their family. But you like it!

Another liberal who supports race to the bottom wages. But you like it.

Another liberal who supports the right-wing dream "gig economy" barfing up their talking points: "it's going to revolutionize the cab industry and they will be forced to adapt." What does that even mean? The city controls the industry. You don't want the industry to raise infrastructure revenue for the city? There's no monopoly, collusion, or oligopoly. If you believe there is, you've been reading what you want to read and bury your head in the sand, which is what people do when they rationalize their behavior.

The law is now catching up to Uber's little racket with rulings against their business model. But somehow you missed that. Ironically, *Uber* is being forced to change. Now, there may be a niche market for Uber, underserved neighborhoods like yours. Period.

[WestCoastLib]

72. It's a reshuffling of where the jobs are.

I don't think you understand just how much work is being created by companies like uber. It's not about the drivers, but the technology being used is creating work throughout the tech sector in large quantities.

Manufacturing labor and the large number of industries that are still relics from the industrial revolution are going away and there is simply no bringing the jobs of the mid-20th century back by either legislation or social engineering.

Everytime you hear of a company that is moving to a business model that is technology-based and online connectivity based, you are creating a tremendous amount of work for a large number of people across the country (and the world) in the tech sector. This isn't just 6 figure salary work, but the tech sector employs millions of people earning middle class wages too.

If you are interested in the US moving to more of a European model, Northern European in particular, in regard to working conditions (as I am), then the tech industry is also on the leading edge of providing those type of benefits, time off and work/life balance for it's employees.

The bottom line is that the tech sector is where jobs are going and there is really no point in fighting that. We should be focusing heavily on issues like education to help prepare young people entering into the workplace and safety nets for older workers that were educated in a different era for these realities, but we can't artificially create jobs in industries that are becoming outdated due to technological advancement.

I consider myself a progressive, with the emphasis on "progress". We need to be forward thinking, not backward looking, and part of that is dealing with the realities of where technological advancement is heading, not trying to ignore them, or fight them.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

77. Reshuffling from cabs to personal cars? That's a loser.

Ask your driver for his book of city rules and regulations. Ask your driver what city fees he pays. What's wrong with raising money for city infrastructure? When you obtain that information, share it with me. Cab companies have apps now. There's your revolutionary impact on the cab industry.

Free Marketers don't want to pay overtime. Progressives fought for fair labor standards. Proponents of the gig economy are far from progressives. I'm glad you like to cherry pick the root, but it has nothing to do at all with being a progressive or a liberal.

The Emmanuel brothers, marketing, and a misinformation campaign are behind the Uber phenomenon. That's always a good indicator of a progressive movement.

[kiva]

56. No protection for passengers.

Drivers aren't vetted.

Most vehicles don't have access for people with mobility issues.

Nope.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

60. "Natural monopoly"

How can cab companies monopolize an industry when the city controls everything?

It's another right-wing talking point.

[ibegurpard]

61. I think that misguided yuppies

Can't seem to see how it's undermining labor laws and regulations.

On edit: I don't think they care.

[Starry Messenger]

62. It's deregulation.

I wouldn't trust my carcass to a fly-by-night plane pilot with no license to be a public operator.

People are stupid. Once the regulating influence of the cab environment is gone, there will be absolutely no pressure for Uber and Lyft to provide safe passenger service. Enjoy your "hi-tech" black market economy.

[we can do it]

65. Uber is total bullshit.

Who wants to have a complete stranger who may be uninsured and or driving an unsafe vehicle pick them up for a ride?

[Renew Deal]

67. Haven't studied it fully, but there are things about it I don't like.

I'm not sure it can or should be shut down, but cab controls exist for a reason.

[Recursion]

76. In big coastal cities it's breaking the political power of rich medallion owners

which is a good thing, there. In other places it's disrupting a decent existing industry. Mixed bag.

[TransitJohn]

81. Scab cabbies depressing wages.

That's where this liberal comes down.

[Recursion]

83. Do they actually make less than medallion drivers?

I've seen a few articles on how little the Uber drivers make, but never seen one comparing what they make to what yellow cab hacks make. And the two Uber drivers I've had both quit driving yellow cabs to do Uber.

[ericson00]

84. Uber is precisely what is wrong with today's economy

its underemployment on a massive scale. I'm all for innovation, but the only thing "innovative" they've done is their app. I'm amazed the taxi services in major cities haven't simply copied it and put Uber out already. Also, they hire "bros" if you've ever checked out who works there on LinkedIn.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

88. I generally accept the notion that Uber is first and foremost a software company

And I just don't care if the monied interests who hoard taxi medallions are wiped out. But I accept there are probably problems with UberX in just about every jurisdiction on earth.

Personally I love Uber. My house in Orange County is really close to John Wayne Airport. Often when I try to get a taxi the driver will just tell me to fuck off because I'm not going far enough. With Uber Black some dude in a car that doesn't smell like body odor and vomit picks me up, drops me home and was happy to do it because they were just hanging around the airport anyways waiting for their next VIP pickup.

My very elderly mother who had to give up driving also uses it quite a bit.

[Yurovsky]

89. Cars & capitalism are both evil...

The sooner we do away with both the better.

Bernie 2016

[brooklynite]

91. Bernie won't get rid of either...

But dream if you must.

[spqr78]

93. Date rape without the date?

Union busting in the information age?

But in all seriousness, how are people supposed to feed their kids with the income from just two full time jobs? If their wasn't something like Uber to help fill in those extra hours, people would just waste them on sleep.

Uber is proof that the economy is doing great!

[pinto]

94. I'm only vaguely failiar with Uber. Have any cabbies weighed in on the issues, pro or con?

[petronius]

95. I've only ridden Uber once, to a concert, and the car was nice and the driver was friendly

Leaving the concert, Uber fares were 4-5x higher (due to the demand), so I went home in a yellow cab for the same price and convenience as the trip to the concert.

I didn't really see the point of Uber: the web tracking was nifty but it didn't make the ride arrive any faster, the black SUV was cooler than the yellow minivan, but at the end of the night I was happier with the stable price of the cab...