Uber comes to Australia

[burmans]

With how much taxi plates cost, the Taxi industry has many lobbists.

This is of course very true but there is no reason general members of the public can't lobby also! Don't let those lobbyists win, social media works to get the message across to politicians.

 

[QF029]

I just did a lot of uber x cars in NYC. The standard of vehicle there is genuine par with uber black here.

 

[moa999]

Why doesn't the taxi industry get on board and work with Uber? In Singapore we have UberTaxi ( as well as UberX, UberXL, UberExec and ExecLarge) ... So people wanting to take a taxi can get a taxi, good way of booking , and without having to deal with payment etc at the other end, as well as tracking the trip, driver etc. .

UberTaxi has been active in Sydney for ages - indeed it began before UberX.

The taxi groups just don't like UberX because it will effectively drive the $ value of plates to zero (which also impacts government revenue BTW)

 

[trippin_the_rift]

UberTaxi has been active in Sydney for ages - indeed it began before UberX.

The taxi groups just don't like UberX because it will effectively drive the $ value of plates to zero (which also impacts government revenue BTW)

Taxis still have big advantages over uberX:

- pensioners and disabled persons
- those who live outside metro areas where uber primarily operates
- taxi drivers can still reject a passenger if the fare won't be lucrative enough
- passengers who enjoy used, dirty and high mileage cars can continue to use taxis
- anyone who enjoys paying 10% credit card surcharge to bump up those frequent flyer points will always choose taxi over uber

What has the taxi biz got to worry about with great benefits like this?

 

[anat0l]

And in Paris, the taxi drivers there are on strike because of the car-sharing service.

I would be happy to ride in an UberX again once this government decides to tell the taxi counci to f.o .....

Comment: Paris protests, but Uber is here to stay

It's worse than a strike, or at least when it comes to strikes, the French know how to do it (without being summarily detained, too). (That is not a summary blanket statement describing all French people.)

Tyres slashed and burnt, cars damaged, other drivers assaulted... the difference in this story which complicates it all is that UberPOP has been decried as "illegal" in France, but in fact there is no definitive legal basis for it. However, in several European jurisdictions of law, often it is not a case of what the law exactly says, but what the people - in combination with the legal texts - will deem as acceptable or not. That's not the best way of explaining it...

That said, I still suppose assaulting people - especially when some of the drivers so assaulted are not even UberPOP - will still be deemed unacceptable even if the activity they are carrying out is "illegal". But catching and detaining the aggressors will prove much more difficult than it appears. I think in Australia little action would be similarly taken, let alone any condemnation from politicians. They know who is buttering their bread (hint: it isn't Uber, and before you think there is a modicum of acceptance by the political cohort in Australia, think again...)

Mind, there is Uber in Geneva (can't remember which flavour). I'm not sure how successful it is per se, but there definitely have been reports of Uber drivers being bullied by taxi drivers, mostly verbally but at times physically as well. Had it been any other bullying case as such, there might have been action taken, but not in this case (not to mention that claims are difficult to substantiate). UberX is in Lausanne, though I also haven't heard how successful it is, let alone conflicts with the taxis.

Once Uber is officially made illegal by ruling in France, one of the possible penalties will be imprisonment (rumoured to be for up to one year). In reality, that is the only kind of punishment which will offer a decent degree of deterrence for those jurisdictions who are not set on accepting Uber.

 

[boomy]

Just saw the French taxi drivers massive protest against UberPOP on the news. They should teach the Aussie taxi Union how to stage a proper riot, maybe then someone will finally take them seriously.

 

[Pushka]

The taxi driver's behaviour is criminal yet they try to take the higher morale ground re Uber service.

Better get their act together for 3 weeks time.

 

[anat0l]

The taxi driver's behaviour is criminal yet they try to take the higher morale ground re Uber service.

Better get their act together for 3 weeks time.

There is no moral (or morale!) ground taken in the French example. It is not like here in Australia where the taxi lobby is attempting to put forth arguments of safety, certification, insurance, etc. on the grounds of protecting passengers, if even that they are coming from a faulty disposition.

In France, it is squarely an argument of taxis having their livelihoods encroached upon. Not a moralist argument at all. The only large point of merit raised is that of taxes paid, but even then.

 

[Pushka]

The French taxi drivers interviewed were saying it was a safety issue as cars not regulated and not necessarily insured. Which is why I posted that.

 

[anat0l]

The French taxi drivers interviewed were saying it was a safety issue as cars not regulated and not necessarily insured. Which is why I posted that.

Sounds like a decent spin front to me. Otherwise they would know necessarily better than to ask before assaulting.

 

[TheRealTMA]

The French taxi drivers interviewed were saying it was a safety issue as cars not regulated and not necessarily insured. Which is why I posted that.

Ah, one has to love the French! If the petrol stations in France tried the bu****it we have here with the 'price cycle', they would not stand for it and probably burn down the petrol stations?

 

[dajop]

UberTaxi has been active in Sydney for ages - indeed it began before UberX.

OK I didn't realise that. In Australia, have only used in MEL where they don't have UberTaxi.

 

[PLANT]

Hi all
Noted on ride guru that uber x I'd cheaper to airport than taxi.... I'd this right at midnight to 40km destination?

 

[Freq Flier 2013]

So I've used uber for the first in Canberra. First time was thursday morning at 8.3am from the hotel. First impressions were great. While everyone was waiting for a cab for 20 minutes mine arrived in 5 and it was an alpha Romeo. Nice clean, efficient. Overall 5 stars. Then all my other rides 4 of them were in Holden's or toyota cars that were 6 or 7 years old. One guy was so smelly that I had to ask him to open all the windows. This was in the morning at 9.3 on Friday. Another one - it was his first day and he did not know how the über system worked including maps. Ie how to get me to my location. Last one had his GPS speaking Chinese for the whole trip. Very loud. The positive is that the last guy did offer me a bottle of water.
In summary based on my experiences the uber people are just amateurs playing the game of taxi drivers. Would I use uber again... Maybe if the wait for a taxi was going to be very long. Otherwise I will stick to the professional

 

[PLANT]

Least you have the power to provide online feedback to uber that can alert the next passenger if they chose the driver!

 

[yohy?!]

So I've used uber for the first in Canberra. First time was thursday morning at 8.3am from the hotel. First impressions were great. While everyone was waiting for a cab for 20 minutes mine arrived in 5 and it was an alpha Romeo. Nice clean, efficient. Overall 5 stars. Then all my other rides 4 of them were in Holden's or toyota cars that were 6 or 7 years old. One guy was so smelly that I had to ask him to open all the windows. This was in the morning at 9.3 on Friday. Another one - it was his first day and he did not know how the über system worked including maps. Ie how to get me to my location. Last one had his GPS speaking Chinese for the whole trip. Very loud. The positive is that the last guy did offer me a bottle of water.
In summary based on my experiences the uber people are just amateurs playing the game of taxi drivers. Would I use uber again... Maybe if the wait for a taxi was going to be very long. Otherwise I will stick to the professional

Sounds like you got a bunch of ex cab drivers who switched to Uber! I see this a lot in syd and melb - the key is feedback to Uber to get them to lift their game or leave the system (something impossible with cabs)

 

[Freq Flier 2013]

Is there a way I can leave a comment? I feel that the star rating system does not explain the reason for less stars.

 

[drron]

Another factor I came across this week is that it appears Uber drivers do not need to take a medical examination.A guy that should not have been driving commercially that worked as an Uber driver.

 

[TomVexille]

Is there a way I can leave a comment? I feel that the star rating system does not explain the reason for less stars.

You should be able to leave a comment when selecting a rating. Also I've heard that uber will contact people when a poor rating is given to understand the issue.

 

[jb747]

Last two cab rides....one backed into a parked car, and then did a runner. His details were passed to the police. The next one ignored my instructions on how to get from the airport to my flat....kept saying his way was better. His way was slower, $11 more expensive, and wanted another $8.40 for an unnecessary toll. Told him to shove it...

There are decent cab drivers out there. But most are horrific.