UBER

Australia & New Zealand Homebrewing Forum

Help Support Australia & New Zealand Homebrewing Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Bribie G

Adjunct Professor
Joined
9/6/08
Messages
19,838
Reaction score
4,406
With Uber ride sharing rolling out across the nation, it's interesting that State governments haven't really done much about legislating for or controlling it, much to the fury of the taxi industry.

I wonder if that's because the typical collection of taxi owners and drivers, as seen at this protest in Canberra look like this:

uber protest.jpg

Would the taxi industry be listened to more if they were all blue eyed blond haired Anzacs, or am I being cynical?
 
Nope

They all look like paid up members of the Greens or ALP

Wobbly
 
I've been using Uber a lot over the last 6 months or so. Most of the drivers look the same as them ^

ie, a couple of taxi driving mates chip-in together & buy a camry, and make more money than what they were paid as a bonafide cabbie.
 
Bribie G said:
With Uber ride sharing rolling out across the nation, it's interesting that State governments haven't really done much about legislating for or controlling it, much to the fury of the taxi industry.

I wonder if that's because the typical collection of taxi owners and drivers, as seen at this protest in Canberra look like this:

attachicon.gif
uber protest.jpg

Would the taxi industry be listened to more if they were all blue eyed blond haired Anzacs, or am I being cynical?
I reckon it's one that's been thrown in the too hard basket by the respective governments
Cheap labour, and taxes are taxes.
 
Liam_snorkel said:
I've been using Uber a lot over the last 6 months or so. Most of the drivers look the same as them ^ie, a couple of taxi driving mates chip-in together & buy a camry, and make more money than what they were paid as a bonafide cabbie.
Here in Port Lincoln we have a small business called Dial A Ride, $ 3.00 for them to pick Mum up and drop her off to do her shopping and my sister drives her home during her lunch break.
A damned sight cheaper than a taxi.
 
Liam_snorkel said:
I've been using Uber a lot over the last 6 months or so. Most of the drivers look the same as them ^

ie, a couple of taxi driving mates chip-in together & buy a camry, and make more money than what they were paid as a bonafide cabbie.
that's what you would call moonlighting?

Taxis were invented because, originally, cars and transport were scarce and expensive resources and for many people the only time they travelled in a car was in a taxi.
When cars became cheap and not scarce there was always a need for taxis to take you to the airport or get you home from the pub.

However this can now be done without the expensive and scarce business model.
Other examples of the scarce and expensive are cable TV companies. For decades they controlled what you could watch in your lounge room if you didn't want to watch the fairly pathetic Free to Air tv offerings. Then almost overnight most people could watch what they wanted on demand via YouTube, Netflix etc. thus cutting out the now obsolete business model. For example we personally have spent the afternoon watching excellent 1080p YouTube docos about Egypt, Isaac Newton and a couple of travel docos as opposed to a fuckwit screaming at us about a vacuum cleaner that sucks up a ball.

I suppose Uber is a bit like the YouTube of the taxi industry.
 
The cars are nicer, they pick you up within minutes, the driver offers you mints & bottled water, it's far cheaper. Dead set, from a customer point of view it's great.
 
Dae Tripper said:
Like to see anyone get compensation out of an uber car in the result of a crash.
How many taxi crashes have you been involved in as a taxi passenger?
 
One of note.. The madman tried to run me over.. Missed and slammed into a tree..

Brand new AU falcon written off.. The tree was fine
 
it's great. it's cheap, the cars don't smell nor does the cabbie, they're polite, you're offered a bottle of water, you don't have to piss around with paying, and most importantly, they don't have any need to slow down and drive at 5kms an hour to rack up more money from you; all fares i've paid have been close to HALF of what i'd pay in a cab.

cabs are whinging because they have competition - exactly as bribie says, it's a new market, and the future.

i bloody love it.
 
Yob said:
One of note.. The madman tried to run me over.. Missed and slammed into a tree..

Brand new AU falcon written off.. The tree was fine
Wtf?!?

On the über thing, I'm not sure either way, but the stupidly high rates licensed taxis charge is due to the astronomical licensing fees they are charged. Generally, they're just passing on costs. Some of those are artificial costs. One has to ask why a taxi license is charged at ~$100k (I believe).
 
Bribie G said:
I wonder if that's because the typical collection of taxi owners and drivers, as seen at this protest in Canberra look like this:
whats that? People looking to put food on the table for their family.. not sure about the tone of that post man...
 
technobabble66 said:
One has to ask why a taxi license is charged at ~$100k (I believe).
there could be a correlation to why the states have been reluctant to allow the existing taxi industry to adapt.
 
While for a lot of people the lower price of Uber makes it the most attractive option, I would argue that the vast majority of people who use Uber do so because the service they offer is vastly superior in pretty much every aspect.
 
manticle said:
How many taxi crashes have you been involved in as a taxi passenger?
Statistically its only a matter of time. If the drivers insurance doesn't cover passengers while he using his private vehicle as a taxi, he should make them aware of the fact.
 
Back
Top