Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - Uber to Resume in Calgary December 6 2016

jammies · 11-12-2015, 12:30 AM

As I stated before, the taxi issue, despite current public opinion, has not been a front burner issue until now. Uber has done a masterful job of stirring up the citizenry, and city council is done a terrible job of handling that angry populace.

However, it is still revisionist history to have expected some magical solution to taxi issues that council could have implemented before now. I still await the first person who has a viable solution to the problem that is more than a vague notion that they should have released more licenses. The problems of taxi drivers not wanting to take short fares, or too long fares, or not taking credit cards, or not showing up when pre-booked, and other ancillary issues around taxis would not have been solved by this inchoate "fix". It is also debatable that it would solve the main problem of insufficient taxis at peak hours because the issue is not that there are enough taxis, but that it is *impossible* to have enough taxis - if you also want full time jobs for taxi drivers and not part time drivers that can respond to surges in usage during Friday and Saturday nights, and the Stampede.

If you don't agree that taxi drivers should be full time (which is defensible for reasons other than unwarranted protection of the taxi industry), that is fair, but at least realize that this is why the situation is what it is, and it isn't malicious or negligent on the part of the City. It definitely has been negligent on the part of the taxi industry, as they are the ones who have resisted changing their business model to align more with the needs of users. However, it's a lot easier to scapegoat someone who has the job of listening to the public, like the politicians, then picketing the parking lot at Yellow Cab.

I still don't think it is wrong of the City to pursue uber drivers, but I will agree that it is definitely losing them the propaganda battle. They are caught in an unwinnable situation where on one hand they cannot cave into what uber wants due to legal and liability issues, and on the other hand they have public outcry to do exactly that.

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11-12-2015, 12:30 AM	#969
jammies Basement Chicken Choker Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: In a land without pants, or war, or want. But mostly we care about the pants. Exp:	As I stated before, the taxi issue, despite current public opinion, has not been a front burner issue until now. Uber has done a masterful job of stirring up the citizenry, and city council is done a terrible job of handling that angry populace. However, it is still revisionist history to have expected some magical solution to taxi issues that council could have implemented before now. I still await the first person who has a viable solution to the problem that is more than a vague notion that they should have released more licenses. The problems of taxi drivers not wanting to take short fares, or too long fares, or not taking credit cards, or not showing up when pre-booked, and other ancillary issues around taxis would not have been solved by this inchoate "fix". It is also debatable that it would solve the main problem of insufficient taxis at peak hours because the issue is not that there are enough taxis, but that it is impossible to have enough taxis - if you also want full time jobs for taxi drivers and not part time drivers that can respond to surges in usage during Friday and Saturday nights, and the Stampede. If you don't agree that taxi drivers should be full time (which is defensible for reasons other than unwarranted protection of the taxi industry), that is fair, but at least realize that this is why the situation is what it is, and it isn't malicious or negligent on the part of the City. It definitely has been negligent on the part of the taxi industry, as they are the ones who have resisted changing their business model to align more with the needs of users. However, it's a lot easier to scapegoat someone who has the job of listening to the public, like the politicians, then picketing the parking lot at Yellow Cab. I still don't think it is wrong of the City to pursue uber drivers, but I will agree that it is definitely losing them the propaganda battle. They are caught in an unwinnable situation where on one hand they cannot cave into what uber wants due to legal and liability issues, and on the other hand they have public outcry to do exactly that. Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using Tapatalk __________________ Better educated sadness than oblivious joy.