Uber to Resume in Calgary December 6 2016

[accord1999]

Originally Posted by Locke

Uber works in hundreds of Cities around the world with few to no issues, what makes Calgary the special snowflake?

Except Uber has had problems in pretty much every city they've entered. They've been banned in several countries, had their offices raided in many cities and a couple of executives in France are on trial. They are currently under severe legal pressure with contractor classification in the US and some Uber drivers have organized a strike for the weekend (whose success remains to be seen).

And in New York and London, which are two of the most taxi served cities in the world they are heavily regulated. New York Uber drivers are basically no different than taxi drivers, except they don't need medallions but they can't take street hails. Despite all that regulation, Uber New York drivers are the best paid in the world.

[Swayze11]

Funny/Ironic story I will share.

My Wife had a girls night out a few years ago. Her and her friends got into a cab (4 in total so the cab was completely full) after the night finished to go home. They were on crowchild when the cab got in an accident (minor fender bender). The cab driver got frustrated and kicked them out of the cab. They asked if he could maybe call another cab to come pick them up and he just told them off and told them to walk away. 4 girls stranded on the side of Crowchild had to walk to a train station (Dalhousie I believe) to get picked up from other friends. What great service!

[heep223]

Originally Posted by accord1999

Except Uber has had problems in pretty much every city they've entered. They've been banned in several countries, had their offices raided in many cities and a couple of executives in France are on trial. They are currently under severe legal pressure with contractor classification in the US and some Uber drivers have organized a strike for the weekend (whose success remains to be seen).

And in New York and London, which are two of the most taxi served cities in the world they are heavily regulated. New York Uber drivers are basically no different than taxi drivers, except they don't need medallions but they can't take street hails. Despite all that regulation, Uber New York drivers are the best paid in the world.

Yup, the taxi lobby is very strong.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by Swayze11

Funny/Ironic story I will share.

My Wife had a girls night out a few years ago. Her and her friends got into a cab (4 in total so the cab was completely full) after the night finished to go home. They were on crowchild when the cab got in an accident (minor fender bender). The cab driver got frustrated and kicked them out of the cab. They asked if he could maybe call another cab to come pick them up and he just told them off and told them to walk away. 4 girls stranded on the side of Crowchild had to walk to a train station (Dalhousie I believe) to get picked up from other friends. What great service!

That is nuts.

[Huntingwhale]

I don't think corruption runs rampant throughout city hall. But without a doubt something fishy is going on with the taxi companies behind closed door. I have no doubt. A few are benefiting by the rules in place now while everyone else suffers. Now they are worried their cut will be taken. Boo hoo.

Tomorrow I'll probably be using Uber for the first time after I leave my buddies house drunk and I'm looking forward to using it instead of waiting on the phone for 45 mins then another 1/2 hour for the taxi to show up. I've never used Uber before but I'm fully expecting it to be 10x better service then Yellow cabs ever was.

[calgaryblood]

Originally Posted by gladaki

Do people who drive uber pay tax ?

Even if they don't, Taxi drivers don't either or claim as little as possible. Which is why they hate when you pay by card.

[calgaryblood]

Originally Posted by Locke

I wholeheartedly agree.



I've got to call BS.

Uber works in hundreds of Cities around the world with few to no issues, what makes Calgary the special snowflake?.

Because for some reason the city thinks Taxi driver's livelihood is more important than another persons livelihood. I have no idea why we care so much about the taxi industry.

I literally and figuratively couldn't care less if all current taxi companies go bankrupt tomorrow if Uber drivers replace them and do a better job. Isn't that what business is all about?

[Looch City]

Originally Posted by Swayze11

Funny/Ironic story I will share.

My Wife had a girls night out a few years ago. Her and her friends got into a cab (4 in total so the cab was completely full) after the night finished to go home. They were on crowchild when the cab got in an accident (minor fender bender). The cab driver got frustrated and kicked them out of the cab. They asked if he could maybe call another cab to come pick them up and he just told them off and told them to walk away. 4 girls stranded on the side of Crowchild had to walk to a train station (Dalhousie I believe) to get picked up from other friends. What great service!

Why didn't you go and pick them up?

[Swayze11]

Originally Posted by Iggy City

Why didn't you go and pick them up?

Let's just say, I was in no position to drive. Girls night out means guys beers watching hockey.

[BigNumbers]

Bunk I agree with what you're saying, but I think at this point uber is simply forcing the industry and city to make a decision. There needs to be, as you point out, a "personal plus" form of mild commercial insurance that allows the only remaining risk - under/un insured drivers. I think Uber is forcing this change by operating without approval for some time until the insurance industry realizes that they are exposed and come up with a solution.

[Raekwon]

I don't see any Uber cars in Airdrie. Just imagine I could be the only one, no competition and think of how much money I can make on all of the 10min trips to downtown Calgary.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by calgaryblood

Because for some reason the city thinks Taxi driver's livelihood is more important than another persons livelihood. I have no idea why we care so much about the taxi industry.

I literally and figuratively couldn't care less if all current taxi companies go bankrupt tomorrow if Uber drivers replace them and do a better job. Isn't that what business is all about?

Its not even that! The Cabbies have to defend themselves, but really the culprits in this caper are the people who buy and hold the licenses.

They're the ones that want to limit the number of cabs on the road and they're the one who want to be able to dictate who has licenses.

The actual cabbies themselves are just operating within the system that these license holders, in conjunction with the city, have put in place.

[Swarly]

Originally Posted by ranchlandsselling

I can interpret what both you and him think he's trying to suggest. But if we're playing the social responsibility game then I'd suggest the Bar would be above the cab, as would Mr. Drunky drunks friends, followed by his/her family members, followed by . . .

What if buddy couldn't get tickets to the local sporting game because they were sold out. Let's use those Calgary Flames for example. He showed up on Saturday night at 7:59pm for the Oilers vs. the Flames showing on Hockey Night in Canada only to find out the demand exceeded supply. So instead he goes to a bar, gets drunk and drives home at the end of the night. Should put the flames in the social responsibility group too. Nah, because common says says MAYBE, just MAYBE he should have looked into the tickets in advance, maybe ordered some a few hours earlier, or maybe a few days/weeks.

Or wait, is that equally as stupid as my bridge analogy? Yes, it is.
If drunky drunk was worried about not having a cab maybe he should have booked one in advance. Everyone knows the implications of drinking and driving. EVERYONE. Those that choose to get in the car are ignoring those implications whether they're too drunk to realize it or not.

actually a more apt analogy in this city would be calling ahead and buying flames tickets, but when he went to pick them up before the game the flames decided not to even show up that night, game was cancelled. Then another ticket service company came into town and offered to sell tickets and the games actually took place. Everyone would welcome this new ticket service and the old broken ticket service would be rightly run out of business.

you can never count on a taxi you booked showing up, I can't count the number of times I've waited for one, also friends missing a flight because the cab they booked never comes, and these are not peak hours either.

[peter12]

People care about the drivers because in most cases they are new Canadians struggling to make ends meet, and take care of their families.

[The Yen Man]

I still don't understand why the city limits taxi licences. There shouldn't be a limit to how many licenses they put out. Do they regulate how many restaurant licences or pub licences they put out? I highly doubt it. So why is the city so protective of taxi companies? That's the issue that rubs me the wrong way with city hall's position in all of this.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by peter12

People care about the drivers because in most cases they are new Canadians struggling to make ends meet, and take care of their families.

Nobody wants to trounce "new canadians struggling to make ends meet for their families"... Just that it's ridiculous that one specific industry is so strictly regulated, to the point where the rest of us are paying high prices, and still can't even get service?

That's the argument here, dude. It has nothing to do with anyone actually wanting poor new canadians to not have enough money. If the cab gig ain't paying, then do something else. Leave the cab for some young canadian guy that wants a part time job or something. I don't see why it's up to the city to make sure that cab drivers make a certain amount of money.

[Muffins]

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

I still don't understand why the city limits taxi licences. There shouldn't be a limit to how many licenses they put out. Do they regulate how many restaurant licences or pub licences they put out? I highly doubt it. So why is the city so protective of taxi companies? That's the issue that rubs me the wrong way with city hall's position in all of this.

The taxi companies have a lot of pull in city hall, that's why.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by 4X4

Nobody wants to trounce "new canadians struggling to make ends meet for their families"... Just that it's ridiculous that one specific industry is so strictly regulated, to the point where the rest of us are paying high prices, and still can't even get service?

That's the argument here, dude. It has nothing to do with anyone actually wanting poor new canadians to not have enough money. If the cab gig ain't paying, then do something else. Leave the cab for some young canadian guy that wants a part time job or something. I don't see why it's up to the city to make sure that cab drivers make a certain amount of money.

I totally agree. I was just pointing out that the strong sentiment behind taxi drivers is probably separate from people's frustration with the cartel. The nice thing about a taxi gig is how stable, and secure it is, how little English one has to speak, and how few worries there are due to competition. Obviously, this all has to do with the bloody cartel, but it doesn't stop me from feeling sorry for these guys, even if services like Uber are necessary disruptions.

[lambeburger]

Originally Posted by Swarly

actually a more apt analogy in this city would be calling ahead and buying flames tickets, but when he went to pick them up before the game the flames decided not to even show up that night, game was cancelled. Then another ticket service company came into town and offered to sell tickets and the games actually took place. Everyone would welcome this new ticket service and the old broken ticket service would be rightly run out of business.

I like to compare it to Blockbuster vs Netflix.

Back in yesteryear, you'd want to watch a movie, but upon visiting the video store, you'd find out that they're all out of your movie. Or perhaps you'd rent another movie and find that the DVD is scratched and unusable upon getting home. Night ruined.

Then you find out about a new service called Netflix that utilizes new technology to reliably offer you enjoyable movie experiences at a lower cost and you could do it all from your smartphone.

Everyone is happy about Netflix except for the people who own and work at Blockbuster.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by lambeburger

I like to compare it to Blockbuster vs Netflix.

Back in yesteryear, you'd want to watch a movie, but upon visiting the video store, you'd find out that they're all out of your movie. Or perhaps you'd rent another movie and find that the DVD is scratched and unusable upon getting home. Night ruined.

Then you find out about a new service called Netflix that utilizes new technology to reliably offer you enjoyable movie experiences at a lower cost and you could do it all from your smartphone.

Everyone is happy about Netflix except for the people who own and work at Blockbuster.

Rather than see Uber, Netflix, and Air BnB as these revolutionary companies, you have to view them as services that provide a service marginally better in quality, but significantly better in terms of convenience and cost.

Netflix has a pretty poor selection of movies compared to Blockbuster, and significantly less selection than my awesome, but recently-closed, neighbourhood video store. The thing is, I am not paying $5 per day in late fees, or being forced to sleep in a corporate sleep box decorated by corporate interior decoration drones, or fight with my cab driver because he lied about taking credit cards.