Don’t Confuse Uber’s Impact With its Legal Status

Uber is bad for traditional taxi companies and for at least some drivers. And aspects of Uber’s operations skirt municipal regulations. But those two facts are basically unconnected. Uber is a disruptive technology, and jobs will be lost as a result of it. The taxi industry is never going to be the same. But that would be true even if every aspect of Uber’s service were 100% legal. It’s best to avoid confusing those two issues. >>>

LINK: In Uber fight, taxi drivers on wrong side of history – and consumerism (by Marcus Gee for The Globe & Mail)

Using the hammer of the law against Uber won’t work. Do police send out undercover cops to summon rides and bust the drivers? Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders was putting it mildly on Friday when he said that enforcement is “complex.” He is waiting at least until the outcome of a number of court cases on the issue before deciding how, or whether, to act.

That makes the cab drivers furious. The mayor won’t do anything. The police chief won’t do anything. These are hard-working people, many of them immigrants with their feet clawing at the bottom of the economic ladder. Their world is coming down around their ears.

But authorities have to consider more than the interests of the cabbies or the cab companies. It isn’t the job of government to protect industries from change, although they often act as if it is. It is the consumer – in this case the rider – who has to come first…..

What do you think?

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