944 replies to this topic

[tjv]

"We need a Made in BC solution"

 

God help me.

 

https://globalnews.c...ings-vancouver/

Absolutely disgusting the waste of taxpayer dollars being spent on this, an utter joke.  A prime example of why we have too much government

 

I also don't get Andrew Weaver at all.  You can tell he is pushing for it, so all he has to do is go to the NDP and say "you want Green party votes to pass xyz, well you better support my Uber pitch.  I don't get Uber approved, good luck in getting anything passed."

[rjag]

Absolutely disgusting the waste of taxpayer dollars being spent on this, an utter joke.  A prime example of why we have too much government

 

I also don't get Andrew Weaver at all.  You can tell he is pushing for it, so all he has to do is go to the NDP and say "you want Green party votes to pass xyz, well you better support my Uber pitch.  I don't get Uber approved, good luck in getting anything passed."

 

Because Weaver is desperate for Prop Rep and the fix is in to make it as easy as possible to get it. If he messes with Horgan over something like this then they will turn the screws a bit and call Weavers bluff. Horgan is enjoying good numbers at this stage and I bet they are watching very closely to see if they could win a majority and dump Weaver...

[spanky123]

Used Uber Black 4 times last week in Florida and was very impressed. from the text showing the driver picture and vehicle make and license to the very reasonable rates and on time arrival. 2 x 30 min rides at 20km was $30.

 

So lets do some math here for giggles.

 

Lets assume that the driver waited and travelled 10 minutes and 2 km between pickups, that the cut by Uber was 25%, and that the cost per km to operate the vehicle was $.50. 

 

The net to the driver was $22.50 less either $12 or $22 (don't know if you meant 20 km total or 2 trips of 20 km each).

 

In the first case the driver worked 80 minutes and netted $10.50 before taxes. In the second case he/she netted $0.50.

 

Now of course Uber could be subsidizing the fares and the driver getting more, but $9 ish an hour for a self employed contractor is why the taxi industry is up in arms. 

[jonny]

"We need a Made in BC solution"

 

God help me.

 

https://globalnews.c...ings-vancouver/

 

Good Lord...

 

The taxi industry sucks. Screw 'em. 

[jonny]

Now of course Uber could be subsidizing the fares and the driver getting more, but $9 ish an hour for a self employed contractor is why the taxi industry is up in arms. 

 

The taxi industry is up in arms because their government controlled monopoly is crumbling before their very eyes. Full stop. 

 

Look, if Uber drivers don't want to earn whatever money it is they make working for Uber, they should go work somewhere else. I have yet to meet a miserable Uber driver. 

[Mike K.]

They all seem pretty happy to me. They also earn tips, can start and end their shift whenever they please, and when tiered pricing (or whatever it's called) is in effect they earn more.

[thaicobb]

I'll second that.  I use Lift/Uber fairly regularly and all the driver's I've talked to say they are, if not satisfied, at least accepting of the terms.  I have not met a single one, however, who is making a living from driving; its all been supplemental income.  On several occasions the driver specifically accepts only those rides which do not take them too far out of the way of their daily commute.  Hence, its a subsidy of that commute.  As commutes in the LA area can easily be 100 Km or more, one way, this can be significant.

[spanky123]

Home renovations are expensive and take too long to complete because of permitting, inspection and potential variance requirements. Some startup could come along and say that they will skip all of the legal requirements and just send in retired / part time contractors to get the work done right away. It would cost less and take 1/2 the time to complete. Would anyone then say wow what a disruptive company, I should use them? Would you expect the City to step aside and say wow they have a cool app let them be?

 

What it really sounds like is that the public wants to deregulate the taxi industry. Allow companies to charge whatever they want, get rid of restrictions on licensing and pickups and then allow the free market to decide what technology and service level they want. I have no issues with that approach, it is the two tiered system that I object to.

[Mike K.]

When was the last time you rode a taxi, spanky? Have you seen who drives them, or the condition of the vehicles?

 

There are some drivers in local taxis that should not be driving members of the public, period. The vehicles in some cases are in very bad condition, the interior is dirty, everything is rattling and the driver refuses to wear a seatbelt "because he doesn't have to." Well, guess what, in the event of even a small accident that driver will not fare very well and his passengers could suffer the consequences when their driver is incapacitated or unable to regain control.

 

Taxis are also notorious users of our roads, speeding, tailgating, and driving recklessly to get to their calls as fast as they can or driving at excessive speeds during late-night rush periods in order to pick up as many calls as possible.

 

I've also been in a cab, three times as of late, where the driver pretended he was unable to process credit/debit at the point of delivery. Three times! One time a driver pulled up to me on the sidewalk when I hailed him down and said "cash only," to which I replied that's illegal, and he took off. Very nice.

 

Want me to go on?

[manuel]

When was the last time you rode a taxi, spanky? Have you seen who drives them, or the condition of the vehicles?

 

There are some drivers in local taxis that should not be driving members of the public, period. The vehicles in some cases are in very bad condition, the interior is dirty, everything is rattling and the driver refuses to wear a seatbelt "because he doesn't have to." Well, guess what, in the event of even a small accident that driver will not fare very well and his passengers could suffer the consequences when their driver is incapacitated or unable to regain control.

 

Taxis are also notorious users of our roads, speeding, tailgating, and driving recklessly to get to their calls as fast as they can or driving at excessive speeds during late-night rush periods in order to pick up as many calls as possible.

 

I've also been in a cab, three times as of late, where the driver pretended he was unable to process credit/debit at the point of delivery. Three times! One time a driver pulled up to me on the sidewalk when I hailed him down and said "cash only," to which I replied that's illegal, and he took off. Very nice.

 

Want me to go on?

Yes Mike, please do. 

 

My feelings are that the taxi industry is a supply side management model that is long due for replacement.  It is:   (a) overpriced for the service being delivered;  (b) the drivers get little of the profits, which go to the owners of the licenses rather than those delivering the service;  © insufficiently overseen for safety of passengers (drivers far too fast, no seatbelts, etc); (d) creates little to no supply in smaller communities or more remote locations in big cities (every try to get a cab in Castlegar or UBC?).

 

There are thousands of underutilized cars, why not use them and their owners to deliver a better service at a lower cost?

[jonny]

Using the same old 1950's taxi model in 2018 is like pulling your train with a steam locomotive. It's outdated and better options are available. 

 

People like to point out that Uber is not perfect. That's fair. But, let's please not forget that Uber is a hundred times better than the traditional taxi cab service delivery model. 

[VicHockeyFan]

Home renovations are expensive and take too long to complete because of permitting, inspection and potential variance requirements. Some startup could come along and say that they will skip all of the legal requirements and just send in retired / part time contractors to get the work done right away. It would cost less and take 1/2 the time to complete. Would anyone then say wow what a disruptive company, I should use them? Would you expect the City to step aside and say wow they have a cool app let them be?

 

MASSIVE difference.  EVERY SINGLE DAY in BC hundreds of thousands of people pick up others in personal vehicles, and take them to and from places.  No regulations in place other than neighbour Joe, boss Bonnie, co-worker Vic, or the garage oil change kid is expected to have a driver's license, insurance, and a car that has tread on the tires.  Nobody checks each time though.

 

Today, yesterday, last week, last year and every single day in the last decade, dozens of people took others up to Whistler and back, and chipped in cash for the trip.  No issues I'm aware of.

Edited by VicHockeyFan, 09 January 2018 - 02:18 PM.

[tjv]

Home renovations are expensive and take too long to complete because of permitting, inspection and potential variance requirements. Some startup could come along and say that they will skip all of the legal requirements and just send in retired / part time contractors to get the work done right away. It would cost less and take 1/2 the time to complete. Would anyone then say wow what a disruptive company, I should use them? Would you expect the City to step aside and say wow they have a cool app let them be?

 

What it really sounds like is that the public wants to deregulate the taxi industry. Allow companies to charge whatever they want, get rid of restrictions on licensing and pickups and then allow the free market to decide what technology and service level they want. I have no issues with that approach, it is the two tiered system that I object to.

OK, but the almost the rest of the WORLD has approved Uber.  Go to any large city in North America and its here, in full use.  same thing in Europe

 

We aren't trying to reinvent wheel here.

 

I remember riding in a taxi Vancouver years ago and it sounded like the rear end was going to fall off.  It went something like a loud screech and then a large bang and the car would shake.  I don't take cabs often I will admit, but generally speaking they are a joke.  In my opinion all cab companies need to have their license revolved and then go thru reapplying along with a long public debate to see if the taxi industry should be allowed.

 

With these countless reviews of everything, the NDP are showing they can't make a decision to save their life

[manuel]

Non sequitur on the last sentence tjv- site c is one decision.

For uber, the political issue is likely that cabbies / plate owners in the lower mainland are quite concentrated in a couple of politically active and politically important demographics. The BC liberals didn't want to upset the apple cart and neither do the NDP. The reason for the review may be to give space to politically bring onside key leaders. The foil will be, of course, that the greens forced them to do it.

[spanky123]

Non sequitur on the last sentence tjv- site c is one decision.

For uber, the political issue is likely that cabbies / plate owners in the lower mainland are quite concentrated in a couple of politically active and politically important demographics. The BC liberals didn't want to upset the apple cart and neither do the NDP. The reason for the review may be to give space to politically bring onside key leaders. The foil will be, of course, that the greens forced them to do it.

 

You called it. 250K in the lower mainland who bloc vote. 

[spanky123]

Using the same old 1950's taxi model in 2018 is like pulling your train with a steam locomotive. It's outdated and better options are available. 

 

People like to point out that Uber is not perfect. That's fair. But, let's please not forget that Uber is a hundred times better than the traditional taxi cab service delivery model. 

 

I don't disagree with any of the comments made about cabs. I only point out that a big complaint is that cabs are expensive and that has nothing to do with the cab companies as the rates are set by Government. In markets where cab fares have been deregulated, Uber does not do well. I guess that many people will put up with a dirty cab or a rude driver if it means saving money.

[VicHockeyFan]

Uber works for many of the reasons franchises work where corporate stores don’t. Owners of their own cars care more and have more pride in their business.

Edited by VicHockeyFan, 10 January 2018 - 07:37 AM.

[Mike K.]

Hold on, are the licenses expensive when issued by the government, or are they expensive when re-sold by owners to another buyer?

[manuel]

My understanding is that since there are a limited number of licenses and they mostly have been bought aclong time ago, the value is two-fold - resale value (limited number of licenses, more potential buyers than sellers), and that it give right to lease the vehicle to other drivers ro cover the 24 hour shift. One owner can have multiple licenses and therefore run a small business.

And yes, fares are regulated, but $65 from downtown to the airport is highway robbery.

[Mike K.]

I can confirm the licenses themselves are dirt cheap when issued by a municipality. But the industry itself forces up the value.