Drivers for Uber and Lyft are getting sizable tickets in Tampa.
http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/blog/morning-edition/2014/05/police-start-ticketing-lyft-uber-drivers-in-tampa.html (http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/blog/morning-edition/2014/05/police-start-ticketing-lyft-uber-drivers-in-tampa.html)
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Hillsborough County is cracking down on ride-sharing companies, as officers began ticketing drivers picking up passengers for companies including Lyft and Uber.
The tickets are for $800 each, ABC Action News said. To warn the public, the Hillsborough Transportation Commission took out full-page ads local newspapers telling riders that their safety may be at risk if they use the services.
ABC Action News reported that one Lyft driver and three Uber drivers received tickets this weekend for several offenses including improper insurance and improper licensing.
But Rachel Holt, the regional general manager for Uber East Coast, said the company plans to keep operating in Tampa.
"Since arriving in Tampa, we've received an overwhelming demand for services like Uber from both riders and drivers – if one our partners receives a citation, we will stand by them and reimburse any costs," Holt said in a statement. "That said, it's clear the (Hillsborough Transportation Commission) only intends to protect taxi special interests instead of listening to Tampa Bay residents asking for more choice and innovation in transportation."
A driver can receive a fine of $500 for operating without a certificate issued by the Public Transportation Commission, according to earlier reporting by the Tampa Tribune, and other offenses can raise the cost of a violation to $800.
Yikes, that is quite steep for those companies if they keep racking up these tickets and cant successfully challenge. They've got tons of VC but that money cant just be flushed down the toilet.
I heard from a local driver that Lyft would also be paying for any fines/tickets on behalf of their drivers, but yeesh. I'm sure it's all about the safety of passengers...
interesting. I never really thought about the required licenses and permits that Taxi drivers have. I am curious to see where this ends up going in the long run.
Interesting post by Peter Diamandis, XPRIZE, SpaceX man regarding Uber and Governments:
QuoteI love Uber, the ridesharing app that connects people who need rides with drivers.
Instead of my normal $35 taxi ride to LAX, an UberX car takes me for about $11.
The service is active in 108 US cities and 45 countries worldwide.
Five years ago, it didn't exist. Today, it's valued at over $18 billion.
It truly is an Exponential Organization.
Uber is one of a new generation of dematerializing, demonetizing and democratizing technologies that's disrupting the status quo.
I talk about these technologies and their implications with my Abundance 360 mastermind group in January (apply here, if interested).
Simply put, Uber is a product adored by passengers and Uber drivers alike.
It uses technology to dramatically improve a broken system. It solves a pain point.
As a result, hordes have left the traditional taxis and rental car options.
Understandably, these incumbents aren't happy, and where do they turn?
Regulation.
Uber's Long, Legal Battle
I recently spent a week with Uber CEO Travis Kalanick in Sicily at Google Camp.
I'd heard mention of some of the legislative challenges that Uber was facing globally, but I wasn't really aware of the scope or scale of what was happening.
Check out this global resistance:
Germany: officials just slapped a nationwide ban on Uber because the drivers don't have correct permits. Drivers will face fines of up to $323,700 per trip if Uber violates this temporary injunction.
Spain: Hundreds of taxi drivers went on strike in June, protesting the unregulated private service that was taking their business.
India: "According to the Economic Times, three Uber competitors -- Meru Cabs, Easy Cab, and Mega Cab -- have written to the Reserve Bank of India, complaining that Uber is violating foreign-exchange laws."
Brazil: Uber might face legal problems if the government of Sao Paulo pushes for the suspension of its service. For example, a few weeks ago "three cars were found providing services through Uber in Sao Paulo and the drivers had to pay fines of $900 on average."
Vancouver: The city attorney claims that the service is illegal: "Though the meter UberX uses does not look like a traditional taxi meter that measures time and distance as the ride progresses, it still fits within the definition of (a) taxi meter [under city code]."
United States: The taxi lobbies are putting enormous pressure on local governments to block Uber in their cities. In Milwaukee, five taxi groups are "suing the city of Milwaukee, hoping to block an ordinance that provides a path to legalization for mobile ride-booking apps." In California, New York and DC, Uber has faced numerous cease-and-desist orders.
Regulation, the Protection of Last Resort
Laws typically favor the incumbent solutions that manifested them in the first place.
But when an industry turns to protectionist regulations to keep a more cost-effective solution out of the market, you know it's in a death spiral.
Take the horse versus the automobiles, for example.
Many hated cars in the early 1900s because, well, they scared horses.
In fact, amazingly, at the turn of the century, a law in Pennsylvania stated:
"Any motorist who sights a team of horses coming toward him must pull well off the road, cover his car with a blanket or canvas that blends with the countryside, and let the horses pass. If the horses appear skittish, the motorist must take his car apart, piece by piece, and hide it under the nearest bushes."
In general, the government's major role is stabilization.
But many times when a product is so much better say 10x or more the incumbent will eventually lose. They must adapt or go extinct. Regulation can only stay the change for a short time.
And during this time of accelerating change, where the only constant is change, we will be seeing a lot of 10x improvements challenging the norm.
Look at Airbnb, Pandora, iTunes, Tesla, Craigslist. The list goes on and on.
Technologies that leverage the 6 D's will WIN
In my mind, the companies and products that solve problems most effectively (and most cheaply) will win.
Many of these are the products that follow the 6 D's of exponential change. To demonstrate what this means, for those not part of Abundance 360, let's look at how Uber fits into this model:
Digitized: Uber digitized the taxi-calling experience, the payments process, the taxi-navigating process, the fare splitting process, and more.
Deceptive to Disruptive: In my mind, Uber, despite being an $18 billion company, is still in its deceptive growth stage. Just wait until we get into automated vehicles and self-driving cars. Guess who will be perfectly positioned to take over that market?
Dematerialized: Uber dematerialized a number of things, including the need for taxi fleets. In some cases, it dematerialized owning a car for many who elect to "Uber" everywhere instead.
Demonetized: Uber eliminated the annoying fees and taxes that taxis require, as well as taking "tipping" out of the picture.
Democratized: UberX is cheap and available to anyone with a smartphone (and the service in the area). It is democratizing transportation.
Despite their many legal challenges, Uber continues to drive and thrive.
They are growing explosively, and the company is changing the game.
And frankly, knowing Travis' vision for Uber, we haven't seen anything yet.
This is an important debate
I acknowledge the debate about technology vs. policy is an important one.
Technology can be a double-edged sword.
I want to talk with you about the implications these technologies have on jobs, on wages, on livelihoods. To have these debates together.
And it seems Uber does too.
They just hired David Plouffe, one of U.S. President Barack Obama's key election advisers, to take charge of policy and strategy.
Quote from: AuditoreEnterprise on May 12, 2014, 10:12:33 PM
interesting. I never really thought about the required licenses and permits that Taxi drivers have. I am curious to see where this ends up going in the long run.
The same thing is happening on our rivers edge downtown. 2014-305 New docking Rules and Penalties. Then 2014-560 the new CRA/DIA zone. You have to follow the ordinance in the zone. 9/10/14 Next JWC Waterways Commission meeting. Does the St. Johns Riverkeeper support a 10 minute watercraft pick up and drop off at existing and new docks, piers and kayak launches in this new 4.8 mile Waterfront zone? I've asked but have not heard back. Same thing with my councilman Don Redman. It is his district and he is also on Waterways. Tetlak- What is your position?
Quote from: Noone on September 09, 2014, 02:45:49 AM
Quote from: AuditoreEnterprise on May 12, 2014, 10:12:33 PM
interesting. I never really thought about the required licenses and permits that Taxi drivers have. I am curious to see where this ends up going in the long run.
The same thing is happening on our rivers edge downtown. 2014-305 New docking Rules and Penalties. Then 2014-560 the new CRA/DIA zone. You have to follow the ordinance in the zone. 9/10/14 Next JWC Waterways Commission meeting. Does the St. Johns Riverkeeper support a 10 minute watercraft pick up and drop off at existing and new docks, piers and kayak launches in this new 4.8 mile Waterfront zone? I've asked but have not heard back. Same thing with my councilman Don Redman. It is his district and he is also on Waterways. Tetlak- What is your position?
How in the world does this have anything to do with taxis?
Disrespectful government to consumers: "You're not smart enough to make your own choices therefore we must substitute our judgement for yours for your own good. You're welcome."
Quote from: urbanlibertarian on September 09, 2014, 08:40:31 AM
Disrespectful government to consumers: "You're not smart enough to make your own choices therefore we must substitute our judgement for yours for your own good. You're welcome."
I don't fully agree with this. How would a 'consumer' be able to make an educated decision on which elevator to take in the absence of elevator inspections? Would he have to check each one out? Just take a chance? Or just resign himself to the stairs? It's much easier when we can assume the elevator is safe to use if it is operating.
Unfortunately for Uber and Lyft, transportation is a highly regulated industry. They are trying to skirt some regulations by claiming they are a technology startup and not a transportation company. Just because you aren't using Uber doesn't mean you can't collide with one.
It would be fine if they just warned us about the risks of paying an unlicensed driver and vehicle for a ride, but they are making a peaceful transaction between competent adults illegal. It should be legal for people to judge the risks for themselves. The government is our servant not our master.
^Until the unlicensed driver hits and kills someone uninvolved in the transaction on a public road. Reasonable regulation is to be expected. The much bigger problem is unreasonable regulation (whether on Uber and Lyft or on traditional cab companies) and local governments using regulation as a cudgel to protect vested interests from a competitor that appears to offer substantially better service to consumers.
Quote from: Tacachale on September 09, 2014, 09:53:39 AM
^Until the unlicensed driver hits and kills someone uninvolved in the transaction on a public road.
This already happened almost a year ago.
Lyft drivers speaking at city council meeting right now.
I recently just had my first Uber experience in Atlanta this past weekend. Not too bad.
I wonder if this will have any effect on FL/GA weekend
Once somebody told me that uber and lyft each provide $1mm liability policies to drivers using their networks, my issue with these services was resolved. Regular insurance won't cover an accident that occurred during commercial hire use, but since it appears they resolved that issue already, I suspect this is just more of the typical "competition by legislation" that is becoming the norm around here.