Car-sharing service faces uber-challenge
John the Baptist is asked by priests and Levites to explain himself in this Sunday’s gospel: “Who are you . . . What do you have to say for yourself?” The car-sharing service Uber . . .
John the Baptist is asked by priests and Levites to explain himself in this Sunday’s gospel: “Who are you . . . What do you have to say for yourself?” The car-sharing service Uber, launched in San Francisco in 2009 and now a booming billion-dollar business, is facing growing challenges from around the world that it violates local transportation laws.
Brussels, Belgium, already known for its complicated taxi laws, banned Uber in April and threatened drivers with a $12,000 fine. Uber has disputed the ruling and continued to operate. In London, Uber has faced down one of the world's most entrenched (and expensive) taxi systems. It's led to protests from the iconic "black cab" drivers, who brought traffic to a standstill this summer and demanded Uber be further regulated.
Montreal's mayor has told reporters that Uber is illegal, and the city of Toronto has tried to shut Uber's services down. In coming days, Uber is expected to find out if its service will be banned in France.
Taxi drivers in Germany have been particularly vocal in their opposition to Uber, with one legal challenge from Taxi Deutschland calling the ride-sharing app a "form of locust share-economy" that was taking part in "anarchy capitalism."
The company has since faced legal problems, most notably a nationwide cease and desist order given out by a Frankfurt court in August that threatened a fine of up to $300,000 per ride for drivers. Though that decision was later overturned, Uber also faces challenges to its operations in, among others, the Netherlands, India, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, and Thailand.
It's worth pointing out that Uber has also been welcomed in countries and sometimes is viewed as a positive force. In Saudi Arabia some see it as helping women, barred from driving, become more independent.
The company has also shown a remarkable willingness to engage in lengthy legal and publicity battles to win over courts and the public. Still, Uber faces multiple challenges in its efforts to pioneer a high-tech, decentralized way of offering a traditional business and its future remains in doubt.
Homily hint: The world of commerce is changing quickly thanks to new online technologies. Old models of doing business, and those whose livelihoods depend on them, are threatened. While we can welcome the new, let’s not throw the old—in this case the many hardworking licensed cabbies around the word—under the (online) bus!
Brussels, Belgium, already known for its complicated taxi laws, banned Uber in April and threatened drivers with a $12,000 fine. Uber has disputed the ruling and continued to operate. In London, Uber has faced down one of the world's most entrenched (and expensive) taxi systems. It's led to protests from the iconic "black cab" drivers, who brought traffic to a standstill this summer and demanded Uber be further regulated.
Montreal's mayor has told reporters that Uber is illegal, and the city of Toronto has tried to shut Uber's services down. In coming days, Uber is expected to find out if its service will be banned in France.
Taxi drivers in Germany have been particularly vocal in their opposition to Uber, with one legal challenge from Taxi Deutschland calling the ride-sharing app a "form of locust share-economy" that was taking part in "anarchy capitalism."
The company has since faced legal problems, most notably a nationwide cease and desist order given out by a Frankfurt court in August that threatened a fine of up to $300,000 per ride for drivers. Though that decision was later overturned, Uber also faces challenges to its operations in, among others, the Netherlands, India, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, and Thailand.
It's worth pointing out that Uber has also been welcomed in countries and sometimes is viewed as a positive force. In Saudi Arabia some see it as helping women, barred from driving, become more independent.
The company has also shown a remarkable willingness to engage in lengthy legal and publicity battles to win over courts and the public. Still, Uber faces multiple challenges in its efforts to pioneer a high-tech, decentralized way of offering a traditional business and its future remains in doubt.
Homily hint: The world of commerce is changing quickly thanks to new online technologies. Old models of doing business, and those whose livelihoods depend on them, are threatened. While we can welcome the new, let’s not throw the old—in this case the many hardworking licensed cabbies around the word—under the (online) bus!
Source: An article by Adam Taylor for The Washington Post