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A Backhanded Defense of Las Vegas' Taxi Regulation
At Medium.com, Blake Ross takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the consumer protections that exist courtesy of the the Nevada Taxicab Authority, which (putting it mildly) seem to be rather more friendly to the existing taxi businesses in Las Vegas than they are to any disgruntled riders. By contrast with Uber (just booted from Las Vegas), Ross points out that the Taxicab Authority relies on antiquated complaint forms, random police checks, overlooked airport signs, and expensive tracking devices. Nonethess, says Ross, "I stand with Nevada and say—leave this to the pros."
The Strip's monorail could trivially have extended to the airport, but that plan was nixed in order to preserve the taxis' revenue stream. What a crock.
But it's got fuck-all to do with anything nerdy I can think of. Medium.com is covering this well. Let them handle it.
...in the taxi market, which is why we have regulation today.
And we've already seen how psychopathically Uber is willing to behave, for the avoidance of doubt.
Yeah, the first hit's always cheap. Do Americans have history classes in school?
Do Americans have history classes in school?
Yes, I can see eager young minds salivating at the thought of learning more about the exciting history of taxi regulation in the US. Come on, man; nobody in the nerderati even knew about taxi regulations until we started talking about Uber. Everyone's an expert on whatever topic they Google about.
Apparently not. But I am American, and I understand the problem here.
What bothers me isn't the lack of an understanding of history but rather a lack of understanding about civics.
Regulations can suck, but they don't -have- to.
If the regulation sucks, reform the regulations. Don't throw a huge hissy fit and shit the bed out of spite.
There's so much entitled Valley logic in the business model at Uber that it's hideously disturbing,
(Not to mention the whole "let's get a PI on a journalist who didn't like us" thing)
Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
At certain times (generally Friday after rush hour to midnight and Saturday evenings/nights), it is faster and probably cheaper to take the highway to strip hotels on the west side of the strip (it's easier to get to the east side strip hotels going the back way). Anytime you cross (or God forbid have to travel on) the strip in traffic, it adds quite a bit of time/money to your journey. Some west side hotels are inconvenient from any route, though (Monte Carlo and Mirage, and to a slightly lesser extent, Caesar's, immediately come to mind).
I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it by not dying. - Woody Allen
Now you have.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/a...
Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.
Sorry I travel 2 sometimes 3 times a month to Vegas and I have to say outside of NYC it's the biggest taxi racket out there. Because of the terminal locations, it's a guaranteed $10 sometimes $15 bucks before you even get to the Strip because of the circuitous routing and roads. One time I had a driver "miss" the airport exit and then had to argue with him over the extra $13 bucks on the meter because of his mistake. So now I rent cars when I go there and again, Vegas leads this category in stupidity. Hike to the Rental Car Shuttle Bus, ride for 10 minutes, more lines, more hassle and oh yeah nice "Franchise" fees on top of "Airport Taxes" to pile onto the car. Still, it's better than a taxi there.
Harrison's Postulate - "For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism"
http://www.forbes.com/fdc/welc...
If a taxi company screws with me in New York I can get redress because our regulators aren't idiots.
Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
Come on, man; nobody in the nerderati even knew about taxi regulations until we started talking about Uber.
Actually, anybody who knows anything about how labor unions -- and, in the case of Las Vegas, the spectre of organized crime syndicates -- use their political muscle to destroy free market competition knows pretty much whatever they need to know about this situation. Uber/Lyft represented a threat to the government-enforced near monopoly of the taxi market, using laws created by labor unions and pitched to politicians in concert with generous campaign contributions. Business as usual.
In the end they will lay their freedom at our feet and say to us, Make us your slaves, but feed us. - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Just make it high enough that the planes can go under it. :-D
Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.
http://valleywag.gawker.com/an...
There have been allegations of sexual assault and kidnapping, both of which aren't particularly good news. Uber's early responses were poor (e.g. not doing anything), but the most recent sexual assault has resulted in a suspended driver.
I agree that taxi lobbying has been disturbingly effective over time, resulting in diminished service quality, high prices, and licensing conditions that favor taxi dispatch companies rather than taxi drivers. These artificially restricted markets have effectively created environments ripe for disruptive alternatives.
That said, what Uber is doing with Uber X is typically illegal. For instance, in California, vehicles transporting fewer than 15 passengers one-way on a hire basis are required to file for a TCP P permit. The filing fee is $1000, and renewal is $100 every three years. Additional liability insurance (typically for $750k for Uber-type vehicles) is also required, as is controlled substance testing (drug, alcohol).
So when you got in Uber Black cars back in the early days (when that was the only type of Uber), you hopped into the vehicle of a state-licensed driver with an investment in the profession. These days, when you hop into an Uber X, it's a less consistent experience. Sometimes it's a lost out-of-towner. Sometimes there are groceries in the trunk (not a joke). Sometimes the drivers are dangerously sleepy/incompetent/distracted.
Oddly, one impact I've noticed in Uber X cities is that the Uber Black drivers have toned down the limo aspect. Most Uber Black drivers that I encounter don't wear suits, supply water or mints, help with bags, or make an effort to stop accurately. The overwhelming majority of drivers that I talk with have dropped non-uber commitments (e.g. airport runs for known contacts), so it's probably just part of the evolution of the service.
Back on point, the "entitled Valley logic" point is, at the very least, founded in the evidence of a company knowingly profiting from poor enforcement of local/regional laws and deferral of responsibility to "private contractors" (stretching the envelope of the IRS definition of a contractor).
Code first and ask lawyers later (or never) is more the hallmark of San Francisco than the Valley/South-bay, but it feels like a fair point. I'm a fan of Uber, but I can take a reasoned view of the organization and its actions.
I've not heard of a single case of an Uber or Lyft ride going terribly wrong.
I guess it depends on your definition of "terribly wrong".
Uber Suspends Driver Accused of Sexual Assault (http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Police-Make-Arrest-After-Woman-Accuses-Uber-Driver-of-Assault-268755481.html)
Uber driver accused of hammer attack on S.F. rider (http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Uber-driver-accused-of-hammer-attack-on-San-5783495.php)
Uber Driver Arrested For Allegedly Kidnapping California Woman (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/04/uber-driver-kidnapping-los-angeles_n_5442676.html)
Florida Uber driver says he grabbed customer’s breast because she wasn’t wearing a bra (http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/florida-uber-driver-grabs-female-passenger-breast-cops-article-1.1953167)
And then there's The Ten Worst Uber Horror Stories (http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/11/19/the-ten-worst-uber-horror-stories.html)
Your .sig says "I'd rather be free to choose, even if I make the wrong choices." Getting into a gypsy cab in NYC was the last choice some people made, back in the bad old days of the 1990s. Personally, before I put my life in the hands of a cab driver, I'd like to have some idea that the driver is licensed and the cab was inspected at some point. There's a difference between bringing new technology to improve an old market, and doing an end-run around all of the rules."Wouldn't soccer be so much better if people could use their hands?"
Well, taxis have their own horror stories, including at least one serial killer.
Sexual assault is only a click away (googled "taxi driver assault" and skipped the advertisement)
Grabbing the breasts is only ONE of the things this taxi driver did...
kidnap and rape
But I understand your rebuttal of somebody saying they've never heard of a ride gone bad with Uber. Personally, I think the important part would be rate at which things go wrong(and horribly wrong).
I don't read AC A human right
Sorry I travel 2 sometimes 3 times a month to Vegas and I have to say outside of NYC it's the biggest taxi racket out there. Because of the terminal locations, it's a guaranteed $10 sometimes $15 bucks before you even get to the Strip because of the circuitous routing and roads. One time I had a driver "miss" the airport exit and then had to argue with him over the extra $13 bucks on the meter because of his mistake. So now I rent cars when I go there and again, Vegas leads this category in stupidity. Hike to the Rental Car Shuttle Bus, ride for 10 minutes, more lines, more hassle and oh yeah nice "Franchise" fees on top of "Airport Taxes" to pile onto the car. Still, it's better than a taxi there.
If you go the non-highway route, it's pretty direct. There's not much "circuitous routing" at all. And compare the airport-to-where-most-people-go fares to other cities' fares - it's quite low. I'm not defending anyone trying to make your ride longer and charging for it, I'm just saying Las Vegas is one of the best cities in the country for cabs if everything's honest. Next time you get in a cab in non-peak times, say "Take Tropicana" if you're going to the South side of the strip, and say, "Take Swenson" if you're going anywhere north of City Center/Planet Hollywood. The cabbie will think you know where you're going and won't take you out of the way.
As far as renting a car goes, it takes an extremely long time unless you go to Hertz or Avis, who invariably charge double or more what the discount places charge. I made the mistake of renting from Dollar one time, and I certainly got what I pad for. At least a dozen people in line and one agent. On subsequent rentals, I see the same thing at Dollar/Fox/etc... - hideous lines and one or maybe two agents. I'd rather spend $15-20 each way on cab fare and save an hour, but if your time is worth nothing, then the discount places may be worth it to you.
I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it by not dying. - Woody Allen
If the regulation sucks, reform the regulations. Don't throw a huge hissy fit and shit the bed out of spite.
Like dumping tea in the harbor.
You say "reform the regulations" as if the "two" party system in the USA actually represents our interests at all.
So no, we won't just politely file our objections in the round bin, and we won't stop with our "hissy fit" any time soon.
Yes. It's called rugby.
The important part is surely what do the regulations do to prevent negative experiences. We already have a form of regulation which are laws against these kind of things that lead to prosecution and jail sentences. Then one should consider that not all regulation is government regulation. Companies are apparently adjusting their rules to take account of concerns that people have. If they didn't, they'd lose customers to the competition that does and go out of business. Of course, if the government don't adjust their regulations appropriately, you always have the choice to... Oh wait.
Cab drivers in Vegas are supposed to use the shortest route to airport but will us the longer route to get extra bucks. If you call them on it they will cut the fare to the proper one rather than risk a confrontation and potentially losing their license (1). All I've had to do is when given the fare ask "Why did you use the longer route instead dog the proper one?" and I get an "Damn" look and the driver charges me properly. Conversely, if a driver uses the proper route I give a tip that covers the difference plus and thank him for doing so.
Note 1: This was told to me by a LV cabbie
I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
It's hardly a failure of the design -- it's a critical part of the design of the "new" Las Vegas.
When Vegas ditched the family friendly amusement park atmosphere of the 90's dissolved into 2004's "What Happens in Vegas" slogan, the new Vegas experience became radically different. No longer did you go see a magic act and white tigers before riding a roller-coaster with your kids... Now the experience is: Gamble, eat at a celebrity chef's restaurant for dinner, see a half-naked Cirque du Soleil, gamble some more, score some E, go to club Uuntz to see the celebrity DJ fresh from the Jersey Shore, take a nap in your room, recover at the topless pool the next morning, visit the mega-buffet for lunch, go shopping in our mall and repeat for as many days as you're staying.
The resort hotels are now designed to provide this entire experience without leaving the confines of your resort, or at least without leaving the block of cheap East-side-of-the-Strip Harrah's properties. You can do it all under one roof now, and there's no need to step foot outside of Bellagio unless you want to see the fountains go off. Walking down the Strip isn't meant to be easy any longer. The boardwalk outside of NYNY for a faster trip to Excalibur may be the last of its kind. It's a long walk from two neighboring hotels on purpose now. Taxi stands are moving to the back. Stay here! We've got it all.
So, a Stanford educated computer scientist notes that the Nevada Taxicab Authority is corrupt in a gambling town created by mobsters? We didn't realize this until Uber was asked to leave? I've been to Vegas many times for both business and, um, pleasure (but not the kind you're thinking of). I remember that the taxis and shuttles were cash only and a mob operation based on the prices. My advice is to skip Las Vegas. Convince people that Las Vegas is not the place to go on vacation unless your name is Vinny and you work for a privately held "family" business (if you know what I mean). If you have to go to Vegas, then rent a car.
May the force be with you.
I think you'll find these kind of incidents also happen with regular cab drivers. Newspaper articles are often not a good source of data for these kind of stats.
I get your comparison of Uber to gypsy cabs, but they were not really a problem for most people -- so much as for medallion owners.
For a really long time (the 70s thru the 90s), they were about the only way to get a ride to Harlem, South Bronx and other locales cabbies were afraid of. Car services the exception.
The most frequent kind of gypsy cab I notice are towncar and limo drivers cruising for illegal street pickups during nightclub hours in Manhattan.
I only use Flywheel, the equivalent app for taxis. I can get a cab at 3:00 AM in the middle of nowhere in minutes. Much preferred, plus I support the idea of a livable wage for people that drive 12 hours a day, instead of Uber's race to the bottommost wage.
I have friends that drive for Uber and Lyft - occasionally I'll hire them, for airport runs typically. Taxis for everything else, even though they're more expensive.
O lord, bless this thy holy hand grenade, that with it thou mayest blow thine enemies to tiny bits, in thy mercy.
Let's expand the medallion limited business model. Food stores, restaurants, clothing stores, plumbers, electricians, programers. Union hiring halls can do the same thing for common laborers. Consumers will be assured that everything they can afford to buy will be the best.