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Taxi Companies Sue Uber For False Advertising On Safety
jfruh writes "A group of California taxi operators are suing Uber, claiming the ridehailing service is guilty of false advertising when it comes to rider safety. The taxi companies claim that Uber doesn't use a Live Scan fingerprint ID for drivers like they do, and that the $1 "safe rides" fee on every fare doesn't specifically go towards boosting safety. From the article: "The suit comes in the wake of problems Uber is facing in some countries. On Wednesday, the Frankfurt Regional Court issued a nationwide ban against the company’s UberPop service after declaring its business model illegal. Using a smartphone app to connect passengers with private drivers that use their own cars and don’t have the required licenses is illegal, the court observed."
Uber is tracking where both drivers and passengers are, and the fact that a passenger has booked with a particular driver...
If I hail a cab, no-one knows where I am or who I am with.
It's not like cab drivers have never harmed anyone. It's also not like others have not harmed cab drivers. The fact that with Uber both sides have been to some degree vetted makes the whole transaction inherently safer, both for riders and drivers.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Or it would have beeen if my bloody Uber driver knew where he was going.
systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
It doesn't seem like the taxi companies should be able to sue for this. If anyone it should be someone claiming (safety, not competitive) harm.
Now where's the competition for ISPs and telcos?
That's not even close to being true. I find it amusing that outright lies get immediate upvotes here because fuck you that's why.
Seven Year Old San Francisco Girl Struck and Killed By Uber Driver; Uber Denies Responsibility http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/...
Boston Uber Driver Charged with indecent Assault and Battery http://www.bostonglobe.com/met...
Off-Duty LA Uber Driver Accused of Sexual Assault http://www.bizjournals.com/los...
Chicago Uber Driver With Felony Conviction Charged With Battery For Allegedly Hitting Passenger http://www.forbes.com/sites/el...
Writer and Activist Reports Being Choked in DC; Uber Denies The Event and Responsibility http://valleywag.gawker.com/ub...
DC Uber Driver Allegedly Assaults Customer for Burping http://www.washingtoncitypaper...
San Francisco Uber Customer Claims Abuse and Assault by Uber Driver (Pando) http://pando.com/2013/11/25/ub...
Passenger Struck In Head With Hammer by UberX Driver http://www.forbes.com/sites/el...
Uber Driver Pulls Gun on Valet in Atlanta http://pando.com/2014/09/08/at...
Uber Driver Punches Passenger in Oklahoma http://newsok.com/oklahoma-cit...
Lyft Driver Attacks Pedestrian in San Francisco http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news...
Lyft Driver Brandishes Knife in Los Angeles http://www.laweekly.com/2013-0...
Uber Customer Sues for $2M over Alleged Driver Stabbing in DC http://dcinno.streetwise.co/20...
DC Uber Driver Allegedly Rapes Customer http://betabeat.com/2013/03/ub...
Uber Driver Charged with Fondling Passenger in Chicago http://valleywag.gawker.com/ub...
DC Uber Driver Arrested for Alleged Rape But Not Charged Despite Strong Evidence http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
Another DC Uber Driver Accused of Molesting Uber Rider http://valleywag.gawker.com/an...
Passenger Struck In Head With Hammer by UberX Driver http://www.forbes.com/sites/el...
Uber Driver in India Accused of Rape http://www.bbc.c
Tell that to these people
Googe "Cab driver rapes" and "Cab driver killed" to see how safe cabs are.
Anything you can dig up on Uber, cabs have been having the same problem lots longer and mostly unreported since there is no tracking.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
No it should be taxis suing. They should be suing for libel. Claiming your service is safer than the competition when it's the same exact service is lying!
What about these people?
Common theme among many such stories: "police are searching for driver" because they (and the victims) often do not know which exact cab they used... with Uber there's a record of exactly which car and driver was used, and you had a picture of the driver to verify who it was before you got into the vehicle. In the last story the woman cannot even remember which cab company she used, and she paid with cash... neither aspects possible with Uber.
Why do you imagine you can make Uber seem scarier than cabs? The fundamental points I raised mean you simply cannot.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Why compete when you can just sue? It's too hard to improve your service and/or lower your prices.
Do a similar search about taxis and I guarantee you that there are an equal, if not more, number of cases where taxi drivers do the same or worse. You're just picking and choosing what to post.
I've had a cab driver state to my wife that in his country, they cut off women's tits for "talking back." I've had another cabbie pull a gun on a coworker who, though intoxicated, was no violent in any way at all and certainly didn't deserve that treatment. Hate on Uber all you want, but it exists because taxis have sucked, tremendously, for years, and couldn't be bothered to fix any of their own shitty, overpriced service, and the people want something better. The genie is out of the bottle and he's not going back, no matter how much fear-mongering you and your cause try to do.
If I hail a cab, no-one knows where I am or who I am with.
It's not like cab drivers have never harmed anyone.
How American of you. I can tell you that in some countries, standing on the street corner and hailing a cab is just plain STUPID. You ALWAYS call or use a designated dispatcher. You may feel safe just finding a cab on the street here in the USA, but be careful when you leave here.
Uber/Lyft are perhaps a bit safer concerning the people involved, but there ARE risks. Drivers are NOT trained or licensed, equipment is NOT inspected and you don't know if that driver that picks you up isn't some serial killer looking for the next victim, just drank a 5th, or just is out looking for a few bucks. You don't know if you will be lost for the next hour or if the driver has slept in the last 24 hours. Not that Taxi services have the best equipment or hire the cleanest drivers, but they do at least care enough to meet the regulations and keep things reasonably safe and orderly.
"File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
Live Scan is just running a fingerprint to look for a match in a criminal justice system. It's a part of running a background check. I fail to see what that has to do with safety.
For fuck's sake, why not just advertise that you run an MVR on a taxi driver's CDL?
"police are searching for driver"
Apples to Orangutans - Uber don't have "walk ups", a fair comparison would be between Uber and a booked taxi.
Do Uber have hidden mics, panic buttons, and radio code words for trouble? Taxi's in Oz had all those things when I was a driver back in the 80's, nowadays they also have cameras. Everyone talks about passenger safety, the fact is drivers are at least an order of magnitude more likely to be attacked than the passenger.
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
No worries people, because drivers will soon become obsolete anyway...
If Pandora's box is destined to be opened, *I* want to be the one to open it.
$1.6B for paying lawyers.
Oh. I wasn't aware that since the police know where to look for the murdered victim that victim is safer.
Oh, the demonstration of humanity. You must be a taxi driver.
And you think that is a good thing.
But if that driver decides to stop and assault you, tracking them will do nothing as it's still a he-said/she-said case in court.
OTOH, taxis in my city are fitted with CCTV cameras inside and out. In the unlikely event the footage is unavailable (the companies have never hesitated to turn it over because it gets them off the liabilty hook) it still counts in my favour.
Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
I'm sure Uber's lawyers are ready to smack the cartels down. Frivolous litigation, defamation, etc.
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
I hope an uber driver rapes and kills you you sub human piece of shit. ..and I see that the cab cartel's PR firm has sent a minion to comment on this story.
Sorry about your shitty industry, sparky. Uber, Lyft and Sidecar are eating your lunch because cabs SUCK.
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
I can tell you that in some countries, standing on the street corner and hailing a cab is just plain STUPID.
Yeah, I've heard horror stories about Mexico. Never had any problem with cabs there myself, but I always got them from the front of my hotel.
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
Licensed cab drivers have comprehensive record checks.
Licensed cab drivers have adequate insurance.
Licensed cab drivers (in any decent place) drive very identifiable cars, and anyone else trying to drive in a similar car will stand out like a sore thumb.
Licensed cab drivers (in the best places) have to take some of the toughest exams in the world for spatial awareness (i.e. London's "The Knowledge" exam).
An Uber driver need give so little evidence to become a contractor that he could easily have faked his identity.
An Uber driver has much less invested in his job, so does not stand to lose so much if he drives the long way (any decent place regularly tests its taxi drivers for honesty) or otherwise abuses his passenger.
An Uber driver (who already has false id) wanting to cause great harm will switch off the GPS and/or report that the fare is no longer in the car. Many genuine taxi services have cameras in the cabs, which is a much safer prospect if you think a technical solution to a social problem is the way to go.
I have regularly taken taxis in places where an unlicensed driver had a not insignificant chance of being a fatal choice, e.g. in Manila years ago when Western tourists were being regularly kidnapped. As with all effective business, one was relying on the reputation of a firm and its employees - something that simply doesn't exist with Uber because they have no employees. Even in more stable countries, the same principle applies.
Only a fool would consider Uber a less risky choice than a properly licensed taxi. Of course, a fool and their money are soon parted.
Drivers are NOT trained or licensed, equipment is NOT inspected and you don't know if that driver that picks you up isn't some serial killer looking for the next victim, just drank a 5th, or just is out looking for a few bucks.
1. Hopefully they're licensed. They might not have a commercial license, but they have a driver's license that allows them to drive the route they're taking you without you being in the car, or if you're 'just a friend', etc... What extra training do you think they need to drive you there for money, and if it increases safety why don't we require it of the non-commercial drivers as well?
2. Serial killer - Cab background checks aren't going to catch a serial killer, and there have been serial killers who were employed as taxi drivers, and killed using their Taxi jobs. There are some criminal sorts that would be caught by a background check, but from what I've been hearing, there's issues with the background check system - IE some counties aren't reporting stuff. This would be a problem that Taxi companies suffer from as well, because the same companies are being used. Hell, it's a problem with the federal NICS system.
3. Just drank a fifth - if they're noticably drunk, refuse the ride, give them a bad review(mention 'drunk') and they'll quickly lose their employment with whoever. Hell, I'm sure the police would be interested, so call 911.
4. Just out for a few bucks - well, this is what I hope for as well.
5. Equipment inspected. I'm not sure what role this is supposed to solve, at least in the USA and with a 'clean looking' vehicle.
I don't read AC A human right
But it isn't the exact same service. Uber is tracking all of its drivers and passengers like Big Brother with a Boner. You would have to be a complete MORON to commit a crime as an Uber driver. It's like wearing a big sign that is visible from outer space with your name and DL number on it that also displays your exact location.
I guess that's a "yes" to that question.
Dat delicious butthurt. I'm going to save your tears to go on my morning toast.
Uber drivers have criminal background checks.
Uber provides commercial insurance starting when a passenger gets into the vehicle.
Uber drivers drive in cars that are identified on the ap, and tracked via not one but two separate GPS devices.
Uber drivers use GPS, which knows the roads better than any human.
Sounds like some anon in this thread is butthurt at the fact that he's obsolete. Cry me a river. Now there's a talent that won't be made obsolete for some time.
"But if that driver decides to stop and assault you, tracking them will do nothing as it's still a he-said/she-said case in court."
No it isn't, you big fat idiot. The trip record will show an anomalously long stop/side trip, and your vagina will be full of evidence of one sort or the other. No jury is going to believe that some woman just asked her Uber driver to pull over so they could have rough sex.
Uber/Lyft are perhaps a bit safer concerning the people involved, but there ARE risks. Drivers are NOT trained or licensed, equipment is NOT inspected and you don't know if that driver that picks you up isn't some serial killer looking for the next victim, just drank a 5th, or just is out looking for a few bucks.
You don't know any of that with the licensed taxis either. You are asserting that a barrier to entry will drive off the bad ones. Yes, I've seen that asserted many times, but I've never seen protectionism of a industry be a good thing for the users. With the apps, you get reviews and ratings. When you call in for a taxi pickup, you have *fewer* protections.
Learn to love Alaska
Thanks for the links. Sad to see some moderators would bury something insightful over some coarse language.
... But maybe it's time to change the law?
Uber has countless problems and is in lots of legal difficulties. And yet the fans STILL defend it.
If it's not regulated, they don't want people to engage in business. Nothing new here. Their modus operandi is "bigger government, and more intrusion in private affairs is always better".
Get your free Dropbox account with 2 GB Free storage!
Uber drivers use GPS, which knows the roads better than any human.
Really? I've had many different GPS systems in many hire cars. All of which were up to date, and still they would tell me to turn off a freeway onto an overhead bridge when there was no offramp, or instruct me to get off the freeway, head back down the other way for 5km, then do a U turn and go back in my original destination. I havebeen instructed to leave the freeway, cross the adjoining intersection, and then rejoin the freeway.
Moreso, a GPS will not tell you that road A is congested at a particular time due to peak hour/school zones/sports events are in operation. They wont tell you that lane 2 has a huge pothole in it that will jar your teeth if you drive over it, and you're better off in lane 1 or 3.
GPS are nothing more than a digital street map, and that will always come in second when compared to the knowledgebase of a dedicated driver.
I suggest you go read up on how the operators of London's Black Cabs are tested, and what they have to do to get their licence.
...Uber is tracking all of its drivers and passengers like Big Brother with a Boner.
Great, now I have to find a way to wash my minds eye with peroxide...
You have the right to remain sentient. If you give up the right to remain sentient, you will be elected to public office
maybe for you, personally I nearly always book my taxi through a dispatcher or online use a PC or a mobile app. tracking is the same, but on top of that I get insurance coverage and a reasonable certainty that the driver is actually licensed and his vehicle is regularly inspected (pretty important in an accident).
Licensed cab drivers have comprehensive record checks.
In places where the regulators aren't simply an extension of the taxi unions and want to see innovation and an improved service they work with Uber and Uber drivers have comprehensive checks too. If Uber are using unlicensed drivers in your city you've got the regulators to thank for not licensing them as much as Uber for employing them.
Licensed cab drivers have adequate insurance.
See above, although AFAIK Uber drivers are required to have appropriate liability insurance everywhere.
Licensed cab drivers (in any decent place) drive very identifiable cars, and anyone else trying to drive in a similar car will stand out like a sore thumb.
I can't speak for other cities but, in London, anyone can drive a black cab as a private car, you just can't use it as a taxi. The reason people don't is that they're designed to be practical as taxis, not private vehicles. (Interestingly a number of celebrities drive them precisely because it means they don't stick out like a sore thumb.) And unlicensed taxi drivers certainly exist and do drive black cabs (although they're a much smaller problem than minicab drivers operating a hail and ride service outside their license... but the passenger has made a conscious choice in those cases so I don't have a problem with that).
Licensed cab drivers (in the best places) have to take some of the toughest exams in the world for spatial awareness (i.e. London's "The Knowledge" exam).
If this is so great then taxi drivers don't need to fear competition from Uber, the markets will choose their superior knowledge. Oh wait, it turns out this feted exam utilises obsolete technology (the human memory) to create an excessively high barrier of entry to protect the jobs of taxi drivers who don't want to face true commercial competition.
An Uber driver need give so little evidence to become a contractor that he could easily have faked his identity.
That depends heavily on jurisdiction. Again, if the regulators would work with Uber this could easily be overcome. It also ignore the fact that it's much easier to know I got the driver I ordered with Uber while if I hail a random cab I have no idea if the driver's license is genuine, even if it is a really rigorous process to get a genuine license.
An Uber driver has much less invested in his job, so does not stand to lose so much if he drives the long way (any decent place regularly tests its taxi drivers for honesty) or otherwise abuses his passenger.
Yet again Uber wins. They can review the route and arbitrate appropriately. With the traditional taxi even if you know the drivers details and file a claim it's basically he said, she said. But hey, the current system works so well why change it?
An Uber driver (who already has false id) wanting to cause great harm will switch off the GPS and/or report that the fare is no longer in the car.
Yet he's still the last known point of contact with that person. If I were a psychopath that puts me a darn sight nearer the centre of the police's radar than I'd like. So yes, it's an effective deterrent.
Many genuine taxi services have cameras in the cabs, which is a much safer prospect if you think a technical solution to a social problem is the way to go.
Oh sure. Once you know which cab they hailed off the street you can review the footage. These solutions (trip logging/camera) are neither solving the same problem nor mutually exclusive.
I suggest you go read up on how the operators of London's Black Cabs are tested, and what they have to do to get their licence.
And then ask some Londoner's whether they think this fêted test is really worth paying for.
For your future interactions with people, when you are actually right, know that it would be more productive to give the reasons why than to throw feces like a monkey.
How American of you. I can tell you that in some countries, standing on the street corner and hailing a cab is just plain STUPID. You ALWAYS call or use a designated dispatcher.
I've travelled to scores of countries. In every one, at the airport (or shipping port or even many hotels), getting a cab I was using a "dispatcher" (called the person monitoring the head of the taxi queue).
Not once in any country have I ever been asked who I was, and often not even asked where I was going (the cab driver asks that).
As for calling a dispatcher, how many people really verify the taxi they are getting into is the one a dispatcher sent... there is no record of who is getting into what cab.
Uber/Lyft are perhaps a bit safer concerning the people involved, but there ARE risks. Drivers are NOT trained or licensed
Wrong again, at least with Uber. Town cars are trained and licenced professional drivers.
UberX drivers are not "trained" but come on, what training is there beyond being an experienced driver? Since you are following GPS to a location you don't need edifice black-cab driver level memory of the area. And lets be realistic again, real world taxi drivers (outside of NYC taxis and black cab drivers) are often some of the bat-shit craziest drivers on the planet. I'd way rather have been driving myself as an "untrained" driver rather than the uber (pun intended) distracted taxi driver meandering all over the read.
equipment is NOT inspected
Again untue, Uber absolutely inspects cars before they can drive for UberX.
I have been in many, many cabs that were crumbling wrecks, at least on the inside. I have never seen an UberX car is such terrible condition.
you don't know if that driver that picks you up isn't some serial killer looking for the next victim
I know that if someone wanted to do that they'd way more likely try to be a taxi driver, than drive for UberX where every victim was connected to them by a very clear record of location and association.
they do at least care enough to meet the regulations and keep things reasonably safe and orderly.
Sorry but based on real world taxi services around the world that is utter fantasy. And you complain because I'm American? You should try traveling more to open your eyes on this!
What the "regulations" are there for across the world, is to ensure a limited supply of cab drivers and kickbacks to the people who own the taxi license. That's why it's utterly futile to complain when scams are run on you (which they are, all the time).
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
It has way fewer problems than traditional cabs. We defend Uber because we are tired of decades of horrific cab driving experiences...
As for the "legal troubles" note those are all from cab unions protecting a sweet, sweet racket. They can hear the music playing but they plan to squeeze the riding public for every last cent before the music stops and they have to compete on service.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Since there is no one fixed location Uber is allowed to operate from, ALL uber rides are the equivilent of walk-ups - you are just using an app to hail instead of getting the visibly. Often you can see there's an uber on the same street you are standing on; you still use the app because that's the only way the driver gets paid.
Do Uber have hidden mics, panic buttons, and radio code words for trouble?
Yes, the app offers that (panic button anyway, plenty of apps to do the other things for you).
I mean, YOU would really trust a "panic button" in a cab that you've never seen before in your life? Good luck with that!
nowadays they also have cameras
Wow, cameras that are in full control of the driver at all times! I sure am feeling safe now!
That's like taking all your eggs, and storing them in the Loose Hammer box on a plane during turbulence...
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Indeed. Cab drivers harming people in thr past are exactly the reason why we have licensing laws. It's rare now because that part of the laws at least works. That those laws have also been perverted to other purposes is something that people should have changed by now if they were that annoyed about it.
Uber isn't some kind of civil disobedience out to pursue a noble goal, even though their libertarian fanboys seem to think so. They are a for-profit company which appears to a reasonable observer to be flaunting the law. I can't stand taxi companies and I can't stand agreeing with them, but I think they're probably right this time.
Aside from experiences, there's also the price. In some countries (Denmark) regular cab fare is pretty expensive and Uber and similar is far cheaper. Until recently it was a requirement that expensive high end cars (usually Mercedes) were used as cabs, and now more regular cars are often used, but the fares are centrally controlled and they have not come down.
"For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong." -- H.L. Mencken (1880-1956) --
The cab stands at airports, and the cab stands near train stations have gotten regular business from me when I've been in a hurry.
5. Equipment inspected. I'm not sure what role this is supposed to solve, at least in the USA and with a 'clean looking' vehicle.
It's a lie anyway, anyone who's been in a cab knows that cabs are regularly in shit mechanical condition. Clunks, rattles, I've definitely been in cabs that felt like they were about to disintegrate. I seriously wondered from noises if vehicles would make the trip several times.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
There is absolutely no comparing modern GPS to the GPS of even a few years ago. Machine learning is the difference.
And yes, Uber's GPS includes traffic and weather conditions. Potholes are transient, you avoide them by keeping your eyes on the road, not by memorizing their locations for a bloody exam.
Sorry if I don't think that you need a fucking PhD in Roadology to drive a car from point A to point B.
Ask what? His dog?
Speak for yourself! Over here in Europeland, the taxis I've used have been excellent.
"Eat your words" Dave420 or prove me wrong http://slashdot.org/comments.p... (which you've failed TONS of times @ & you always ran from that completely FAIR challenge to you, just like the trolling weasel you clearly are...)
* Tell us: How do those words of yours taste flavored with the "bitter taste of SELF-defeat" & washed down with your foot in your mouth ramming them down your throat? R O T F L M A O...
APK
P.S.=> You called me ALL KINDS of names: Well, since you're technically incompetent & the above link will just prove it again? Live up to a fair challenge put to you (of course, a TROLL WEASEL like yourself never will - & as usual, I win - getting to make a FOOL out of you publicly, yet again also, "bonus"... lol!)... apk
Ask yourself why is Uber so popular? At the macro level (at least in the US) is it because the customers find it provides value despite any claimed shortcomings?
Here is a macro study that shows cabs are less safe despite the claimed tougher regulations:
http://mashable.com/2014/12/11/taxi-drivers-so-crazy/
There are indications that Uber's background checks may be more rigorous than some jurisdictions:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/12/19/stop-attacking-uber-for-lax-safety-standards/
Again services like Uber are popular for a reason. Customers do get it.
What I hope happens in the end is they get the regulations right and make rides safer, easier , and more economical for everyone. Versus the current monopoly rent seeking behaviors of the Taxi industry.
It has way more problems than traditional cabs. We defend Uber because we are idiots...
Fixed that for you.
See subject: Your troll mouth's full of your words you're eating http://slashdot.org/comments.p... after you were fairly called out and RAN. R O T F L M A O!
People here think you're nothing but online shit http://slashdot.org/comments.p... and they're right.
You say Uber " Drivers are NOT trained or licensed"
I'm not 100%, but I suspect "legitimate" taxi drivers don't have any special training either. If they do, what would it even entail? Providing customer service?
Also, you say with Uber "you don't know if that driver that picks you up isn't some serial killer looking for the next victim, just drank a 5th, or just is out looking for a few bucks"
Not to berate the average cab driver or service, but I just don't believe they are the cream of the crop of society. I don't think they are alcoholics or murderers, but neither are 99.9% of everyone else.
Ninjas don't carry tic tacs
In Europe, many taxi companies have mobile apps that allow customers to call a cab. The apps show available cabs and allow the user to select features (e.g. smoking/non-smoking), check the cost etc. Uber-taxi, I might say.
Laudele lor desigur m-ar mahni peste masura.
I suggest you go read up on how the operators of London's Black Cabs are tested, and what they have to do to get their licence.
And then ask some Londoner's whether they think this fêted test is really worth paying for.
It is as long as you don't want to go Sarf of the River. It is a curious fact that ALL black cab drivers live in Essex.
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
we are tired of decades of horrific cab driving experiences
Those of us with decades of no horrific cab driving experiences fail to see the problem that Uber is allegedly solving.
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
Where I live, if you get paid to drive over public roads, it requires a commercial driver's license. CDL's require you to pass additional testing and medical evaluations which are not required for your average private driver. Taxi services also must be licensed and are regulated by both the state and federal laws.
My understanding of Uber and Lyft are that they allow private citizens to arrange for ride "sharing" with other private individuals. Where nothing prevents such drivers from being properly licensed for getting paid, or for Taxi companies from using the online services to find customers, that's not the point and you are likely to end up with just some plain Joe out driving for some spare change on their free time in his private vehicle.
Personally I HAVE a class B CDL with passenger endorsements because I used to drive busses so I know something about what the rules are. Uber and Lyft make no attempt to validate that the law is followed (unless they've started requiring CDL's from their drivers since last time I checked), they don't require CDL's, they don't require medical certificates, nothing. They don't enforce the rules about how long you can be on duty, or how much rest a driver is required to have. So tell me again how they protect you?
Oh that's right, they know where the money came from and where it went after they take their cut... Which *might* be of some use AFTER a crime takes place, but it's not going to protect your safety like all the CDL rules are designed too... So I suppose there is a minor deterrent to crime, but somehow I doubt that it's going to be of much help for anything else.
"File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
I don't see why Taxi companies don't arrange with Uber and Lyft to do their dispatching anyway. The Taxi company could then dump the bulk of their office staff needed to answer the phone and dispatch cabs, then arrange with the online service for a volume discount...
"File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
You can't sue unless you're an injured party, though. Being a competitor doesn't generally rise to that level. (In some cases, a lawsuit as a competitor would be illegal in and of itself for being anti-competitive.)
If you bought the product and found out it was misrepresented, that's an injury.
Wonder what the public key field is for?
How about never dealing with cash, never calculating tip, never even discussing payment, receipts sent to your email, and never having to wait more than five minutes for a ride.
Wonder what the public key field is for?