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EU's Top Court Rules That Uber Is a Transportation Company (axios.com)
Uber is a taxi company, according to a landmark ruling from Europe's highest court. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled Wednesday that the U.S. ride-hailing app is a transportation firm and not a digital company. The verdict is a long-awaited judgment expected to have major implications for how Uber is regulated throughout Europe. From a report: The E.U.'s member countries now have more clarity and authority to regulate Uber as a transportation company (more strictly than as a tech service), though many already do so. As a technology company, Uber would have been protected by E.U. law from certain restrictions by individual countries, and would have required them to notify the commission of any new regulations.
...the government having to jump in and make new regulations and burdens on companies that isn't needed...
I don't think this is about trying to make new regulations. It's about trying to enforce employee protection regulations already in place that Uber claims don't apply to its drivers. The regulations aren't new to "transportation firms"; they're just new to Uber.
He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
What customer protection regulations are you talking about?
Geez, the last cabs I've been in, where ragged, shitty and frankly, the person driving it scared me....looked like a hardened convict.
That's something to take up with either your city or state. In most places, they're not like that at all. Sounds like to me you have a far bigger problem with "entrenched politicians" then "entrenched cab companies."
Those "consumer protection" regulations and mandatory requirements include: Having the proper license(chauffeurs), proper insurance, including liability insurance and personal injury, first aid training(in Canada most require class a or b), 1yr safety inspections, 6mo "file and report" vehicle self-inspections, police background checks, automatic license revocation on drunk driving charge and the list goes on. That's all normal stuff that in Canada for example, Uber and Lyft among others have been trying to skirt for years by trying to claim they're not a cab company.
Om, nomnomnom...
As a frequent traveler, this is bad news.
In the past, I've always used taxis. They can be hard to get, often late, don't keep up with the technology, often require cash (despite some laws that require them to take credit cards). Obviously, some places are better than others due to any number of factors but I don't always get to choose where I go.
Using an app to get a ride (I use Lyft when I can) is so much easier. You know the cost up front, when the driver will be there, and can even see where they are on the map. The desire to get high marks from passengers results in nice clean cars, cellphone chargers, and politeness (OK, not all the time, but I have a really easy way to report back to the company if they are bad).
And then the price is better. Sure, the difference is not going to make or break a customer or company but these things add up in a budget.
While I see the point of taxis being regulated in the same way as other drivers, the reality will be that a bunch of slowly changing regulations that will cripple being able to have a quick, inexpensive, and pleasant ride just to support an old horse drawn buggy system.