Two Uber managers detained in France over 'illicit' low-cost service

[FrodosPet]

Spokeswoman for Paris prosecutor says they have been taken into custody for questioning, against backdrop of violent recent taxi strike

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jun/29/uber-managers-detained-france

Associated Press, Paris
Monday 29 June 2015 10.48 EDT

Two Uber managers have been taken into custody for questioning over “illicit activity” linked to the ride-hailing company’s low-cost service, the Paris prosecutor’s spokeswoman has said.

The Uber managers, who have not been named, were detained on Monday. The US company has sparred with the government over its low-cost service. Despite a violence-marred taxi strike, Uber says it would keep operating the service until a ruling by the country’s top court.

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French authorities are frustrated that Uber does not pay the same taxes and social charges as traditional taxis do.

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[hr]

When labor speaks in France, the government listens. In America, when labor speaks, the government yawns or starts sputtering about socialism.

[stevenleser]

1. Uber is a better service than Taxi service. Anytime a company does it better, its competition

would rather it go away and that includes the workers who work for that other company.

That doesn't mean those folks should win. Exactly the opposite.

[Bluenorthwest]

3. That's a matter of debate, I don't support them because of mistreatment of disabled people

and service animals. Fuck this libertarian pirate shit.
Why the Disabled are Suing Uber and Lyft
"The complaints paint the car service companies—or at least their drivers—as callous to the disabled. One lawsuit by the National Federation of the Blind of California, for example, says an UberX driver stuffed a blind passenger’s guide dog in the trunk, and refused to stop the car to let the animal out. Other drivers allegedly refused to pick up blind customers accompanied by dogs.

Another physically disabled woman, Jennifer McPhail of Austin, says in a lawsuit that a Lyft driver left her on the curb because her wheelchair couldn’t fit in the car. The driver then failed to provide alternative transportation.

Meanwhile, other disabled app users are airing their own grievances outside of court. Kristen Parisi, 30-year-old Boston woman who uses a wheelchair, told The Daily Beast that an Uber driver refused to pack her chair into the trunk, for example. So Parisi had to maneuver herself and the chair into the back seat with no assistance, while the driver berated her as an “invalid.”

http://time.com/3895021/why-the-disabled-are-suing-uber-and-lyft/

[Starry Messenger]

6. +1

Sing it.

[FrodosPet]

8. How Uber’s Low Fares are Affecting Passengers

http://ridesharedashboard.com/2015/03/09/how-uber-low-fares-are-affecting-passengers/

March 9, 2015

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Here are a few ways passengers are seeing the effects of low wages:

o Many of the best and veteran drivers don’t drive anymore or much less than they used to: Do you notice a reduction in quality of service? Its mainly because the best drivers have reduced their hours or found something else to do. In a recent study by Sherpa, 70% of their users were part time so it is not surprising that many either quit or drive much less.

o Drivers don’t feel like providing top service for low wages: Let me ask you this. What would happen if you were forced to tip a waiter before the service was provided? What would happen if you only tipped 5% instead of customary 15-20%? This is exactly what happens to some Uber Drivers. They feel they don’t get paid enough to provide top level service and only provides the basic service to keep their rating at a minimum level.

o Low wages shrink the talent pool: When UberX first came out two years ago, many drivers were making much more money on a regular basis, so better drivers were on the platform that essentially built up the initial customer base and high user expectation of service and quality. With the rate cuts and lower wages, you see seasoned and highly rated drivers quitting and also less of them are applying. Overall this leads to lower quality of service.

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[FrodosPet]

4. Both Uber and taxis suck

If you have to rely on either for a living, your life is miserable. And soon to get worse, as Uber's stated goal is to completely eliminate drivers.

http://www.popsci.com/war-driverless-car-service-has-begun

Drive for Uber and help finance your own obsolescence and destitution!

[joeybee12]

5. But they're not competing under the same set of circumnstances...

If the taxis have to pay thoise service fees and taxes, their cost to the consumer is undoubtedly going to be higher...Uber probably wouldn't be such a great idea if there was a level palying field.

And I agree with bluenorthwest about the pick and choose nature of uber...stranding the handicapped is dispicable...SF is suing them over this.

[Adrahil]

7. I would be willing to pay more for taxis...

If they were clean, convenient, and courteous. I can count on one hand the number of times I wasn't disgusted by taxi service.

Improve or die.

[FrodosPet]

2. Two Top Uber Executives Detained: Will The Company Crack Under France Crackdown?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ceciliarodriguez/2015/06/27/will-uber-crack-under-france-crackdown/

6/27/2015 @ 3:28PM 10,073 views

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The paradox that baffles – or the irony that bemuses – observers about the conflict was on display last week:

As enraged taxi drivers struck in protest against the informal taxi service company, blocking airports and train stations in the biggest cities, (particularly in Paris), burning tires, setting up barricades, stranding tourists and physically attacking Uber drivers, the demand for Uber services skyrocketed.

It seems natural as, according to latest reports from France, over 2,800 taxis participated in the protests across the country, including Toulouse, Nice, Marseille, Bordeaux, Lyon, Lille, Strasbourg, Dijon, Saint Etienne and Caen. In Paris, some 1,500 taxi drivers paralyzed traffic, especially around Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports, the main train stations and Porte Maillot, where traffic remained severely disrupted into the weekend.

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And thus you understand why cabbies fear for their livelihood. A taxi license in Paris costs more than €100,000. Uber drivers use their own cars and simply pay a proportion of their fares to the company for each passenger they pick up via smartphone.

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