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Top-level
 @ajsadauskas @technology The one thing I don't sympathise with in that list is the taxi services — at least here in Ottawa, they were even more exploitative than Uber or Lyft, with a small number of plate holders acting as feudal lords for the drivers, and extracting rent from their vassals even on a bad shift with few fares. The city could have fixed that by issuing more plates, but the plate-owner lobby was too powerful. 5 comments
 @Eka_FOOF_A @david_megginson @ajsadauskas @technology The taxi business needed disruption. But the cure has been worse than the disease. @SVChucko For Ottawa, I think the cure has been less-bad than the disease, but that will obviously vary from city to city depending on how well the taxi service was run before. When I've talked to Uber drivers who used to drive taxis, they've told me that they earn about the same, but the big improvement is being able to choose when they drive rather than having it dictated by the plate owners (who often forced them to drive inconvenient or low-paying shifts). Not sure if I agree there. Even with all the problems they have, ride-sharing apps are still way more convenient than how taxis used to work. |
Gregory's Server
Yes ‘medallion systems’ have huge problems. One reason they were implemented to begin with was that an unlimited fleet put everyone out of business. Uber is reintroducing that problem.