Uber Banned Across Germany

Zarathustra[H];1041063897 said:
I mean, really, what is an Uber driver, if not a Gypsy-Cab?
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This so many times over.

There's a reason why a proper business has overhead costs which are passed to the consumer.

Uber pleads innocence while it allows the average Joe to act like a business without having to be a business.

I would be pissed too if I were to run a proper licensed business, incurring all the expenses to be insured and bonded, and some random dude who just happens to have enough money for a vehicle lease and gas would poach my business.

As soon as there's a wrongful death lawsuit the Uber model falls apart.
 
Also, just to show how facetious Uber/Lyft's claim to be a carpool service is, Uber just released a specific product called UberPOOL which is an actual carpooling service, connecting people that are actually heading in the same direction.

http://blog.uber.com/uberPOOLSF
 
It was my impression that Uber was a "limousine" service, at least in the United States. Is this not the case? What are the precise differences between a taxi service, limousine service, and some guy with a car and a smartphone?
 
They're claiming to be a ride-sharing service, and thus not subject to the same legal requirements as a taxi or limo service.
 
Im a lyft driver. I live in a state that requires stringent yearly inspections already....i assure you my vehicle is in much better shape than most taxis. I had to have a background and dmv check as well. What does a cab get to assure safety that I do not?

That said...I know not all places require inspections like mine. I also waited until it was fully legal here to do it.
 
Borgschulze said:
Better ban couch surfing too, it's stealing business from Hotels.
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They have done that as well. During major events like F1 and the like, private citizens were allowing people to park in their driveways or would rent out rooms.

The big money hotel/stores/etc that enjoyed charging absolutely ridiculous prices for rooms and $20 an hour parking spots revolted when prices started to plummet because of this, even though it was a perfect solution that allowed the cities to easily absorb the tourists accordingly with excellent distribution of wealth. Law was changed citing "public safety", and so no non-commercial zoned property was allowed to rent out parking or rooms.
 
Zarathustra[H];1041064484 said:
Those lyrics have not been in use since the end of WWII.
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Which is complete and total BS since that song was created in the 1800s and in use including official use as the anthem well before, and "Germany Germany Above All" had to do with the unification of Germany and nothing to do with other countries.
 
Ducman69 said:
Which is complete and total BS since that song was created in the 1800s and in use including official use as the anthem well before, and "Germany Germany Above All" had to do with the unification of Germany and nothing to do with other countries.
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Agreed, but it's not difficult to see why the lyrics may have been a sensitive subject after the war.
 
aardvark sandwich said:
lol protectionism
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Uber and their CEO can get f**ked with their BS practices. They are disgusting and ruthless businessmen with sanctioned policies of hiring people strictly to sabotage their competitors by performing "legal" denial of service attacks.
 
Ducman69 said:
And most are very aggressive overweight middle eastern or turkish looking guys with bad accents that will seriously get in your face and have no qualms about pulling a tire iron if you contest the charge.

In fact, wasn't that long ago I was reading a story about some Iraqi cab dude in Germany that raped his passenger who happened to be a blind elderly woman. But hey, luckily they are regulated right! I mean, since the regulated ones are raping our women, just imagine what ueber would do! Double-rape!!!
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Two things :

1. You are cherry picking who you feel drives most cabs in Germany. That immediately discounts your point frankly. Offer us an argument that doesn't involve racial profiling and you'll have better ground to stand on. Cabbies are all different race and sex types. I've spend 5 years in Las Vegas being driven around by Cabbies and now over a decade by New York Cabbies which are universally considered the worst in the world and I saw the rainbow frankly not a single color theme. This whole middle eastern "type" people apply to the terminology of "Cabbie" is nothing more than scapegoat finger pointing.

2. So if someone is from Iraqi and they rape someone (which is awful) then every person who's from Iraqi and drives a cab is now under suspicion?

Sounds like you want a "different" kind of regulation in Germany. Also as a side note my brother has lived in Germany for 14 years now , is married and about to have his first child. He's used cabs for almost the entire period time he's lived there and only once did he complain about a Cabbie and it was a skinhead Cabbie.
 
TwistedAegis said:
Because somehow throwing in and blaming "feminists" into a post about Uber and ride-sharing disproves their point that feminism is needed in the first place. :rolleyes:
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This thread has nothing to do with feminists, and nobody is blaming them for Germany's decision here.

My post was talking about "what's next" on Germany's retard agenda. And it's probably some form of ban on prostitution.
 
Godmachine said:
1. You are cherry picking who you feel drives most cabs in Germany. That immediately discounts your point frankly.

2. So if someone is from Iraqi and they rape someone (which is awful) then every person who's from Iraqi and drives a cab is now under suspicion?
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I provided a stereotype of the cabbies I experienced in Germany, to contrast that with the competition of Uber. If you can't grasp the concept of generalities (clearly doesn't apply to every cabbie in the nation) of one service to another using averages of what is and is not the norm in culture/attitude, I can't really help you.

I can't find any statistics for this generality, but here's a picture of a recent protest... or just actually, I don't know, take the word of someone that visits Germany for family as I'm doing again shortly:
BN-DE592_0611ub_M_20140611085346.jpg


But if you prefer to be politically correct, we'll ignore the pervasive culture of taxi services in Germany and how they were all blocking roads for hours and throwing rocks and bricks at private taxis, and as is my point are hardly a safe and friendly service to begin with to use that anti-competition argument against Uber.
 
Iching said:
Terrible company. It looks like another ebay.
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You just explained the how capitalism is working wonderfully here:
Drivers at the protest blamed the cuts on competition from similar services like Lyft.
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Competition is a good thing, it drives prices down for consumers, improves innovation and customer service to win your business, and quite simply gives you choices. This is a consumer win.

According to Uber, they had higher prices before because there were fewer fares for the drivers. Now that demand is high, they have less dead-time and are making more money per month than they did before.

But of course the drivers would prefer to be paid more. Wouldn't you?
 
Ducman69 said:
They have done that as well. During major events like F1 and the like, private citizens were allowing people to park in their driveways or would rent out rooms.

The big money hotel/stores/etc that enjoyed charging absolutely ridiculous prices for rooms and $20 an hour parking spots revolted when prices started to plummet because of this, even though it was a perfect solution that allowed the cities to easily absorb the tourists accordingly with excellent distribution of wealth. Law was changed citing "public safety", and so no non-commercial zoned property was allowed to rent out parking or rooms.
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This kind of shit happens all the time, and it's exactly the same here.

Cab companies aren't worried about the public good. They simply don't want the competition. Fuck them. They don't get to dictate their competitors.
 
Ducman69 said:
If you can't grasp the concept of generalities (clearly doesn't apply to every cabbie in the nation) of one service to another using averages of what is and is not the norm in culture/attitude, I can't really help you.
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If you can't grasp why basing policy decisions on anecdotal evidence from someone who doesn't even live in the country is a terrible idea, I can't really help you.
 
I don't know how taxis work in Germany, but I don't feel bad for the a lot, if not all taxi companies in the US. IIRC, taxis used to be a guy who did pretty much what Uber does though I'm sure there is more to it, but were strong armed to join a company and losing their profits.
 
Taxicab operators are scam artists. I don't know about Germany, but definitely here in the USA. Too bad Uber/Lyft/etc. can't operate in all states, but I'm glad they're allowed to in mine. Competition is good and anything that pisses off scam artists is a nice bonus.
 
jimmyb said:
If you can't grasp why basing policy decisions on anecdotal evidence from someone who doesn't even live in the country is a terrible idea, I can't really help you.
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I did live in the country, just not presently, but its common knowledge. Its like arguing with someone that tells you there's a lot of crime and particularly car thefts in Detroit. Everyone knows this, and you would too with just a bit of exposure. Certainly feel free to form your own opinion, but don't defend them until you have first hand experience like I do, that's all I'm saying. Or at least read the articles about how they were blocking streets, creating traffic jams, and attacking private taxis.
 
shade91 said:
Uber and their CEO can get f**ked with their BS practices. They are disgusting and ruthless businessmen with sanctioned policies of hiring people strictly to sabotage their competitors by performing "legal" denial of service attacks.
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You don't have to sell me; I'm already a fan!

"Capitalism: As advertised."
 
The safety and regulatory argument is nonsense. If I hire a taxi and its not safe, I can sue the taxi company, who are obligated to keep their vehicles and their drivers safe. I can't sue the city.

Same applies to Uber/Lyft. There is no difference. Except they don't have to pay bribes/fees to the govt officials to ensure a monopoly.

And really, the fact that a driver has a license and registration/insurance should be enough to guarantee safety. Otherwise every single car/driver on the road should be impounded.
 
MrCrispy said:
Same applies to Uber/Lyft. There is no difference. Except they don't have to pay bribes/fees to the govt officials to ensure a monopoly.
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You mean like how NY forced everyone to buy Nissan minivans as taxis, even though it was the least popular option among consumers and drivers alike due to lack of comfort in seats and ride quality and higher cost of ownership (and being butt fugly probably didn't help), with preference to the Ford Transit, Ford Escort, and Toyota Prius:
Nissan-NYC-Taxi-400px.jpg


But hey, why have competition and consumer choice when you can have kickbacks to government officials and put monopolies in place?
 
It seems to me like the only arguments in defense in Taxi drivers is that "they have to pay fee's" and Uber doesnt. What does that have to do with anything? If a Taxi cab company doesnt like all the fee's they have to pay, the solution to this problem isnt to make their competition also pay fee's because "it isnt fair". The solution is to avoid paying the fee's in the first place! Just because you were stupid enough to agree to the licensing model that was imposed upon you doesnt mean you get the right to bitch about everyone else who didnt.
 
aardvark sandwich said:
You don't have to sell me; I'm already a fan!

"Capitalism: As advertised."
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Capitalism only operates correctly in a vacuum if people operate in a fair and moral fashion. The fact that some people believe capitalism means that there are no rules is why we have government.
 
Madison: If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.

Nobody is saying that Uber and Lyft should operate without some minor degree of regulation. I think the majority opinion here is just expressing contempt for Taxi companies that, instead of adapting to new competition, want to use bribery and politics to maintain the status quo. Again, fuck them.
 
wabbitseason said:
Nobody is saying that Uber and Lyft should operate without some minor degree of regulation. I think the majority opinion here is just expressing contempt for Taxi companies that, instead of adapting to new competition, want to use bribery and politics to maintain the status quo. Again, fuck them.
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Oh I agree. Living without a car, fuck the cab companies. Late at night, in a shitty part of town, prior to Uber and Lyft, you would spend 40 minutes on hold to call a cab. Cab would then not come after 30 minutes, call, wait another 20-40 minutes on hold, be told the cab came by and you weren't there. Finally get a cab a few hours after you wanted one, have some asshole almost reach back and swing at your girlfriend (and subsequently almost die a violent death) because she had the gall to try and pay with a card instead of cash. Even if five cabs are directly in front of me, available, I'll use Lyft because I hate them so much.

But still, Uber and Lyft need to comply with some level of legality and the pretense of ride sharing needs to end.
 
TwistedAegis said:
Capitalism only operates correctly in a vacuum if people operate in a fair and moral fashion. The fact that some people believe capitalism means that there are no rules is why we have government.
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lol!
yes, we need the mythical subjective moral superiority of the state to prevent the subjective morality of the people from flourishing, because hey; they represent us!
we cant make these decisions on our own through a pricing mechanism demonstrated over thousands of years as it is not our decision to make, but for some reason, luckily, we do have the authority to delegate that decision to others. best to not think very hard about where that authority comes from, i suppose.
 
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