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Post by livinginmedellin on Jun 23, 2016 15:10:17 GMT -5
Colombia’s transport minister said authorities have seized more than 1,200 vehicles of taxi service Uber amid a campaign to clamp down on “illegal” competition in transport. According to Transport Minister Jorge Eduardo Rojas, authorities “have been carrying out a crash plan to control the streets and what is happening in terms of illegality.” As a consequence, the minister said, authorities throughout Colombia have confiscated 962 vehicles working with Uber and 253 working with Uber X. President Juan Manuel Santos in November last year gave US transport company Uber six months to register as a formal company in Colombia or be banned from the South American country. After the company failed to meet this deadline, the government banned the service and began to actively shut down the taxi app’s operations in the South American country. The operations have infuriated Uber, which accused the administration of President Juan Manuel Santos of protection of an alleged monopoly held by the various taxi services in Colombia’s largest cities. The San Fransico-based Uber, which has labor or regulatory conflicts with governments across the globe, said that “we believe in the freedom of movement and we defend the citizens’ right to choose. Notwithstanding, the company has refused to formally register as a company in Colombia, while employing drivers as “associates.” In spite of its allegedly illegal service, Uber can count on significant support among urban Colombians who have long complained about the quality of taxi services, particularly in the capital Bogota. See: colombiareports.com/colombia-begins-shutting-uber-taxi-services/
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Post by suba on Jun 23, 2016 19:35:51 GMT -5
Santos will do anything rather than stand up to violent thugs whether they use automatic weapons or yellow taxis.
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Post by fishhead on Jun 24, 2016 1:01:23 GMT -5
Uber is one of the worst of these new economy vulture capitalism outfits. All around the globe they try this s**t, just coming in and ignoring local law. Serves them right.
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Post by scumbuster on Jun 24, 2016 6:03:42 GMT -5
UBER is innovative and safer than local cabs. The taxi mafia is just eliminating competition so they don't have to modernize and can keep there prices up.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2016 6:44:53 GMT -5
I'm a heavy Uber user, and I love the service they provide. It's true that in many countries, they are playing with the local laws, claiming their service doesn't fall into the existing categories. I have to admit that this is the irritating part of their business. They can appear like they believe themselves above the laws. Now, do they have a choice? Taxi corporations are so strong in many countries, they have the politicians on their side, and will use any possible way to keep Uber out of the market. Including illegal ways.
Are they the worst? In Colombia, most of taxi owners are abusing their drivers: Refuse sick leaves (or still charging the daily fee while the driver is sick), making the driver pay for car repairs... While Uber is collecting a percentage on each ride, and paying every week with no issue. All the Uber drivers I talked about it told me they never found flaws in Uber payments (lost rides, wrong percentage...). One Uber driver told me he was making 3 to 4 millions a month with his car. Of course he has to pay for maintainance of his vehicle, and gasoline. But the guy seemed to believe he was doing good with Uber.
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Post by makopp5 on Jun 24, 2016 6:57:14 GMT -5
steverussso
Uber drivers do not paid for a license which cost 50 million for a taxi, that is not a fair competition.
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Post by livinginmedellin on Jun 24, 2016 7:06:51 GMT -5
Back in November last year, Santos gave Uber 6 months to formalize or face a ban in Colombia. President Juan Manuel Santos on Monday gave US transport company Uber six months to register as a formal company in Colombia or be banned from the South American country. The president had been urged to regulate the taxi app that caused great friction with traditional taxi companies. According to the local companies, Uber was unfairly competing because, unlike the traditional transport providers, Uber does not pay benefits to its drivers or taxes to the government. However, according to Uber, it is not an employer, but “partner” of its affiliated drivers. While formally illegal, Santos said he would allow Uber to continue its operations in the current form for six months. If after that time period, the company is still not registered as a formal transport company it will be banned. Uber said in a press release that it will “evaluate, together with our partner drivers, the implications and opportunities of this decree.” The transport company still has a chance of avoiding registration as a Colombian company in Congress, reported newspaper El Tiempo. If Congress passes a law legalizing mobile transport applications like Uber, it will make the presidential decree obsolete. The taxi service has been active and popular in Colombia since the introduction of its service in 2013. However, as traditional taxi companies saw how the app-based service began severely disrupting the transport industry, particularly in the capital Bogota, tensions arose. See: colombiareports.com/colombia-gives-uber-6-months-to-form-company-or-be-banned/Uber is facing bans or has suspended operations in several places. Uber doesn’t function as a normal taxi service, instead occupying the business space between chauffeur service and tech company. Uber often foregoes taxi licenses for many of its drivers, causing legal hiccups when the company enters new, heavily regulated markets. Some countries and regions have completely banned the service, finding it illegal under national or state laws. Other places, like France and Germany, ban just its discount services, such as UberPOP and UberX. They were forced to suspend operations in Spain and South Korea and they have been banned from several cities around the world. Here's a map where they are banned or have suspended operations from last year: See: www.businessinsider.com/heres-everywhere-uber-is-banned-around-the-world-2015-4I understand more places have been added to that map like Uber pulled out of Austin, Texas earlier this year and is considering leaving Houston like Lyft did. We'll see if Uber decides to continue operating in Colombia or pulls out like it has in other places.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2016 7:15:46 GMT -5
steverussso Uber drivers do not paid for a license which cost 50 million for a taxi, that is not a fair competition. Is it "fair" or normal that the licence costs 50 millions? Isn't it a sign that the market is not healthy?
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Post by scumbuster on Jun 24, 2016 7:26:45 GMT -5
But the issue is why would you have to pay 50 million for a license? Its the government stifling competition. And the taxi owners want to keep the high licensing to keep everyone else out of the market. What justifies 50 million for a license? Its only to stamp out competition and a money grab by the government. Uber is defiantly safer because the person picking you up has a background check and has to have a bank account in there name to get paid. Something a criminal on the street picking you up doesn't have.
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Post by dandl93 on Jun 24, 2016 7:40:23 GMT -5
The license fee is on the taxi not a person or company.This is why so many old taxis and criminal type drivers.
Uber is nothing but a Broker service just like all the Taxi companies are none of them own the taxis or cars
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Post by jafo19d on Jun 24, 2016 8:01:34 GMT -5
I love Uber and hardly ever use a yellow taxi anymore. My gf has an exaggerated hatred towards the yellow taxis but who can blame her. They frequently deny her service when she tells them where she wants to go; they frequently try to rip her off and they drive like shit.
Yesterday to grab an Uber for the airport I had to walk they the parking lot and wait for the guy at the entrance for a few minutes. Still worth it though.
Anyone who defends the cabs is mildly retarded.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2016 8:57:34 GMT -5
But the issue i s why would you have to pay 50 million for a license? Its the government stifling competition. And the taxi owners want to keep the high licensing to keep everyone else out of the market. What justifies 50 million for a license? Its only to stamp out competition and a money grab by the government. Uber is defiantly safer because the person picking you up has a background check and has to have a bank account in there name to get paid. Something a criminal on the street picking you up doesn't have 50 Million Pesos sounds cheap. money.cnn.com/2015/07/21/news/companies/nyc-yellow-taxi-uber/
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Post by dandl93 on Jun 24, 2016 9:17:52 GMT -5
preminition apples to oranges ...
NYC with approx 14k medallions that can be transfered to a new taxi by the Medallion owner.
Bogota approx 50k taxis and the license stays with the car.Every new taxi sold in Colombia has a license.The taxi market in Colombia is flooded.
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Post by billyb on Jun 24, 2016 10:15:41 GMT -5
"SF taxi medallions cost something like USD 100,000. 50K pesos is cheap."
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Post by coolcoil on Jun 24, 2016 10:25:20 GMT -5
SF taxi medallions cost something like USD 100,000. 50K pesos is cheap. Taxi fares are much lower than the USA too. I just paid USD $42 for a 15 minute ride from the St. Louis Airport to my hotel. I suspect that San Francisco prices are much higher than St. Louis. A fifty minute drive from MDE to Poblado costs about USD $20.
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Post by suba on Jun 24, 2016 10:31:05 GMT -5
SF taxi medallions cost something like USD 100,000. 50K pesos is cheap. Taxi fares are much lower than the USA too. I just paid USD $42 for a 15 minute ride from the St. Louis Airport to my hotel. I suspect that San Francisco prices are much higher than St. Louis. A fifty minute drive from MDE to Poblado costs about USD $20. Wages are slightly higher in San Francisco I think.
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Post by scumbuster on Jun 24, 2016 10:38:13 GMT -5
The medallion system in the US is specifically designed to keep out competition. I know a few years ago a NYC medallion was a million.
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Post by papitohead on Jun 24, 2016 10:39:11 GMT -5
It has been announced that Uber will enter the Puerto Rican market. This have created a lot of hassle with the local taxi and truck drivers and have been declaring a war against them. We'll see what this will bring because violence have been mentioned.
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Post by scumbuster on Jun 24, 2016 10:46:21 GMT -5
@ 12:40 starts a segment on NYC taxis.
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Post by suba on Jun 24, 2016 11:05:15 GMT -5
If the taxis offered a public service in the way they should then I doubt I'd ever feel the need for Uber again. Whilst the option is the possibility that the driver will overcharge, physically assault or just refuse to drive somewhere then I suppose the public will prefer Uber.
In London a black cab is four to five times what an Uber ride is, why should I be forced to pay that? Santos just wants as little trouble as possible whilst he's selling the farm.
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Post by billyb on Jun 24, 2016 11:24:58 GMT -5
The medallion system in the US is specifically designed to keep out competition. I know a few years ago a NYC medallion was a million. True, SF taxi numbers were kept artificially low, so taxis were hard to come by and very expensive here. I guess that might be the reason Uber started in SF. Uber now has a huge market share in the SF Bay Area. Taxi companies are trying to adjust, being more courteus and are coming out with their own apps.
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Post by gallito on Jun 24, 2016 11:46:04 GMT -5
""SF taxi medallions cost something like USD 100,000. 50K pesos is cheap." You forget to add a few oooooo ...and may I add Colombia is full of mafia run enterprises and govt. receive kickbacks;nothing will change anytime soon...it's a fact of life and most Colombians learn to live with it.
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Post by billyb on Jun 24, 2016 11:49:00 GMT -5
""SF taxi medallions cost something like USD 100,000. 50K pesos is cheap." You forget to add a few oooooo ...and may I add Colombia is full of mafia run enterprises and govt. receive kickbacks;nothing will change anytime soon...it's a fact of life and most Colombians learn to live with it. Yeah, read that wrong, that makes more sense.
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Post by barrumundi on Jun 24, 2016 15:12:51 GMT -5
I don't use taxis at all so I don't really care about the argument of Uber vs. real taxis, but I can tell you that the son of my wife's amiga is Uber driver. He is actually an engineer or an architect or some some sort of professional but at the moment is 'between jobs' so he is filling in by doing Uber jobs and he is able to support his family.
He said the cars that have been confiscated so far have all been 'white plate' (commercial) cars.
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Post by búfalo on Jun 24, 2016 20:27:40 GMT -5
50 millions is peanuts. NYC is like 800-900K Dollars. I know a Cuban that owns 4 free and clear. Most he paid was 70K for one, the other three were half that or less. He still drives one so I askes him why. Tirns out he retired for a week but just stares at the walls of his one bedroom apt. His daughter ismarried and has her own life. I told him to get a girlfriend. He said then his money would disappear.
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Post by búfalo on Jun 24, 2016 20:45:11 GMT -5
And he doesn't drive every now and then. It's an every day full time job for him.
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Post by scumbuster on Jun 25, 2016 5:49:44 GMT -5
Uber is the way to go if your out in Bogota in the evening. Sure don't want to hail a cab off the street. I trust there background checks more than the governments and your sure who they are because they had to register a bank account to get paid.
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