Poor Uber!

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I love the idea of Uber! It's a great way for an "Everyman" with a car or van to make some quick cash but these taxi drivers, who have been regulated to death, seriously hate it for obvious reasons, it's putting them out of business!

What do you think of Uber? Where is it headed? How will the situation be resolved with taxi drivers? Why does government have to annoy drivers with all this pointless regulation to begin with?

The situation in Paris, France, turned ugly Thursday, with angry cabbies blocking roads, assaulting cars, and burning tires in angry protest of the free ride Uber is getting.

http://www.newsweek.com/taxi-drivers-st ... nce-346843

Can you blame them for being P Oed about it?

And at home, locals are about ready to go on an Uber rampage as well. It's already been in the news.

My wild and crazy guess is that, after much loud and heated debate, solutions will be grudgingly settled upon that meet some, but not all, of each side's concerns.

After years of totally sucky experiences with traditional cab services in the U.S., I welcome just about any sort of shake-up in that industry. A good cage-rattling is long overdue.

Huh? Taxi drivers haven't been "regulated to death". It more they've been saved from death, by regulation. Hence why Uber is causing such a stir, because it's bypassing their regulatory capture and causing them to lose market share, and they don't want to provide a competitive service.

Oh yes they have been regulated to death in Paris. Over there, they pay something like $250,000 to obtain their license or whatever permit they need to operate a taxi. Where I live it isn't as strict. Cabbies need a background check and medical examination and they must pay some kind of fee. From what I read about French cab driver requirements, it's ridiculous. Talk about government overreach and we complain over here? I just read about what our cabbies go through and it's nothing compared to France but ours must pay a licensing fee and I don't know how much that is but if it's $250,000 which I doubt, I can understand their frustration. I hope they keep Uber and stop regulating cab drivers. You should only need to have a license and if you screw up, they fire you. Anyone, even someone with a clean record, can have a wreck. Just need to have a license and insurance, that's it. Imagine how much easier life would be if people were allowed to earn money?

And yes, I have a clean driving record so I am not saying that just because of that

No, but I can blame them for "blocking roads, assaulting cars, and burning tires". And I do.

Read the comments on those news stories (eg. on Reddit) and the irony is: hardly anyone is focusing on the point the taxi drivers are trying to make. Everyone is instead focusing on what a***holes many taxi drivers are, and always were, and how their current stunt only reinforces that image. Funny how assaulting people, overturning cars and burning tires tends to have that effect!

I finally registered with Uber today. Because of this. Yes, seriously.

I agree it doesn't help their cause.

Uber is a great idea and should be allowed. I am not defending the destruction the cabbies are responsible for but I do disagree with what the government has put cab drivers through as far as charging them an arm and a leg just to drive cabs. The government is using them to make money and you can bet they don't want to give up this lucrative source so the cabbies are stuck between a rock and a hard place. The French government is trying to back the cab drivers but demand for something like Uber exists.

The taxi licence situation is bad, for sure, but the taxi drivers must wear part of the blame for this. They (the ones who already owned licences) were the ones who pushed for tighter regulations, because it increased the value of their licences. That was also unfair, but it was unfair in their favour, so you didn't see them complaining then. The government is, of course, responsible for actually giving in.

The taxi drivers must want to keep the competition down and now it's coming back to get them. The government is backing them. Seems the taxi drivers and government have a cozy relationship. It does stink of corruption. This way, the taxi companies and select drivers can control pricing.

well i see nothing bad in it