I'm tired of listening to people talking about Uber's technology. Please! They are so weak in that area that it make a mockery of the transportation industry. Trucking, alone has had gps tracking for decades. The taxi industry has had gps tracking of their fleet for well over 15 years. Most taxi companies use a digital dispatching system. Online booking has been around for at least 10 years. Third party apps have been around also for 10 years. Where's the innovation? You drop a pin, and a car shows up! Really? STOP and look! People looking at their phone. Trying to find their ride! While a taxi is just outside. They call the driver to give directions or explain where they are. SIMPLE??
Safer? How does technology make driving safer? Drivers constantly looking at a small screen to get direction. Gps tracking? Uber refuses to give information to police all the time. They say that they cooperate with the police or regulators. But every time the authorities have to fight with Uber to get information. In most case in the Region of Waterloo, the Taxi industry will have the information or video for the police in a hour or less.
Saturday, 30 April 2016
Friday, 1 April 2016
My White paper on the white paper of Canada's Competition Bureau
After reading the white paper from the Competition Bureau, Modernizing Regulation in The Canadian Taxi Industry, I find the lack of real information or truths disheartening. This paper is most likely written by group of millennials. How could they know the very reasons for Taxi regulation, or care. They only see the someone driving a car, and think that anyone can do that job. Also, they only using examples of Toronto and Ottawa taxi services. Where here in the Region we uses a different and maybe a lot better method of taxi service.
I read through the white paper. Here's some of my counterpoints to their points of TNCs (taxi service). Especially for my region.
Price:
It's true that TNCs can offer lower prices than the taxi industry. How? Uber uses investor's money to pay minimum wage to Uber drivers. But at what cost? Driver's of TNCs (Taxi Service) do not understand underlying cost of operating a vehicle as business (wear and tear, depreciation value of vehicle and replacement cost of vehicle). They only see amount of money they make. If they pay taxes they would lose 13% to HST. Surge pricing does not guarantee more vehicles on the road just more money for Uber.
Availability and waiting times:
I quote "TNCs may reduce waiting time". Here in Waterloo Region wait times are so low that taxis are waiting longer for customers than it took to get to the customer. Uber has given numbers on their wait times, but there has been no verification of numbers just Uber's word. Here the taxi industry they must keep records, and allow regulators to look at them.
Uber does not take into consideration there are people in rural areas. Uber does not operate in those areas in the Region. Also a lot people in the rural areas do not use technology or credit cards (Mennonite). How does Uber offer services to these people?
Convenience:
The convenient feature the TNCs (taxi service) provide is all a gimmick. Uber uses ghost cars on there map. Showing cars that are not there, but giving a estimate time of arrival of 7 minutes or more. Taxi companies looked into this. Some companies have put this option on their apps. But, different do to response of internet security. Uber method has been hack into. Customers accounts have been abused. Why need tracking when you are only 2 minutes a way? For years taxi industry have used a call out feature to let their customers know that their vehicle has arrived.
Quality of service:
Here in the region the competition put pressure on all taxi companies to improve the quality of service way before TNCs (taxi service) came into the Region. There are 5 companies all fighting to keep and increase customers base. Most people that come to the Region to visit or business are surprise by how great the taxi service is in the Region. People from San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and rest of the world. Where TNCs exists. They are all surprised how clean and professional all the taxi service here in the region.
Conclusion:
Don't understand how the Canada's Competition Bureau step in a municipality concerns. Oh!!! That's right! 's approach the Competition Bureau. Saying there's no real competition in the taxi industry. Competition Bureau didn't look at the regulations to understand what they are for. Just hearsay from company with no vested interest in the community. Just money.
I read through the white paper. Here's some of my counterpoints to their points of TNCs (taxi service). Especially for my region.
Price:
It's true that TNCs can offer lower prices than the taxi industry. How? Uber uses investor's money to pay minimum wage to Uber drivers. But at what cost? Driver's of TNCs (Taxi Service) do not understand underlying cost of operating a vehicle as business (wear and tear, depreciation value of vehicle and replacement cost of vehicle). They only see amount of money they make. If they pay taxes they would lose 13% to HST. Surge pricing does not guarantee more vehicles on the road just more money for Uber.
Availability and waiting times:
I quote "TNCs may reduce waiting time". Here in Waterloo Region wait times are so low that taxis are waiting longer for customers than it took to get to the customer. Uber has given numbers on their wait times, but there has been no verification of numbers just Uber's word. Here the taxi industry they must keep records, and allow regulators to look at them.
Uber does not take into consideration there are people in rural areas. Uber does not operate in those areas in the Region. Also a lot people in the rural areas do not use technology or credit cards (Mennonite). How does Uber offer services to these people?
Convenience:
The convenient feature the TNCs (taxi service) provide is all a gimmick. Uber uses ghost cars on there map. Showing cars that are not there, but giving a estimate time of arrival of 7 minutes or more. Taxi companies looked into this. Some companies have put this option on their apps. But, different do to response of internet security. Uber method has been hack into. Customers accounts have been abused. Why need tracking when you are only 2 minutes a way? For years taxi industry have used a call out feature to let their customers know that their vehicle has arrived.
Quality of service:
Here in the region the competition put pressure on all taxi companies to improve the quality of service way before TNCs (taxi service) came into the Region. There are 5 companies all fighting to keep and increase customers base. Most people that come to the Region to visit or business are surprise by how great the taxi service is in the Region. People from San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and rest of the world. Where TNCs exists. They are all surprised how clean and professional all the taxi service here in the region.
Conclusion:
Don't understand how the Canada's Competition Bureau step in a municipality concerns. Oh!!! That's right! 's approach the Competition Bureau. Saying there's no real competition in the taxi industry. Competition Bureau didn't look at the regulations to understand what they are for. Just hearsay from company with no vested interest in the community. Just money.
Friday, 8 January 2016
Taxi industry getting SCREWED again!!!
It's been awhile since I wrote anything on Uber and the taxi industry! It was announce that Aviva Canada came up with ride-sharing insurance. Who is going to check if insured is following the contract? Upto 20 hours a week? Licensed for a minimum of six years? Driver's abstract? Not Uber! They can't even follow their own rules. Since Uber started in the Waterloo Region illegally. Drivers have been driving without proper insurance. Driver under the age of 21. What has the Region to protect consumers? Nothing! Now Uber has put onus on the driver to have proper insurance, without checking if they got it. How responsible of Uber to it's customer and the rest of society.
Aviva Canada is largest taxi insurer company. Thier rates for the taxi industry has increased almost every year. If you're lucky you pay only $5400.00 a year. That's with a clean driver's record and no claims. Also it's a fleet rate to keep cost down. So, how in hell does Aviva can only charge few hundred dollars on top of personal insurance? Where can I get the same treatment? I would be paying peanuts!
To the regional councillors, you all have failed in so many ways. The trust of local businesses. The protection of people under your watch. The growth of corruption of society! Should I keep going? I can.
I wrote this today, because people in the taxi industry are worried! Years of hard work going down the drain. For what? Jobs? Wake up councillors!! I thought the region believe in a living wage? Good moral code? Uber has lied in everything that they say! You keeping stalling to see someone else come up with a solution. Or, scared to do the right thing?
Aviva Canada is largest taxi insurer company. Thier rates for the taxi industry has increased almost every year. If you're lucky you pay only $5400.00 a year. That's with a clean driver's record and no claims. Also it's a fleet rate to keep cost down. So, how in hell does Aviva can only charge few hundred dollars on top of personal insurance? Where can I get the same treatment? I would be paying peanuts!
To the regional councillors, you all have failed in so many ways. The trust of local businesses. The protection of people under your watch. The growth of corruption of society! Should I keep going? I can.
I wrote this today, because people in the taxi industry are worried! Years of hard work going down the drain. For what? Jobs? Wake up councillors!! I thought the region believe in a living wage? Good moral code? Uber has lied in everything that they say! You keeping stalling to see someone else come up with a solution. Or, scared to do the right thing?
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