"TAMPA — Uber has lost a battle Wednesday in its fight for open competition on streets as Hillsborough County's Public Transportation Commission decides that the ride-sharing company is a taxi company and faces the same regulations as other such firms.
The hearing was a continuing appeal process of five tickets inspectors wrote to Uber drivers for two violations: operating a for-hire service without a proper permit, and allowing or causing drivers to operate a public for-hire vehicle without the proper driver's license, according to the Tampa Bay Times........"
>>> Please Read More
University of Tampa Bans Uber and Lyft because of students safety concerns.
IMO, It looks like a small victory for uber and taxi drivers,
ReplyDeleteSout Koreans are getting serious with Kalanick and Uber
Delete"Uber CEO faces two years in prison for operating illegal taxi service in South Korea
South Korean prosecutors have indicted the founder of Uber, Travis Kalanick, for operating an illegal taxi service in the country. The formal accusation against Kalanick and another man, a local rental car service operator, was made without physical detention. Yonhap News says that violators of the Korean law in question, which stops rental car services from offering paid passenger transport, could face a fine of up to 20 million won ($18,121), or up to two years in jail."
read more at:
http://www.theverge.com/2014/12/24/7445843/uber-ceo-two-years-in-prison-for-operating-illegal-taxi-service-korea
Uber drivers are being hunted for bounty in Korea
Delete"The Seoul government will pay anyone who reports a case of an unlicensed driver carrying paying customers up to 1 million won (a little more than $900)"
I already see those ads on Craigslist "Make $2000 a day, be an Uber Hunter" :) :)
I think, every cab company out there, where Uber is active, is obligated to sue them,- it would drain their financial resources and make legal system aware of their illegal activities.
Delete"Uber slapped with suit by 45 Phila. taxi companies
A group of 45 Philadelphia taxi companies filed suit in federal court Tuesday alleging that Uber, the app-based taxi enterprise, is waging unfair competition against medallion owners who must operate under state laws and regulations.
Lead litigant Checker Cab Philadelphia and the other cab operators accused Uber of racketeering.
"Not since the days of bootlegging has there been a criminal enterprise so brazen and open as to attract hundreds of millions of dollars in investment from investment bankers and to operate in blatant violation of federal and state law as Uber," reads the complaint. The case was filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Read more at:
http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20141225_Uber_slapped_with_suit_by_45_city_taxi_companies.html
Instead trying to fight Uber legally, taxi drivers should get organized and start to fight uber in guerrilla war by undermining uber business.........
Delete..........and I don't think it would be that difficult,- all you need is some ingenuity and spare time
"Neither Uber nor Lyft want to communicate with PTC, why?
ReplyDeletebecause 3-6 months from now, when they are going to be forced to accept conditions imposed on them by court, they also will be forced to raise the rates to compensate drivers for extra expenses like commercial insurance, city license, hack license, car inspections, etc.
............but,.......... by then , their market share in local personal transportation field will be substantially higher, build on $1.20 a mile rides they advertise now.
Needless to say, when they are going to rise rates, they also will be blaming "bad" PTC for that, making uber look like "Robin Hood" company FORCED TO COMPLY WITH EVIL GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS.
............a cinderella, fighting "corrupted taxi cartels"........? "
please read more at:
http://saint-petersburg-florida-taxi.blogspot.com/2014/09/taxi-driver-twist-on-uber-and-lyft.html
seems to me that Kalanick's game of cat and mouse with legal systems around the World might be coming to an END after criminal charges has been filled against him in South Korea
Deleteplease read more at
http://xin.msn.com/en-sg/news/other/south-korea-charges-uber-ceo-kalanick-for-operating-illegal-taxi-service/ar-BBhaPQA
ex-Uber driver St Petersburg, FL
Yeah, well........
DeleteMay be politicians in South Korea, Nevada, Canada and Portland are not for sale, but in Florida it appears to be different story..
http://www.buzzfeed.com/johanabhuiyan/uber-and-lyfts-bitter-battle-for-tampa#.hx7qjj7JdN
As a cab driver in Orlando, I feel discriminated against by State of Florida
Deletelocal cab companies in Florida should seek justice in Federal courts and force state of Florida to comply with their own rules regulations...........?
DeleteI wouldn't be celebrating yet, - Uber was banned in other places like Virginia, Pennsylvania, Berlin, etc. and after appeal, they either managed to adjust to local laws or changed those laws.
ReplyDeleteex-uber driver in Chicago and Orlando
Here we go!!! seems like Florida's State Attorney Office supports Uber and its criminal activities in State of Florida
Deleteplease read more:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/johanabhuiyan/uber-and-lyfts-bitter-battle-for-tampa#.sb7Zbbd9r0
I lost job as a taxi driver and I tried to drive for UberX until I realized, there is oversupply of drivers and nobody is making any money .
ReplyDeleteThe difference is that taxi operate legally and uberx not,- but I am still forced to request UberX, because UberX is more than 50% cheaper than taxi (tip included) and I don't have money...
......but if UberX I take get involved in accident and I get hurt, I wont be suing uber or uberx driver for lack of insurance or license, but the City for allowing unlicensed and uninsured company operate illegally as a taxi ,
I think Uber is a genius alternative to taxi services. I'm sure things will stabilize over time as they continue to refine their policies. They are in business just like anyone else and are trying to find a way to make their pricing strategies work. Thanks for this post! http://www.deltasurreygreencab.com/services/wsdindex.php
ReplyDelete"I think Uber is a genius alternative to taxi services"
Deletehehe, you must be uber moron in disguise, let me guess, a left hand to sociopath Kalanick?
I have bad news for you buddy, Kalanick is on his way out
read some more at:
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-new-york-tech-scene-thinks-uber-should-fire-emil-and-travis-2014-11
p.s. not that I trust businessinsider.com, but Kalanick's way of conducting business is outrageous by any standards, Kalanick is mentally sick sociopath, with twisted and fucked up imagination
do you remember him saying "I am a pimp"? and lowering uber rates to below rock bottom ? without regard for livelihood of uber drivers.......? or charging customers 6X, 8X, 10X regular fare, because 30,000 people wanted to get out of the concert at same time...? or lying to the public about uber's insurance and background check?
ex-uber driver in tampa bay
IMO, All we need in Tampa Bay is some kind of Universal taxi / limo / car service app, which would take care of private transportation business according to rules and regulation and cater to legal transportation providers in the area,- those with commercial insurance, hack licence, calibrated meter, proper tax sticker, reasonable brokerage fees of about %5 and stable rates per mile or per minute.
ReplyDeleteUber and Lyft have to go
here are couple of solutions to "universal taxi app" in Tampa Bay and Florida
ReplyDeleteFLYWHEEL.com
GetRide.com/
and many more, which instead charging driver 20% on each trip + other fees or customer 2X -10X regular rate on busy nights to be driven around by unlicensed and uninsured uber car/driver, they connect to existing professional drivers in the area, who are fully insured and licensed to provide transportation services according to local laws and regulations.
GetRide is a BS app, pretty much useless same like TaxiCaller and sayTaxi
DeleteNEW UBER's MUMBO JUMBO HIGHWAY rates to confuse drivers and make them slaves of Kalanick
ReplyDelete"We now have HIGHWAY as an option, and at the great rate of $99 that could end with 6 hours and a 200 mile round trip, I don't care if you have an electric car……how stupid do you have to be to sign up for this and except a ping….on a Friday ? I would rather sit in the dentist chair. I think the next Orlando option will be CHARITY trips, drivers can get 1/10 rating points back for excepting CHARITY pings and have to pay Uber a flat rate of $10 no matter how long or short the trip is, who's in? looks like a bunch of tards signed up for highway so I think CHARITY will be a hit also."
read more at:
http://uberpeople.net/threads/highway.7461/
p.s. what about other UberX drivers, who on 100 miles one way trip could make $120
while regular taxi fare would be ~ $220 - $250+ TIP
UBER DRIVERS ARE GETTING FUCKED AGAIN BY "future of transportation" LOL
ARE YOU MAKING those $35-40 AN HOUR YET ???!! OR 50K -100K a year with Uber ?
Mayor Rick Krieman is stabbing Cab and Uber drivers in the back
ReplyDeleteThis BS story was released by Mayor Rick Kriseman office according to "NEWS 10"
Either Mayor Kriseman don't have a clue, WTF is going on in his/our City,- or his staffers are doing shit behind his back.
Anyway you look at it,- IF THIS IS TRUTH, WHY IN THE WORLD DO HAVE TO PAY $ 10,000 IN TAXI COMMERCIAL INSURANCE, PAY CITY TAXES ON MY CABS, GO TROUGH YEARLY BACKGROUND CHECKS AND ALL OTHER BS REGULATIONS?
Honestly, cab drivers should get together and sue City of Saint Pete for discrimination in federal courts, because they fail to enforce own laws and allow uber to operate
DeleteUber and Cab drivers operating from homeless shelters
ReplyDelete"Most uber drivers these days are part timers or people out of town who don't have a clue where they are going, they miss highway exits, drive you in loops, so in the end uber cost you more than taxis.
........ what does it say to us?
cab drivers talking on phone, no AC in the cab, clueless uber drivers, uber cars operating w/o commercial insurance?
.....It says the Quality of service is falling, because it's harder and harder for drivers to make money in private transportation business, yet uber claims, you can make $35-40 / hr or 100K a year.......creating even bigger oversupply of drivers, -next thing you know uber and cab drivers will be operating out of homeless shelters."
read more at:
http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2014/06/local_uberx_driver_says_working_for_company_is_a_rip_off.php
who cares about expensive, stupid and dirty cab drivers, who hardly speak English ?
ReplyDeletelet them get UBERED , LOL
I guess you haven't seen all the Uber job ads on craigslist that are written is Spanish. I guess they ran out of hard up English speaking drivers.
Deletethat uberX driver from Egypt Ramy Botros who was charged with rape in Orlando, didn't speak English at all
DeleteWashington Post is a SPIN DOCTOR for UberNovember 24, 2014 at 6:12 PM
ReplyDeleteListen to this BS
"Every day millions of Americans hop in their cars to get to work. But in light of the wages UberX drivers are making, the average American could probably make more money by staying in his or her car all day, and driving for the popular ride service.
A major shift is underway on America’s roadways. For a long time, driving strangers from point A to point B paid terribly. Estimates of the typical cab driver’s salary hover around $30,000.
According to Uber, the median wage for an UberX driver working at least 40 hours a week in New York City is $90,766 a year. In San Francisco, the median wage for an UberX driver working at least 40 hours a week is $74,191........"
read more of Washington Post BS at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/wp/2014/05/27/ubers-remarkable-growth-could-end-the-era-of-poorly-paid-cab-drivers/
ReplyDelete
Replies
AnonymousNovember 24, 2014 at 6:22 PM
LOL, I am speechless, I simply can not apprehend how Washington Post can lie so bluntly to public? and how Uber keeps enticing people to commit criminal acts against local jurisdictions
IT'S F%^$# FRAUD abd KALANICK SHOULD BE ROTTING IN JAIL
http://saint-petersburg-florida-taxi.blogspot.com/2014/08/how-much-money-can-you-make-being-uber.html
Delete
Bezos, the owner of Amazon, Washington Post and major investor in Uber is a godfather of all corporate crooks in XXI century and probably mentor to screwball Kalanick, because this moron wouldn't come up with the idea of bypassing legal obstacles by ignoring them, like Bezos have done for more than a decade by ignoring states sales tax laws.
Deletethese MF's should be charged with Racketeering and thrown in the jail for 100 years each and public interests should demand it by conducting protests in front of White House
UberPop/UberX has been banned in Berlin, Hamburg and Paris
ReplyDelete"Courts in Berlin and Hamburg have banned Uber's classic limousine pick-up service UberBlack as well as UberPop (European Version of UberX), the newer service that links private drivers with passengers.
As a result, Uber, which operates in 250 cities worldwide, dropped its UberPop prices in Germany to comply with local rules that say people can share rides but NOT FOR A PROFIT. Since that led to fewer drivers being willing to take riders, Uber recently decided to allow regular taxi drivers to book fares on its app. "
"In France, another showdown is brewing over a taxi and car service law passed in mid-September. The law banned Uber and other car services from using GPS technology to display where cars and customers were located, a key feature of the apps, and said such an approach could only be used by licensed taxis. "
read more at :
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/11/13/uk-uber-europe-idUKKCN0IX2ED20141113
I think, Uber is illegal in London too, where courts ruled out that only taxis can use meters to compute fares.
Delete......and Amsterdam hands out $5300 fines to uber drivers
read more at
http://cir.ca/news/ride-sharing-legal-challenges
First US has to learn from Europe, how to deal with Kalanick and UberBS, --- In Eurpoe, they simply created UberAntiBS, -the idea doesn't negate existing customers and uber hype, but creates hurdles which are similar to those the taxi drivers have pass in order to operate legally
Deleteeg.
.......NOT too many people know this, but in Germany uber can operate legally, but uber drivers or uber can not profit from those rides, so rates were lowered to ~$0.44 a KM a bare minimum to cover driver"s costs.
In France, uber can operate legally, but only licensed taxis can use GPS technology to take calls, that means,--if you want to hook up with your friend to give him ride to airport, you can not use uber platform and you have to call or text him.
In London? of course uber is legal, but there is a law in effect which says, ONLY LICENSED TAXIS CAN USE METERS........... and SORRY, but NO !!! -app based computing devices like uber are considered as a taxi meters, because they charge customer on per mile and per minute basis and drivers are getting paid in same way.
.......AND In Brussels? a capital of EU !!!, ----THEY SAID, DON'T EVEN TRY !!! or we going to SLAP YOU WITH SO MANY LAWSUITS, that UBER is going to be BANKRUPT before your lawyer openS HIS mouth TO SPEAK
Show less
ex Uber driver Clearwater Beach
Uber shutdown to operate in Las Vegas for not complying with regulations.
Delete"Uber suspended operations in Nevada late Wednesday, after a Washoe County District Court judge granted the state's request for a court order blocking the ride-sharing service. The judge said Uber's refusal to comply with state laws regulating commercial motor carriers and passenger transportation services could put the public's safety at risk.
Nevada's attorney general filed a lawsuit last month arguing that the Internet application matching riders with drivers using personal cars for a fee infringes on the franchise rights of taxi companies and cabdrivers serving fare-paying passengers under state oversight. Washoe District Judge Scott Freeman granted the state's request for a preliminary injunction pending a future trial....."
read more at:
http://mashable.com/2014/11/27/nevada-uber/
I like the way they were able to kick out uber from Nevada,- they didn't even use unions
Deleteas a UberX ex-driver, I am happy, that State of Nevada was able to kick Kalanick right on the balls and stop UberBS right in its tracks
DeleteI am really proud of Las Vegas and Nevada for defending uber drivers sanity against UberBS and falsehoods promising new drivers "pies in the sky" and then f*** them over at $1.00 a mile
"Uber CEO must turn over emails in gratuity lawsuit, US judge rules
ReplyDeleteNov 26 (Reuters) - Uber Chief Executive Travis Kalanick must disclose some of his emails to plaintiff lawyers in a lawsuit accusing the car service of misleading customers about how it shares gratuities with drivers, a U.S. judge said on Wednesday.
An Uber customer filed a proposed class action lawsuit against the company earlier this year, saying an advertised 20 percent gratuity is "false, misleading, and likely to deceive members of the public" because Uber keeps a substantial portion of the money.
Uber's business practices have come under scrutiny, with some customers alleging privacy violations. Earlier this month a senior Uber executive caused an uproar when he told journalists.........."
read more at:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/26/uber-ceo-lawsuit-idUSL2N0TG1J920141126
Uber Tampa I love you guys made over 1200 bucks in 3 days
ReplyDeleteOK, let me ask you question, did uber test you for drugs?,
Delete............or? .....may be you are one of those craigslist spammers ?
from what I heard, people who advertise Uber on Craigslist for new drivers, they are getting paid $750 for every person they are able to sign up and who completes 100 trips with uber.
DeleteI guess, this must be cost of advertising of dirty business, because those good ones advertise themselves by word of mouth.
Kudos, Mr. ANONYMOUS. ....KUDOS,
ReplyDeleteAt $1200, based on the $1.50 per mile rate that means you drove between 800 and 1000 miles in 3 days. ..awesome!
I must ask though, since you're preforming taxi type services (ya know diving customers from point A to point B on a per mile rate. ... Yes that's a taxi) and you're operating a for-hire vehicle are you really willing to risk everything you have to do it all illegally?
Florida Statutes and the DMV REQUIRE that your vehicle be registered as a for-hire vehicle. This means there should be a 9 on your registration under class code and not a 1.
The law also requires that the title be stamped as a taxi. .. Yes, it is a taxi and yes it's a second degree misdemeanor to now sell that vehicle without the title being stamped as such.
Also the law requires that you carry 150000/500000/50000 insurance coverages on that vehicle. ...24 hours a day. ... not just the umbrella policy uber has.
By the way, are you and your vehicle licensed and permitted in Hillsborough?
You see, here you are, proudly proclaiming that you do not care about civil suits for car accidents, criminal charges for improper registration and insurance and that your insurance company will not most likely cover any accidents as you're not insured as a for hire vehicle.
Furthermore, you're also proudly proclaiming that you don't care about the general public nor the customers you have in your car. No insurance when they get out, Bummer!
All of this bragging about doing everything illegally while you take away from those of use who do. Those of us who care enough to make sure the customers and the public are in the safest and properly insured hands.
Again. ...kudos!
your estimate is wrong because
Delete#1 Uberx rate in Tampa Bay is $1.20 and NOT $1.50
#2 It doesn't take into account unpaid miles you have to drive, like getting to a call or getting back to your area of operation.
In reality, in order to make $1200, someone would have to drive about 2000-2400 miles and this is BEFORE EXPENSES, like uber commission, gas, car repairs, tires, car wash and cleaning, etc.
After expanses net earning would be anything between $0.25-$0.35 a mile, depend what kind of car you driving and this translated to about 3000-4000 miles
SO !!!! in order to make $1200 with uber, someone would have to drive about 3000-4000 miles !!!!
read some more at:
http://saint-petersburg-florida-taxi.blogspot.com/2014/08/how-much-money-can-you-make-being-uber.html
former uber driver in Clearwater Beach
I think, you forgot to take into consideration Uber "surge pricing", last night I made at least 12 trips at rate +$2.50 a mile and couple of them at rates over 5 bucks a mile.
DeleteUber plays again with their drivers livelihood and says to local authorities "FU"
DeleteUber restarts service in Delhi; government says company still banned
(Reuters) - Uber, the U.S.-based online taxi-hailing company, has restarted services in India's capital after a ban following rape allegations against one of its drivers, but a government official said the company remains blacklisted.
Uber's app showed taxis available for booking in New Delhi on Friday. A company spokesman said Uber had applied for a radio taxi license. Last month, the company had said such traditional radio taxi regulations were incompatible with its business model.
A senior government official said Uber was still banned in New Delhi and its taxis would be impounded............ "
read more at :
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/23/us-india-uber-idUSKBN0KW0BD20150123
Yes, you are correct. I was mistaken about the per mile rate. I know I saw it somewhere that their rate is 1.50, but I'm assuming that was for a different city.
ReplyDeleteAs for expenses, that all falls into gross versus net. My post was not intended to compliment in any way but was a sarcastic response about the legality of what is going on in the industry.
here are current UberX rates in Florida
ReplyDeleteTampa Bay $1.20 a mile
Miami $ 1.25 a mile
West Palm Beach $1.25
Orlando $1.20
Jacksonville $1.30 a mile
Gainesville $1.80 a mile
Tallahassee $1.50 a mile
What I noticed, uberx rates are much higher in Gainesville , I suspect that Uber doesn't want to f*** around with all those kids from Gainesville Colleges, who tend to be very outspoken and could potentially harm uber image through social medias bad "press"
Uber no longer publishes their rates in Florida
Delete........and in Tallahassee they have higher rates too, because they don't want to expose those politicians to whining of local uberX drivers?.:)
ReplyDelete"Portland Sues Uber
ReplyDeleteBy Tracey Lien
Ride-sharing service Uber has expanded quickly by rallying public support for its service before city regulators could catch up. It became so popular in places such as San Francisco that politicians would have paid a big political price had they tried to slow it down.
That tactic is hitting some potholes. On Monday, the city of Portland, Ore., sued the San Francisco company for operating illegally in the city. "
read more at:
http://www.governing.com/topics/urban/tns-portland-sues-uber.html
Looks like all the crap Uber has been "selling" over a year or so, start to catch up with Kalanick.
DeleteJust over last few days, Uber was banned from Las Vegas, Toronto, Portland, Netherlands, Spain, Vietnam, India, Thailand and now California is suing uber for lying to public and all those news releases are being well publicized .
What next?, Kalanick being charged with racketeering?
Kalanick (this fucker) deserves to be charged with racketeering in federal courts
Delete"Uber, Lyft Accused of Racketeering in Connecticut Suit
DeleteRide-sharing services Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. were accused of racketeering in a lawsuit by Connecticut taxi and livery firms, which said the companies “prey parasitically” on established services.
The services, operating without proper licenses, “cut corners illegally” and undermine “critical safety provisions of Connecticut taxi and livery laws,” the taxi companies said in a complaint filed yesterday in New Haven federal court."
read more at:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-22/uber-lyft-face-racketeering-lawsuit-by-connecticut-cab-groups.html
I don't know how people can use Uber and other things like that. It's just like the modern-day hitchhiking. I would feel much better just taking a taxi.
ReplyDeletehttp://newdaycars.com/
"Taxi Drivers want a say in changes in the rules around bringing Uber and Lyft under PTC Regulations
ReplyDeleteTampa, Fla.- Hillsborough Public Transportation Commission (PTC) will be meeting this Wednesday to review changes to the rules, almost all exclusively, around bringing Uber and Lyft under the PTC Regulations. The aim is to ensure that ride-share drivers conform to the same requirements as cabbies such as commercial insurance, fingerprint background checks, special licenses, vehicle inspections, etc."
pease read more at"
http://www.seiufpsu.org/2014/12/08/taxi-drivers-want-a-say-in-changes-in-the-rules-around-brinign-uber-and-lyft-under-ptc-regulations/
that's what we need, taxi driver union to protect taxi drivers from uber, lyft, PTC and cab companies.
DeleteHow about uber drivers union to protect them from Kalanick.........? and his third world slave labor practices promoted by uber on US soil?
uber driver in St Pete
Here we go,- do you want to know how uber brainwashes public and politicians?
ReplyDeletethey try to portray themselves as saviour of the World and Florida while involved in criminal activities and profiting from them.
"Dear Florida State Legislature, Move Florida Forward
The Situation:
To date, over a hundred thousand Florida residents and visitors have opened the Uber app to connect with a stylish ride, only to find their transportation needs can’t be met. Floridians want their leaders to stand up for innovation, not special interests. Uber in Florida means thousands of new well-paying jobs for local economies, and delivery of safe, convenient and seamless transportation alternatives. Here is what state legislation would do to open the state for Florida: "
read more at: or click on link above.
https://action.uber.org/florida/
IMO, Uber should be kicked out from Florida in the same way as they were kicked out from Nevada, Spain, Thailand, Belgium, Germany, etc. If they want to appeal this decision, let them do it,- but please don't allow them to continue to operate in violation of every possible rule and regulation while all the legal operators have to obey them and pay for them, because it would be discrimination against group of people in our society who build their life around taxi and limo industry by dutifully obeying the laws and regulations
in what cities, states and countries uber is illegal and has been forced out of operation? thx
ReplyDeleteUberX was banned from all of Canada couple of months ago
ReplyDeleteUber needs to clean their act up before people outside of metro areas will trust them.
ReplyDeleteTechnology companies for the transportation industry such as cabmate, MTDATA, PC dispatch and etc do not require background checks and drug screenings nor do they provide umbrella insurance policies. Neither do taxi magic and various other companies like it, which are app based companies where customers can order a cab from their smart phone. (When a cab company contracts with these companies)
ReplyDeleteTrue technology companies like those listed above charge the cab companies a fee for their products and some charge monthly fees for support, but they do not charge the drivers percentage of every call they run like these TSPs do.
Taxi magic and other apps like it do charge the cab companies a fee or a portion of the credit card charges, but they do not contract with drivers to provide the services, instead cab companies use these apps to help service their customers. Again, these true technology companies do not require background checks, drug screens, vehicle inspections and they do no provide insurance coverage for the drivers and passengers. Why? Because they are true technology companies. These companies either contract with legitimate companies or their programs/apps are purchased by legitimate transportation companies. The transportation companies (taxi companies) and/or the counties/cities where transportation services are regulated are the ones who not only require very stringent background checks, but also require drug screenings, vehicle inspections and high levels of continuous insurance coverage on each vehicle, in accordance with State law.
These TSPs refuse to abide by the local governing authorities, such as the Hillsborough County Public Transportation Commission. These authorities have, in may instances, been established by the Florida Legislature and have full authority to regulate this transportation industry in their respective areas. Their authority should be respected and should be enforced in accordance with the laws established, not only by the regulating authorities themselves, but by local law enforcement and the States Attorneys of each county. Failure to do so is disregarding the authority to establish and enforce laws as established by the Florida Legislature.
I also believe that the State of Florida, in an effort to protect the general public and tourists alike, should require by law that every county within the State establish and enforce some sort of minimum laws regulating the transportation industry. We have a state wide laws regulating gaming in Florida, which regulates the Lottery, para-mutuals, and the handful of casinos, but yet no statewide mandate to protect the citizens of this state and the tourists alike from the thousands of gypsy cabs (unlicensed, under-insured and unregulated for-hire vehicles) and these TSPs. No consumer safety there huh?
For those of you who do not fully understand the taxi industry, let me give you a little insight on how it works.
ReplyDeleteYour average cab driver, at least those of us who work for legitimate and legal companies, work in excess of 80 hours per week on average, with many of us working on excess of 100 hours per week. Shocking, isn't it? But it gets more jaw dropping.
Could you imagine starting out everyday owing money to 2 different companies BEFORE you are able to put any money in your pocket for your own bills? Well that's exactly what most cab drivers do, everyday of their lives.
You see, in addition to having to pay for all of our own gas (company 1), we also have to pay a lease to the cab companies for the taxis we drive (company 2). This daily/weekly lease amount ranges from $525 to in excess of $600 per week, with the legitimate companies here in the bay area. (Those who abide by both local and state laws) Add to this a minimum of $300 plus per week fuel cost (and yes it can be much higher) and you're talking a minimum deficit to the driver of at least $825 per week. Trust me, this deficit can easily be in excess of $1,000 with high gas prices combined with those companies that charge higher leases. Yes we pay A LOT for the privilege of diving those cabs and for the privilege of driving you the consumer around.
Although a driver can, on very rare occasion, make up this $137 - $167 daily deficit (based on a 6 day work week) in a few hours, 99% of the time it takes a driver 4-6 hours to make this amount up BEFORE HE PUTS A PENNY IN HIS POCKET FOR HIS OWN BILLS. Could you imagine working 4 - 6 hours for free, before you actually started to get paid?
The lease I speak of is a fee paid to the cab companies for the use of the taxi by the driver. The lease monies go towards paying for the costs incurred by the cab companies for things like phones, personnel, vehicle repair and maintenance,utilities, technology (computers and software), 2-way radios and, of course, the astronomical costs of taxi insurance. Not to mention the monies set aside for the eventual replacement of vehicles and technology upgrades. I'm sure there are many other expenses which I missed, but you get the point.
Taxi insurance is one of the most expensive types of automobile insurance there is, because cabs are on the road constantly. A cab can literally be on the road 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The more time a vehicle is on the road the higher the chance of an accident.
Now there are companies where the driver gets a percentage of the total meter fares for the day (and pays his/her own gas) but only a few companies do this and in reality, it punishes the hard working driver by making them pay more to the company than the driver who books only a minimal amount of calls on any given day. A driver who only does $150 in fares pays the company $75 and pays his own gas, whereas a driver who catches a great call or works his tail off and does $300 in fares, pays the company $150, based on a 50/50 split of the taximeter, plus their own gas. Most companies actually get 60% though. These drivers typically work 12 hour shifts which are dictated by the company, which brings up some legality issues because the driver, as an independent contractor, is required to start and stop at specific times as mandated by the company. Kinda skirts the employee/independent contractor line a little. ( limo, luxury sedan and, i believe, shuttle drivers also pay their companies a percentage of the fare as well)
Some of these TSPs even have requirements in their terms and conditions that the customer is not to give the drivers any cash, even the tip.
ReplyDeleteAll tips go to the company. Since all transactions are required to be via the app, they want the tips going through the app as well. WHY? Because they can charge the driver 20% of their tip as well. Yes, these TSPs screw their own drivers. If it's a $10 ride and you tip the driver $5, the company gets $3 from the $15 total instead of the $2 they should have gotten (based on the 20% fee). Kinda pathetic huh?
Then there is SURGE PRICING.
This is claimed to be done in an effort to entice drivers to come out and work when it's extremely busy. I say this is nothing more than greed! Drivers are naturally going to work when it’s busier.
Although it may be in their terms and conditions (a.k.a. FINE PRINT), but a company who is about actually "servicing" the public would, at bare minimum, notify the customer that surge pricing is in effect BEFORE the customer confirms their trip. Ya know, give the customer the opportunity to choose if yet want to pay these drastically escalated prices. I have heard that Uber is now doing this. They all should have done this all along and from my understanding, they have not. Otherwise why would so many of their former customers have been so upset at the end of their rides? Why would there be so many complaints about this online?
Additionally, the practice of surge pricing is theft. I don't care what the terms and conditions may say, this is theft. Price gouging, if you will, but without the declared state of emergency. No company has the legal right to suddenly raise and lower their rates at will. Customers can literally take a ride at one rate then 5 minutes later be charged a substantially higher rate to go right back to where they started. UP TO 10 TIMES AS MUCH!
What would you do if your electric company did this...... Hey, you know what, demand is awfully high today, let's charge our customers up to 10 times as much. Or better yet, I'm sorry ma'am, that milk is now 25 buck, cause it's the holidays and everyone loves milk and cookies right now. But hey, December 26th, the price will go back to normal.
I'm sorry, but this is theft and it's on a nationwide level, maybe even globally. I personally believe that not only should our local law enforcement investigate this, but our Attorney General, should as well. There should be an immediate statewide cease and desist order put into place until ALL of these monies are repaid to the customers in Florida. I also believe that the Federal Government should look into this too and do the same thing. PAY BACK THE MONEY! Doesn't that fall under some sort of Racketeering definition? Definitely sounds criminal to me.
Taxis don't discriminate, but the TSPs do.
ReplyDeleteThe rules are very simple in Hillsborough County and inmost, if not all regulated areas as well, taxi drivers (and companies) are required to provide transportation services to ANY orderly person who has the ability to pay the fare. Simply put, as long as you're not violent and you have money. ..you get a cab. Doesn't matter if you haven't bathed in a year or you're a complete jerk and have the personality of a rattlesnake (Trust me, there are some extremely nasty and rude individuals who use taxis on a regular basis), we still HAVE to provide transportation services to you. However, the drivers for these TSPs don't have to. They might once or twice, but they can rate customers to the point that you are not allowed to use the services.
If this isn't bad enough, with these TSPs, you MUST use a credit or debit card. NO CASH! It's even in at least one of these TSP's terms and conditions that customers are NOT ALLOWED to give the drivers cash, even if it's a tip.
This means when you and your friends are heading back to your place after a night out and your friend, who only uses cash, decides to go home instead (and this happens a lot), either you're paying for the ride or he's stuck on your front lawn waiting on a cab. So, if you've had a run of bad luck or just don't like using banks and credit cards. ... no shared ride for you!
Yes I said shared ride! This is one of the TSP's ploys to try and skirt around the established laws, they claim they provide "shared ride services".
While it is true that they do provide shared ride services occasionally, the majority of their work, at least locally, is the direct door-to-door services I mentioned earlier. Could you imagine heading out for a night on the town with your date and having to stop by and pick up other passengers? Maybe drop them off first too? Oh hell no!
However, these TSPs are NOT shared ride providers, at least not as defined by the Florida Department of Transportation's rules and regulations.
The blanket policies provided only apply to when the driver has been dispatched to a call or when the customer is in the car. However, when the driver drops off the customer and backs out of the driveway over your neighbors child or into another car, that falls on their own private insurance? Not the higher levels above, but basic coverage. Now the driver’s livelihood and everything they have is on the line. Were the drivers encouraged to set up a LLC? NOPE! Cab drivers are at least semi protected by the companies they contract with, although we should probably all have LLCs too.
ReplyDeleteThe laws go on to state what is required for maximum coverage and deposits. But to put it very simply, basically NONE of the drivers who contract for Uber, Lyft and the rest of these similar companies are insured to the minimum standards as dictated by Florida Statutes.
Of course these TSPs don't want the drivers to know that these insurance levels are required, because there are only a handful of companies that provide true for-hire insurance coverage and they are VERY EXPENSIVE. They don't want their contracted drivers to know about the requirements to properly register the vehicle with the Department of Motor Vehicle as a FOR-HIRE VEHICLE, because once they do, they will be required by law to carry the proper insurances AND most regular auto insurance companies DO NOT insure for-hire vehicles.
Who in their right mind is going to get rid of their great insurance rates where they are saving 15% or more over the competitors rates to pay substantially more for higher insurance? This is why the TSPs don't fully inform their drivers of the laws!
Did you know that at least some of these TSPs share your information with third-party companies? It is even in some of their terms and conditions. What makes this even more repulsive is that by accepting the terms and conditions of at least one of these TSPs, you agree to pay higher rates if you opt out of the third-party information sharing and advertising. CAB COMPANIES DO NOT TO THIS!
At least one of these companies has areas where they can not legally charge for rides (not in Florida as far as I know), so they have suggested donations. However, if you DO NOT donate and you DO NOT notify the company that you don't want to donate, they will automatically charge you the suggested donation amount.
These TSPs charge you a fee if you cancel or are a no-show when the driver arrives. This is also something that taxi companies DO NOT DO. Taxi drivers have to take the loss if the customer cancels or is not there. The taxi driver losses the possibility of a valid call and wastes his/her own time and gas running on a cancel or no-show, but yet these TSPs feel it is perfectly OK to charge the consumer a fee for canceling or for not being there when the driver arrives. I wish we were able to do this, but we aren’t. We, the taxi drivers eat the costs when you, the consumer, have plans that change, however, these TSPs charge you anyway....... And charge the driver a percentage of the fee collected. Again....freakin greed!
Lastly, these TSPs claim that they help bring more jobs into the community and to the state.......WRONG!!!!! If anything it’s a break even number. For every TSP driver on the road, there is a direct impact on the legitimate cab drivers out there. Every TSP driver operating in Florida has a direct impact on the number of taxi drivers in Florida, or the reduction in numbers thereof. Furthermore, when you reduce the number of taxi drivers, you reduce the number of call takers, dispatcher, mechanics, managers and other personnel needed by the companies. This does NOT increase the number of jobs in Florida, but may even decrease them.
Although I agree that there exists a need for some changes in the transportation industry, however, it is an atrocity to allow companies to continue to operate in Florida who not only cost jobs in Florida but who also:
ReplyDelete1. Fail to require that their contracted drivers properly register their vehicles,
2. Fail to require their contracted drivers carry the proper insurance coverage as required by Florida Law,
3. Refuse service to cash only customers,
4. Refuse service to customers who the drivers don't like,
5. Perform surge pricing practices and steal monies from customer,
6. Share and possible sell your info to third-party companies,
7. Refuse to abide by local laws and the governing bodies as established by the Florida Legislature,
8. Refuse to require their drivers to abide by the same laws above,
9. Charge a percentage on all tips given to their contracted drivers (when processed through their credit card system as required by the terms and conditions),
10. Charge customers even if they do not ride with the driver, and
11. Generally ignore the laws of the State of Florida with flagrant disregard for the general public in the State of Florida.
For all local and State governing authorities not to step in and stop these companies immediately, would be a disservice to the public and tourists alike.
Let me be perfectly clear, these TSPs may have a place in Florida, but not under the guidelines as they are set now. Propose changes to the laws and, if approved, then begin operations, but DO NOT break the laws and expect the laws to be made to conform to your ideas. The laws apply to one and all, and should not be waived for those who think they laws do not apply to them. These laws apply to all and everyone of these TSPs should be issued an immediate cease and desist by the State of Florida. Failure to do so is a gross violation of the Laws of Florida and slap in the face of every consumer and tourist that the State of Florida is required, by law, to protect.
Bob Howard
Bobhoward21969@gmail.com
Tampa, Florida
Hey Florida, how about a State sponsored transportation app where locals and tourists alike can easily find a nearby cab (or other transportation) that has been properly licensed and insured, in accordance with Florida Law and the local governing authorities. THIS sounds like the perfect way to not only make sure that the tax payers and voters of Florida are always able to easily find a safe ride, but also the perfect way to make sure all of those tourists who pump millions into our economy are protected as well. Consumer protection and tourism safety all in one nice little app.
“Kansas just shut down Uber, no pickups effective immediately,” was the message sent to Uber users in Kansas after state lawmakers voted through legislation that would force the company to carry out background checks on its drivers and carry additional car insurance.
ReplyDeleteThe controversial car service company said on Tuesday it would cease operations in Kansas immediately after state lawmakers vote for laws requiring Uber, and other taxi apps, to carry out background checks through the Kansas bureau of investigation and hold additional auto insurance coverage when they have Uber turned on in their cars."