Uber Plays Stupid in Tampa Bay

Uber Plays Stupid in Tampa court hearing. "we don't use taxi meters, we just use "stupid" phones, which computes distance, time and price somewhere on servers in California and that's how drivers get paid and customers get charged" ..................IS THIS FOR REAL?  ..........DO UBER THINK, THAT PEOPLE IN FLORIDA ARE STUPID?

picture by techcrunch.com

Uber-and-Ptc-square-off-before-hearing-officer-over-tickets

"...............Much of Monday's hearing centered around determining if a smartphone app can be considered a meter. If so, regulators argued Uber's drivers are operating in the same fashion as cab drivers, and thus subject to the same rules. But Uber representative Matthew Gore, general manager in Florida, said the rate is calculated by an algorithm on the their servers in California, not in the app.

"The vehicles are not taxicabs, and there is no meter installed," Gore said after Monday's hearing. "It's a new category of service that the regulators never wrote into their laws."............"

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Marco Rubio (R): Screw Florida cab drivers, I Like UBER

(R) Marco Rubio: screw Florida cab and limo drivers, let the big corporations like Uber or Lyft  with heavy backing from venture capital take over personal transportation market in US, Europe, Australia, Mars, etc, and make all the transactions go through ONE company...........isn't this a corporate monopoly at birth?
.......something like all those small mom and pop hardware stores were put out of business by Home Depot few decades ago or like Walmart put out of business small manufacturing companies around US in name of "lowering customer prices"...!!?? yeah, right.

Decades later, we know results, China and Walton family are getting richer, employees at Walmart are collecting all kind of governmental support (at cost to tax payers) because they can not afford to live on $8.00 an hour and we as customers are forced to buy cheap Sh^%$ made in China, which falls apart after 2 weeks of using it..........

picture by UsNews.com

"Why Marco Rubio's Embracing Uber

The hip-hop listening, Netflix-watching Florida GOPer aligns himself with another hip, tech-driven company.

Sen. Marco Rubio was looking to score a quick ride in Miami, but when he tapped his white Uber button on his smartphone, the Florida Republican came up empty.

“I was bragging to someone about this service in Washington and I clicked onto my app … and up comes a message saying, ‘Sorry we can’t pick you up in Miami because the county commission won’t allow it,’” he recalled. 

That incident was the impetus for Rubio's Monday visit to Uber’s Washington headquarters, where he used the struggle of a growing and fashionable tech company to underscore his case concerning overburdensome regulations.

“We should never allow government power and government regulations to be used to protect an establishment incumbent industry at the expense of an innovative competitor,” he said.


Operating in 37 U.S. cities, Uber is a transportation company that allows a customer to order a taxi, town car or SUV to a specific location with just a click of a phone app. All transactions are paperless and tips are included in the fee. The service quickly gained popularity in Washington due to frustration with the lack of available cabs in certain parts of the city and the inability to pay with credit or debit cards......."

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Taxi app wars in China fought over information...NO KIDDING

Picture by wantchinatimes.com

At least Chinese are honest and transparent about why they are spending $100's millions of dollars on developing and popularizing taxi apps, which has yet to build up a clear profitability model.

.......We don't get that from Uber, Hailo, Lyft or any other local taxi app hailing / booking company in US, but constant stream of legal controversies and misinformation, wonder why?

"Alibaba, Tencent spending big on taxi apps despite lack of profit model

Alibaba Group and Tencent Holdings, China's internet giants, are in a neck-and-neck fight in the taxi app market. On Jan. 20, Tencent's Didi, its taxi hailing service, announced a plan to invest a further 200 million yuan (US$33 million) to benefit passengers. The very next day, Alibaba's Kuaide swiftly announced it was investing 500 million yuan (US$82.5 million) for the good of passengers, Shanghai's China Business News reports.

Some commentators are asking why the two giants are willing to throw so much money into the taxi app market which has yet to build up a clear profitability model.

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Why Complain About Uber When They Are Doing Their Best!

Written by JC

If you’ve never hear about the Uber on-demand car service before, I’ll let you into a little secret. This company makes being able to get from A to B as easy as possible. No more waiting for buses that don’t turn up on time, heading down into less than savory subway stations or standing in the rain trying to hail a taxi that speeds by leaving a trail of wet spray in its path.

In recent years the Uber on-demand car service has gone high tech like a lot of other companies, and it’s now even easier to get a ride wherever you are, and whatever time of day it is.

How Uber Works

The first thing you need to do is pay a visit to their website and sign-up for an account. This couldn’t be easier and once done, you can download the app to your mobile device. Incidentally, if you think you need to reach for your wallet at this stage, thing again! This app is available for free from Google Play Store, the Apple App Store and BlackBerry App World.

When you’re ready to use the service, there are several different types of taxi you can opt for and these include, black car, UberX, SUV, LUX and of course your everyday taxi. However, do bear in mind it depends on what city you’re in so you may not get all the options.

Once you’ve selected the type of car you want, simply enter your location and the app will do the rest. Using GPS detection, Uber will find the nearest driver to your location and you don’t have to worry about staring at your phone because they will send you a text when your ride is on its way.

Pricing

Uber couldn’t be more transparent about the way they fix the pricing. If you know your destination, you can easily get a quote for the cab ride before you even book anything. You also don’t need

Free Taxi Hailing Apps

PCWorld: Taxi! Five free apps for hailing a legit cab

The ride-sharing movement is bustling in some cities, yet still emerging in others, which is why good old yellow cabs are still the most trusted way to find a ride home at the end of a night out. Sure, Lyft’s pink mustaches are a welcome sight, and taking a fancy Uber black car has its perks, but having a regular taxi app on hand is a smart move—especially since hailing a cab on New Year’s Eve can be nearly impossible without planning ahead. Here are five reputable taxi apps for worry-free transportation.

Taxi Magic
Although you can find tons of apps specific to different cities, Taxi Magic (free for iOS and Android) is the most widespread—it's compatible with more than 60 major U.S. cities and their surrounding areas. Taxi Magic maintains partnerships with several major taxi fleets, and the app will locate available taxis nearby via your phone’s location services.
Tab on a cab in the app’s map to see which fleet it belongs to and what the driver’s name is, and tap “Come get me!” to order cab service. From there, the taxi-dispatch center is notified, and a driver is sent to pick you up. You can track the arrival of your taxi, send a message to your driver with further instructions, and even save a credit card to your account to pay for your ride all through Taxi Magic. Taxi Magic charges standard cab rates, plus a convenience fee of between $1.50 and $2..........

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