What do you guys think of Uber's threat to leave Houston

Don't let the door hit you on the way out, Uber. Not that I hate Uber, but I don't appreciate them pulling out the nuclear option and trying to bully customers to vote in their favor. If they're going to be like that, they can leave.

I love and hate the company. I see potential for them to do some transformative things for society. I also see that they're using regulatory loopholes to exploit their drivers. And, if they manage to ease regulations to make it easier to become an Uber driver, there will be more drivers and it'll become even less profitable to be a driver.

Anyway, the primary thing that needs to be done is to overhaul the rules for taxi service in general, and level the playing field. A lot of the regulation being put on Uber is an attempt to raise their bar as high as taxis' so that taxis can compete again. That's probably not sustainable, and they need to instead acknowledge that Uber is effectively a taxi service and rewrite the rules for the whole industry.

 

Did his time . . . .

Rocket River

 

That is insane. I don't care what time he did & what the story was.... I wouldn't want to get in a car with a murderer.

 

What's you're opinion on Military veterans?

 

That's a diff topic. If they went to jail for murder, I'll probably never want to be around that person.

 

Taxi companies are complaining about a lot but this specific regulation has nothing to do with Taxi companies. This came about because of an actual crime performed by a convicted felon who passed uber's "background checks."

This is Uber trying to bully the City of Houston because the city's new rules added additional background check requirements which probably discourages some new drivers. And Uber and Lyft want to maximize the influx of new drivers for its service.

 

If a murderer has a 4.8 rating or above I'll ride with em.

Killing people is bad for business. I'm sure they know that.

 

I think I actually agree more with Uber's approach more than the city's. The driver sexually assaulted a passenger, but his conviction was for a felony drug charge older than 7 years. I'm inclined to allow people who did their time on drug offenses go ahead and be Uber drivers. Some of them will commit crimes occasionally and open the company up to criticism that they aren't doing enough to keep the public safe. I don't think whatever incremental safety you get is worth preventing such a large class of people from working. I don't think we can assume a guy is at elevated risk of sexual assault because of a drug conviction. Same with murder -- just because someone was convicted of murder a decade ago doesn't mean he's going to murder you when you get into the car.

Even so, I still side with the City of Houston, right or wrong. Uber can go **** themselves.

 

I'm not suggesting the city's approach is necessarily the best one. i'm simply saying that this wasn't a result of taxi industry lobbying and was simply the city attempting to pass rules that it thought would help protect consumers.

The debate on background checks and how we evaluate past convictions is a completely separate discussion.

 

Common sense prevails.

 

Anyone who prefers taxis in Houston to Uber or even Lyft has no basis for doing so. Taxis pre-uber would take 30 minutes + to arrive and would most the time require cash and tips. Uber and Lyft make cities like Houston with no public transportation much easier for those who enjoy leaving their homes and enjoying a few drinks on occasion.

Taxi drivers seem to be less cautious and much less friendly. Uber drivers live by their ratings and now they must treat riders with respect. I've had one rude driver with Uber in six years of using it in various cities. I've had a lot higher percentage of rude taxi drivers in my life.

If Uber leaves, then Houston better be working the phones to get Lyft to agree to their regulations, because this city desperately needs at least one of them. If there is no Lyft or no Uber, I promise DWIs and DUIs will grow exponentially. Taxis are outdated and inconvenient. We aren't in NYC or Chicago where taxis are lined up on the streets ready to pick everyone up.

 

I dont disagree. But that doesn't justify a company trying to bully a city into rewriting the regulations in the company's favor by threatening to leave. Especially when those rules only came into being because Uber's background checks have repeatedly failed to catch people that it is supposed to catch.

 

Really is crazy! Love that Bob Sacamano and his stories.

 

If Uber was not around there would be a lot more drunk drivers around. I truly think Uber makes the city (San Antonio in my case) safer at night on the weekends. It's just so much more convenient than a taxi.

And cheaper most of the time.

 

What if it was a rapist that did his time? would you let your family or love one in the car with them

 

I'd rather roll with the rapist than wait 2 hours for Yellow Cab.

 

I signed up to be an Uber driver as a side job and today received the welcome package to get Transport Network Company License. Without the TNC licences I cannot pick people up within the Houston city limit.

I really didn't think it would be much of a hassle to take care of but reading through I have second thoughts.

The finger print I can handle but taking my car in for inspection and making the necessary appointments could be difficult with a 9-5 job. I may just stick to outside of Houston until I have time to do each of these steps.

 

there is so much I don't like about Uber, from their CEO's attitude, surge pricing, disregard to city regs, treatment of drivers, exclusivity to the well-to-do etc etc......but the taxi companies are their own worst enemies here. In many cities, they long ago stopped serving the needs of those who use them. The taxi industry is so dysfunctional and inept it's hard to side with them.

 

Lyft already left Houston, I hope it doesn't happen with Uber, I literally use it every time I'm in Houston, it's so convenient.

 

Well, I don't really believe that. There is some essential service this city provides in making minimum standards for doing business. But, I think the regulations are augmented in order to increase the costs of doing business for Uber to slow the death of the regulated taxi industry. The occasional Uber rapist or murderer is good anecdotal evidence to build an argument for more regulation to achieve that end.