Taxi drivers to stage nationwide protest against Uber on Tuesday August 9th, 2016

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She is either funnin' or bunnin' or else I am runn
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You will NEVER win the support of the people by blocking their way of life.

Many employees of mine are running late and are pissed to lose $.

Word in the street is that there were some fist fights with taxi drivers and frustrated commuters in San Pedro this morning.

Uber was a positive experience for me and I hate the inelastic market bullshit these taxi drivers had for years. Fast rigged marias, extra long rides to bump fares, bad attitudes, stench, shitty music blasting, stopping on a dime, crowding the streets as if it is their own, bully tactics, no change for large bills, etc.

May I use a quote from half baked regarding 90% of them: "fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, you're cool, fuck you. I'm outta here!"Slapping-silly90))



Taxi drivers across the country will stage a national protest next Tuesday, Aug. 9 against what they said is a lack of action from the government to stop the ride-hailing service Uber, which they say is illegal.

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story listed specific points where taxis are planning to gather to protest. However, we have since learned that the list is unofficial and could change.
Since last year, taxi drivers have staged public demonstrations claiming that neither the Traffic Police nor any other government agency is doing anything to stop the operation of Uber and unlicensed taxi drivers, or piratas, as they are known in Costa Rica, as well as private chauffeurs, or porteadores.
Gilberth Ureña, leader of the National Taxi Drivers Forum, said next week’s protest aims at pressuring government officials to enforce laws banning unlicensed transport services.
“We will demand that the government stop these crooks from stealing our jobs,” he said in a video posted on the group’s Facebook page.
Taxi unions have also filed complaints against Uber before an Administrative Court in San José and before the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court.
Taxis plan to gather at strategic sites to block major highways and routes across the country. However, President Luis Guillermo Solís said Friday that blocking traffic will not be tolerated. “If there are people who try to block [roads] we will use whatever means necessary within the law to remove them and assure that they don’t impact traffic flow,” he said.
Uber gaining preference

Uber officially launched operations in Costa Rica on Aug. 21, 2015. Almost a year later, some 7,000 drivers currently are using the mobile app to provide transportation — equivalent to just over half of all taxis registered in the country.
The company also reported having 225,000 registered users, with most of them requesting transportation between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Consulting firm CID Gallup last week disclosed the results of a survey conducted in May showing that 52 percent of people here still prefer taxis. The survey found that after nine months of operations, just over one-third of the population prefers Uber over a taxi.
Uber beats taxis on a ratio of three to one among people who claimed to have used the service at least once, the study noted.
Another 9 percent prefer piratas or porteadores while 5 percent said none of the above.
Those who prefer Uber, among other reasons, cited the service’s ease of use, cheaper rates and better quality of Uber’s vehicles. They also said Uber drivers are more trustworthy.
On the flip side, those who prefer taxis said Uber drivers are not always available and said they don’t like the company having their credit card info.
The competition for taxi drivers could keep growing as Cabify, a Spanish ride-hailing company, confirmed in May that it will soon start offering service in Costa Rica.
 

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Cannot stand people that are against UBER...change happens, deal with it!
 

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Change for the better. These aren't shit jobs like walmart. Average Uber driver makes close to $20 an hour, and you are your own boss. If you need to take your kids to school, clock out and do it. The Cab mafia just don't like competition, and want to keep the money. I wish every job was more like Uber.
 

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Change for the better. These aren't shit jobs like walmart. Average Uber driver makes close to $20 an hour, and you are your own boss. If you need to take your kids to school, clock out and do it. The Cab mafia just don't like competition, and want to keep the money. I wish every job was more like Uber.
yes and people like Hillary want to shut it down...in fact while Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio were embracing UBER, taking rides w/ them, Hillary has already stated she is shutting down the "gig economy". We currently have 1099's and W2's, it's time for a third classification!
 

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Uber rocks! Protest all you like. If I can prevent it, I'll never take a taxi again.
 

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VennUberNYCDeBlasio.jpg
 

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this isn't something like black and white, there are a lot of legal stuff in the middle for taxi drivers and Uber drivers, Im not saying that protesting and blocking the streets is the way to go but taxi drivers are right.
In CR they are legally bound to fulfill a list of requirements in order to be able to operate (including taxi license fee, taxes and some more) while Uber just came to costa rica and started operating out of the blue with complete disregard of Costa Rica's laws and uber drivers are not subject to this requirements and, as far as I know, uber is not paying taxes for their Costa Rica operation like any other business does and their drivers are not paying taxes for their uber income as well. I'm all about free market, but there has to be the same playing field for everybody, cause as of right now, uber is being subsidized in some way by not complying to the same requirements as taxi drivers.
 

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this isn't something like black and white, there are a lot of legal stuff in the middle for taxi drivers and Uber drivers, Im not saying that protesting and blocking the streets is the way to go but taxi drivers are right.
In CR they are legally bound to fulfill a list of requirements in order to be able to operate (including taxi license fee, taxes and some more) while Uber just came to costa rica and started operating out of the blue with complete disregard of Costa Rica's laws and uber drivers are not subject to this requirements and, as far as I know, uber is not paying taxes for their Costa Rica operation like any other business does and their drivers are not paying taxes for their uber income as well. I'm all about free market, but there has to be the same playing field for everybody, cause as of right now, uber is being subsidized in some way by not complying to the same requirements as taxi drivers.

I'll give you the same answer I give to people that complain about Uber in the U.S. The courts can decide it. I'm not interested in arm chair lawyers trying to decide issues in the court of public opinion on the internet.

As for the states, I happen to think Uber and Lyft are awesome. Clinton has promised to wage war on the entire sharing economy if elected also (and the more people that know that in advance, the better). I live in the Liberal mecca of the world, San Francisco, and even the hard left people here raised their eyebrows when they heard that one (that's because they love Uber). Hard to imagine anyone not liking them, except the taxi companies who had a monopoly for years and provided piss poor service, not to mention ripping people off. I use Uber or Lyft every time I go to Vegas and I enjoy paying $8 to $9 for what was a $22 cab ride (and always give the drivers a sizable tip and a pat on the back). The drivers are courteous, and most importantly, they don't try to long trip me every chance they get (can't tell you how many of the dishonest cab drivers I've gotten into fights with because they think I don't know my way around Vegas and try to take me the long way on the freeway or take the strip to up their fares). The cabs in SF were just as bad (but fortunately I don't typically need to use them). Uber and Lyft are around for one reason. There was a need because the taxi drivers weren't providing the customer service needed to take care of their customers. And their business model is more efficient than a bunch of cabs waiting in a line at hotels. They also do a fantastic job of servicing people in the suburbs where one would have to wait 30 minutes to an hour at times to get a cab.
 

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this isn't something like black and white, there are a lot of legal stuff in the middle for taxi drivers and Uber drivers, Im not saying that protesting and blocking the streets is the way to go but taxi drivers are right.
In CR they are legally bound to fulfill a list of requirements in order to be able to operate (including taxi license fee, taxes and some more) while Uber just came to costa rica and started operating out of the blue with complete disregard of Costa Rica's laws and uber drivers are not subject to this requirements and, as far as I know, uber is not paying taxes for their Costa Rica operation like any other business does and their drivers are not paying taxes for their uber income as well. I'm all about free market, but there has to be the same playing field for everybody, cause as of right now, uber is being subsidized in some way by not complying to the same requirements as taxi drivers.

This is all true. Uber is an extremely cutthroat company, take no prisoners and worry about the fallout and where the chips may fall later.

But let's not kid ourselves, the taxis and other existing transportation infrastructure just don't want to lose market share to a far superior product after paying millions in medallion fees, regulatory compliance, and having the space all to themselves. Uber's angle shooting doesn't change the fact that this is the true crux of the issue.

We've more or less had the same transportation model for 80-100 years now, it isn't going to be a seamless transition but time for a change.
 

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this isn't something like black and white, there are a lot of legal stuff in the middle for taxi drivers and Uber drivers, Im not saying that protesting and blocking the streets is the way to go but taxi drivers are right.
In CR they are legally bound to fulfill a list of requirements in order to be able to operate (including taxi license fee, taxes and some more) while Uber just came to costa rica and started operating out of the blue with complete disregard of Costa Rica's laws and uber drivers are not subject to this requirements and, as far as I know, uber is not paying taxes for their Costa Rica operation like any other business does and their drivers are not paying taxes for their uber income as well. I'm all about free market, but there has to be the same playing field for everybody, cause as of right now, uber is being subsidized in some way by not complying to the same requirements as taxi drivers.

you are only half right. Because taxi's have big regulations, etc you think UBER should also. Wrong. It's the opposite.
 

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I don't have to use Taxis or UBER... thank GOD but I hear UBER is a nice ride with someone you can trust (in essence, you should never trust willi nilli) but I can also do the same with taxis... just that the obvious opression makes it a nasty work place = nasty service... UBER seems to break from the Opressive scheme... I think CR gov should cut the owners deals give them back a decent wad of cash and a UBER registration...

Call it a day...
 

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you are only half right. Because taxi's have big regulations, etc you think UBER should also. Wrong. It's the opposite.

well it all depends on someone's view. To me, they should all pay income tax like any other worker and insurance. But government and politicians will look to tax the hell out of both.
 

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These conversations always amaze me at how people making negative comments never have a concern in the world over what is the best for the consumer. Just a lot of attacking of the business, the implication that the government can put your money to use better than you can (through taxation), and a lot of hyperbole. As mentioned, no one is under any duress to work for Uber, so to say that they are somehow cut throat is a bit baffling. Especially when they are competing with a business that has essentially had a monopoly for years (and the last I checked we have laws against that also (I'm thinking Sherman anti-trust)...of course I'm referring to the U.S. here (don't know how Costa Rica works). And then we have essentially extortion by the government insisting that you must have a "medallion" to operate a cab. And then they charge outrageous fees to get one of these medallions and also only allow a limited number, which limits the supply of cabs, resulting in poor customer service. In addition, hard to imagine anyone jumping on Uber's labor practices when cabs companies treat it's employees like indentured servants. When cab drivers start their shifts, they actually are taking a loss as they must pay a premium to the medallion holders for the right to drive the cab. They actually have to pick up a certain number of fares before they even break even for the day (yeah, sounds like a great gig to me). Do you owe your employer when you go to work for your job until you put in a certain number of productive hours? In addition, what gives the government the right to charge up to a million dollars for a medallion? I believe that's the current price in New York. Where I live (San Francisco), I think it's currently $400K. And what exactly does the government do with that money? Please don't waste my time saying it's infrastructure. Last I checked, Obama has used $750 billion for infrastructure, and sorry, but I'm not seeing much improvement. Sounds to me like it's been wasted paying some overpriced contractors who are friends of the government some lucrative contracts for doing very little work. Good for Uber for being a disruptor. Let them fight it out in the courts (and I hope they win).
 

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These conversations always amaze me at how people making negative comments never have a concern in the world over what is the best for the consumer. Just a lot of attacking of the business, the implication that the government can put your money to use better than you can (through taxation), and a lot of hyperbole. As mentioned, no one is under any duress to work for Uber, so to say that they are somehow cut throat is a bit baffling. Especially when they are competing with a business that has essentially had a monopoly for years (and the last I checked we have laws against that also (I'm thinking Sherman anti-trust)...of course I'm referring to the U.S. here (don't know how Costa Rica works). And then we have essentially extortion by the government insisting that you must have a "medallion" to operate a cab. And then they charge outrageous fees to get one of these medallions and also only allow a limited number, which limits the supply of cabs, resulting in poor customer service. In addition, hard to imagine anyone jumping on Uber's labor practices when cabs companies treat it's employees like indentured servants. When cab drivers start their shifts, they actually are taking a loss as they must pay a premium to the medallion holders for the right to drive the cab. They actually have to pick up a certain number of fares before they even break even for the day (yeah, sounds like a great gig to me). Do you owe your employer when you go to work for your job until you put in a certain number of productive hours? In addition, what gives the government the right to charge up to a million dollars for a medallion? I believe that's the current price in New York. Where I live (San Francisco), I think it's currently $400K. And what exactly does the government do with that money? Please don't waste my time saying it's infrastructure. Last I checked, Obama has used $750 billion for infrastructure, and sorry, but I'm not seeing much improvement. Sounds to me like it's been wasted paying some overpriced contractors who are friends of the government some lucrative contracts for doing very little work. Good for Uber for being a disruptor. Let them fight it out in the courts (and I hope they win).

Are you referring to me saying they are cutthroat? Pretty much anyone that follows that business would concur with that statement.

Being cutthroat in that industry isn't a bad thing, you have to break a few eggs to make an omelette. If they weren't cutthroat they wouldn't get anything done or it would take much longer to do so.
 

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Are you referring to me saying they are cutthroat? Pretty much anyone that follows that business would concur with that statement.

Being cutthroat in that industry isn't a bad thing, you have to break a few eggs to make an omelette. If they weren't cutthroat they wouldn't get anything done or it would take much longer to do so.

I took it that you were saying that in regards to how they treated their employees.
 

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I took it that you were saying that in regards to how they treated their employees.

Nah, I meant going into an area and skirting existing regulations/protocols and not playing by the rules. Then they hope that they grow so fast and with their superior service that the public is completely on their side. This makes it that even if the government and taxi's hate them, the public officials really have no choice but to let them operate or else face intense backlash.

That is basically what happened in NYC which was their biggest win to date.
Once you get a few hundred thousand people in a major city using the app and satisfied with it, then it is pretty tough for the "powers that be" to reverse course. Can't really put it back into the box.

But it is certainly a brazen strategy to basically break the law to gain market share.
 

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Nah, I meant going into an area and skirting existing regulations/protocols and not playing by the rules. Then they hope that they grow so fast and with their superior service that the public is completely on their side. This makes it that even if the government and taxi's hate them, the public officials really have no choice but to let them operate or else face intense backlash.

That is basically what happened in NYC which was their biggest win to date.
Once you get a few hundred thousand people in a major city using the app and satisfied with it, then it is pretty tough for the "powers that be" to reverse course. Can't really put it back into the box.

But it is certainly a brazen strategy to basically break the law to gain market share.
.
Again, I don't know all the ins and outs of their legal battles and what their defense is (I simply know they settled out of court on one case, and it's doubtful the penalty meant much). To quote Ricky Ricardo, I suspect the government would have some "plaining" to do if they decide to go full board with a case against them as they're clearly complicit in creating an anti-competitive environment.
 

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Tons and tons of anti-competitive practices at state/local levels. Each local gov't has their own rules governing taxis. Good luck trying to break that up and expose it in court. The only way you will expose it is through market pressures and to do that, you have to break the law at first.

The reason Uber has succeeded is because it is a superior product and people want it, not because local governments are scared of legal ramifications of anti-competitive environments that have been created.

https://www.quora.com/Why-is-Uber-in-so-much-trouble-with-the-law-in-so-many-places

Some of the responses on here sum up the dynamic pretty well.
 

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Tons and tons of anti-competitive practices at state/local levels. Each local gov't has their own rules governing taxis. Good luck trying to break that up and expose it in court. The only way you will expose it is through market pressures and to do that, you have to break the law at first.

The reason Uber has succeeded is because it is a superior product and people want it, not because local governments are scared of legal ramifications of anti-competitive environments that have been created.

https://www.quora.com/Why-is-Uber-in-so-much-trouble-with-the-law-in-so-many-places

Some of the responses on here sum it up pretty well.

Like I said, I'm not privy to what their lawyers are using as their defense (I'm guessing you aren't either). On the surface, based on the responses on the forum you linked (which sounds like a bunch of arm chair lawyers to me), it would appear their case is against the drivers and not Uber. And based on your theory, it would be easy enough for a city that Uber isn't in to go full court press on them before they get a chance to establish themselves. I remember a lot of people saying Curt Flood didn't have a case also.
 

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