Dear Editor:
Carlo Davis’ column raises more interesting questions than whether the city should create their own taxi-hailing app. The bigger question is what do you do when Uber crushes local taxi companies and is the only taxi company left and uses their dominant market position to drive prices up? A monopoly. And an unregulated one to boot. Taxis are currently a monopoly but they also comply with all local safety and insurance regulations. Does Uber? No. From drivers attacking customers, to not checking drivers’ insurance, to passing on surcharges to ensure customer safety, we should be asking ourselves if Uber is really the company we want in charge of giving us rides. What happens when it rains and you need a cab? You get one for $6.
Think about Uber’s surge-pricing spikes—think your taxi will cost you only $6? You’ll take another cab, right? Wrong. Your use of Uber drove cab companies out of business. Then what? Uber becomes more powerful, exerts more power to skirt regulation, wage regulatory battles cozy up to local politicians, and has more control over labor. This is why we have rules and if Uber wants to operate in the city, it should play by those same rules.
Best
Tim de Valroger