The protest is being organized by the San Francisco Cab Drivers Association, the United Taxicab Workers and numerous individuals. It's also being backed and supported by many taxicab companies, the Medallion Holders Association and Flywheel – the legal taxi app.
The main aim of this protest is to expose the deception of Uber, Sidecar and Lyft which claim to be "sharing communities" at the same time as they refuse to accept the same basic responsibilities for the heath and welfare of their customers and drivers that is naturally granted by every other form of public transportation including: taxis, buses, limos, trains and airplanes.
The phony rideshare operations are the only means of public conveyance that force their customers and drivers to sign waivers of liability (see the above picture) before riding in their vehicles. This is doubly duplicitous because people are unaware that they are giving away fundamental rights when they agree to Uber, Sidecar and Lyft's terms of service. Almost nobody reads such things, and probably couldn't read the agreements on a smart phone even if they wanted to because the documents print out to over twenty pages on 12 point type – facts of which the bogus rideshares are fully aware.
Another purpose of the rally is to expose the lack of enforcement against these illegal taxis by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and the City of San Francisco. One can only wonder, for instance, why Mayor Ed Lee is endangering the public by colluding with these fraudulent ridesharing corporations.
There will be many posters at the rally. I'd like to do a few myself but I have no artistic talent. My signs would read:
Uberx, Sidecar & Lyft
Uninsured Drivers,
Uninspected Vehicles
Unsafe Rides
Mayor Ed Lee
Venture Capitalized?
Come and show your support!
BTW – here are links to the final two parts of Christopher B. Dolan's Examiner articles on Ridesharing:
Ridsharing also bad for drivers
Rideshare safety standards nonexistent
I hope this doesn't come off as trolling or rudeness - your posts on the insurance issues with Lyft and Sidecar really changed my mind on those services and I appreciate your view, even if I don't always agree with it, I'm not sure of rallies are what's needed to best help the cab industry. IMHO, the best thing cab drivers can do it make cabs better to use: 1. Be easier to find - have dispatch that works. This is where uber kills cabs. 2. Take credit cards. 3. Be nice (again, uber stomps all overs cabs in this area.) To me, protests come off as the entrenched poor service providers complaining about the upstarts. Would you be sympathetic if comcast or the DMV held a rally?
ReplyDeleteThe Rally was excellent, it served notice to the Mayor and City hall that taking Cab drivers money to subsidize. SFMTA while , supporting VC funded gypsy cabs was unacceptable.
DeleteAs far as these unregulated essentially limo services goes, the question comes to what transportation policies can a locality enforce to benefit the local community, issues such as making sure disabled and elderly are picked up , traffic congestion, pollution, operation of non-green vehicles within it's jurisdiction , and making sure the public is safe through adequate insurance and oversight of the work the transportation work force.
The concept a transport for hire carrier isn't liable for its passenger safety is criminal.
ReplyDeleteYes!!!!!!!
ReplyDeletehttp://blog.side.cr/2013/07/30/the-cpuc-gives-rideshare-the-green-light/
ReplyDeleteSo, you call this company, give them your credit card number to start an account, then contact some unknown person who happens to be driving around in your area to pick you up, and this is okay? How do you know if the driver has a license? Is the car insured? s it even in good machanical shape?
ReplyDeleteAnd your expected to pay for this? Who determines when the $25 limit has been reached?
No thanks, I think I'll keep my bus pass.