Notes Uber's Comments on the Assigned Commissioner's Ruling

I wasn't able to read all the comments on the Proposed Modifications to Commissioner Peevey's CPUC Decision 13-09-45 on TNCs. Therefore I decided to restrict myself to making a few comments on Uber's comments.

My format will be:

First, I'll quote a passage from Uber's lawyers then I'll give my comment. The result will be the sort one-sided dialogue that you can find on Uber's website or in their online magazine Tech Crunch. Except – here I get the last word.

(Note: You can find an update on how safe (not) it really is to ride with Uber in an end note.)

Jamming the Streets with Lyft, Sidecar, Uber & the Illegals

Taxi Services investigator Eric Richholt invited me to ride with him and his partner Andres Martinez so I could photo & videograph the gridlock caused by a couple of thousand unregulated, fake cabs on the Friday and Saturday nights.

"You wouldn't believe it," he said. "People should see this."

"Is it worse than last time we went out?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah."

The Media Catches Up With Lyft, Sidecar & Other Illegal, Faux Rideshares

Here are links to recent media articles concerning the hazards of riding or working for Lyft , Sidecar and other illegal taxicabs (see driver in photo). These posts are a welcome sight after a year of unabashed adulation by techie rags like TechCrunch and the local papers. Did I mention uncritical?  Most of the coverage could have been written by the marketing departments of the fake carsharing corporations. The less-than-intrepid reporters did little more than take down bogus statements of Lyft CEO John Zimmer & Sidecar CEO Sunil Paul et al like brain-washed groupies quoting their gurus.

(To read the articles click below)

SFO Serves Cease-And-Desist Orders to Lyft, Sidecar and Instant Cab: SFMTA to Put on 8 to 12 More Inspectors

The SMTA has committed to hiring eight to twelve more inspectors to join Mike Harris and Eric Richholt (photo). Two of them will be starting within the next two weeks. Mike has been recovering from an illness so Eric has been the only inspector that Taxi Services has had for the last six months.

The MTA has been a little slow on the uptake but they are to be commended for finally taking action. Kudos.

The San Francisco Airport Cracks Down on Fake Ride-Sharing Companies.

Just passing on the news since I haven't done the legwork myself. Here is the link to the Tech Crunch article.

In addition, a news source has finally come out with a piece against the characters who run Lyft and Sidecar ... well, at least the Bay Guardian sees the companies for what they are. Maybe in the next post, the paper will let their readers know that John Zimmer and Sunil Paul are telling their drivers and riders that Lyft and Sidecar's vehicles are insured when they are not.  Here is the link to the Bay Guardian.

BTW - I came in late from Las Vegas last Wednesday night and waited for half an hour for a friend to pick me up at Southwest - the first terminal at SFO. While I stood there, five old Toyotas or Hondas came by one at a time and pulled up in front of me. Each driver held a cell phone while he studied a GPS map on the dash with a baffled look on his face. After a few minutes each drove on. Apparently none of them had had the smarts to look up where the various terminals were before they left the city.

On the other hand, there were no Lyfts. Maybe the drivers take off the mustaches before they go to the airport. In any case, these clowns should make fat targets for Taxi Service inspectors. They certainly are not hard to spot.

Addendum

You can read the CBS report on SFO's Cease and Desist letters at this link.

SFO spokesman Doug Yakel is quoted as saying:

“We’re certainly open to new business concepts, but we want to apply the same standard to all businesses that operate here at SFO and that requires going through the permit process.”