Uber Banned in Italy - Will Appeal
May 14, 2017, 10:28 am
#31
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: SFO, VCE
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Headlines this week concerning this topic:
http://www.lastampa.it/2017/05/12/ec...I/premium.html
The headline, L’avvocato generale Ue: “Uber è un servizio che richiede la licenza," The Attorney General of the European Union: Uber is a service that requires a license."
It goes on to say that Uber is not a website, it is a transportation company, and the member countries of the EU should start regulating them in the same way that they regulate every other form of transportation.
There are numerous headlines on this:
http://www.macitynet.it/2017/05/14/d...nda-trasporti/
Headline: "Duro colpo per Uber: per un legale della UE va considerata un’azienda di trasporti." Translated, "A hard blow for Uber: by the laws of the EU they will be considered as a transportation agency (not a website)."
https://ilmanifesto.it/corte-ue-per-...e-come-i-taxi/
Headline, "Corte Ue: «Per Uber licenze come i taxi»" European Union Court, Uber drivers have to get licenses, just like taxi drivers."
http://www.lastampa.it/2017/05/12/ec...I/premium.html
The headline, L’avvocato generale Ue: “Uber è un servizio che richiede la licenza," The Attorney General of the European Union: Uber is a service that requires a license."
It goes on to say that Uber is not a website, it is a transportation company, and the member countries of the EU should start regulating them in the same way that they regulate every other form of transportation.
There are numerous headlines on this:
http://www.macitynet.it/2017/05/14/d...nda-trasporti/
Headline: "Duro colpo per Uber: per un legale della UE va considerata un’azienda di trasporti." Translated, "A hard blow for Uber: by the laws of the EU they will be considered as a transportation agency (not a website)."
https://ilmanifesto.it/corte-ue-per-...e-come-i-taxi/
Headline, "Corte Ue: «Per Uber licenze come i taxi»" European Union Court, Uber drivers have to get licenses, just like taxi drivers."
Last edited by Perche; May 14, 2017 at 5:24 pm
May 14, 2017, 1:57 pm
#32
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: SEA
Posts: 3,952
That's completely reasonable, as long as Uber (and whatever other company) drivers can get a license. The taxi medallion racket is protectionist BS. It may have started off with good intention (background checks, suitability and all that) but has basically become a tool to suppress the supply of cars for hire. This needs to be about criteria on suitability to drive, safety and the like - and anyone meeting it should be given a permit.
May 14, 2017, 2:26 pm
#34
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Join Date: Mar 2011
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The sources are at least a dozen newspapers published throughout Italy. Perhaps my translation of "magistrate" is not completely correct, because there is not such position in the USA. In the USA it might be Solicitor General, or something like that. Since the news articles keep referring to the "Magistrate," I can't think of a better translation.
May 26, 2017, 10:06 am
#35
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: NYC
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Posts: 2,310
A court in Rome has lifted a ban blocking the Uber Black service across Italy, which had been in place since April 7th.
May 26, 2017, 10:16 am
#36
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: DCA
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http://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/econ...bac238adc.html
May 31, 2017, 11:02 pm
#37
Join Date: Jan 2017
Programs: UA
Posts: 324
Awesome news. Now I can know how much the ride will be, won't get a foreigner tax, and will be able to put the address in English.
Also, I won't have to worry about the driver playing the "you gave me a 10" when I gave him a 20 or handing me back counterfeit money in change.
Also, I won't have to worry about the driver playing the "you gave me a 10" when I gave him a 20 or handing me back counterfeit money in change.
Jun 3, 2017, 8:34 pm
#39
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Left
Programs: FT
Posts: 7,285
Awesome news. Now I can know how much the ride will be, won't get a foreigner tax, and will be able to put the address in English.
Also, I won't have to worry about the driver playing the "you gave me a 10" when I gave him a 20 or handing me back counterfeit money in change.
Also, I won't have to worry about the driver playing the "you gave me a 10" when I gave him a 20 or handing me back counterfeit money in change.
Jun 4, 2017, 7:02 am
#40
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: DCA
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Nasty sarcasm aside, there is indeed an app for buses (at least in Milan, I imagine also in other big cities): https://www.atm.it/en/ViaggiaConNoi/...ATMMobile.aspx
Jun 5, 2017, 9:30 am
#41
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Left
Programs: FT
Posts: 7,285
Nasty sarcasm aside, there is indeed an app for buses (at least in Milan, I imagine also in other big cities): https://www.atm.it/en/ViaggiaConNoi/...ATMMobile.aspx
Jun 5, 2017, 9:51 am
#42
Join Date: Jan 2017
Programs: UA
Posts: 324
Lovely generalizations. Funny, every time I searched for directions on Google maps, walking was often faster than any ride hailing options. The fastest was the bus most times. The bus was dead simple but then again, you don't get to pull your phone out and be all cool with an app.
By the way the Taxicab app in Florence doesn't support English.
I'm not a big fan of some of Uber's business practices. But so long as the taxicab commissions and the police in Italy permit open abuse of customers (especially at Fiumicino and Termini Centrale), I'll still use the Uber.
---
As far as pulling to phone out...it can be VERY useful. I was in Europe...the cab driver starts quoting fixed fare (where there wasn't one mandated)...and I pulled out my phone and said...Hang on, lets see how much Uber is....I got the meter rate.
Jun 5, 2017, 10:07 am
#43
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: SEA
Posts: 3,952
These aren't generalizations. All of those things have happened to me, repeatedly. Here's a generalization...the Europeans don't police their taxi drivers properly, I suppose because they didn't just spend 17 hours traveling.
By the way the Taxicab app in Florence doesn't support English.
I'm not a big fan of some of Uber's business practices. But so long as the taxicab commissions and the police in Italy permit open abuse of customers (especially at Fiumicino and Termini Centrale), I'll still use the Uber.
---
As far as pulling to phone out...it can be VERY useful. I was in Europe...the cab driver starts quoting fixed fare (where there wasn't one mandated)...and I pulled out my phone and said...Hang on, lets see how much Uber is....I got the meter rate.
By the way the Taxicab app in Florence doesn't support English.
I'm not a big fan of some of Uber's business practices. But so long as the taxicab commissions and the police in Italy permit open abuse of customers (especially at Fiumicino and Termini Centrale), I'll still use the Uber.
---
As far as pulling to phone out...it can be VERY useful. I was in Europe...the cab driver starts quoting fixed fare (where there wasn't one mandated)...and I pulled out my phone and said...Hang on, lets see how much Uber is....I got the meter rate.
Regarding the Florence cab app not supporting English, I see both sides. It is Italy, and they speak Italian. On the other hand, there's value in establishing a lingua franca for car services, much like ICAO standardized on having English be the language of aviation. But do keep in mind, they were only a couple of votes from making that be French instead. That is to say, there are many languages in the world.
Lest you think I'm giving you a hard time, if you check my post history on this topic, you'll know I like having Uber in Italy. I just like the convenience of one app, useful nearly anywhere, even though I don't really care for Uber's other practices. The problem is, previous efforts to improve tech in the cab industry have failed because drivers/companies needed to opt in, hence Uber.
Jun 17, 2017, 12:17 pm
#44
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: SFO, VCE
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Posts: 2,881
With Uber being on the ropes, Italian taxi companies are starting to respond.
http://www.lastampa.it/2017/06/17/it...TN/pagina.html
App e auto condivisa. I tassisti torinesi rispondono a Uber. Con il nuovo servizio le corse costano il 20% in meno. Il Politecnico ha creato la piattaforma della start up WeTaxi." "Apps and auto sharing. Taxi drivers in Torino are responding to Uber. With the new service taxis will cost 20% less, using the app WeTaxi."
A few excerpts:
"It is not just the legal world that is protesting Uber, taxi cooperatives in Torino have responded with an app that allows you to reserve a car, and most importantly, share the cost of the ride with others going the same way, in which case you will save 20%. "Ed è tutta un’altra cosa da Uber: noi stiamo provando da anni a realizzare un servizio condiviso." "It's a completely different thing than Uber: We have been trying to realize shared service for years."
"The new app transforms official taxis into an intelligent mobility platform that lets you know the maximum possible cost of the trip, gives you the opportunity to reserve a taxi and have a pick up service, let's you know how long you'll have to wait for the car to get there, and most important, let's you know the maximum time of the shared ride, and gives you the opportunity to share the route with others in order to save money."
"This was thought of at the time of the Torino winter Olympics but all of the bureaucracy got in the way, and we didn't yet have the technology. Now we do. Torino will be the test place, with plans to open it in Rome and Milan in the first months of 2018."
"Our goal is to conquer the young people who have business to do in the main areas of the city, and who need to go to the airport or main train stations. We are mainly trying to appeal to young people because they consider taxis to be too expensive. By sharing they can reduce the cost, and their parents can even pre-pay for the ride."
"We are not like that "other app," because we have studied the events of where taxis are in highest demand, and instead of charging a "surge fee" during periods of higher demand, we lower the cost by allowing rider sharing, with a guaranteed discount. This will be very useful for big events like concerts and games. For the whole month of June we are offering a discount to anyone who uses the WeTaxi app."
http://www.lastampa.it/2017/06/17/it...TN/pagina.html
App e auto condivisa. I tassisti torinesi rispondono a Uber. Con il nuovo servizio le corse costano il 20% in meno. Il Politecnico ha creato la piattaforma della start up WeTaxi." "Apps and auto sharing. Taxi drivers in Torino are responding to Uber. With the new service taxis will cost 20% less, using the app WeTaxi."
A few excerpts:
"It is not just the legal world that is protesting Uber, taxi cooperatives in Torino have responded with an app that allows you to reserve a car, and most importantly, share the cost of the ride with others going the same way, in which case you will save 20%. "Ed è tutta un’altra cosa da Uber: noi stiamo provando da anni a realizzare un servizio condiviso." "It's a completely different thing than Uber: We have been trying to realize shared service for years."
"The new app transforms official taxis into an intelligent mobility platform that lets you know the maximum possible cost of the trip, gives you the opportunity to reserve a taxi and have a pick up service, let's you know how long you'll have to wait for the car to get there, and most important, let's you know the maximum time of the shared ride, and gives you the opportunity to share the route with others in order to save money."
"This was thought of at the time of the Torino winter Olympics but all of the bureaucracy got in the way, and we didn't yet have the technology. Now we do. Torino will be the test place, with plans to open it in Rome and Milan in the first months of 2018."
"Our goal is to conquer the young people who have business to do in the main areas of the city, and who need to go to the airport or main train stations. We are mainly trying to appeal to young people because they consider taxis to be too expensive. By sharing they can reduce the cost, and their parents can even pre-pay for the ride."
"We are not like that "other app," because we have studied the events of where taxis are in highest demand, and instead of charging a "surge fee" during periods of higher demand, we lower the cost by allowing rider sharing, with a guaranteed discount. This will be very useful for big events like concerts and games. For the whole month of June we are offering a discount to anyone who uses the WeTaxi app."
Last edited by Perche; Jun 17, 2017 at 12:30 pm