When we talk “disruption” these days, as we so often do, the conversation tends to swing towards Uber, the “ride-sharing” service that has taken the world by storm.
Its customers love it. An easily downloaded app on their smartphone allows them to book a lift, see in real time where the car is and who the driver is, and pay for the ride cashlessly.
Not so keen are the taxi drivers who see their business disappearing as people prefer to use an Uber. This has spilled over into violence, most recently in my hometown of Brisbane, where it’s alleged that two taxi drivers beat up an Uber dirver who they accused of stealing their business.
I stress that, as I write, the case is before the court, and I make no judgement on the guilt or otherwise of the defendants. I do, however, note that other taxi drivers or cab owners have threatened violence against Uber drivers, so I stand by this post I put on social media earlier today:
Looks like the two taxi companies in Brisbane urgently need a good PR campaign and, especially, to weed out some very bad eggs. Passenger choice now seems to be between taking a not-quite-legal Uber or a legal taxi driven by somebody who might be the type to bash an Uber driver.
In further online discussion, I pointed out, as others have before me, that it could be argued that Uber services are safer for passengers because the driver can be easily identified, the vehicle is traced by GPS and there is a record of every journey.
Anecdotal reports suggest that Uber drivers are more polite than taxi drivers, but I guess that’s a matter of perception and/or luck of the draw.
The thing about Uber, though, is that it operates on the fringes of the law. The sticking point, as one of my contacts noted, is that governments licence taxi services, and have made a lot of money out of them. If they legalise Uber, then they risk making long-held taxi licences worthless and running the people who hold them out of business.
It’s a dilemma, but one thing is certain: taxi drivers who turn to use violence against Uber drivers will only achieve the opposite to what they wanct. Instead of running the competition out of business, they will reinforce the stereotype that many cabbies are thugs.
