Taxi Drivers In France Protest Low-Cost Uber App
 

Taxi drivers in France are blockading roads with burning tires in protest at the low-cost Uber app, resulting in at least 20 arrests. Air traffic controllers are also staging a demonstration, leading to dozens of canceled flights.

At least 20 arrests had already been made by 10 a.m. local time, following taxi driver protests around major cities including Paris and Marseille.

Drivers blocked roads with burning tires, prompting the arrival of riot police and firefighters. Some drivers had set pre-dawn bonfires which authorities had to put out.

Hundreds of taxis, joined by a few from Belgium and Spain, blocked a massive intersection leading into western Paris, causing huge disruption to the area.

Dozens of drivers tried to march from Porte Maillot intersection on to an eight-lane road, but police pushed the back with tear gas.

Drivers also staged â??go slowsâ?? on roads, causing major traffic jams.

One taxi driver was injured when a shuttle bus at Orly Airport forced its way through a blockade. Other drivers then threw stones at the windows, forcing passengers to get off the bus and walk.

There were also blockades around Charles de Gaulle Airport.

The taxi drivers are protesting over working conditions and competition from non-traditional services such as Uber.

Uber drivers "vandalize professionals who are paying taxes, who respect the rules," Rachid Boudjema, president of the taxi drivers union in Marseille, told AP.

In response to the protests, Uber sent a message to its French customers which said that the goal of the demonstrations was â??to put pressure on the government to...limit competition.â?�

Continued 20 arrested in French taxi driver, air traffic controller, teacher protests (PHOTOS, VIDEOS) ? RT News

Uber KICKS ASS! I only use it now. Fuck taxis. Ive had tons of bad service and always feel gouged when i take a taxi. Never again.

Tell these taxi drivers where they are only allowed to shop for groceries. And lets see their response.

This is the new world where everyone frels entitled. If taxis were so great Uber would be completely ignored. They know they are fucked.

Especially if France the taxis are TERRIBLE. They act like a mob and wint drive you if they dont like your destination. FUCK THEM

France in general is a shit bag country. You have to be insane to operate out of there.

It's the same story in every country. In Uruguay the taxi syndicate acts pretty much like a mafia, and have been harassing and lately even physically aggravating Uber workers. When they find a Uber vehicle, they surround it with taxis and don't let it leave until the cops arrive. Just a few weeks ago they found one of Uber's offices in the city and have been surrounding the street with cabs ever since. Yesterday there was an altercation and a Uber driver got his lip busted.

Empleado de Uber y taxistas terminaron a los golpes | Noticias Uruguay y el Mundo actualizadas - Diario EL PAIS Uruguay

Granted, Uber does not pay taxes, but only because the government has not found a way to properly regulate them, mostly due to the fact they are under pressure from transportation work unions to not let it happen. I say fuck taxis: their drivers are rude, don't' take care of their hygiene, drive like crap, play whatever music they like, and will fuck you on the fare if you're not paying attention. Most of them are ex-convicts (seriously).

Always funny when entitled people protest the true value of something.

fuck them, for decades taxi industry enjoyed inflated profits because governments all over the world created virtual monopoly for them... so they were fucking customers for decades, now that that is no longer possible they are bitching like little girls? :1orglaugh

Why are they waving Spanish flag than?
I took uber in Paris on my way to the airport. Way cheaper than taxi.

If you can't compete, because you are used to a government backed monopoly, then just use violence...

I said a couple of years ago that this was going to get ugly. It won't surprise me a bit if cab drivers start sabotaging uber vehicles everywhere. Many if not most of the taxi drivers here in Winnipeg are middle-eastern, and they're getting that same look in their eyes lately as you see with the jihadis on the evening news.

it's not the cab companies as much as it is the insurance companies charging them insane rates per driver. THAT'S why it is so expensive compared to uber. uber doesn't cover much if you get in an accident.

I loved the idea myself until read that.

there are multiple reasons.... you are probably right insurance rates is likely one of them... but I think it's reverse of what you said, taxi drivers pay fair rates, while uber drivers pay discounted rates... they drive professionally (=higher risk=higher insurance premium), but pay insurance rates as though it was their personal vehicle...

I still think main reason why licensed taxis are much more expensive is that government created virtual monopoly for them... one can't easily enter the taxi driving market, you can't just paint "taxi" on your car and start driving people, you have to jump through numerous hoops and pay ridiculous permits/licenses/etc in many areas...

so this limits number of taxi drivers, and so artificially raises their profits...

That coot Bernie Sanders wishes we were like France and wants to take out Uber and Lyft unless they become as shitty as Yellow Cab.

Fox Molder just used Uber in first episode of new XFILES season :)

Paid 30 EUR for a 7-8 minutes drive (4ish AM) in Paris a few years ago, that shit is ridiculous.

Before Uber and Lyft got permission to pick people up at LAX I was forced to use Yellow Cab when picking up a lady friend from there. Cost $115 to take us 30 miles away to our hotel and bad commercials were playing on the screen behind the passenger seat. Cab didn't even have GPS. That same day I used Lyft for the first time and we went to a fair 96 miles away. With the first time rider discount in addition to the Tuesday discount, the ride only cost me $55.

Fuck the cab union.

agree 100 %
disaster, when you have combined socialism, privilges, and on top of that - french mentality.
very often I had feeling over there that I'm not welcomed as a customer and I only disturb Holy Frenchies

there were few Spanish taxi drivers over there

You have to feel sorry for the driver, driving 96 miles there and 96 miles back for $55 minus cut Lyft will take. If he only made $50 after driving ~200 miles, how many miles is he driving a week to make a decent income? And is that safe for him and his passengers?

:1orglaugh
usually the taxis never ride empty, so the guy probably picked up someone on his way back:winkwink:

FUCK TAXIS.

It's simple evolution of business. When a high priced business rips people off for years, it's just a matter of time before a lower cost, more efficient business takes it's place.

Fuck those low life cabbies who complain. They have more time on their hands than anybody. They can't better themselves and prep themselves for a better job?

Nobody said you had to drive a cab for 20 years.

I hate cabs. Over priced, late, hard to find. Fuck em all.

I LOVE UBER AND LYFT!!!! THE BEST BUSINESS MODEL EVER CREATED!!!!

FUCK YOU CAB DRIVERS. SINK OR SWIM. YOU CAN'T SIT ON YOUR ASS AND DRIVE A CAB THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

Apparently the horse-drawn carriage drivers rebelled with the same arguments back in the day, when automobile taxis started appearing.
"We know the city", "Proper service", "Stealing our living" etc.

Passengers thought that the coachmen were rude, smelly, and often overcharged for fares.

We can all see who won. :-)

Both will disappear when driverless cars start operating.

Having said that I can understand they want the huge licence fee they paid to be refunded so they can compete on a level playing field.

Steven Hawking was right. Technology is our greatest enemy.

http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/...20140127185040

i'm pro-uber. love their promo discounts ;)

I can imagine being pissed off if I paid $1.2M for a God Damned FUCKING medallion in NYC. Then here come these failures cutting my balls. Oh well.
But guess what system, FUCK YOU

Same with taxis in all those 3rd world central and south American countries.

Nothing special about the situation in Uruguay.

I really do not see how any government can have the hide to keep the huge taxi license. A quick search show $220k in Sydney.

Then uber comes along and we have our PM supporting uber yet not even understandign why taxi drivers would be so angry about this.

I'm not a taxi or uber user, however even blind freddy can see why these guys would be so pissed about this.

The cab drivers in London have an amazing knowledge of the streets due to the training they undergo. How can uber suddenly undercut thiswithout having to adhere to any licensing laws or any vetting of drivers?

taxi drivers are foreign animals. they are doing similar things here in ottawa. blocking the only road to the airport, smashing windows of uber drivers. using the uber app to get a ride and then assaulting the drivers, etc.

This. I can only go on the UK, but it's fucking amazing to me how people aren't seeing this. It's like seeing all the content producers, paysites, and so on moaning about torrents and tubes, where the overheads are cut drastically by not having to actually buy any content, and 1 billion surfers replying "fuck your monopoly, the market will decide".

Baffling.

My friend is a minicab driver - his car cannot be over 5 years old (may be 3, I can't recall offhand), he pays exorbitant insurance, had to pay $x,xxx to apply and receive his licence after criminal background checks, medicals, and so on. The gov't set the rates that the company he rents his radio equipment from charge passengers.

I have another few friends that are London black cab drivers, which is even stricter as far as passing exams for street knowledge, are tied in to rates set by the gov't to charge passengers.

All people see is 'cheaper!' and are way too quick to dismiss legit gripes by the drivers adhering to the govt's fees, laws, CRB checks, and so on. Y'know, kinda like surfers shouting 'the vids here are FREE though! If they can do it why can't all porn sites?' :error

http://i.imgur.com/f6YhdGe.jpg

3 - 5 years to pass the knowledge, needed to operate a black cab: The Knowledge Taxi - London Knowledge

TFL = transport for london: Every Journey Matters - Transport for London

Tell me again how that's a level playing field.. :1orglaugh

Now whos fault is that? Youre going to tell me the taxi companies werent in bed with the officials? Putting the bar extremely high so that others couldnt enter the market? Now it is all back firing.

Life isnt "fair". The market is speaking and it is choosing companies like uber. You can make a thousand little charts. Listen to your friend whine it doesnt matter. The genie is out of the bottle.

Where on that chart does it say your friend gets a guaranteed job for life?

Everyone with half a brain knows taxi operators are shady. Your friend chose to sleep in bed with shady people. He should be happy he was able to collect a paycheck at all.

right on! thank fuck you were here to point out the glaring errors :thumbsup

fuck cabbies. they have been raping people for years fare wise

I just don't understand why I'm not allowed to turn my car into a taxi, but Uber is? What's the differentiator that allows them to skip all the taxi licensing laws etc?

I just don't understand how/why cities are allowing this to happen. What's the catch?

Edit: Seems they're not allowed to pick people up by being hailed on the street, so that's why they don't need to comply with taxi laws

Well said.

- works for mafia style run cab companies
- lobby government to make bar to high for competitors
- offer terrible service knowing there is a virtual monopoly
- market shifts and complains at loss of virtual monopoly
- win

yep good one!

Try less of the unfunny 12 year old style trolling in EVERY single fucking post you make, and try a spot of actual reading before you yank out your half-erection and start slavering at the mouth in yet another of your frenzied attempts at being 'funny', but failing miserably.

Even that stupid cunt who can't string a coherent conspiracy-filled youtube video together does a better job of trolling than you. Hopefully you've already made all your cash and are just bored as fuck, what a waste it'd be if this is how you fill your keyboard time just showing yourself up as being about 9 years past troll-by date. You're like bilko re-runs... funny in their time, but dated as fuck since about 1985 :thumbsup

:2 cents:

Here in Hungary it just started a few weeks ago. I say phuch taxi drivers. I don't feel sorry for them. Poor service since ages. They had no competitors. It's time to move on.
The South Park episode about them is so true :) :pimp

sounds like a free market indeed :1orglaugh:1orglaugh:1orglaugh
ever heard about something like GPS ?
I love when a customer can't chose the offer that suits him best....it's just lol
why bother with license for taxis ? the market will decide by very easy way - the people won't get into a taxi company that tries to rip them off or if the driver doesnt know where to go :winkwink::winkwink:
if the taxi will deliver its service , the people will use it - it doesnt matter if its "licensed" or not. what metters for customer is service - getting from point A to B by the fastest/ cheapest way.

Uber rocks. Taxi fares have gone insane.

I agree, what I'm getting at (again, just here in the UK) is the fact that the gov't stipulate one set of rules for black taxis and minicabs (hackney carriage licence needed by law) and don't put any restrictions on uber. I honestly couldn't give a fuck personally, adapt or die applies everywhere, so why not just go get a gig at uber - but the point is, you can certainly understand why the drivers here are pissed off. Which is the point of the thread, not whether uber is good or not - tubes and torrents are 'good', but when YOU have to adhere to one set of laws, and those sites don't, is that a 'free market'? I know you have more sense than that mate :winkwink:

Also as an aside, seems like we have it pretty good here as far as taxis/minicabs, been using them for years and never had the problems other posters seem to have had in other countries.

tubes and torrents are offering service for FREE, while uber/ illegal taxis are usually just 2-3 times cheaper...so its not the same.
I wouldnt trust any taxi - if they will ride with meter turned on, usually they circle around the city so the customer will pay more. unless you will check them with your GPS in your smartphone or something like that...
it was all bullshit with licenses for taxis from the beginning - in every country taxis are like mafia in transport, I bet that in UK it's the same

lol wtf... can't even begin to respond... you are talking about apples, I am talking about oranges...

edit:

let me try this:
domain: car
hosting: petrol
script: uber app/service
content: gov't costs, crb checks, etc

the last one, some people have to buy by law, others do not

the surfers argument is: porn paysites are greedy, they run a monopoly... they are too dumb to understand the behind the scenes costs... they have zero interest in operational costs by LAW, and brush off concerns of webmasters, shooters, and so on. I see a similar trend here... out of this thread, my brain cells dwindle every time I log in to this board. I'll lol every time someone cries about the dumb arguments of pirates/torrentors though.

Cabbies in Toronto are set to strike this weekend...with tons of events scheduled citywide.

you didnt get my point.
I said that there shouldnt be any licenses for taxis at first place. it should be free market, regulated by customers...
customers would rate services of the taxis that they used and later - if someone would do great job - they would continue to use him. if someone would suck - they wouldnt use him or his company. easy as that.

And I agree with your point that the guys that paid thousands for examines and licenses have right now to feel ripped off.

You get angry like a little baby when people dont agree with you. Typical low level IQ of understanding because you "know a guy who drives taxi". Yes all other facts and opinions are off because you know a guy. Ok then.

ah sorry mate please accept my apologies - language barrier and all that :upsidedow

I can kinda see why though licences are needed (again, going on uk only, though this should apply elsewhere I guess) - criminal background checks.. without licences any convicted rapist, murderer, drunk/drugged driver and similar scum who have no self-control are free to pick up vulnerable people whether they be the elderly, or females drunk after a night out (1 of them has to be dropped off last even in a group) - with licences, checks can be made and so on. As usual though, this turned into being just a cash-cow for the gov't, hence the resentment I guess.

lol fuck off clown and stick to being a dumbed-down unfunny louis ck :thumbsup

Again you small minded little twit youre spreading bullshit based on false personal expierience. Uber does extensive background checks. You cannot drive with varying convictions. So please shut up.

You wont even admit youre wrong. Youre embarassing.