So taxi regulations are in place to ensure faceless execs don't make mean remarks? Uber might not be startup of the month right now, but given the choice of excellent service for customers at the cost of a couple assholes in a boardroom somewhere versus crappy service while the execs try to please everyone, I'd choose excellent service every time. Ignoring the fact that, of course, taxi regulations don't stop people from being assholes; after all it has never stopped drivers from not picking up minorities.
I think regulations have more to do with the drivers not taking you on 20 mile detours, trying to sexually assault or yelling at a cancer patient (all Uber stories).
"San Francisco taxi drivers routinely flout the law by refusing rides, declining to take credit cards, charging unauthorized fees, speeding, smoking, and talking and texting on cellphones while driving, according to a year’s worth of passenger complaints reviewed by The Bay Citizen."
How many of those drivers lost their license, do you think?
I was giving examples, it certainly isn't an exhaustive list. How many complaints against Uber in a year? We don't know because there isn't any regulator oversight besides trusting Uber.
To be fair, there would be countless equivalent stories from the taxi side of the fence. The ability to rate drivers to encourage better service strikes me as one thing Uber gets right.
There might be bad attitudes filtering down from the top and from handlers/motivators, but that's less about regulations and more about just being nice people. Taxi drivers could often do with the same improvement.
Rude taxi drivers and huge detours to charge you more money are par for the course when it comes to taxis. Regulation doesn't fix this. I'm not sure what does, really.
I never said they were immune... I was merely pointing out that there is a lack of regulation. There is no taxi commission to go to if Uber screws you.
