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Shouldn't we be limiting how many Uber drivers can be on the road at any given time.
Why don't cities limit the number of Uber drivers? I keep hearing about how there are too many and causing congestion.
Posted 6 years, 6 months ago
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Comments
What it would come down to is the fact that this would have to be enforced by Uber but Uber has very litte incentive to do so.
There are rules in place about how many for-hail services (i.e. taxis) can be on the road. This is the medallion system. Having this medallion or "license" enables a driver to pick up some one off of the street. "Hail" traditionally meant a person raising their hand, of course. Uber took a slightly different approach where people "hailed" or requested a ride off of a mobile app.
This semantic enabled Uber to skirt the law and ignore the medallion system all together.
Good answer. One thing to add. Uber is "ridesharing." The way Uber wants you to take a look at it, it's one normal person giving another normal person a ride, under their own arrangement and contract.
So, it's like your friend driving you to the airport. There's nothing wrong about that. Uber basically enables you and your friend to get together, make an arrangement, and handle the payment.
Yep, this is an important point as Uber treats their drivers as independent contractors and NOT employees.
Unless you work for Uber, there is no way to know how many people on the road are actually looking for fares. The cars that drivers use are owned by them and may be used to drive for any number of reasons other than trying to earn money.
If there are too many on the road it will take care of itself shortly because experienced drivers will just log off and do something else instead of sitting there without being able to make any money. Also since you can log on or off at an instance there is no telling how long any drivers may be on the road.
I often turn it on when I do not have time to drive all the way home before I have to be in an area. Since most trips are short this almost always works out for me.
Not everyone has the luxury to just quit taxi driving and move on to a different job. My relative has been working in taxi buisness for around 20 yrs, he cannot just quit and find a new job especially when he is already quite old to even find a new one.
The pay for Taxi buisness as dropped VERY low, working for around 10+ hours, even getting around 100$ is lucky. That is not even minimum wage amount at all.
Agreed. Everybody is ignoring the reality and looking away from individuals who are suffering.
I was just reading this thread. Medallions are worthless now.
https://ride.guru/lounge/p/shouldnt-cities-cancel-medallion-systems-if-they-are-allowing-uber-and-lyft-to-operate#!#comment-12260
True, but it is still proven that rideshares have caused a ride in traffic congestion. I think they should max out the number of drivers that can be logged in at any one time.
It would not help congestion because drivers would just be driving further. There might be fewer but they would be traveling more miles to make the same pickups. Drivers do not stay moving when they are waiting on a fare because that cuts into the small profit margin too much. They find safe places to stay and wait until there is someone that needs a ride. If they are driving they had someplace to go, but no time to arrive.
What makes you think cities have control over what Uber does? Uber in major cities are picking up passengers illegally, under cutting real taxi drivers. What makes you think they'll listen to, "hey, please limit your number of drivers to X"
Even if Uber was willing to listen, how would they enforce it? Uber drivers can work anytime in any car they want. They can't limit by number of registerd drivers and they can't limit how many are online.
They could easily put a limit for the number of transactions daily done by uber.
Also limiting the uber drivers only to those who has taxi license should be the case. You should be tested and checked if you are capable of handling customers. This way, not anyone can just buy a random car then work as uber.
Trust me, there are SO MANY WAYS to limit the Uber buisness to help out the taxi drivers who was working as drivers for living. They have family, and many of them are suffering because of uber. Need to help them out.
Limiting the number of transactions? So at certain point in the course of a day, all the drivers get a notification that we must stop working? It’s a funny thought. What if one just started working and two minutes later, the day is over? Not a reliable source of income. (Well, I guesss it never was.)
Capping the number of drivers may work, but they’d have to fence it, or else the coverage may become spotty.
In either option, it is no longer an on-demand workforce, and it will also be a completely u reliable profession for anyone. It’s like having a job and you have no idea how much you’d make.
Then again, maybe that’s just the nature of this new job. No more professional drivers. Just people with extra time and a car.
Sorry. I meant to reply to @bBerman81
Well, I guess theoretically, they can limit by total number of drivers registered within a region. Of course, Uber wouldn't like that AT ALL, but the city may be able to enforce that. (or attempt to)
I suppose Uber, with the technology they have, can theoretically limit the number of drivers online. If a city allows 100 drivers on the road at once, when a 101st driver attempts to login, they basically block them.
Obviously, Uber wouldn't go with any of these, but they COULD do these things.
Are we bringing back the medallion system? All that hoopla for the last few years and Ubers will just be taxis all over again? Then we will repeat the same mistake we did with the taxi industry.
It was like the purge of the taxi drivers, because if this is the direction we are going, Uber drivers will just be medallion/license carrying workers just like taxi drivers were.
Local governments were blindsided by Uber. They move so slowly and could not respond to the Uber sea change. So, now they are stuck, unable to regulate post facto. Maybe they will get their act together eventually but right now it's like the wild west. Don't expect big changes anytime soon other than in isolated pockets as certain municipalities finally figure out how.
Isn't this what they are working on in NYC. City making arrangement with Uber to limit the # of rides and hours they can work. or something
Corrupt politicians. Money under the table. or simply just ignorance and/or slowness to respond.
All of the above.
Well, Uber certainly won't do that. Absolutely zero incentive to do so.
The city? Probably fumbling around not knowing what to do.