Even the NY Times finds bankrupt taxi drivers shouldn’t be blaming Uber

hotair.com ^ | JAZZ SHAW

[spokeshave]

Notice there are two City "workers" with yellow jackets supervising the taxis.

How many City "workers" are distributed around New York city monitoring the taxi line 24/7

Complete with high sallaries, benefits and pensions

Enquiring minds seek to know.

[spokeshave]

I’ve seen youtube videos that say that by the time an uber driver pays for expenses, that there is not enough left over to pay for the wear and tear on the car.

Thus uber drivers are liquidating their cars and not making enough to buy another one.

Uber requires the vehicle to be 4 door, less than 7 years old, no visible damage, and no salvaged vehicles.

Spokeshave who drives 5,000 miles a month for Uber.

Little known secret

With rating of 4.89 over 6000 miles in 3 years I am at the"platinum" level....so get priority in scheduling my rides....which means that I get a ride in preference to a new driver.

In 2 years with debt all paid off I can quit and I won't need another car.

[Alberta's Child]

Under NYC regulations “taxi cabs” are treated differently than “limousines” and “for-hire cars.” A taxi cab makes stops on the street and picks up anyone who hails it. The other two transport passengers who arrange their rides in advance and book a ride with a specific company. They’re all regulated by the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) but only the taxi cabs require medallions because they’re a “public” service instead of a “reservation” service.

Since Uber and Lyft require customers to have a phone app and reserve their rides through it, the TLC determined that these are for-hire cars instead of taxi cabs.

[samtheman]

Thanks for the explanation. I’m still surprised the Peoples Republic of Manhattanstan allows such a shocking level of economic freedom to exist within its borders.

[Alberta's Child]

You’re welcome! It’s not as much freedom as you might think. Uber and Lyft in NYC are regulated by the TLC (unlike anywhere else), and the city government limits the number of Uber and Lyft cars that can operate there. Since they have to meet the same insurance and inspection requirements as a for-hire car, Uber and Lyft are more expensive than NYC cabs for most trips.

[DannyTN]

Glad it’s working for you.

The truth is probably in the middle. I tip uber drivers so they are making more than the official amount. I’m guessing that there are some uber drivers that don’t earn enough to justify it and there are others that do well.

[Zhang Fei]

[I don’t know if it’s true elsewhere, but in my neck of the woods all the Yellow Cab drivers are independent contractors. So they are able to refuse trips.]

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Uber drivers are independent contractors who get 1099’s. But Uber will eventually remove them from the system for refusing rides.

[Roccus]

PING!!

I’m quite sure you could make some knowledgeable additions to this thread.