Cab drivers and cab companies themselves do not have a monopoly on transportation. Cities have a monopoly on who gets to be a cab driver. They set rules for the conditions of vehicles, including age, they set rules for how much can be charged, the set rules for who is allowed to drive, and for insurance coverage. Uber does not want to work within the rules. Uber claims it is not a cab company, just a web site that allows drivers and riders to connect, however, you could say that about any cab dispatch company as well. Uber also tracks peoples rides. It ran an ad in Europe, which suggested that if an attractive women driver picked you up, she was available for other, more personal, rides as well.
"Michael was particularly focused on one journalist, Sarah Lacy, the editor of the Silicon Valley website PandoDaily, a sometimes combative voice inside the industry. Lacy recently accused Uber of “sexism and misogyny.” She wrote that she was deleting her Uber app after BuzzFeed News reported that Uber appeared to be working with a French escort service. “I don’t know how many more signals we need that the company simply doesn’t respect us or prioritize our safety,” she Michael was particularly focused on one journalist, Sarah Lacy, the editor of the Silicon Valley website PandoDaily, a sometimes combative voice inside the industry. Lacy recently accused Uber of “sexism and misogyny.” She wrote that she was deleting her Uber app after BuzzFeed News reported that Uber appeared to be working with a French escort service. “I don’t know how many more signals we need that the company simply doesn’t respect us or prioritize our safety,” she wrote" Ben Smith, Buzzfeed
http://www.buzzfeed.com/bensmith/uber-executive-suggests-digging-up-dirt-on-journalists
Personally, I hope that Uber folds and that everyone who has invested money in it loses every last cent.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
