From the Bangor Daily News:
If you can dispute any of these facts, comment below.
"When I first heard about the driving service,Uber, coming to Portland, something just didn’t sound right. I had heard of Uber, and companies like it before, but never really given it much thought. After a quick Google search to see how their business model breaks down, red flags immediately went off in the “these workers are being exploited” zone.
There are countless stories out there on the internet of Uber drivers being taken advantage of in the name of corporate profits, but the typical story line goes something like this:
-Uber announces they’re coming to town, then runs a huge hiring campaign in search of drivers.
-During the hiring campaign, Uber claims that drivers will make upwards of $20 an hour, then encourages people desperate for a living wage to take out leases on cars to become drivers.
-After the initial buzz wears off and demand plummets, Uber cuts their rates, which can result in drivers making less than $1 (yes, one dollar) per hour.
-Whether a driver leased a new car or just used one they already had, before long the wear and tear results in an expensive date at the auto body shop- and Uber sure as heck isn’t covering the bill.
-The same can be said if a driver gets into an accident, regardless of the potential injuries or damages Uber will not be there to help cover the costs. Which means that in many cases the victim has no way of receiving compensation for medical costs, etc.
Several months ago, fellow BDN blogger Alex Steed and I collaborated on a piece which exposed Abraham Lembarra, former owner of Yellow Cab Company, for a slew of egregious offenses committed from behind the wheel of his taxi cab.
Lembarra, whose actions had first been called to Steed’s attention by a Portland woman named Amber Dorcus from her personal blog page, ultimately was fined and suspended by the City of Portland following the coverage.
In my work for the piece on Lembarra, I spoke extensively with the owners of 207 Taxi, which is currently one of the most popular cab companies in Portland.
So after researching online for the past few days, I gave 207 Taxi another call, and was able to get the company’s owner, Craig Cobbett, on the phone to get his take on Uber coming to town.
It turned out to be quite an interesting interview.
See, while my focus was initially on the treatment of the Uber drivers, Cobbett’s focus was on customer’s safety and the unfair advantages that Uber has over the local cab companies.
Here are several quotes by Cobbett from our conversation:
“The city right now, they make taxi drivers and livery drivers pay for a license to drive and with that comes a background check. So you know who you’re getting, there’s many people that apply for licenses and are unable to get them because they either have a violent past, or they have felonies on their record.”
“As long as you meet the requirements of a vehicle that’s 2003 or newer and having insurance, Uber will put you on the road. I hate to think that it’s going to come to somebody getting hurt for Uber to finally take a look at their business model and make some adjustments.”
For more READ HERE:
If you can dispute any of these facts, comment below.
Uber driver beat the shit out of this passenger
There are countless stories out there on the internet of Uber drivers being taken advantage of in the name of corporate profits, but the typical story line goes something like this:
-Uber announces they’re coming to town, then runs a huge hiring campaign in search of drivers.
-During the hiring campaign, Uber claims that drivers will make upwards of $20 an hour, then encourages people desperate for a living wage to take out leases on cars to become drivers.
-After the initial buzz wears off and demand plummets, Uber cuts their rates, which can result in drivers making less than $1 (yes, one dollar) per hour.
-Whether a driver leased a new car or just used one they already had, before long the wear and tear results in an expensive date at the auto body shop- and Uber sure as heck isn’t covering the bill.
-The same can be said if a driver gets into an accident, regardless of the potential injuries or damages Uber will not be there to help cover the costs. Which means that in many cases the victim has no way of receiving compensation for medical costs, etc.
Several months ago, fellow BDN blogger Alex Steed and I collaborated on a piece which exposed Abraham Lembarra, former owner of Yellow Cab Company, for a slew of egregious offenses committed from behind the wheel of his taxi cab.
Lembarra, whose actions had first been called to Steed’s attention by a Portland woman named Amber Dorcus from her personal blog page, ultimately was fined and suspended by the City of Portland following the coverage.
In my work for the piece on Lembarra, I spoke extensively with the owners of 207 Taxi, which is currently one of the most popular cab companies in Portland.
So after researching online for the past few days, I gave 207 Taxi another call, and was able to get the company’s owner, Craig Cobbett, on the phone to get his take on Uber coming to town.
It turned out to be quite an interesting interview.
See, while my focus was initially on the treatment of the Uber drivers, Cobbett’s focus was on customer’s safety and the unfair advantages that Uber has over the local cab companies.
Here are several quotes by Cobbett from our conversation:
“The city right now, they make taxi drivers and livery drivers pay for a license to drive and with that comes a background check. So you know who you’re getting, there’s many people that apply for licenses and are unable to get them because they either have a violent past, or they have felonies on their record.”
“As long as you meet the requirements of a vehicle that’s 2003 or newer and having insurance, Uber will put you on the road. I hate to think that it’s going to come to somebody getting hurt for Uber to finally take a look at their business model and make some adjustments.”
For more READ HERE:
Very good points you make here. The other issue I've been seeing is a lack of background checks on Uberx drivers. Hopefully they get regulated before they can make it to my area. www.greencabdbq.com
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