Where have they ever said they shouldn't have to play by the same rules as everyone else? They vet their drivers and ensure that all meet the requirements to drive locally. They're using licensed, commercially insured drivers who meet all the regulations for their city. How is that not playing by the same rules as everyone else?
Cab dispatch companies work in all the cities Uber is in, and Uber meets exactly the same regulations those companies do. Should Uber double drug test drivers? Should they double inspect vehicles for emissions? Or are we OK with knowing that all their drivers are already in compliance with all local regulations in each city? I guess I don't see what regulations they're skirting, or why there's a need for more regulation now. There's a considerable difference between what Uber does (provides a way for licensed limo drivers to fill their spare capacity) and what companies like Lyft and Sidecar do (allow anyone to drive without commercial licenses or commercial insurance).
Uber is a young company. I don't think anyone is advocating that they'll do everything perfectly. It's pretty easy to imagine stumbling through some learning experiences like they did their first hour after hurricane Sandy, when they went with the tool they're used to using in similar non-emergency settings. They quickly corrected their actions, and seem to be learning. If they continue to flub future post-emergency responses, then I could see the issue. Until then, I applaud them for learning (or appearing to), and don't fault them for not breaking non-existent regulations (they're following all local regulations in each city, and shouldn't need to ask for permission to run a legal business there). The criticism they face is from people with vested interests in an outdated business model. Those people deserve to be called out.
Uber was banned in Boston for awhile, and eventually the ban was overturned, but the fact remains that they did ignore (intentionally or unintentionally) the existing regulations for metering travel. I'm all for forward-thinking solutions to problems, and personally I think GPS is a better solution - but I grow tired of companies that repeatedly ask for forgiveness rather than permission as their modus-operandi.
The "approved meter that others were required to use" was for taxis, not limo/towncars. Their GPS units are significantly less opaque than the status quo for limos (which really comes down to just naming an arbitrary price, or having to pay for a full hour regardless of use). In the Boston case, a lower level regulator with ties to the taxi industry issued the cease and desist, it was his supervisor who removed it, because there was in-fact a basis for using GPS to track time/distance.
Why should Uber ask for permission to run a legal business? The city of Boston agrees that their business is legal, and that GPS is OK. They're using commercially licensed drivers with commercial insurance, leveraging a system that existed well before Uber. They're simply making it more efficient for both sides (fill spare capacity with riders who need a car). Their drivers and cars meet all local regulations. Their outspoken opponents aren't doing so for the public good, they're doing it because they represent an entrenched power who is threatened. Legal businesses don't have to ask for permission, and shouldn't be asked to.
Cab dispatch companies work in all the cities Uber is in, and Uber meets exactly the same regulations those companies do. Should Uber double drug test drivers? Should they double inspect vehicles for emissions? Or are we OK with knowing that all their drivers are already in compliance with all local regulations in each city? I guess I don't see what regulations they're skirting, or why there's a need for more regulation now. There's a considerable difference between what Uber does (provides a way for licensed limo drivers to fill their spare capacity) and what companies like Lyft and Sidecar do (allow anyone to drive without commercial licenses or commercial insurance).
Uber is a young company. I don't think anyone is advocating that they'll do everything perfectly. It's pretty easy to imagine stumbling through some learning experiences like they did their first hour after hurricane Sandy, when they went with the tool they're used to using in similar non-emergency settings. They quickly corrected their actions, and seem to be learning. If they continue to flub future post-emergency responses, then I could see the issue. Until then, I applaud them for learning (or appearing to), and don't fault them for not breaking non-existent regulations (they're following all local regulations in each city, and shouldn't need to ask for permission to run a legal business there). The criticism they face is from people with vested interests in an outdated business model. Those people deserve to be called out.