Mostly 'Uber', but also Lyft and Sidecar, aren't smelling too sweet to governments
captured by entrenched taxi industries worldwide;
Allegations that an Uber driver
raped a woman in India last weekend has triggered a nationwide ban on
smartphone-enabled taxi services that could stifle the company’s ability
to operate in its largest market outside of the U.S.
Because a taxi cab driver has never committed a crime in India?
Also this week, Thailand barred all app-based taxi service operators
who use personal vehicles; a Spanish judge ordered a temporary halt to
the company’s operations in the country; and the city of Portland, Ore.,
issued a cease-and-desist order and filed a lawsuit against Uber.
Uber also faces a legal challenge in its own backyard. On Tuesday,
the district attorneys of San Francisco and Los Angeles sued Uber for
allegedly misleading consumers and said they are seeking a permanent
injunction of the business until it complies with California law. The
suit alleges, among other issues, that Uber is misleading customers into
believing it screens out drivers who have committed criminal offenses.
All these political jurisdictions probably have carpool lanes and government funded PR campaigns to increase carpooling. Certainly Portland does. Carpoolers were preferred citizens, so to speak. How the worms turn.
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