dependent on where you are, they are textbook skirting the law. uber got crushed when they launched in sweden because taxi drivers need to do basically the same training as bus drivers. it's an extra letter on your license, with all that entails of age limits, theory and practical tests, x amount of time driven a year etc.

nowadays ubers in sweden are just taxis, which hilariously means that they by law have to have a price list on the cars. which basically kneecaps their entire business model.

[–] RamenJunkie@midwest.social 19 points 21 hours ago (2 children)

They literally exist as a way for tech bro libertarian idiots to circumvent laws around Taxis and Hotels because "Its totally just people rending their own stuff/time bro."

Like, the idea of Uber where its "we go to work along the same route,lets share a ride" is vaguely admirable, ie "rideshare" where it startrd. But its become people's job and its literally just tsxis without the rules.

[–] ulterno@programming.dev 1 points 57 minutes ago* (last edited 57 minutes ago)

Due to how much circumvention goes around here (India) anyway, Uber/Ola actually ends up being a better option overall.
And the map feature ends up being pretty useful.

[–] Grimy@lemmy.world 10 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

To be fair, they were popular at first because they were highly convenient. I remember Uber as the first to have a GPS map that told you where your taxi was. Most taxi companies and hotels were seriously lagging behind in terms of use of technology.

That being said, they were malicious companies from the start and the whole business angle was built on taking advantage of loopholes. I'd be fine with a lot of them if they were nationally owned companies though.

[–] T156@lemmy.world 6 points 17 hours ago

They were also presented as being cheaper and more ethical. You didn't risk being roped into paying a higher price because the cabbie deliberately took a long route, or be surprised by the price being different in person. You could order an Uber, and you'd pay only what was in the app.

[–] Eq0@literature.cafe 11 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Taxis and hotels used to be strongly regulated industries. For both, permits were required as well as regular checks. But Uber/Lyft/Airbnb created a system outside of the standard legal framework, allowing them to run an almost lawless business. So I wouldn’t say illegal but ethically grey.

[–] ulterno@programming.dev 0 points 55 minutes ago

oic, I guess it doesn't make much of a difference where relevant laws are either pretty lax or inadequately executed.