Uber in Waterloo Region

[ookpik]

In Uber fight, taxi drivers on wrong side of history – and consumerism 

Suddenly, the old way of getting a ride – call a dispatcher; wait for a car to arrive who knows when, driven by who knows who; fumble for money to pay – seems hopelessly, almost ridiculously, archaic, akin to hailing a horse-drawn hansom cab on a busy, modern street.

Striking against Uber is striking against the future; no, worse than that, the present. Uber is already here and well-established. Many thousands use it in Toronto and other Canadian cities every day. It’s too late to ban it...

But authorities have to consider more than the interests of the cabbies or the cab companies. It isn’t the job of government to protect industries from change, although they often act as if it is. It is the consumer – in this case the rider – who has to come first.

Riders are rushing to embrace Uber and similar apps and services. Why? Because they offer to make life just a little bit simpler and easier. In a harried, hurry-up world, that is irresistible.

[jgsz]

Here is one Uber service I could get excited about.

http://www.thestar.com/business/2015/12/...outes.html

We used shared taxis in the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus and it was an affordable way to get around.  We would go out to the main road from our hotel and start walking toward town.  Whenever a dolmuş approached the driver would honk the horn and if we put up our hands the dolmuş would stop to pick us up.  And for a couple of Turkish Liras we were dropped off in the centre of town.  

[SammyOES]

I've often wondered why cities don't take more advantage of this sort of thing themselves.  Seems like a no brainer addition to full on bus service.

[jgsz]

I've often wondered why cities don't take more advantage of this sort of thing themselves.  Seems like a no brainer addition to full on bus service.

UberHop could be used to provide service between cities, towns and villages.  At the moment, GRT offers bus service to Elmira and soon to New Hamburg.  UberHop vans could serve the other populated areas of the Region sooner and cheaper and more frequently than a full GRT bus.

[SammyOES]

Exactly. But I'm also thinking it would be good in residential areas of KW. You could operate regular van service in residential areas that take people to a stop that has frequent stops. You get to improve the area covered by public transit and save money.

You could go even further and have an app that people use to register for a pick up and the van drives its route stopping at every place on that route where someone has requested a pick up.

[plam]

Exactly.  But I'm also thinking it would be good in residential areas of KW.  You could operate regular van service in residential areas that take people to a stop that has frequent stops.  You get to improve the area covered by public transit and save money.  

You could go even further and have an app that people use to register for a pick up and the van drives its route stopping at every place on that route where someone has requested a pick up.

Montreal does this vanpooling thing to some extent, though I've never tried it. I only see the areas served marked on the transit maps. I'd suspect that the barrier is dispatching the vans; software does help with that.

[timc]

I'm not sure about this, but isn't that what busPLUS does?

[taylortbb]

I'm not sure about this, but isn't that what busPLUS does?

Bus plus still follows a regular route, it just does it with a smaller bus. It's also branded differently because it's contracted out, rather than being driven by GRT union staff.

[Canard]

I like this system better, personally:

[tomh009]

That one is actually run by Helsinki Regional Transport, not an independent. But prices quite reasonable and it looks convenient. Have never actually tried it (maybe next year).

[Section ThirtyOne]

https://www.avivacanada.com/article/aviv...ng-drivers

One less piece of ammunition for the taxi companies. I'd expect that if this proves to be popular, other insurers will quickly follow suit.

[ookpik]

https://www.avivacanada.com/article/aviv...ng-drivers

One less piece of ammunition for the taxi companies. I'd expect that if this proves to be popular, other insurers will quickly follow suit.

It's worth noting, "The coverage will be available for drivers that spend up to 20 hours a week participating in ride-sharing. The cost for the additional coverage will equate to a small portion of the income earned by the driver, calculated using factors such as time spent ride-sharing, area driven and driving record." This makes perfect sense since Uber already knows where their drivers are and when they're on duty, with or without fares. Presumably Aviva has a special arrangement with Uber to get this data. If it's on an exclusive basis then that gives Aviva a competitive advantage over other insurers.

[panamaniac]

https://www.avivacanada.com/article/aviv...ng-drivers

One less piece of ammunition for the taxi companies. I'd expect that if this proves to be popular, other insurers will quickly follow suit.

It's worth noting, "The coverage will be available for drivers that spend up to 20 hours a week participating in ride-sharing. The cost for the additional coverage will equate to a small portion of the income earned by the driver, calculated using factors such as time spent ride-sharing, area driven and driving record." This makes perfect sense since Uber already knows where their drivers are and when they're on duty, with or without fares. Presumably Aviva has a special arrangement with Uber to get this data. If it's on an exclusive basis then that gives Aviva a competitive advantage over other insurers.

Does Uber provide its drivers with income statements for income tax purposes?

[ookpik]

Does Uber provide its drivers with income statements for income tax purposes?

IIRC Uber's position is only that the onus is on drivers to report their income to CRA. Uber doesn't provide T4 slips and such. CRA should make them do that. (And I'll bet that CRA will have more success in enforcing their tax laws than cities have had enforcing their bylaws.)

[tomh009]

Does Uber provide its drivers with income statements for income tax purposes?

I don't think taxi companies do, either.  And there are plenty of taxis running accepting cash fares only with no receipts.  Do you think all those fares are reported to the CRA?