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.