Tuesday, 10 July 2012

Re: [WardFive] Re: [Brookland] Uber Cab in Jeopardy

Just so you all know and that we're all on the same page on this.  What you are seeing with the cab lobby is screwing Uber Cab ... is exactly the same kind of thing that happens in Health Care and every other issue brought before every city council, state legislature, and the congress. ... this is why there is really no Free Market
 
... if I, uber cab, or anyone else offers a better cheaper product or service to a competing one, instead of letting the market decide the entrenched establishment goes on the offensive and uses money to improperly influence legislators to eliminate the competition by burdensome and often frivielous regulations intended not so much to protect the public as to protect the monopoly of the 1% and 1% wannabes.
 
The only way to stop this is to stand up and fight it.
 
Jerry in opposition.
 
----- Original message -----
From: Rob <indianrob@gmail.com>
To: Matt Turley <mattturley@gmail.com>
Subject: [WardFive] Re: [Brookland] Uber Cab in Jeopardy
Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2012 10:00:07 -0400
 
Hello Matt,
 
Isn't it strange - it is amazing that you and others want a cheaper taxi  (which I don't have a problem with) BUT SAY NOTHING WHEN THE WONDERFUL CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS WANT TO SPEND BILLIONS ON A STREET CAR that has to be SUBSIDIZED. 
 
HOW ABOUT THIS FOR IRONY!!!  You and others probably don't get it but the millions and millions that will be used for subsidy is money that we can use for other more needed things.  In addition, a cheaper electric taxi cab (maybe Uber) around H Street would be much better. 
 
HILARIOUS.
 
Rob. 
 
On Tue, Jul 10, 2012 at 12:44 AM, Matt Turley <mattturley@gmail.com> wrote:
 

Hi All,

Uber cab, a relatively new service that provides an outstanding alternative to cabs that never show up in our neighborhood is under attack by the Taxi lobby in DC.  Please see the message below and my email to all of DC council.  Please reach out in support of Uber.

 

to pmendelson, mcheh, mbrown, jgraham, jevans, mbowser, kmcduffie, twells, yalexander, mbarry, dcatania, vorange...
 
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Council,

I am writing to express my frustration and shock of hearing that there is currently an amendment that will limit transportation options in a city like ours where the public transportation options are so very problematic.  I am a 3-year resident of Ward 5, living in the Brookland area.  Since moving here in 2009, one of our biggest hassles has been the availability, or lack there of, and the horrible reliability of DC's Taxi system.  Fearing from robberies, the out of the way nature of the location, and other factors, cab drivers simply do not respond to our requests.  Even when scheduling cabs for air travel, the cabs often do not show up.  Several times, I have had to drive to the airport and pay the outrageous parking fees because my scheduled cab did not arrive.

Since Uber was released in DC, these problems were eliminated.  I've used the service about 10 times now, and every time I have a cab at my house within 15 minutes - normally much faster.  This service has alleviated a huge headache for us, and I am very upset to learn that pending legislation would all but cripple the service, requiring there minimum fare to be ridiculously more expensive than a standard taxi.

I urge you, for the good of all DC residents, vote NO on this issue.

Thank you,
Matt Turley
17th St., NE
Washington, DC 20018

Un-Independence
On Independence Day, Uber announced a roll out of a lower cost service that we call UberX. A less expensive Uber option on an all-hybrid fleet. We're pretty excited about it and think it's a great idea for cities across the country. What some of you probably noticed is that there was no roll out of this service in the District. That is because, only days earlier, the DC City Council informed us that they intended to pass an amendment to the taxi modernization bill that would make it illegal for Uber to lower its prices or to offer a low cost service in any form.

The Council’s intention is to prevent Uber from being a viable alternative to taxis by enacting a price floor to set Uber's minimum fare at today's rates and no less than 5 times a taxi's minimum fare. Consequently they are handicapping a reliable, high quality transportation alternative so that Uber cannot offer a high quality service at the best possible price. It was hard for us to believe that an elected body would choose to keep prices of a transportation service artificially high - but the goal is essentially to protect a taxi industry that has significant experience in influencing local politicians. They want to make sure there is no viable alternative to a taxi in Washington DC, and so on Tuesday (tomorrow!), the DC City Council is going to formalize that principle into law.

For obvious reasons, Uber is seriously concerned about punitive government intervention in a well functioning marketplace. Because of this we felt it was our responsibility to let our riders know about the issues at hand.
 

Take Action
THE COUNCIL VOTES ON THE UBER AMENDMENT TOMORROW!
If each of us writes or calls our DC Council people, we could make an impact on this law. What are we asking for?

Strike down the MINIMUM FARE language from the Uber Amendment.

Here are the City Council members' contact info. Call/write as many of them as possible!

Keep the #UberDCLove alive. See full blog post here.

Sincerely,
Travis Kalanick, Uber Co-Founder and CEO


To join the #UberDCLove activism team, click here.

 

 

 

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3744 12th Street, N.E.,
Washington D.C., 20017
202-438-5988

"We must become the change we want to see" - Mohandas Gandhi-
(Together, for a Brighter Tomorrow)




 


 

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