That's the only conclusion one can draw after reading this: Uber reached an agreement with Portland to suspend operations in the city for three months while regulators work to revise rules around taxis that currently prohibit ridesharing apps. The city agreed to let Uber resume operations after three months whether or not new regulations have …
Uber-Craziness
Will Wilkinson is quite right in stating that "[t]here’s something about Uber, the popular ride-sharing service, that brings out the nutty in people." And he is also quite right to mock those who call for "socializing" Uber. The complaints about surge-pricing automatically kicking in when Uber cars were in high demand during the hostage standoff in …
“No Consumer Choice, Please. We Are French.”
Another day, another report about how taxicab cartels are scared of competition: Uber's low-cost ride ride-hailing service will be banned in France from the start of next year, the government said Monday as hundreds of taxi drivers blocked roads around Paris to protest what they claim are its unfair business practices. A new law tightening …
Continue reading "“No Consumer Choice, Please. We Are French.”"
Your Non-Shocking News of the Day
Free market competition can lower prices and help consumers: In major cities throughout the United States, taxi medallion prices are tumbling as taxis face competition from car-service apps like Uber and Lyft. The average price of an individual New York City taxi medallion fell to $872,000 in October, down 17 percent from a peak reached …
Your Absolutely Non-Shocking News of the Day
Competition in the marketplace is a good thing! It’s like Uber, for economists. Simply click on the website of the Economic Experts panel hosted by the Initiative on Global Markets at the University of Chicago, and it will immediately summon an easily digested summary of the insights of mainstream economics into continuing political controversies. As …
Continue reading "Your Absolutely Non-Shocking News of the Day"
Uber and Micropolitics
Count me as one who is pleased to see the Republican party take the side of Uber, Lyft and other such services. It is certainly the right thing to do from a policy angle; there certainly needs to be more competition when it comes to limousine/taxi services, and companies like Uber, Lyft and Sidecar can …
No Consumer Choice, Please. We’re Coloradans.
It turns out that if you use Uber in Colorado, you might have the car you're riding in pulled over. You might have your own license examined by police (remember, you are a passenger, not a driver), you might be placed in danger, and you might have to deal with a police officer who doesn't …
Continue reading "No Consumer Choice, Please. We’re Coloradans."
Virginia Is for Cartels
Do you want there to be competition and diversity in limousine/ride-sharing/taxicab services? Do you live in Virginia? If the answer to both questions is "yes," then it sucks to be you. Of course, it shouldn't suck to be you, but this is what happens when government is too large and too powerful, and when it …
Uber and UberX Help People Get Jobs
Here is the story. And here is the part where I ask (again) why it is that so many protectionists are willing to try to sabotage Uber and UberX, and by extension, sabotage the lives of those who depend on Uber and UberX to put food on the table and a roof over their heads …
Seattle, Meet Brussels. You Two Will Get Along Just Fine.
I suppose that I should look on the bright side in reading this story; maybe as a takeaway, I can be comforted by the fact that certain American cities don't have a monopoly on perpetrating outrages against their citizens and the free market. But I confess to believing that any such comfort is of the cold variety: …
Continue reading "Seattle, Meet Brussels. You Two Will Get Along Just Fine."
