Hacker News Reader

Comment by fotcorn | Hacker News Reader

The permit to commercially transport people costs 421 Euro:

https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=de&tl=en&js=y&prev...

Far too much for some casual Uber drivers.

It also requires extensive knowledge of the city (know all streets), which is way too much for a casual driver who will simply use a gps.

To commercially transport people you also need a special insurance and need your car checked more frequently.

So it should't be surprising that UberPOP was forbidden.

That is necessary, but not enough. To operate a taxi you also need a taxi license (which sometimes just is a 50 € fee, sometimes has to be taken over from an existing taxi company, all depends on the city) + of course insurance etc.

You can use it to operate a "rental car with driver", like UberBlack does, but that has other limitations to be not too taxi-like (most notably you can't take new passengers or their orders while on the road, you have to return to your home location after every trip)

"Funkmietwagen" (rental cars with a driver you that picks you up and drops you off and can be hired instantly by phone) are actually very common in most parts of Germany I've been to. Many businesses offer you to call one instead if you ask them to call you a taxi (though I think they have to explicitly tell you it's a Funkmietwagen rather than a taxi).

That said, Uber isn't really solving a problem here. There are already call-a-taxi apps (though they don't seem to have been very successful) and the only value add Uber provides is that it encourages an entirely illegal business model (i.e. transporting persons without the required qualifications, no insurance coverage, no guarantees and no reliable pricing).

Sure, UberBlack may be a nice idea if an ordinary taxi is beneath you or socially inappropriate, but other than that Uber simply doesn't offer anything new.

Note that Germany and the EU in general have very strong customer protection laws. The health, safety and protection of the passenger is an actual concern in the local market. Uber (and similar "disruptive" services) gain most of their appeal from entirely disregarding that.

It doesn't matter how appealing your business idea is if it doesn't work within the restrictions of consumer protection.

Yes, I should have added that this is fairly common already. I just wanted to add it since there was a bit of confusion about which Uber products are allowed/forbidden and why.

And this is the legal framework for Uber to provide new services. If a good app + the driver ratings people seem to like + ... really provides a market advantage, then they should go nuts there ;)

AFAIK you also need special insurance and shorter maintenance intervals for your car, so the total cost is probably higher - And recurring!

I get the sense that you are an advocate of Uber's and that type of approach to business and society.

The problem I have, no matter how much I like the idea and concepts and technical solutions, is that there is a social flaw built in, which is American society. What we, as a culture don't realize is that Uber and it's minions of supporters, just like so many other cultural phenomena in the USA, is a corporate con job race to the bottom.

Just so you have a starting point, Uber is the equivalent to Conservative causes like opposition to universal health care or a social safety net or a minimum wage (expectation of income for work) or job security; or any other of the numerous pernicious memes on the right that are self-harming.

So, go on, blabber on about how much you love Uber; just be aware that you supported the very process that will also lead to you having to scrape by for crumbs just to survive in a saturated market in which you are little more than a commodity, essentially a head of cattle on a ranch.

For comparison, a taxi permit in New York City costs over $1 million. See: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/15/nyregion/1-million-medalli...

Yes, NYC taxi permits are about 2,000 times as expensive.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com