Uber: EU rules will see us pull out of “hundreds” of European cities — Brussels’ proposal to classify gig workers as de facto employees could slam the breaks on operations across the bloc::An Uber boss has issued a stark warning that Brussels’ proposal to classify gig workers as de facto employees could slam the breaks on operations across the bloc.

    • Wrench@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Having just returned from Australia on vacation, I’ll say it was extremely inconvenient when Uber wasn’t in a region. We even managed to get stuck in a small airport because there were no regular taxis, and the local Taxi app simply didn’t work for the required 2fa with a foreign phone number (though the UI for selecting country was there, no text was ever received).

      Uber is great when available while traveling. Makes life so much easier.

      That said, I fully support regulating them to have to support their drivers as any other employer. Fuck them and their repeated threats to their ball and go home. Force them out of every market until they concede and restructure.

      • Mr_Blott@feddit.uk
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        1 year ago

        Um, you do realise that the only reason you couldn’t get a normal taxi was because Uber’s business model was to destroy the industry and take over?

        • Wrench@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          … yes, they destroyed the taxi industry in a remote airport where they never rolled out service to. Right.

          • Mr_Blott@feddit.uk
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            1 year ago

            Oh boy 😂

            Edit - I should explain

            Uber never rolled out service to the airport because it wasn’t profitable enough, that would be the only reason

            The few remaining taxi drivers still in work after Uber destroyed their industry won’t go to the airport, for the same reason Uber didn’t. But now the taxi drivers are even less likely to go there as they’re forced to go where the money is, wherever that may be

            Let’s face it, if you ever used Uber to save yourself a few dollars, it was at Uber’s expense; they made a loss on it

            Now the taxi drivers have gone, they have a monopoly and have quadrupled their prices

            As they say, there’s never one flake of snow that thinks it was responsible for an avalanche

            • Wrench@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              Your point was obvious. It’s still awful and makes bad assumptions on taxi availability and demand in an a rural area. Your entire argument seems to be based on city economics of supply and demand at scale.