France says 'non' to UberPop

Uber has once again found itself running afoul of a government, this time in a form of a ban on the company's UberPop service in France. The New York Times reported that the nation has moved to kill off the controversial Uber ride-sharing service in France following pressure from professional taxi drivers and their industry …

[Khaptain]

Free for all

So basically this is a free-for-all service whereby any numpty on the planet can respond to a request for services. Now what could possibly go wrong with that !!

It's easy to understand from the Taxi-Drivers point of view. Imagine that the same kind of service went out for IT.

UBER-IT, we respond to your important IT requests 24 hours a day. We can't garauntee the service but we will gaurantee that your troubles are only beginning..

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Free for all

Imagine that the same kind of service went out for IT.

Do you have any friends and relatives? Never heard the phrase "I got .... to look at it. He messed around with it for a while and now it doesn't work"

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Free for all

"Imagine that the same kind of service went out for IT."

ever used SERCO or ATOS for outsourcing?

[Marvin O'Gravel Balloon Face]

The French have no word for entrepreneur...

The French have an odd situation whereby many trades, from plumbers to chemists to lawyers, have their own State protected trade bodies, keeping wages artificially high for their members. I can't see them liking this too much.

[Michael H.F. Wilkinson]

So Uber says a small fee is involved, but it is not commercial?

Mr. Spock would find this illogical

I tend to agree. Uber is all about cost-cutting. This is fair enough in commercial ventures, but they seem to want to weasel their way through, avoiding (not entirely unreasonable) rules and regulations.

[The First Dave]

Re: So Uber says a small fee is involved, but it is not commercial?

Would be interesting to hear a comment from a French motor insurer - I know for a fact that my own insurer here in the UK would void my insurance if there was any hint of "hire and reward"

[Nifty]

Paris in a taxi - never again

I still recall how diabolical the Paris taxi services were when I visited with a disabled relative as part of a 4 person group. It was impossible to order a vehicle to carry 4 and the folded flat compact wheelchair. All drivers kept a thermos and sandwiches on the front passenger seat which was not available for passengers. In order to stay together we had to carry the wheelchair through numerous turnstiles and twisty narrow stairways in the Metro system instead.

Never never again. Paris taxi drivers DESERVE Uber.

[captain veg]

Re: Paris in a taxi - never again

Paris taxi drivers are a variable lot. Some are good, some are frighteningly, dangersously bad. For the wheelchair, best to order from a company that specifically caters for disabled passengers, such as G7.

-A.

[ukgnome]

Re: Paris in a taxi - never again

Paris taxi drivers are a fun breed.

I have never been so enthralled, scared and thrilled all at the same time.

If you have the pleasure can I suggest a slightly drunk one, you won't regret it!

[Anonymous Coward]

Please allow Uber!

The last time I took a taxi in Paris it made bungee jumping with a bit of old string off the empire state look safe!

The guy was going 90km whilst reading the newspaper and talking to someone on the phone! Of course when he nearly side-swiped a lorry in the other lane he did the only thing he knew, blast his horn and curse a lot!

Most terrifying trip of my life, even beating the coach with back wheels hanging over a cliff edge as we took a bend!

[Zog_but_not_the_first]

Why just taxis?

Surely Uber could be used to allow the great unwashed to tender for all sorts of services?

Sort of Uber Alles.

It's already off the peg >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[abedarts]

The land of laws

Unregulated anything is very unlikely in France. As was explained to us by a frenchman, 'France is the land of laws and the first law is you must know all the other laws.'