Re: Careful there...
The reason Uber can charge you €5 rather than €20 for the journey is because the ride is subsidised by all the VC money flowing into the company.
Exploiting their drivers with illegal (at least that's what it's looking like in the UK) working practices, and taking short cuts when it comes to complying with local laws and regulations is also something to do with it.
If Uber lose their appeal against the verdict of their last court appearance in the UK, the whole edifice will crumble. And it will make force much needed changes on to the gig economy. In short, either Uber will have to let the drivers set the price, or take the drivers on as staff and pay them a wage. Prices will have to rise, and then they'd be no better than ordinary minicabs.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
