Austin Responds To Uber Response
Earn a living in Austin? Austin's response: "Fuck you!"
Get a ride as a consenting adult from another consenting adult who wants to drive you and take your money? Austin's response: "Fuck you!"
When Uber and Lyft pulled out of Austin after Austin tried to impose onerous regulations, gypsy cabs -- entirely unregulated -- popped up to fill the void.
Well, Blueberry Town reports that "the Austin Police Department has decided, or been instructed, to put its jackboots down on the necks" of drivers trying to recover some of the income they lost when these companies pulled out.
Oh, and note that Uber and Lyft vetted their drivers. In the non-Uber and -Lyft environment, there is no vetting at all.
And Blueberry Town notes that the cops are not only issuing fines but seizing cars, with the Transportation Department of Austin impounding four of the cars of drivers from Arcade CIty, a peer-to-peer network connecting passengers with drivers via Facebook.
Yeah, don't issue a ticket to these poor slobs. Impound their freaking cars so they cannot get to any other job, either. That'll fix 'em just right.
via @iowahawkblog
Meanwhile it is reported that DWI arrests in Austin are up 7.5% since Uber and Lyft left town:
https://twitter.com/FrankLuntz/status/745315711665512449
That a few more dollars in the city's coffers.
I R A Darth Aggie at June 22, 2016 6:12 AM
It's all here: cronyism, over-regulation, a Prohibition, and civil forfeiture. Yeah, this will end well.
Cousin Dave at June 22, 2016 6:39 AM
We Austinites have a saying: drive 10 miles in any direction and you'll be in Texas.
roadgeek at June 22, 2016 7:20 AM
Had a Lyft yesterday. Sweet little kid, let's call her "Harriet." She was what we used to call a "minority." I am what's called a "predominating social presence," or what others call a "God"... I'm an aging white man. (And I'm very, very attractive, but that's not part of yesterday's anecdote.)
She appeared at the airport four minutes after I tapped the button on the app. She tried to phone me immediately to confirm arrangements, but my hearing aids are useless around roaring busses and howling airliners... But she was very niece about it. The car was spotless. Lyft cars always are. It even smelled nice. Lyft cars always do.
The kid was just a doll. At on point she apologized for the late afternoon sun in my eyes during a freeway bend. This was not necessary. She'd but a largish basket of candies, treats and bottled water on the transmission hump by my knee. This was not necessary either, but it was nice of her.
Her routing and attention to traffic flows where as safe and efficient as I could imagine. She own demeanor was pleasant and comforting throughout the trip.
I tipped heavily, and 'rated' her highly through the smartphone app. For Lyft cars I usually do. (It nonetheless cost $15, even in the peak hour of Los Angeles freeway commuter traffic, than a conventional taxicab.
So they have a record of me being a well-behaved passenger, as well as one of her being a well-compensated driver. Lyft was safer for both of us, as always. I am —of course— a tremendously masculine personage, and can take care of myself. But this kid was, to be blunt, an angelic dew drop... A delicate little thing, and my first thought upon seeing her was to wonder whether her parents knew she was out of the house at dinnertime. Five years ago, you'd never seen a youngish woman of such slender build driving a cab.
But SHE WAS OUT EARNING MONEY. M'kay? That's what western innovation does for people.
Meanwhile, in Austin, lives continue to be risked & ruined for an idiotic government which, as Iowahawk puts it, "demands human sacrifice."
Crid at June 22, 2016 8:06 AM
I'll be in Austin in a couple of weeks and will need to get around without a rental car. I'm interested to see what I'll find.
Kevin at June 22, 2016 10:21 AM
Kevin I was checking out AirBnB options in Austin, and noticed that hosts iand guests n east Austin described homes in terms of how quick and cheap one can get from their place to downtown using Uber. It looks like Uner opened up the real estate and income earning opportunities for people not near public transportation. Seems like this regulatory approach is going to hurt the pockets of a lot of people. As for the ghoulish indifference to the rise of drunk driving accidents... I have no words.
Michelle at June 22, 2016 5:03 PM
Total typo--- Lyft costs $15 less than a conventional cab to the airport. Faster pickup. Cleaner ride. Newer car. As quick in transit. Politer drivers. More accountability for driver and passenger.
Listen, I understand that these companies are doing some odious shit, as in their political strong-arming in Austin.
But let's not fight the future, Okay? This is tough economy, especially for people who aren't howling geniuses. We need to find ways to be useful to each other.
Crid at June 23, 2016 1:51 AM
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