Regulate Uber as Taxis

I have been a taxi driver for the last five years, and during that time I have become increasingly concerned with the amount of Ubers in the county. This proliferation of Ubers has cut the income of taxi drivers by at least 35 to 40 percent. I don’t blame the Uber drivers for this but rather the Uber corporation for pushing a technology that not only creates an unfair advantage but also is not held to the same standards as taxi drivers.

As members of our industry, we are required to have a county license, insurance, annual drug testing, and background checks. To my understanding, none of this is done with Uber. We also have our fare prices controlled by the county. In contrast, Uber has free rein to charge whatever it likes depending on the time of day and how busy the drivers are.

Because of that, I would like to make a request to those in the county and city seats that Uber be held to the same standard as taxi drivers. Even though Uber has effectively decimated the taxi industry in cities around the world, I am not asking that it go away completely but rather that it also be regulated. This is to the benefit of both the drivers themselves and also their passengers.

As it stands now, it is much more risky for someone to ride with Uber than with a taxi driver. Taxi customers are protected with the laws that are currently in place. It seems only fair that Uber is given the same treatment, for the safety of everyone involved.