Ideology in My Controversy

Wikipedia. A protest against Uber in Portland, 1/15/2015, Public Domain

Of all the controversies surrounding the ride-sharing app Uber, the main controversy is the lack of rules and regulations the service has to go through, and the stiff competition between itself, and the age-old taxi companies in cities around the world. Many feel that Uber is undermining the taxi industry because of the lack of regulations it has to follow. A few driers have recently been in the news for abducting passengers, and they do not face the same strict rules that taxi companies face in major cities. The main parties involved are Uber and its CEO, Travis Kalanick, and the taxi companies. The taxi companies are extremely displeased with Uber, as they take away their business and are disrupting an industry that goes back decades. A huge fighting point for the taxi companies is that Uber drivers are not required to acquire a medallion for their car. Major cities around the world have a set number of medallions available, to control the number of taxis on the road. These medallions can cost upwards of $250,000 each, while Uber drivers do not have to purchase one to start making money. On the social aspect, many female customers want to see Uber thrive because they feel safer taking an Uber rather than a taxi. Even though there have been a few cases in the news concerning foul play with female passengers in an Uber, it is much safer knowing who is picking you up with the Uber app, than jumping in the back of a random taxi. Unfortunately, the taxi companies have long ties with politicians, and several states have tried to place bans on the service, preventing it from operating in certain cities. This is an attempt to keep the competition on taxi companies at bay, and has been successful in certain cities. The taxi companies value old, true and tested methods, while Uber values convenience, safety, and the utilization of modern technology to improve public transportation. At the current time, there is a very large power difference between the two, as Uber is a relatively new company, it does not have as much persuasion power as larger and older taxi companies do. The acknowledged common is that both companies want to provide safe and reliable transportation to their customers, while the unacknowledged is that Uber is trying to do so by jumping through hoops and not facing the same regulations as other transportation companies face. The good news: both companies are willing to listen, but compromise will be hard. The taxi companies want Uber to face the same regulations they do to keep business competitive, and Uber wants to change the way public transportation operates from the current decades old business model.