Uber – prefix denoting an outstanding or supreme example of a particular kind of person or thing. I think it’s time for a rebrand, Uber. I don’t think you’re actually uber at anything anymore. Just days after a driver threw two passengers out of a cab for kissing, the New York’s Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) has suspended 5 of their 6 New York hubs.
You will still be able to take an Uber car in NY but the company is having to route everything through their one remaining hub due to them withholding information from the TLC. The TLC wants to see the company record of drivers trips to ensure the licencing of the cabs is done correctly. For a reason only known to Uber, 5 of the hubs are not willing to hand over the info.
Operate Uber Legally
A company spokesperson informed the press that the company will continue to “operate legally in New York City, with tens of thousands of partner drivers and hundreds of thousands of riders relying on the Uber platform.” However the decision was taken on Tuesday following attempts to resolve the situation, although meetings and communication between the company and the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission continue. Uber believes such info should be considered a trade secret.
TLC wishes to see information about Uber drivers and the trips that they take, including the date of trip, time of trip, pick up location, and license numbers. Uber argues that this info should only be known to the company themselves, and releasing such data would harm their business and give other organisations an advantage. However Uber competitors have been happy to hand over such data to licencing organisations.
Uber Privacy
Arguing that this data will highlight drivers activities and could be a violation of their privacy sounds like a smoke screen, as hearing officer Ann Macadangdang pointed out that Uber has previously handed over the data willingly – adding that direct competitors such as Lyft hand over any data requested of them in order to ensure all drivers a licenced correctly.
Could this be an attempt to hide licencing of Uber’s drivers, or simply a matter or protecting their business? Let us know your experience or opinion on Uber and its business practices in the comments below or on your social media of choice.
Last Updated on November 27, 2018.
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