Video: Russell Brand Goes On Tirade Against Uber

@Josh Two weeks ago the Singapore MRT (Rail transit) broke down at peak hour. Uber's surge pricing kicked in and went up to as high as 5x. Lots of complaints from commuters who either didn't notice the 5x multiplier (or noticed it but didn't care) the next day.

Economist who works on Uber-related issues here. I'll just say the following: - Uber cars have outrageously strong insurance for passengers, provide by Uber itself. It is not at all "like hitchhiking." - Taxicab drivers are notorious for underpaying taxes. Why do you think they always insist on cash instead of card? It's a bit rich to accuse Uber of being the ones who don't pay tax. - It *is* unfair that Uber does not have to follow many expensive regulations, but the answer is to change the regulations, not to ban Uber. For instance, in Toronto, there is a law that will force all cabs to be handicap accessible. In practice, this means forcing all cabs to be cars that get terrible gas mileage. It is madness. - Complaints about surge pricing strike me as very strange. In the old taxi world, if it was raining at 6pm, the price of a taxi was infinity, since you would never be able to find one. Because of Uber, there are many drivers willing to head out at bar closing time, at rush hours, etc.; this increase in supply is a good thing. - I talk to my Uber driver out of professional interest almost every ride. The huge majority of drivers I get are driving part-time and have another full-time job. There are very, very few options for someone who wants to make an extra $20/hour after expenses working 10 or so hours a week, so that they can pay for school/help save for a house/whatever. From the number of people driving for Uber, clearly there is a ton of demand from workers for these types of opportunities. Since demand for taxis is so much higher during rush hour and Fri/Sat night, it is exactly the sort of industry where part-time workers make the most sense. - On diversity, the number of women and underrepresented minorities I see in Uber cars is much higher than what I have seen in taxis in any city I have ever been to. In many cities, taxi drivers are nearly all men, and moreso are nearly always of the same ethnicity as whoever happens to own a company with a large number of medallions. - If Uber were exactly the same price as taxis, it would still completely dominate because 1) no need to hassle over payment methods ("sorry, sir, card machine not working"), 2) pickup right at the door without waiting outside to find some cab to hail, 3) driving ratings push out the old cars and unsafe drivers very quickly, 4) receipts and route map emailed to you prevent you from being ripped off. Those are four massive improvements in the cab experience even if Uber didn't result in cheaper fares. - As a matter of public policy, cabs driving around looking for fares on the street are unsafe. Uber drivers tend to just sit tight while waiting for a fare, using less gas, causing less traffic, and keeping their eye on the road instead of scanning the sidewalk for a fare. - As for taxis being a monopoly or not, it is an industry with "regulatory capture" not "regulation". Most cities have a very small number of large taxi groups, and the owners of these groups are often politically powerful. Many regulations in the taxi industry have the explicit goal of limiting competition and keeping prices high, not of benefiting the consumer. Given the extent to which the taxi cartels work together, I don't think referring to the industry in many cities as "monopolized" is much of a stretch. And as for Uber's market power in the long run, it is vastly overblown: if Uber tried to jack up fares, people would switch to Lyft or Hailo or whatever other service popped up. In this sense, markets work.

It's hard to imagine life without Uber. Too bad for the cab industry. What value does it add compared to Uber? Taxis just got disintermediated. :) In the Bay Area, there's no need to rent a car, in that Uber takes me to all my appointments without having to worry about directions, traffic and all that. All the Uber trips are often less per day than a rental car, depending upon the location. Put it this way, what do consumers say? Are people abandoning Uber for taxi service? BTW who founded Yellow Cab? Well, it was the same person who founded Hertz, namely the eponymous Sandor Hertz. But this time, Hertz hasn't taken the initiative to reinvent itself in the form of Uber. Hertz has a market cap of $12.5 bn, Uber, $40 bn.

I'm amazed at how many people continue to defend their choice to patron a business that thrives by ignoring the law and exploiting people who have no other option. Just for a second, imagine a burger joint that serves a pretty good sandwich for $10. They're clean enough (but not immaculate), tasty enough (but clearly not winning a James Beard), and always available. They pay their employees $20/hour and provide benefits to them. Now a second burger joint opens up next door. They sell a pretty similar burger for $7. They don't pay taxes, they won't serve a burger to minorities or the poor, and they've never been inspected by the health department. The local authorities in many locales have shut them down for these violations. They pay their employees only $8/hour without benefits, and they've even been attempting to create a new classification of worker that allows them to get around employee protections that have been enshrined in law for decades. Is that worth the $3 you saved? @Anthony - "voting with your wallet" is a common theme in the U.S., the idea being that many businesses really don't care in the slightest about your opinion until it affects their profits. @Callum - rushing in to defend an American company and then taking a jab at the American people? Did I read that right?

Adrian Wattamaniuk - yes I would hitch hike (though I've yet to discover a hitch hike that provides real time GPS location tracking and a record of the driver and license number). But then I'm not American which could explain why I don't have the stereotypical "FEAR EVERYTHING!" mentality.