Business
Uber Ride Share App Parked
February 26, 2015 
In an open letter to Team Dave and the Boise City Council, the Uber ride share scheme said Thursday they were parking the program for the “foreseeable future” in Boise.
The letter said in part, “High and growing costs combined with unworkable and onerous regulations being proposed by the City leave Uber no other choice than to suspend operations in Boise for the foreseeable future.” COMPLETE TEXT Also a NATIONAL STORY.
The ride share program has been banned in some cities, allowed in others throughout the world.
Boise wanted to do background checks on drivers and inspect vehicles while also demanding proof of insurance. Uber had answers to some of the concerns, but claimed the outdated Boise regs were “like putting a square peg in a round hole.”
We gotta go with Team Dave on this one. Having a slick tech savvy outfit slip into town, offer free “test rides” for a couple months, but violate the the agreement and charge passengers doesn’t speak well for the Uber plan. The city had threatened to file criminal charges for the alleged violations.
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Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Feb 26, 2015, 3:17 pm
Uber is an illegal law-breaking TAXICAB operation. It’s not (just) an app. App is an excuse that Uber uses to evade laws and regulations followed by others. What legal small business taxicabs were paying local municipalities for the right to operate, multibillion multinational Uber mega-corporation is just taking away for itself. It’s a crime. No other way to put it.
And no, Uber is not innovation, there were taxicab apps BEFORE Uber, but these followed laws which Uber is breaking daily.
Consider this – Citibank has an app. Does that mean that banking regulations no longer apply
to Citibank because it has “an app” ?? Uber is a TAXICAB operation with an app. It should (and
must) follow local TAXICAB laws and regulations. With BILLIONS in Uber’s deep pockets,
it is inexcusable to let Uber off the hook while enforcing strict laws and regulation on thousands of local taxicab businesses.
Feb 26, 2015, 6:45 pm
It is rarely-if-ever a good thing when Boise and/or Idaho make the news.
That said, Rob’s comment is spot on.
Feb 26, 2015, 6:45 pm
ahhh, the good ol days when you could “uber” just by holding out a thumb and leave a few bucks to the friendly driver for gas money.
Feb 27, 2015, 7:46 am
Thanks Boise City for depriving the rest of us in the area of a safe and convenient alternative. “New” doesn’t always mean “Bad.” The funniest thing was the requirement that they not do surge pricing during a declared emergency. Really? That’s what you have your panties in wad over?
Feb 27, 2015, 8:03 am
Yes, Uber is an innovation, Rob. It’s dispatch that’s hard and it’s dispatching where Uber blows the archaic system right out of its mob protected cocoon. Did I say mob? I meant city council.
Why have 50 different cab companies each with their own dispatcher? Why call Lone Wolf cab company for a ride when the driver is in SE Boise and you’re in NW Boise and you gotta wait 25 minutes for them to drive over to pick you up? Do I really have to call all 50 cab companies to see whose driver is closest to me?
Just as I thought, all the sustainable and diversity yammering most city leaders drone about constantly is nothing but pandering.
And if they can micro manage Uber then why don’t they micro manage the Bob Rice Ford lot that’s become a junk yard? Thanks a lot Main Auction.
Hey Mayor and Council, no permanent parking is allowed unless it’s on a paved ground. Well, take a look at Enterprise Rent a Car and their illegal use of 27th and Main’s SE corner. Why don’t you go after them too?
Hypocrites.
Feb 28, 2015, 11:59 am
Uber is a solution to a non-existent problem.