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Wd40
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Uber

Post by Wd40 » Sun, 12 Oct 2014 9:20 pm

How did Uber manage to break into the otherwise restricted taxi segment in Singapore?

http://therealsingapore.com/content/ban ... -singapore
...Anyone can become a Uber driver so long they have a valid insurance to have commercial coverage....

....With Uber Taxi services, apart from Singaporean can drive, they allowed PR as their limousine Taxi driver as well...
So now you can drive a taxi if you are 18 years and have a license? If you are a PR?

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zzm9980
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Post by zzm9980 » Mon, 13 Oct 2014 12:33 am

Have to agree with him. Uber and other similar services in other industries (AirBnb for example) seem to think they can "disrupt"* the local market with no care or concern for the current local laws.

In some cases (such as the US, where Uber started and would be most familiar) those laws solely exist to protect entrenched interests and are more difficult to enforce, but in places like Singapore not so much. Unless they had permission from LTA prior to launch I expect trouble out of this.


*- disclaimer, I hate the use of that term in this context. :)

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Post by nakatago » Mon, 13 Oct 2014 6:10 am

zzm9980 wrote:"disrupt"*

*- disclaimer, I hate the use of that term in this context. :)
You must hear it all the time over there then where if someone's not a hipster, it's a startup founder.
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Re: Uber

Post by ecureilx » Mon, 13 Oct 2014 7:35 am

Wd40 wrote:How did Uber manage to break into the otherwise restricted taxi segment in Singapore?

http://therealsingapore.com/content/ban ... -singapore
...Anyone can become a Uber driver so long they have a valid insurance to have commercial coverage....

....With Uber Taxi services, apart from Singaporean can drive, they allowed PR as their limousine Taxi driver as well...
So now you can drive a taxi if you are 18 years and have a license? If you are a PR?
years ago the word pirate taxi was common

old timers will know

wonder when LTA will step in and clearly outlaw Uber

liability is one point for a start, for LTA to shut down uber here

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Post by Brah » Mon, 13 Oct 2014 8:11 am

zzm9980 wrote:H"disrupt"*

*- disclaimer, I hate the use of that term in this context. :)
Because "disruptive technology" has become so overused and is now trite?

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PNGMK
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Post by PNGMK » Mon, 13 Oct 2014 10:03 am

You can't drive for Uber unless you have commercial insurance / commercial drivers licence (they even say so on their website - that was the deal they struck with LTA). Their own ads are misleading.

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Post by the lynx » Mon, 13 Oct 2014 10:28 am

If I'm not wrong, all the non-taxi Uber drivers here in Singapore are actually (part-time) employees of a legit private driver companies contracted with Uber.

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Post by PNGMK » Mon, 13 Oct 2014 10:30 am

the lynx wrote:If I'm not wrong, all the non-taxi Uber drivers here in Singapore are actually (part-time) employees of a legit private driver companies contracted with Uber.
I don't know. All I know is that the premise of Uber that I can drive my car for money for Uber is misleading. I would need a company (PTE LTD) and commercial insurance of some sort to even register on their website.

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Post by zzm9980 » Mon, 13 Oct 2014 10:59 am

nakatago wrote:
zzm9980 wrote:"disrupt"*

*- disclaimer, I hate the use of that term in this context. :)
You must hear it all the time over there then where if someone's not a hipster, it's a startup founder.
Or (the only term I hate even more): brogrammers

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Post by zzm9980 » Mon, 13 Oct 2014 11:01 am

Brah wrote:
zzm9980 wrote:H"disrupt"*

*- disclaimer, I hate the use of that term in this context. :)
Because "disruptive technology" has become so overused and is now trite?
Yes, every other startup is looking to disrupt some industry, or every other TED talk (another thing I hate) is looking to hack (almost as bad as disrupt) some established process.

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Re: Uber

Post by zzm9980 » Sat, 22 Nov 2014 3:07 am

http://recode.net/2014/11/21/singapore- ... -grabtaxi/

Just what you'd expect, these services will have to follow LTA rules. Uber's comment is interesting though:
Uber said the new regulations only applied to taxis, and would not affect UberExec and UberX, for which the company only partners with already licensed limousine and rental car companies.
UberExec I know used blackcars. But UberX? Wasn't that supposed to be adhoc and "anyone with a car"? Are they really all registered?

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Brah
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Re:

Post by Brah » Sat, 22 Nov 2014 12:21 pm

zzm9980 wrote:
Brah wrote:
zzm9980 wrote:H"disrupt"*

*- disclaimer, I hate the use of that term in this context. :)
Because "disruptive technology" has become so overused and is now trite?
Yes, every other startup is looking to disrupt some industry, or every other TED talk (another thing I hate) is looking to hack (almost as bad as disrupt) some established process.
One more to add to the Trite List - actors - how this term worked its way into the general lexicon I have no idea, but seems every other news story I listen to mentions actors where before these were just people or other such normal things.
Ape Shall Not Kill Ape.

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Re: Uber

Post by nakatago » Mon, 24 Nov 2014 12:57 pm

I should start a company that develops disruptive technology.

We'll create EMP generators.

BA-DUMP-BUMP...
"A quokka is what would happen if there was an anime about kangaroos."

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Brah
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Re: Uber

Post by Brah » Mon, 24 Nov 2014 7:36 pm

nakatago wrote:I should start a company that develops disruptive technology.

We'll create EMP generators.

BA-DUMP-BUMP...
Isn't that how WW3 is going to be waged?

I remember when cell phones were new, there was a device that you could disable a phone in your immediate vicinity, I didn't get one when I could and regret that. Would come in handy for those shouters on the bus or phone-walking-zombies*.

*BTW, what is the vogue term for this?
Ape Shall Not Kill Ape.

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Re: Uber

Post by nakatago » Mon, 24 Nov 2014 8:22 pm

Phone jammers are illegal in a lot of countries or at least restricted in international travel.

I call them walkers, after the term for zombies in The Walking Dead.
"A quokka is what would happen if there was an anime about kangaroos."

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