FWIIW: In case you like to use Uber in Hungary

Some love Uber, and some hate it, but you'd have to be mad to put any app on your phone that allows data mining.
There is no way in this wide world I will put trash like that on my phone.

klsallee wrote:

Hungarian Parliament to tackle bill that seeks to ban Uber

http://www.portfolio.hu/en/economy/hung … 31311.html

Not sure that will work.  It's against free competition.   

They might get away with it in other EU countries by calling it a protected trade - like artisans - who have to belong to a guild.  Bit like Master Builders, Master Painters and all that stuff.   I think that's how the con works in Germany - Uber uber alles.

I hardly think taxi driving is an artisan craft.   Unless it's part of rally driving. 

I've now stopped using taxis for my travels. It's cheaper for me to drive myself and park at the airport.  Incidentally they've increased the number of parking spaces by 1000 at the "economy" car park.    That's since the taxis became even more a cartel, they've increased prices and in response the airport authorities lowered the parking cost from extreme to merely edge of acceptable oppressive.

Fred wrote:

Some love Uber, and some hate it, but you'd have to be mad to put any app on your phone that allows data mining.
There is no way in this wide world I will put trash like that on my phone.

Of course, each of us is entitled to decide what we put on our personal devices.

And a good (rather negative) commentary on Uber can be read at :

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/topofthe … issed%20It

But, the real question I have, and however, is should a highly regulated, inefficient and over priced taxi "industry" be provided preference? And is that best for the consumer in Hungary? Especially where people make far, far less a year in income than those even in neighboring Austria? Part-time working for Uber can help many Hungarians increase their income.

A competent government could come up with many, many better solutions to regulate so called "disruptive" economies like Uber (which the government first enacted and now is backing away from).

I think Uber is a great idea, at least in the US.
We were in Vegas for a half year and Uber is huge there.
We were even considering buying a new car and doing Uber ourselves with our son, between the 3 of us we could make a killing in Vegas.
Not really sure about what is going on here in Hungary with Uber.
My husband was always a "go getter" sort of person and paid to learn to drive in Hungary back in 1968.
He was a pro taxi driver in Budapest worked for Fo taxi for a bit.
Way back in the 60's the drivers were really pro's, not so many cars on the roads and people could actually afford to hire a cab.
He was making double what his parents were making together with tips and he really loved being a driver.
In Vegas when his machinist job was slow ( Vegas is a customer service city) he would drive a cab. Made a ton of cash money with all the clients for strip clubs and all. Drivers in Vegas can make up to $40. bucks a head for every person they drop off to a strip club,  no scamming as most people come to Vegas to  frequent a club)
In Vegas many drivers will scam people,  sell drugs and ladies of the night ,( many are from HU) My straight husband didn't play that game and was still no. 1 or no. 2 everyday at his cab co,in other words, he worked hard and didn't take long breaks or BS with other drivers.( In Vegas the actually list the top 3 drivers every day on a board at each co,)
he never stopped until his shift was over with.
( Learned how to work hard under the old commie system)
He says the taxi drivers here now days in HU are criminals and low lifes, perhaps there are a few normal people driving but  most are pushy, rude and not to be trusted.
That is why he supports Uber.
In the old days in HU a person had to pass extreme driving exams to get papers to drive. They had check in boxes in districts  to let the cab co, know they were free and they all wore uniforms and followed a code of honor. ( My hubby was a Mod at the time and had his uniform tailored to fit like a glove, so 60's!)
He worked with many "strange" people in Vegas, most are foreign born, but he also worked with many people who were real drivers with skills .
It is sad that these days being a pro driver is not as pro as it should be.
One sad fact is in Vegas many of these drivers that we knew passed away within 6 months of retirement, not sure what that was all about unless that job was just too hard on one's body.
Most drivers worked at least 12 hours per day 6 days per week.
I am interested to know how many hours the pro taxi drivers do in Hungary.
My husband only worked 6 months per year driving in Vegas, we then would come to HU for the next 6 months and just live off the tips.
I am seriously still thinking of being a daytime /part time Uber driver in Vegas if and when we move back there.
Seems so hard to make a honest buck here in Hungary but in Vegas I have jobs coming in every direction, have a long time Vegas friend that has a job waiting for me being my own mini casino boss, getting too old the even care about money but it seems to be easy in the states if one is willing to get up and do something.
So sad that in HU it seems so hard for anyone to make an honest buck for a honest days work.

klsallee wrote:

Fred wrote:

Some love Uber, and some hate it, but you'd have to be mad to put any app on your phone that allows data mining.
There is no way in this wide world I will put trash like that on my phone.

Of course, each of us is entitled to decide what we put on our personal devices.

Of course, but very few people are informed as to the nature of the problem.

http://www.ipwatchdog.com/2015/05/22/ub … /id=57871/

Once you know they can access every file on your phone, and even turn on the camera, you can decide for yourself.

klsallee wrote:

.....But, the real question I have, and however, is should a highly regulated, inefficient and over priced taxi "industry" be provided preference? And is that best for the consumer in Hungary? Especially where people make far, far less a year in income than those even in neighboring Austria? Part-time working for Uber can help many Hungarians increase their income.

A competent government could come up with many, many better solutions to regulate so called "disruptive" economies like Uber (which the government first enacted and now is backing away from).

Heard on the news that the price medallions (?) for NYC taxis is dropping and in London, no-one is making a living driving a traditional black cab.   These are highly regulated environments and Uber is not operating licensed cabs.  Eventually the regulated taxis will be out of business and it will be a free for all/monopoly for Uber.   Then Uber prices will increase - rapidly.  At the moment, I hear Uber prices are 50% of ordinary cabs.  I'm more concerned about Uber drivers being trustworthy, safe, insured and knowledgeable than the cheapest price.

I have been thinking this over a bit.
Yes for now Uber is cheaper then cabs and who is to say the prices won't go up in later.
Yes, they are called medallions and they use them in Vegas too.
The taxi authority( a police force for cabs in Vegas) only issues a limited about of these medallions to be out, all depends on what is going on in the city. Some big event and more cabs are allowed out.
There are several cab co. in Vegas that are not allowed to pick up people at the airport, only allowed to drop off.
My husband worked for one of the"better" co. Yellow/Checker/Star co.
3 different co. all run by the same group.
Most cab co, in Vegas have different legal names like this probably for tax reasons, N. Las Vegas can only run in N Vegas, some cabs without medallions can only do phone pick ups etc.
It is basically all run by the old boys mafia network in Vegas, in fact one large cab. co. also owns many of the strip clubs.
Of course this is Vegas but we are sure the mob also runs the show here in HU. When my husband worked for Fo taxi n the 60's it was another world and time.
These days the drivers here in HU sometimes don't even use their meters when they pick up tourists.
He read about a survey where they took a cab from Budapest to the airport and the driver didn't turn on the meter and charged 15,000 for the fare. Uber only charged 5,000 for the same route.
In Vegas every cab co, pays a bit differently to their drivers, some pay for gas and some don't.
Usually they pay the gas, do NOT pay any hourly rate and give the drivers a straight 30% of the fare plus tips are theirs to keep,
The tips however are averaged out with taxes and the drivers are taxed by Uncle Sam according to the meter, they figure out a sample average of tips and tax even if the driver doesn't make tips, most do but sometimes one gets cheap clients.
Drivers also must pay the meter even if a ride skips out and doesn't pay, happens more times then you would think happens. Several times my husband had to drive a ride to the ATM machine and demand payment. Drivers can call out the police but how can you hold a person in your cab until the cops show up?
Once my husband gave a pregnant women a long ride home, she didn't have the money to pay him her fare, she wanted to give him "other services" in exchange, he told her to just get out of his cab and we had to eat the fare, got taken out of his wages.
I do not think there is a taxi authority here in Hungary. These are actual police who work for the cab co. give out speeding tickets, traffic tickets to drivers, site them all the time, sounds good but often they are just not fair with the drivers, the cab. co. makes money off the taxi authority  gives a kick back to the cab co.
If a new driver  has an accident within one year of being a driver, they have a min. of $750. taken away for each accident, too many accidents even a nick on the fender and they get fired.
It is not an easy job to get or to keep with all the pressure  on drivers.
Many drivers then get tempted to make short cuts, take people on long rides etc.
Husband was approached several times by working women who wanted him to give out their cards etc. He never did anything illegal but many drivers do.
He has other skills and only drove because he could quit and visit HU every 6 months, any normal job wouldn't like someone to quit every year. He was a 5 time rehire at the same cab. co in Vegas.
We think at least for now that Uber is in the spirit of independence, one can work for themselves without big bro breathing down their backs at every turn( pun there).
The also have installed camera in Vegas cabs, not for the protection of the drivers as one would think but for the benefit of the cab. co, and taxi authority.
A driver has strict rules about how many passengers can share a cab, the max is 4, one up front and 3 in the back. Often with those parties single men just pour into a cab, half drunk with one driver, how in the world can one driver ask one or two people to hire another cab without fear of these drunks getting upset with him?
Once my husband picked up a group of party people, had one person  too many hop inside in the dark, the camera noticed he had a heavy load and we were charged a fine for it.
Not many people are willing to be drivers with those conditions on them, it is only a good job for a short time anyone who can drive for years is going to have health issues.