D.C. taxi monopoly trying to shut out Uber

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Originally published at craschworks. You can comment here or there.

Can’t find a taxi? Uber allows you to hail a black car from a smartphone. The app uses GPS to display the location of drivers’ cars and how many minutes it will take them to pick you up. The driver calls when he arrives, and your phone pays automatically.

Uber has expanded from its base in San Francisco to other cities: New York, Chicago, Boston, Seattle, and DC. But sometimes, city governments are less than welcoming.

“They’re operating illegally, and we plan to take steps against them,” D.C. Taxi Commissioner Ron Linton warned at a meeting earlier this month.

“What they’re trying to do is be both a taxi and a limousine,” Linton has said. “Under the way the law is written, it just can’t be done.”

SUMMARY

Many tech startups are facing an unexpected challenge: government regulation.

Uber: The D.C. Taxi Commissioner aims to stop the growth of an app that helps you catch a cab.

Roomarama.com: Want to book a room for the night? New York state is trying to prevent you from using this online service.

Zipcar: The popular car-sharing service says D.C. tax policies are hitting users hardest.

This month, Linton conducted a sting operation. Using Uber’s app to hail a car, Linton took it for a ride, and arranged for inspectors to greet it at the destination. The inspectors fined the driver $1,650 for various violations and impounded the car.

via Tech startups facing unexpected challenge: the government | Fox News.