{"id":1339,"date":"2016-04-14T16:31:28","date_gmt":"2016-04-14T20:31:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.musingsbymichael.com\/blog\/?p=1339"},"modified":"2016-04-15T08:05:10","modified_gmt":"2016-04-15T12:05:10","slug":"uber-and-newark-nj-not-perfect-together","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.musingsbymichael.com\/blog\/2016\/04\/14\/uber-and-newark-nj-not-perfect-together\/","title":{"rendered":"Uber and Newark NJ Not Perfect together!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Newark<\/a><\/p>\n

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Uber and the Mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka, are far from perfect together. In fact the Mayor and council have proposed new regulations that would cause Uber to withdraw from the City of Newark. These regulations include an annual fee of $500 to operate within the confines of the city, an extra license of $1,000 to pick up and drop off passengers at Newark Liberty Airport and Newark Penn Station. Plus an insurance coverage requirement $1.5 million for each driver. Taxis in comparison have to pay $300 per year for a taxi license, another $50 for a hack license for the drivers and are required to have insurance coverage of at least $35,000. Cabs do not face any extra fees to operate at the airport.<\/span><\/p>\n

Craig Ewer who is an Uber spokesman, said the vast differences in fees were proof that the ordinance (regulations) are “meant to drive Uber out of Newark<\/em><\/a>. Baraka’s definition of leveling the playing field is forcing 2,000 of his own constituents who drive with Uber to pay five times more than taxi drivers have to<\/em>.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Ras Baraka has stated that Uber is “a cash rich company that can afford to pay its fair share of taxes and fees.”\u00a0 What he is really saying is that Uber and its\u2019 drivers do not give Newark any money in fees, as do the taxi companies and their drivers do. This sounds like a greedy city wanting to squeeze as much money as it can from what seems to them; a cash rich cow.<\/span><\/p>\n

The one thing that I agree with is the call for a set of state wide regulations and not this patchwork set of regulations we have now. All this potential money grabbing shows us is that it is time to stop the over regulation\/taxation of the \u2018taxi\u2019 industry. The fares are out of control and Uber has shown that lower fares with proper controls work very well. The time of the taxi cab is drawing to a close and the City of Newark does not seem to understand that it is time to let progress march on. The consumer(s) demand it and need it!<\/span><\/p>\n

One thing that bothers me is that the taxi drivers, for the most part, are members of a union and Uber drivers are not. The Mayor is siding with the unions to the detriment of the riding public and this seems to be something that a New Jersey politician does for the most part. There is just too much union influence and this must stop!<\/span><\/p>\n

Why does it seem that most New Jersey politicians have money foremost on their minds and I do not mean on saving it, but getting more of it! Money goes into Newark\u2019s coffers and somehow never reaches those who desperately need help that the city could have given, but for the fact that so much is wasted on nonsense and for paying for luxuries that should not even exist for a public sector employee.<\/span><\/p>\n

That is my opinion- Jumpin Jersey Mike<\/span><\/p>\n