User friendly Uber

While Mark Stempler made some good points in his July 15 Other Views column, Uber didn’t want to play by the rules, the fairness of what Broward proposed in regards to regulating Uber and medallion cab drivers is in the details — as is always the case.

For example, what if the insurance requirements were crazy high?

What if cab drivers are part of an insurance pool, keeping rates low, that Uber drivers cannot participate in due to lobbying efforts done years ago?

What if the vehicle inspections were not policed properly, sidelining only Uber cars and drivers for days or weeks at a time, due to unfair and politicized enforcement?

The fact of the matter is that Uber cars are faster to arrive, far less expensive of a ride, newer, cleaner and more comfortable, while the drivers are far more helpful and responsive.

Maybe consumers are willing to take a bit of a gamble on insurance and the safety concerns to ride in a clean, comfortable way.

Rather than suggest you know what citizens want, why not have them vote on the matter? You may be surprised at what you find.

This story was originally published July 20, 2015 at 6:35 PM with the headline "User friendly Uber."