LISBON CABS IN RIDE HAILING PROTEST Not always the best option

Posted on 10/11/2016 | About Lisbon, Portugal

Portuguese taxi drivers vowed Monday to prolong traffic disruption in their protest against ride-hailing apps after a meeting with government officials failed to yield an agreement.

Several thousand taxis snarled traffic in the Portuguese capital in the latest European protest against ride-hailing apps. Representatives of the protesters met with government transport officials but said later there was no breakthrough and taxi drivers would continue to block traffic on some roads at least through Tuesday.Portuguese taxi drivers complain that companies such as Uber and Cabify aren't covered by the same tax, training and safety regulations as they are. They want the government to adopt specific legislation for ride-hailing services.Other European Union countries have also witnessed demonstrations by traditional taxi drivers against the increasingly popular ride-hailing services.Two labour groups representing Portugal's around 13,000 taxi drivers organized the long line of slow-moving taxis that snaked through Lisbon in the second such protest in six months.Hundreds of police were on standby in case of violence, and sporadic scuffles broke out as taxi drivers confronted vehicles they claimed were working with Uber. Police arrested at least two protesters after a car was smashed. Riot police were deployed on roads around Lisbon's international airport after some taxi drivers abandoned plans to head to Parliament and tried to block access routes to terminals.Worth NotingWhile Uber can be very convenient, it is far from always being the most economical option.Last week in Toronto I used Uber to go from approximately Yonge and Bloor to Yonge and Front Street. It was 11.30 am there were no particular traffic problems other than the usual Toronto road works here and there. We arrived at 11.42 am. The cost: $16.42. I tipped the driver separately – you don’t have to so the amount doesn’t really count. On the return, at approximately 2 pm, I caught a cab at the corner of Front and Yonge and took it north to my destination. The travel time was about the same. Admittedly, I got off at the corner and did not take it to the door where Uber had picked me up so the trip was about 200 yards shorter. The cost $8.00 plus $2 tip, Total: $10. Big difference.