Open Prison Canada

Ya ya ya. We keep hearing this bullshit from Uber.

In a statement to CBC News, an Uber spokesperson called the allegations "deeply upsetting."

"As soon as this was reported to us, we removed this driver's access to the app. We have provided information to the Waterloo Regional Police Service and will continue to fully support their investigation," the spokesperson said.

Yeah. They removed this driver's access to the app, as if they don't have enough "skilled" people to fill the void.

Just wait until something happens and remove the driver from the platform. Talk about a dirt cheap (and brilliant) way of avoiding any liability for the business model our politicians have aided and abetted.

Funny enough, to date, I have not heard of one single Hamilton politician acknowledging that in their zeal to embrace the future, they might have forgotten to consider the implications of endorsing a taxi service which operates anonymously due to their lack of identifying numbers and decals.

And when you think about it, how many other legitimate businesses in Ontario prefer to operate with so much public anonymity? Surely not Dominoes Pizza, nor Joe's Sewage Solutions, nor Bell or Cogeco, nor the various towing companies. Nor Sparkie's Tires.

Nope. They all like to advertize their presence.

All, except for Uber. During a recent conversation I had with one of Hamilton's new "Mobile Enforcement Officers," when I asked him how many Uber drivers he had harrassed, he expressed frustration that they were too hard to find. Well, that ought not to surprise anyone since the ammendments to Hamilton's taxi by-law basically gave Uber a pass on taxi vehicle identification. Sure, they mandated a sticker be placed in the window, but few Uber drivers bothered to comply. And, again, it makes enforcement difficult for FUCKING OBVIOUS REASONS!

And when I asked the duly appointed guardian of public safety, while engaged in his zealous pursuit of non-exempt taxi cabs with glowing "check engine" lights, whether he was issuing a commensurate proportion of fines to Uber drivers who were not in compliance with the bylaw, he informed me that they were not. Instead, they were going to Uber, hat in hand, and asking (politely, no doubt) why their drivers were ignoring the law.

Now remember. Hamilton's politicians promised they would "level the playing field" between Uber and non-exempt taxi cabs. And a lot of people believed it. I didn't buy it for a second, because I understand the true character of most politicians. Corrupt, weak, spineless, dishonest moral hypocrites who care only about their political careers and don't give a rat's ass about the people they supposedly "represent." (I mean, did you see that puke about former Mayor Bob Morrow?)

So now we have this new taxi phenomenon that attracts a huge turnover of amateur taxi drivers who think Ubering is a great way to pay off their gym club memberships, or to pay off their student loans, or to meet a bunch of drunken chicks instead of staying home and jerking off to internet porn.

All the while destroying the livelihoods of thousands of individuals who just want to earn a living as cab drivers. What could go wrong?

Waterloo Uber driver charged with sexual assault, forcible confinement

I don't blame Uber. Uber is just another taxi company that will do whatever it is allowed to get away with. It's just business to them. I blame the politicians for their knee-jerk accommodation of this well financed taxi brokerage.

---

Other stuff.