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> Keep Vancouver Uber-free

Jessica Berget
Opinions Editor

 

ber has dominated taxi services all

over the world, which is surprising
to exactly no-one. It has lower rates,
there are more drivers so you don't
have to wait 30 minutes for a cab, and
above all, it’s convenient and reliable,
so of course people are going to choose
it over cabs. At first, it seems like a
great idea. However, this once-great
idea quickly goes to bad, to “yikes”
once you research the company.

As low as their rates may be, there is
a huge price to pay for allowing Uber to
operate in one’s city. The popular ride-
sharing company has a notorious rap
sheet for the mistreatment of both their
drivers and riders: Lack of regulation
has resulted in cases of harassment
and assault of both riders and drivers,
as well as underpaying their workers.

Uber provides a sweet incentive for
their drivers, promising them 8o per cent
of fares, but it isn’t as sweet as it sounds.
Take Demek Dagnachew’s word for it;
as an Uber driver in 2014, he noticed he
wasn't getting the pay he was promised.
“I thought 80 per cent of the fares was a
very good deal, but in reality, Uber was
making more money than I was. I had
to pay taxes, gas, mileage, and for car

1Can't

maintenance and repairs. I was spending
time and making $3 per hour,” he said in
an interview with the Wshington Post.
That’s right, $3 an hour, and Uber
has since cut their prices and drivers
pay in an attempt beat competitors,
according to Business Insider. To
make matters worse, in 2017, Uber
CEO Travis Kalanick was confronted
about this by another Uber driver and
reportedly snapped back by yelling
profanities at the driver, illustrating
his apparent disregard for employees.
Despite the problematic CEO, one
of the biggest critiques of Uber is the
lack of safety for both drivers and riders,
and justifiably so. Numerous claims
have been reported against drivers in
cases of harassment, physical violence,
and sexual assault. In fact, 200 women
have come forward about being sexually
assaulted by their Uber drivers, but
there are possibly hundreds more
considering the sensitivity of the issue,
and that’s only counting passengers
being attacked by drivers; when you
flip the script, many drivers have also
come forward about being assaulted
or attacked by their passengers.
Uber has also been sued at least
433 times in 2017, according to the
Courthouse News database, with cases
of negligence, injury accidents, and
exaggerating their drivers’ background

> People who film everything at

concerts are the worst

Jessica Berget
Opinions Editor

 

EK“ time I go to a show and see
an entire crowd of people holding
up their phones and watching the
events on stage unfold through

their low-quality phone camera,

it annoys the piss out of me.

Look, I get it. You want to film the
show for your Snapchat or Instagram
or whatever platform of social media
you use, or so you can look back on it
and remember how incredible of an
experience it was, and that’s great.

But did you know you could
also remember the experience by
actually physically experiencing it?

There is nothing worse than being
at a show and not even being able to see
the performers because the people in
front of you all have their phones in front
of the faces. If I wanted to watch the
show from a mobile device, I wouldn’t
have wasted my time or money to be
here. However, I did pay money for
the experience and to see my favourite
performers live, and I don’t want to
experience it through your phone.

I went to a drag show a couple

months ago and I paid $50 for the ticket.
Anyone living in this economy or who is
a student knows that $50 is nothing to
sneeze at, so imagine my dismay when
my elbowing to the front of the stage
only ended up with me watching most
of the performers through the phones
of the people standing in front of me.

Going to live performances is all
about living in the moment. Jumping
and dancing around, feeling the music
in your soul, watching the performers,
and screaming your goddamn guts
out. By standing idle and watching
everything through the painfully stale
LED light of your phone, you are not
only ruining the experience for yourself,
but for the people behind you who are
just trying to get a better view of the
performers. You can stare at your phone
all you want when youre at home, just
don’t do it at a live performance.

I don’t want to sound like a bitter old
person yelling at the younger generations
to get off their phones, but seriously,
get off your phone. I understand
wanting to take pictures, but filming
every second of the show is not helping
anyone. Live in the now, stop and smell
the roses, carpe diem—seize the day.

 

Have an idea for a story?
M opinions@theotherpress.ca

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checks... and all this only scratches the
surface. These are only incidents that
have been taken to court; there are
hundreds of reports of assaults that have
happened in Uber on whosdrivingyou.
org. And here’s the kicker: Uber claims
no responsibility for whatever happens
to you while in an Uber vehicle, as stated
in their terms of service. “Uber does

not guarantee the quality, suitability,
safety or ability of third party providers.
You agree that the entire risk arising

out of your use of the services, and any
service or good requested in connection
therewith, remains solely with you.”

In other words, if you are attacked

 

or assaulted in an Uber or by and
Uber driver or passenger, too bad.

Yes, cab drivers aren't perfect,
but neither are Uber drivers. At least
cab drivers are part of a company
that will hold them responsible for
their actions and provide detailed
background checks, so you know the
person you are getting into a car with
isn’t going to attack you (for the most
part). There are already many cases
of creepy taxi drivers, we don’t need
a ride-sharing company to jeopardize
the safety of the people of Vancouver,
no matter how cheap it may be.

 

iCan't

Self-care isn’t just about juice cleanses and

bubble baths

(¥ Canadian healthcare: More hypocritical
than Hippocratic

And more!

Photo by Analyn Cuarto

Photo by Analyn Cuarto