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Recently Uber has been at war with a lot of governments around the world due to disagreements between the policies of the company and the policies of the government. The government of Quebec has a imposed a new rule, due to which Uber is threatening to halt operations in Quebec. The Quebec government is requiring all Uber drivers to undergo 35 hours of mandatory training before they can start driving for Uber. However, Uber is opposed to this law as it goes against their business model. The business model of Uber allows drivers the flexibility to try out Uber first and then drive whenever they wish to do so. If there is a mandatory 35 hours of training, then drivers will not be able to test out and see if driving for Uber works for them or not. This is a case of stakeholder conflict, as the government and company are opposing each other.
The government is surprised that Uber isn’t able to use their application to train drivers, thus is imposing this regulation. Uber originally started in Quebec as a pilot program, which is now coming to an end. The government says that following this law will be mandatory if Uber wishes to continue operations in Quebec.
Looking at this situation, it seems like the government of Quebec is trying to support the local taxi drivers who have been majorly affected with the entry of Uber into the city. Taxi drivers in Quebec need to obtain taxi permits, which are really expensive. Uber drivers on the other hand do not have to get these permits. Also, with the entry of Uber, local taxi’s are getting less business. The government wants to make sure that Uber taxi’s need to comply with similar regulations if not the same as regular taxi drivers. Regular taxi drivers are paying a lot of money to operate and they are not getting as much business. Also, the government is trying to make sure that all drivers are good for the public.
Uber has a strong case in this conflict, as they providing employment in Quebec and also making it convenient for the locals to obtain taxis.Uber has provided around 3000 full time jobs in Quebec. If Uber leaves the province, then a lot of people will lose a source of income. Also, Uber is a convenient application as people can easily get taxi’s at their doorstep.
Personally, while I lived in Manila using Uber was very convenient and safe as I would use to travel around the city. Family and friends could also track me while in the taxi. Once I came to Vancouver, it has become much harder to get taxi’s without the convenience of Uber.
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