Adams, an African-American, also acknowledges that people of color are frequently ignored by Yellow Cabs. But she offers a bizarre explanation for this crime, claiming that “racism against blacks is often one of the first things that immigrants learn when they arrive in America.” App-based ride hailing services radically improves availability of cabs for those people who otherwise have been discriminated against when they try to hail a cab from the curbside.
Last, it is a tragedy when anyone takes their own life. The U.S., with a population of about 325 million people, has a distressing 45,000 suicides a year (0.014 percent of the population). It is tragic that six drivers out of 50,000 with Yellow Cab licenses ended their own lives -- but the fact is this is about the same rate as the general population (0.012 percent). Using this tragedy to fabricate an emotional plea doesn't move the argument forward.
Uber says it doesn't charge a service fee if a customer tips a driver via the app. Numerous drivers have claimed otherwise. If the New York City Council wants to protect the incomes of drivers, it should mandate that 100 percent of tips given by passengers actually go to the driver.
Among the remedies the city is turning to is a temporary cap on the number of hide-hail app cars, which will give the city time to study how many cars are really need to meet consumer demand while setting minimum pay for maintaining full-time driver incomes. I suppose some of this is not objectionable: Statisticians will tell you that more data -- not less -- makes for better studies and analyses.
Yet here is the grim reality: at some date in the future, and perhaps not that far off, there will be no more cab drivers. You will hail a self-driving car via an app, and safely and efficiently be taken to your destination. Accidents caused by human error, drowsiness and driving while drunk, will be reduced or eliminated.
The focus on the short-term well-being of a small group of workers -- at the expense of the rest of the public -- misses the bigger picture.
This column was provided by Bloomberg News.