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Fin24 user: ‘Why Uber can’t claim to be unique’

The spotlight has been on Uber over the last week amid Gauteng metered taxi drivers launching violent anti-Uber attacks.

READ: More pics emerge of violent Uber attack

READ: Uber, metro police cars stoned in violent attack

A Fin24 user on Tuesday wrote an opinion piece that claimed that attacking Uber is like attacking South Africa's tourism industry at a time when economic growth is crippled.

The Fin24 user also said that Uber has "revolutionised" the way we travel. 

READ: 'Attacking Uber is like attacking the SA economy'

However, responding to this piece about Uber's said importance to the economy and its innovation, Fin24 user Francois G Collin has put forward his opinion in which he questions that innovation.

Below is Fin24 user Francois' letter to the editor on this matter:

I disagree that the cab-hailing principle used by Uber is unique.

I made intensive use of a similar smartphone app-based hailing system in Brazil during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. I was based in Curitiba and the majority of the metered taxis used a combination of three technologies:

- the traditional radio-taxi dispatch

- a smartphone App (Easy Taxi)

- the taxi meter

Besides Easy Taxi, there are other similar Apps such as 99Taxis.

The advantage of these systems, is that taxis can be dispatched by a controller, but they have the option of accepting an App-designated fare online via the driver's smartphone. The App displays all taxis that are using the App and who are watching the area of the fare pickup. The client requests a taxi and has to be registered on the system, by providing certain identifying characteristics such as mobile number, name etc.  Pickup and drop off are provided, and an estimated fare is quoted.

Once a taxi accepts the assignment, the client is advised of the registration number of the vehicle and the driver's name. The driver is also given the relevant information. Vehicle ETA is also provided, and location of the vehicle is updated on the map. At pickup, the client receives a prompt to advise that taxi has been boarded. Close to the destination, both the taxi driver and the client are requested to provide feedback on each other.

If the client has provided credit card information to the App, a combined monthly invoice may be generated, or individual receipts emailed and printed.  Alternatively a cash payment is made as over the value displayed on the meter, and a receipt is printed.

So, Uber is not unique.  Neither should it be seen as unfair competition by taxis.

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