From Monday, November 9, Uber cars will also be driving around Ghent. The transport world fears the death knell of the classic taxi sector, and the Ghent ships of Mobility Filip Watteeuw (Groen) also fear a real taxi war. “We don’t have many weapons to protect the regular taxis.”
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From Monday, the residents of Ghent can book their first rides to be driven through the city by brand new Uber drivers. The American company announced this on Wednesday. “We knew that Uber would come, but not when,” responds ships of Mobility Watteeuw. ‘We mainly fear the position of our existing taxis, which will end up in a price war with the Ubers. We would like to protect them, but we don’t have many instruments. There used to be city permits for taxis, now the Flemish government issues them ‘, according to the Ghent ships.
‘What we can do is continue to guarantee our 220 current taxis their exclusive parking spaces. Although in 2020 you must of course ask yourself whether such a permanent location is still a competitive advantage, if you can also arrange a different pick-up via the Uber app. We also want to help the Ghent taxi sector improve their quality level, for example by helping them develop a user-friendly app. We can put taxi companies in touch with developers through the city’s Apps For Ghent initiative. ‘
For a while in Brussels
‘We will also continue to consult closely with the sector, hear their concerns and pass them on to Flemish Minister of Mobility Lydia Peeters (Open VLD). We can also ask her to make price agreements at a supra-local level for the new Uber taxis. Its predecessor (Ben Weyts, ed.) was not interested, hopefully Minister Peeters will, ‘says Watteeuw.
Uber, a digital platform that brings together travelers and providers of passenger transport, has been available in Brussels for several years, but was not yet in Flanders. The app already caused unrest in Brussels among ordinary taxi drivers, who protested several times against the arrival of Uber in the capital. Uber is not completely brand new in Ghent: with Uber Eats, the company previously entered the market for meal delivery in Ghent, focusing mainly on the delivery of fast food at home.
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