The hatred for Uber flows deep within this one.
We get that most conventional taxi drivers hate ride-hailing apps like Uber and Grab (they even spelled it out for us with violent protests last month). But we never thought Uber would become a taboo conversation subject onboard a taxi.
Well, it’s probably not a taboo topic on all taxis, but clearly that is the case sometimes, if one woman’s post on Path is to be believed.
The story goes that the poster, Christina Mega, and her three friends had just touched down at Soekarno Hatta Airport on Sunday, April 24. They initially wanted to order an Uber, but decided against it when they asked an airport security guard who told them that Uber is banned from picking up passengers.
So the women then got on a Blue Bird taxi. As they were on their way out of the airport, the women were discussing among themselves about the supposed Uber ban at the airport. Hearing them, the driver got cross and told them to get out of the cab.
“Because you ladies have already ordered an Uber, I don’t want to drive you. Get out. Go with an Uber,” Christina recalled the taxi driver’s words in her post.
At that point the driver didn’t even seem to care that the women threatened to file a complaint about him to Blue Bird and took photos of him and the taxi to be given to the media. Such is his hatred for Uber, we suppose.
One of the biggest concerns conventional taxi drivers have about the existence of ride-hailing apps like Uber in Jakarta (and many other cities throughout the world, for that matter) is that they can unfairly compete by setting their fares lower than conventional taxis, who are bound by government regulations to set higher fares. Perhaps the animosity will disappear in September, when the government is set to introduce new regulations meant to level the playing field between taxis and ride-hailing app companies.
