MyBlackCar and Uber

The latest trend in the chauffeured transportation industry...

Have you heard of Uber?

Uber is a phone app that finds available taxis and/or chauffeured vehicles, they will then link passengers to available "for hire" vehicles. Pricing varied per trip and/or vehicle. Uber has since launched a new service called UberX. UberX is similar, however it allows people in personal vehicles to drive passengers "for hire". For the life of me I can't figure out how this is legal.

My transportation career began in 1996 when I was just 20yrs old. Today, I'm 37 and I now have many miles under my belt and several hundred loyal clients. February of 2014 I attended the LCT show "Limo convention" in Las Vegas. The Friday before I left for the convention is when I found out Uber was now operating in my service area. I was heated and decided to email my attorney to file a lawsuit.

Currently, our industry along with the taxi industry pays millions and millions of dollars in taxes. Our industries are strictly regulated at the federal, state and local levels. My company (MyBlackCar.Com) carriers 1.5-million in coverage (per vehicle). I have not even mentioned the strict regulations and fees that are put on us at each airport we serve. We are also spending millions of dollars in drug testing, workers comp, back round checks and so on. So the question is this, how can our regulatory agencies allow such services as UberX to operate? To my knowledge, Uber defines themselves as a technology company and not a transportation company. UberX and it's "driver's" do NOT follow the same regulations or pay the same taxes as the Limo and Taxi industries. So again, how is this legal or fair competition? Some States ARE trying to enforce their regulations, thank you for that! However, bribing politicians is an older profession than prostitution!

I arrived in Las Vegas, Sunday "two days" after I wrote my attorney. As I was shaving Monday morning getting ready for the convention, it hit me... Be as angry as you want, but there is no way we can beat or stop Uber. Uber is funded by Google and when I say funded, I mean FUNDED, $250-million dollars. I starting thinking back to when the music industry was fighting Napster and look what happened. The world is exchanging music for free online every day, if not every second. I thought to myself, Self, instead of the Limo Industry spending countless hours, millions of dollars fighting Uber, let's  break bread with them. Lets come up with terms the Limo Industry and Uber can live with, this will keep Uber passengers safely insured, drivers fairly regulated and taxed. I couldn't believe I had such a change of heart so quickly. This does not mean I love Uber, I just decided in that moment I'm not going to be angry or let it consume me. My focus is not going to be on Uber, but I'm going to continue focusing on my clients and company.

Here in my city/town the "beautiful Monterey Peninsula" I don't think the Uber format will be a huge success or effect to my business. Monterey does not have a large airport, huge hotels and/or the population to support them. Currently, I have no desire to ever work for Uber, I'm actually happy Uber is out there, say what.?. Yes, I said it, I look at this way. Uber may have hundreds of millions of dollars, but MyBlackCar has something they don't... That's myself, a great group of chauffeurs, respect for the industry and the love for my community. Uber is going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to educate the country and the world of the Chauffeured Transportation Industry. Thank you Uber!

Sincerely,
V. Cardinalli
MyBlackCar.com
Limousine and Executive Car Service
831-333-3333 ext. 3
www.MyBlackCar.com

Monterey Airport Limousine Service

Hello Friends & Clients,

We are kicking of the new year with the addition of a LEXUS 460-L. It truly is the quietest and smoothest car we now have in the fleet. Please call for pricing and availability!

Kind regards,

V. Cardinalli
MyBlackCar.com
Limousine & Executive Car Service
831-333-3333 ext. 3
www.MyBlackCar.com