The taxi drivers accuse competitor Uber of violating the transport rules. Uber in particular does not collect the mandatory radio surcharge of two euros per order, criticized Erwin Leitner, president of the professional association in the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber. Leitner also criticizes politics and the federal competition authority for being too receptive to lobbying. This is the only way to explain why the conditions of carriage were changed before the law was passed.
From Leitner’s point of view, there is a deterioration for classic taxis. Now the taxi drivers could not generate enough turnover to finance the necessary investments. Although the Federal Competition Authority questioned the official rate for everyone, they tacitly accept that a platform with 2,000 drivers sets the price for everyone else.
A socially balanced fare would be better for customers in the long run, Leitner argues, because it prevents one or two foreign platforms from establishing a monopoly on passenger transport — and only then can raise prices. But the BWB needs to protect small businesses from the power of the big providers, Leitner says.
Uber poured millions into lobbyists
From Leitner’s point of view, it’s clear why Uber can wield so much influence. “There are other means behind it,” he refers to the latest reports that Uber spent 90 million euros on lobbying in 2016 alone. He complained that Uber representatives had held several meetings with the BWB while he was unable to get an appointment.
According to the ORF business magazine “ECO”, which was involved in the investigation into Uber’s lobbying, Uber tried to arrange meetings in Austria with the then Minister of Economy Reinhold Mitterlehner and the then Minister of Foreign Affairs Sebastian Kurz (both ÖVP). Mitterlehner refused, the Kurz team tried to make an appointment. At the moment, however, it is not possible to prove whether the appointment has taken place.
In Austria, PR expert Josef Kalina, formerly a spokesperson for leading SPÖ politicians, worked for Uber in 2016 and 2017 and defends his engagement. “I have a picture of it. Myself. I don’t represent something that I can’t stand for myself. I was then and I believe that this is a good service,” says Kalina in “ECO”. The taxi drivers are also said to have lobbied for their concerns.
Briefly met the Uber boss in Silicon Valley
ECO also remembers Sebastian Kurz meeting the Uber boss in 2019. It is not known whether the legal situation in Austria was also discussed, but a year later the law was adapted to Uber.
And Uber’s lobbying continues — now it wants to do away with the aptitude test for taxi drivers, Leitner says. This has been a thorn in the side for Uber from the start. As a result, Uber lost some drivers who failed the test. But taxi drivers must be able to do more than just take customers from A to B with a navigation system, says the taxi driver’s representative.
And adds that official rates also need to be “urgently raised” given inflation and high fuel prices. Hardly any taxi company can make a profit anymore, especially if you pay the driver, this is “almost impossible”, according to KV. There are currently 6,550 taxis in Vienna, including Uber and Bolt, of which about 2,000 also work for the two platform providers. Before Corona, according to Leitner, there were still about 8,000 taxis in Vienna.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
