2023-09-26 17:22:27
Published26. September 2023, 7:22 p.m.
Lausanne: A new Uber service is trying to attract taxi drivers
While a procedure is still pending, the transport company is opening a section of its app intended for independent professionals. These seem not very open.
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The situation with taxis and VTCs in Lausanne is far from being resolved.
20min/Marvin Ancian
The sector of taxis and transport vehicles with driver (VTC) has not finished transforming, and it is still war. Like the Geneva model, Uber announces that it is now launching a “taxi” version of its application in Lausanne. Several German-speaking towns are also affected. Independent professional drivers will be able to offer their services for trips priced at the same price as those of taxis registered with the official central office, Taxi Services, using a taximeter meter. For the company, it is about offering an additional offer to customers, at a fixed price, and additional income for drivers.
The problem: in Lausanne, the regulations currently do not allow working for several call centers. Drivers benefiting from a municipal license, “A taxis”, will therefore theoretically only be able to join if the City modifies its regulations. But by putting official taxi rides in competition with those of Uber, it would take the risk that service to customers would not be ensured, even though it is guaranteed as a public service in order to complement public transport, highlights guard Cédric Delorme, operational manager of Taxi Services.
Only independent drivers, known as “ex-B taxis”, could link their activity to that of Uber. But here too there is a catch: most of these professionals are at war with society. In the profession for a long time, Pierre-André Giacometti assures that none of his colleagues will want to be associated with it. “They steal a quarter of our shopping, none of us will want to work with them,” he assures us. Cédric Delorme confirms: “It would be sawing off the branch on which we are sitting,” he believes. However, only time will tell if the service offered by Uber ends up convincing drivers looking to put a little butter in their spinach.
Uber’s status still undetermined
While Uber continues to introduce innovations, the City and the Canton remain silent for the moment, due to a procedure still in progress. The status of Uber drivers is in fact still not resolved, after two reminders from the Labor Inspectorate demanding that the Californian company consider them as employees and pay social security contributions. However, it only considers itself as a platform connecting freelancers and clients. For now, no official request from Uber has been made regarding its new service.
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