Oldgringo wrote:What is an 'UBER' and what does this mean to me and mine?
You can get some idea from the other thread on this subject:
http://texaschlforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=83&t=78245" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
More specifically: Uber is a company that produced an app, or application, for smart phones that matches people who are willing to give rides in their personal cars to people who need rides, all for hire. For example if you needed a ride from the State Capitol Building to Red's Indoor Range, you could put that into the app in your phone. Any Uber drivers would then see your request, and could reply with the cost of driving from one place to the other. You say yes to one of them, they show up at your location, and off you go. You are not directly hiring Uber, and Uber drivers are independent contractors, for the most part.
It directly competes with regular taxicabs, and for this reason the taxi industry has declared war on Uber (and Lyft, which is a different company that does essentially the same thing), and try to get their city governments to ban or regulate Uber and Lyft like regular taxis. Uber/Lyft proponents say they get cheaper, more responsive, (and sometimes cleaner) service than taxis offer. Taxis are often highly regulated, only so many are permitted to operate, and that of course drives up prices. Established taxi companies often donate regularly and substantially to city politicians to keep the market entry barriers high (e.g. only so many taxis allowed). Uber and Lyft threaten to up-end this arrangement.
As I understand it, Lyft already banned firearms in vehicles of lyft drivers, and previously Uber's rule was "follow local law" -- but not any more. I hope this come to back to bite them in the butt. California has already decided that Uber drivers are not independent contractors but employees of Uber, which saddles Uber with whole regulatory apparatus for labor etc, thus driving up its costs and liabilities dramatically. By creating more rules and prohibitions (like no guns in cars) it appears to me Uber is making it look a little more like it is treating Uber drivers as employees, not independent contractors.
If you never use Uber (or Lyft), then it may not mean anything to you, but is another example of someone trying to create "gun free zones" and claiming they are safer. Sure.
