Philadelphia Shuts Down SideCar, A Ridesharing Startup, In Sting Operation en-us Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 -0500 Sat, 27 Dec 2014 13:50:17 -0500 Owen Thomas theskepticalone Mon, 25 Feb 2013 20:00:01 -0500 Sounds like some people in the Philadelphia Parking Authority didn't get their payoff. albatman Mon, 25 Feb 2013 18:03:30 -0500 I respectfully disagree. I live in a country with strong regulations (Canada) and it is the main reason why we didn't have a financial collapse. While the PPA might very well be corrupt, regulations usually have a reason, especially when the service becomes popular. What do you think will happen when the car gets into an accident and you get hurt? In most cases the driver didn't have the insurance necessary to their car for business, so you will be SOL. What stops these companies from gouging in times of natural disasters? there are anti-gouging regulations for cab operations that won't apply to anyone not licensed. Exactly what Uber did. I am not a big fan of cab companies, I think they are as un-innovative as it can be and deserve disruption, but if you want to disrupt do it by following the rules, or at least change the rules. Disrupting by breaking the law is not disrupting, it is cheating. jymkata Mon, 25 Feb 2013 17:28:30 -0500 All they want is their "cut". Just pay a "fine" or "license" and BOOM you're legal again! Bobby Arcadipane Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:48:35 -0500 Don't blame this on all government (not clear if you mean state or local). Anyone who lives in Philly or has even been there can tell you that the PPA is an avaricious corrupt piece of shit organization that would literally stop at nothing to protect their own profits. They saw a threat to their money and they made a sting to try to shut this company down. They are the most hated people in the entire city, and are often mocked, harassed, and abused in the street by anyone who happens to pass by. James Andrews Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:26:05 -0500 Government HATES freedom of choice and acceptance of risk. The government officials use protecting us as a reason to interfere in our own decisions and it makes a great way to protect others who pay them with campaign donations. Ridiculous Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:17:27 -0500 If these regulators were as effective with the financial services industry, a lot could be done to clean the mess. Yet, they waste their time going for the little guys and to make sure that people are getting ripped off by the transit/car companies for a long time