How ride-share Uber outwitted regulators and crushed competition | Four Corners 

Uber business model; 1. It is easier to say sorry than to ask for permission. 2. It is easier to steal technology and drivers than to develop new technology and advertise train and recruit your own drivers. 3. It is easier to raise prices once you destroy all competition. 4.If you use words like technology and platform you do not have to comply with minimum wage laws and pensions. 5. Our greatest innovation is fooling the world that an employee is no longer an employee.

Such a valuable service Four Corners is. Having an investigative journalism apparatus like them is such an asset to society. Great reporting. That English PR woman is terrifying, the painted on smile creeps me right out.

Something that should be added to this story is in the US fuel prices were skyrocketing around the same time Uber was building its market with independent drivers. Offering a seat in ones vehicle to a stranger in exchange for cash was a quick way to afford higher fuel costs. Quick earnings also helped people who couldn’t afford their vehicles in the wake of the subprime meltdown continue to make good on their loans.

Uber play book of how to "outsmart" regulators. Uber: *breaks law* Regulator: Stop that. Uber: No. Regulator: *changes law* THANKS FOR PLAYING.

I remember in days before Uber and Lyft, the local taxi services usually had a monopoly. Drivers had to be licensed through one of them, dispatchers were rude and sometimes taxi would not even come certain neighborhoods. You might have wait 30 to 45 minutes on average if taxi showed up at all.

I picked up this abc 4 corners host of this documentary once working as an Uber driver😂😂😂

31:30 Don't fool yourself Mark Jensen, most restaurants weren't paying their in-house delivery staff a legal minimum wage.

REPORTER : Do you acknowledge that Uber was breaking the law... 4 Seconds pregnant pause.... CEO: No we don't acknowledge that.

Do you acknowledge that uber was breaking the law when operating in Australia? *Pauses* Nods in agreement... - "No" HAHAHAHAH

I drove for Uber when they were relatively new. The general feedback from riders was that the drivers were better and more approachable than taxi drivers. The free water and lollies were rarely wanted. The hourly rate was not too bad and it was a fun experience. The longer i stayed with them, the lower the money got. I had enough when i was working 6-8 hour days for $10/hr. Unlike a regular job the whole thing was backwards. Now the quality of drivers is low and they don't seem to care. Also uber eats service is average at best. Uber is really scraping the bottom of the barrel for a dollar rather than improving quality over time.

Great story, however, I will continue to use Uber as the biggest benefit for me is to know what my fare is before I board; the same cannot be said with taxis. Taxi drivers have refused to accept me as a customer because the journey was too short, the trip was too far out of the CBD on a Friday and Saturday night (where a lot of their customers are), or I needed to wait over an hour for the taxi to come. The taxi industry in Australia didn't innovate, and driver's weren't held accountable for their behaviour. Thank goodness for Uber.

I always had a gut feeling this company was shady. Now I'm finding out that my suspicion was way more accurate than I ever would have guessed.

33:40 Increase in revenue does not mean the increase in profit, clever statement!

Lets be honest. Taxis had it way too good for too long

Uber is a data harvesting company, not taxi like business. User data, that's the information that uber wants

Uber takes way more than 20 something percent. Its more like 52%.

lol the Regulations and Protectionism of the Taxi Industry crushed competition.

To the cabbies that look after the community through good or bad, vulnerable passengers, school jobs, disability, aged care, veterans, they are our concern, Uber don’t give a shit, they don’t play by rules and they don’t pay what taxi,s do, yet they throw us all under the bus, who will take care of the vulnerable when we can’t survive! No care no respect-GREED

I was the 109th uber driver in Brisbane... I used to be 'picked' by uber staff for rides... i.e. drive 10mins to find it's the QLD manager Sam again... I was a comedian so I'd make them laugh.. I remember them having ipads they could use to mess with drivers they didn't like i.e. I was given a 'priority driver' status which meant I got rides over 'ethnic' drivers... one of the staff told me when they were drunk on the way home... said I was 'the best' and we all 'choose you' so we keep you busy so you like uber... Wow.. mind was blown, I regularly catchup with Indian, Afghani, Sudanese, Sri Lankan, Chinese, European drivers for coffee and none of them were happy about this 'racial discriminatory' preference I was given... It was pretty uncomfortable... I also saw how they messed with the traffic officers trying to book us... that was pretty funny, if one was near me, suddenly their app would show like 30 cars all on top of each other so they couldn't tell which car I was... If they liked you, you found out tonnes of dodgy shit.... RE Uber Eats it's the worst thing to happen to restaurants in the history of the industry full stop... The Uber General Manager is so full of shit saying they're bringing a new customer... they know their service eroded the amount ppl go out to eat, they have the data;)

A top down approach to start ups.. where if you do the right thing you loose.

There are so many Uber drivers around the world because they enjoy the side job. This is pure jealousy of the Uber concept--convenient and hassle free.

Uber and the other gig apps have given the common person the ability to create their own incentives and push their own life forward. I commend Uber for taking this aggressive stance.

Uber conversation: "Hey John how are you going?" Taxi conversation: *driver speaks gently into headphones* "gala mala gapa bala hapala makala"

uber changed everything Taxis had overcharged us for long

I am now working as an overhire thru a union. I am an employee to whatever company I am working for. They pay me up $92 per hour plus enormous benefits and I can turn down any gig I want. I get paid for 5 hours even if they only use me for one or two hours which happens fairly frequently. Gee that defeats the only benefit Uber has for drivers, flexibility, and I get paid 5-6 times as much money with no liability and no overhead other than clothes and a few hand tools.

Yes, finding loop holes and saving money by classifying your employees as 'contractors' and exploiting the power imbalance. Regulators were caught asleep behind the wheel. At least there are some black lash with the whole gig economy and once regulation and minimum standard are introduced, Uber will be far less profitable to the investors hence the rush to IPO.

Uber and lyft came up with an awesome concept and now there taking advantage across the board you would think someone in power would step up and put a stop to what there doing

All this displayed to me is what lengths Uber will go to continuously be at the forefront of innovation and it's competition. That's a good thing for you and me. And if you are part of the competition, rise up to the challenge or shuffle out. Improving your business or module benefits everyone. No one has to be part of Uber's success or story, there is no gun to your head. They are a business not a charity. And this is a business that has earned its place as a household name.

CC CLOSED CAPTIONS please!!! Closed Captioning needed...please

Thank you Journalists, you are a vital piller of an open democracy. ❤️❤️❤️

No uber in ireland .it's totally outlawed .but we need it ,taxis still acting like they did in other countries before uber

The driver who claimed he earned 30 AU dollars per hour forgot to tell that it was before his expenses. He has to drive at least 40 km each hour to earn that. UberX cost about AU$2 per km minus the 25% uber takes. Normal utilization is 50% ( not paid km) The cost for the car alone is at least 60 cents per km which gives you 60x40 = $24 in expenses. So his net income is just $6

I'm all for Uber if they are aggressive, push the boundaries and leverage technology. BUT, not at the expensive of illegal activity the kills the competition (meaning other ride sharing platforms), or completely invading my privacy to monitor anything else on my phone not related to the apps.

Why are Aussie taxes being spent of compensation to Taxi drivers instead of Uber paying that??

Uber,the ultimate winner,in a race to the bottom

I will never trust a random Uber drive with my food. They will snack on it for sure.

watch carefully how Anderson suppresses lips slightly a few times when she is asked about software, she knows everything, also she responded to quickly

24:34 "ALMOST all the cases we operate under" LOL, in other words, we don't do the right thing sometimes

I love how in the part where they talk about how Australia is on the shortlist for experimenting with sky taxis, the guy pronounces Melbourne and Sydney so deliberately the Australian way instead of how it normally sounds in an American accent

Some politicans kid wanted a taxi company so the state of calfornia allowed "ridesharing" now the govt tracks our movement and transaction history

If you are hungry sign up to do uber eats deliveries. 5 or 6 dropoff's taking a bite from each. Do it in an area with good food!

Uber smashed the taxi industry in Australia mainly because the drivers were not helpful, unprofessional, refused short trips, their fleet was old and blunt and quite many unroadworthy and the trips expensive. just to name a few... At least now the taxi industry is getting better and I'm glad for this.

they act like there is no public using this service. "they thwarted the authorities" who do they think these authorities work for?

over 70% of Uber employees from software Dev. and VP of operation is an H1B Visa holder.

I have had some bad experiences with taxi companies/drivers. But overall I still prefer taxi's for a number of reasons. Including most of them work full time and are interested in getting you to your destination, give feedback, will take alternate route, will make multiple stops if needed, as they see you as a customer and want a tip,so they work for it Uber drivers just expect a tip (becuase they got you there), they live off GPS and don't even engage even at a stop light. Many work part time and are clueless. The number one reason I avoid Uber and Lyft, is now you see a lot of them making double income filming passengers without their permission, and posting it to RU-vid without their permission. Here is where I have a major issue with that, imagine if you are with a bunch of coworkers, friend you just met at school, etc. and one of them acts like a jerk (you might not able to stop their actions), but now you will be on the internet and may have done nothing wrong. I also never order from Restaurants that don't offer delivery and only rely on third party delivery services. I will wait longer and pay more to get delivery from a restaurant that offers it directly to customers.

I can find one good thing about Uber.... 1. My ride does not start at 50 danish crowns, and it does not cost 250 danish crowns to drive around 2 kilometers.

I love the new bicycles and scooters that you access upon the street through Apps on your phone.

7:58 555? isnt that 30 rock lol or the building in NYC with the bull in the front

They will have to replace Susan too soon so her replacement can say the next unscrupulous practice was before their time.

I can understand the opposition especially by Taxi Owner/Drivers where a person has to study and pass exams for a license, pay sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars for it, buy a suitable vehicle, work it almost 24/7 to repay debts and make a living...and then comes along a system where almost 'anything goes' and costs peanuts to get onboard. For new immigrants with little English and who don't have the resources to buy a Taxi but are prepared to rent one and then work 12 plus hours a day 6 or 7 days a week and every week it is a way of starting to 'climb the ladder', learn better English on the job and perhaps the option of buying a rig of his/her own.

How did Uber convinced the regulators to change the law and allow it to operate legally? Since its original operations were illegal, it would be probably reasonably assume that they bribed the lawmakers (politicians).

So transportation has become cheaper and consumers now have access to services like Uber Eats? That sounds like a good thing

What is the difference between Uber and the Mini Cabs used in England?

In western Australia..the government spent probably millions in Paying compensation to taxi plate owners..

I'd rather just have the driver drive, and not be all chatty.

So there are taxi drivers that feel threatened by Uber's success... Instead of self-reflection involving competitive pricing, better service, getting with the times, et cetera, they march to the streets demanding them to be outlawed.

In bangalore there is already Uber air!! For 4000₹ or 55$ you can have a 20min chopper ride to anywhere in bangalore. It decreases 3hrs of drive to 20mins.

Why have the Fraser Anning videos been deleted/privated?

Was the script for the uber Australia GM provided by SF headquarters? 🤣🤣

They know what we say. They know what we see. They know what we hear. Now, they know where we go. One step closer to the matrix.

Yeah, the disruption at restaurants is you have to wait for your food while the restaurant preempts your order to fill an Uber eats order.

Its very clear its beaurocracy not democracy rich is getting richer poot is getting poorer

They talk about flying cars and regulations, this after they've already said what they think about regulation at any level.

I worked for uber for a time, then became loyal to Lyft as the company is much more ethical as opposed to Uber as they tried to continually block Lyft. I wish Lyft could start in Australia

Uber can be described in one word: free market capitalism. Uber took a risk and it paid it off, how long have the taxi industry had a monopoly on this industry? The answer is simple, they never had any competition. I have travelled around most of the world and most taxis i have taken have been expensive, slow and driver usually stinks of BO or cigarettes and almost makes little to no attempt to take quicker routes. Uber on the hand, is quick, convenient, slightly cheaper and the drivers know what they are doing, they always take quicker routes and make sure the customer has a pleasant experience. For example a taxi driver will usually expect me to tip him, even though the price i'm paying is already ridiculously inflated on the other hand Uber drivers rely on the feedback of the customer to receive an honest rating. This system indices the driver to provide better customer service and experience, as they will receive a better rating. This rating system decides which driver gets the first call for pickup within that specific areas. I could ramble on forever about Uber vs taxi, however all i'm gonna say is Uber reinvented the way people travel and added competition. If you wanna compete in the market, either adapt or die out and honestly the consumer cares most about price and convenience, so if taxis wanna compete adapt.

people complaining about having new competition and customers paying less

interesting review of Uber, I spent 1 year driving for Uber in Australia and it is very difficult to make a living as a driver. Most drivers are marginalised people with no other options for employment. They need to work 12 hours a day and end up with $20 to $25K a year net, much less than working at McDonalds or Subway as a front line worker, howeveralso with no benefits, no super and lost of risk and they need to file and pay all of the GST and keep complicated accounting records.

Progress is sometimes painful, something i though labor unions used to know. Ordering a taxi for the last 40 yrs has been a painful experience for just about everyone. Surely uber had worldwide condemnation when first popularized, dare I say more than one government or transport regulatory agency have take more than a picket party outside their headquarters as a reaction to their obvious business practices and complacency.

This entire documentary is a long form advertisement for Andrew Yang, I swear. XD

Can you say “surge pricing” and “cleaning charges” for nothing? You get ripped of by Uber too

The old saying, "one form of Tyranny and Arrogance always replaces another" holds good. I live in a City in India where public transportation was almost non existent before the advent of Uber and Ola. No metro trains and no city buses post 11 PM until may be 6 AM the next day. This effectively gave the Auto rickshaw drivers and few call taxi operators that existed, a virtual monopoly. I remember the days when I had to travel a non connected route i had to wait for an auto on the road and then negotiate a price before I even got in. It was a hell. The fares they demanded were so exorbitant, that I sometimes would take a loss of pay from work than pay those fares and get to work. When Uber was launched in 2014, it was more of a blessing as they offered rides at what seems to me reasonable fares and it saved a lot of valuable time, otherwise lost in negotiating prices. But as days passed, we could clearly observe some shady/non transparent practices by ride sharing apps as well. Sometimes, i will not be able to book rides, even though the cab will be nearby. Sometimes, they will assign a cab that is far off, instead of the closest one, sometimes their "dynamic" pricing will be so high that it beats the old Auto rickshaws, hands down.

Is Susan Anderson about the creepiest person ever interviewed? She has the demeanour of a Chucky doll.

“We made mistakes”. AKA Committed felonies and got caught. If I made those mistakes I would be in prison.

Uber is about to hit the buffers in the UK. Judges have dismissed Uber’s appeal against a landmark employment tribunal ruling in October 2016 that its drivers should be classed as workers with access to the minimum wage and paid holidays. The case now goes to the Supreme Court.

Not sure how comfortable I would feel to see those air taxis flying over hugely populated cities. What happens when one falls out of the sky?

Where do I get those Uber signs!? I want one of those!

Not sure Australians in major capital cities want to go anywhere. They’d rather use the nbn to work from home (but may use uber eats to fetch them food).

I was a ride share driver. It's basically adult babysitting. Now I work for a union. I never use rideshare and will never look back.

I quit uber when they lowered rates to the point where only the most desperate drivers keep driving...as a result its not as safe as it should be!

I am confused was that an report or Uber advert..

After having to put up with those unreliable, combative arsehole Sydney taxi drivers and their monopoly, I think Uber is wonderful. Looks like the free market in action to me!

Uber has organized the ride sharing market. Great for consumers like me who have poor fare negotiating skills.

I thought there was a law past that if you were employed by a company and didn’t matter what employment title you come under you would receive superannuation. How this was to be passed as a law was because of the building trade and how it was impossible for contractors and sub contractors to have a super nest egg if you worked on a metre rate. Because unless you had a job in commercial sites and got EBA rates that you would get super but you had to join the union but you would help you with any issues that you could have. Plus the best part of bussq super is they would also help workers with loans to buy homes.

39:30 France, Japan, Brasil, India and Australia and I am surprised by the name of Brasil and India why not China or states

Why does uber have cases in court in every country where they operates ????

the movie ""demolition man" had food war but this seem like taxi war.

Psychopath test on Anderson plz. Or on all Uber managers rather😁

Surf cam... ever heard of that? No...... that manager can’t lie for s__t.....

Taxi drivers were being too dishonest. Often i have had to deal with drivers who refused to use meters and gave a fixed price on locations. When you arrived some places earlier than expected ... you get black mailed into paying double and sometimes even triple that price. And if you take into account the rate vs the meter price, 6-7 times the cost. If they had been honest to begin with and charged a fair price, or even just used the meter to price their passengers, i think it would have been hard for these kind of rides to take off. I also blame the gov for all of these but that isn't new.

I'm pro Uber ignoring stupid government regulations

Uber or Lyft are still the greatest services and millions of people use them because of their convenience and being up to date with technology. I would rather click on the app than call some dispatcher and try to explain where I am waiting for a cab. Uber and Lyft drivers have clean cars and go out of their way to give you the best service possible. Before Uber & Lyft my cab experience in NYC area was always unpleasant to say the least. Dirty, smelly cars, rude drivers, the need to have cash and shameless extortion of tips. I do sympathize with taxi drivers all over the world and with underpaid Uber & Lyft drivers as well, and would pay more for my rides, but I also appreciate the 21 century quality and speed.

uber is like this hipster uncle you see at family reunions every year, where he always brags having a different job every year you see him, gives you candy and tell you how cool he is, while your parents and grandparents know that he's a shit person who can't hold a job down.

Shame on Australian politicians for allowing this parasitic, ruthless organisation dictate to them. Must have been a lot of underhand clandestine activity going on. Nothing but support to the Australian Taxi drivers.

Don't understand, how can anybody drive for either company? And "leave" GoCatch. Can't anybody with a private car do whatever they want? Such as drive for both? Who would know?

25% to 35% off your gross take can be 50% or more of your profit, it's a disgusting business model, corporate parasites need to be exterminated.

Love how all the Uber employees have those intense "true believer" eyes.

I would prefer uber evryday over taxi mafia. Particularly, when traveling overseas, I used to get ripped by taxi and pay 3x to 5x of actual cost. Now taking uber or applications like grab, I pay much less for a decent service.

This video is basically about how Taxi unions tried taking down a new competitor in the market, beating them at their own game. This made the unions upset and so they lobbied the governments to stop them and got outsmarted multiple times...

9:48 Have Uber ever made a profit? The IPO has a huge risk of being disrupted by reality.

I’m in a pay dispute with them they claimed they payed me and they haven’t, 5 weeks I’ve been chasing them they are thieves.