Uber's business model is disrupting the traditional taxi business and tension is rising worldwide between the drivers of the two transportation solutions.
The discord between Uber drivers and regular cab drivers hit a new peak yesterday in Toronto, Canada. While protesting against the popular ride-hailing service, a cab driver with 22 years of experience in the Canadian city attacked an UberX vehicle with a passenger inside.
The shocking incident took place on a busy street in Toronto while several TV cameras were rolling to report the protest held by the taxi drivers, CBC reports. After pointing out that the vehicle stopped next to him was an UberX one, the cab driver tried to open the car's door. Noticing that it was locked, he proceeded to pound the driver’s side window with his fists.
The UberX driver panicked and stepped on the gas in an attempt to evade the assailant, but the cab driver had different plans and clenched to the vehicle. The unsolicited UberX passenger was dragged for about 40 feet on Toronto's Bay Street. The car slowed down as the cab driver released his hands from the door handles while the UberX car continued its trip.
The irate cab driver was unhurt after the incident and claimed he and his colleagues were just trying to get their point across. Sajid Mugha, a representative of the iTaxi Workers Association, classified the taxi driver's behavior as "unacceptable" but said this situation "illustrates the frustration of taxi drivers" in front of Uber's success.
Uber's Canada branch condemned the altercation, and its representatives stated that they were alarmed by this act. The American startup's officials propose open collaboration as the best way forward, a solution that taxi drivers view as impossible when "someone steals their food," as Sajid Mugha puts it.
Toronto's Mayor, John Tory, asked taxi drivers to stop protesting and warned them that this type of behavior could drive people to use Uber instead of their services.
Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland. Full profile
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