"Allowing Uber to 'rate passengers' and ultimately deny them service in the future, takes us back to a dark place in history," said Roger Chapin, Florida Taxicab Association Board Member and Vice President for Mears Transportation in Orlando, FL. "How do they rate poor tippers, an elderly person who requires more assistance, someone who regularly needs a short trip to the doctor, someone whom the driver may just not like the way they look?"
These are all very valid points.
What one person considers a low tip, another could believe was an appropriate amount. And what one person considers a bubbly personality, another could consider an annoying chatterbox.
What if taxicab companies decided to implement this so-called “innovative” feature in their dispatch system? There would be an uproar in communities across the nation deeming the practice as prejudicial.
The Florida Taxicab Association also released a poll that show that Uber already leaves out approximately 50% of the public when it only serves passengers with smart phones and credit cards.
For this reason, taxicabs are regulated to prevent such discrimination and so that no driver can deny service. No one, including Uber's multi-national corporation now valued at nearly $4 billion, should be allowed to discriminate against passengers.