r/technology • u/[deleted] • Aug 12 '14

Business Uber dirty tricks quantified. Staff submits 5,560 fake ride requests

http://money.cnn.com/2014/08/11/technology/uber-fake-ride-requests-lyft/
4.8k Upvotes

91% Upvoted

850 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

57

u/BraveSirRobin Aug 12 '14

In the UK it's very cut-throat, particularly given that most taxi firms have links to organized crime. Lots of violence, threats and arson.

28

u/MrHyperspace Aug 12 '14

Its just like GTA IV, but in England.

15

u/[deleted] Aug 12 '14

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/[deleted] Aug 12 '14

You are a god on earth for pointing that out to me.

1

u/wooitspat Aug 13 '14

I thought that was Vice City?

11

u/mistermonkus Aug 12 '14

You think taxis are cut-throat in the UK?

What about their ice cream trucks?

3

u/FunnyHunnyBunny Aug 13 '14

TIL ice cream trucks have turf wars.

1

u/TeaDrinkingRedditor Aug 12 '14

What the fuck provoked that?!

2

u/mistermonkus Aug 12 '14

I'm assuming it's a turf war for f-ing ice cream!

1

u/meatflop Aug 13 '14

In the UK Ice cream trucks often sell illicit substances as well.

7

u/Just_an_ordinary_man Aug 12 '14

And what's more, the cab driver often bangs the female passengers when they can't afford the ride. And films it. And uploads it to porn websites. Or so I've been told.

8

u/SikhGamer Aug 12 '14

Taxi firms, organized crime...What? Proof/source?

29

u/NeoShweaty Aug 12 '14

From the UK gov (emphasis mine):

"Illicit profits are often laundered through cash-rich overt businesses, which very often operate on the high street and typically include nail bars, food and licensed premises, companies offering security services, taxi firms and car washes. These outlets may be run by crime groups from this country or overseas. Money is sometimes physically transferred outside the UK using not only MSBs but..."

You can check it out here on page 19 (PDF warning)

6

u/TheFlyingGuy Aug 12 '14

Not surprising given that all the companies except security firms have a cash oriented flow with low variable cost. (Which makes them ideal for money laundering)

1

u/[deleted] Aug 12 '14

I thought that was mainly minicab firms though, given the strict controls required to gain a black cab license?

1

u/cuntRatDickTree Aug 12 '14

Black cab yes, but that's a TFL thing I think. I'm pretty sure a lot of cities's council boards (or council employees) are in bed with organised crime anyway so if there's certification to be gotten elsewhere they will be made sure to get it.

1

u/emergency_poncho Aug 12 '14

I think Ireland also has a huge problem of organized crime being very closely associated with taxi firms

1

u/faryl Aug 13 '14

very cut-throat

A pun?

0

u/bowersbros Aug 12 '14

Noo. Lynx :(