The Single Taxi Guild sent its partners the body of a contract through which they subscribe to the commitment to only use the radio taxis to which they belong when taking trips. Thus, would exclude the Uber and Cabify applications from the operationwhich since December allow vehicles to connect with users requesting a transfer.
The document arrived via WhatsApp around noon on Friday accompanied by a message in which Jurídica recommended demanding these conditions from taxi drivers. The text, accessed The Observerasks for the name of the driver, the company under which he works and a taximeter permit, while notifying the signer of the conditions.
The contract begins with the introduction: “You are informed that in all the time you are in the taximeter of which I am a licensee, you can only and exclusively (…)”. He then develops two terms. In the first place, it requires “accepting the means of payment authorized and managed by the Guild”, which consist of cash, cards enabled by Geocom at the POS, corporate payment, Mercadopago, Bits, Ocacel, Tu App and Taxi Salud.
Thus, excludes the method of payment by international card on which Uber and Cabify are based.
The second term stipulated by the contract sent to the members of the Employer’s Association indicates: “Use the applications expressly authorized by me for the dispatch of trips, which are Radio Taxi 141, Radio Taxi Montevideo 1711, Voy en Taxi and (…) “, and leaves open the possibility of an addition.
“His breach of this labor directive will be a serious offense and may lead to his dismissal for notorious misconduct”sentences the document, which ends with a line for the signature in proof of the notification.
consulted by The Observer, the secretary of the Guild, Hagop Panossián, stated: “Here what comes first is to provide the best service to the population and therefore, of course, for the guild. Strengthen it with tools that you have, that are legal. It implies nothing more than that: loyalty to the service”.
“We have opponents like anyone else in any activity. We fight against that and we are sure that they will not beat us. There is nothing hidden, everything is on the street, ”explained the employer’s director.
The message comes after a meeting of the Employers’ Association that took place on December 16, in which the partners requested union defense measures before the announcement that Uber was opening the doors to taxis to start operating with the application. The Uber Taxi modality is already installed in several countries in the region.
The new international mechanism began to function on January 28, with 125 taxi drivers that are registered so far. Although the company celebrated the kickoff, from the Taxi union they pointed out that it is a “tiny percentage” within the universe of about 5 thousand taxi drivers, while in the Guild they are “confident” that the partners do not leave to write down in the application, as manager Gabriel Rodríguez had told The Observer.
Despite the fact that among the operators of the sector it is given as a fact that registering with the applications could lead to a sanction, the employers avoided confirming the information and making any type of declarations when consulted by The Observer. The commitment sent last Friday materializes the resolution of the assembly.
Before Uber’s announcement, the Guild requested a meeting with the Municipality of Montevideo (IM) on December 10, in a letter in which it attacked “the subjugation and arrogance of giant companies that from the beginning did not recognize the state of Uruguayan law. “Today with new gadgets they come to harm the Taxi Family,” they wrote, according to what is stated in the magazine Taxi Diario that is published month by month in its Web page.
The Observer He tried to consult the commune about it, but at the close of this edition he did not receive a response.
As reported The Observer, From Cabify they look with concern at the possibility of sanctioning taxi drivers who operate with applications. The Spanish company has under its aegis today about 500 taxi drivers who take trips with the platform.
