Calgary Cab Company Rolls Out Bandit Taxi Uber Parody
Associated Cab owner Roger Richards has something to say about Uber’s arrival in Calgary and he’s saying it best with his bandit cab parody CBR – pronounced (cy-hoo-br).
This company promises only the finest in taxi services, including no licensing, no insurance, and no mechanical inspections. This sleek sedan also features only one working passenger door and a speedometer that hasn’t worked since Reagan was in office.
Richards says that while his wheels have garnered a lot of attention and more than a few smiles, the message is no laughing matter.
"When you have an unregulated service, it could be anything, who knows what you're going to get," he said. "If we all did that, what would happen, there would be chaos, so why is (Uber) allowed to operate today?"
Calgary’s Mayor, Naheed Nenshi, and top compliance officer, Marc Halat, have urged Calgarians to avoid using Uber until regulatory and compliance issues could be resolved.
Officials are also asking people to double check with their auto insurance providers to ensure they are covered while offering driving services for pay.
Despite these warnings, Uber’s launch in Calgary has been described as "one of the most successful market introductions" in North America.
Richards isn’t taking the matter lying down, Associated Cabs spent the weekend drafting a letter of notice they intended to present to the city on Monday.
They want Calgary to enforce the bylaw and start handing out fines to Uber drivers that were promised as part of a crackdown by top city officials.
"They've got to live up to their obligation," said Richard. "We'll put it on notice, if we need to take further action on it we'll see what the response is."
Image Courtesy of Adobe Stock