central planning fails and volentary markets thrive

 Uber, open skies & free markets mean better energy efficiency

 Between February 2015 and September 2016, according to media reports,  700 Uber vehicles were seized in Quebec – including by the Quebec  Automobile Insurance Corporation, a provincial Crown corporation. The  government erected still more road blocks as some drivers were slapped  with fines of more than $7,500. Though many politicians don’t like Uber, its services are popular  with the public – largely because Uber tends to be much more affordable  than taking taxis. One major reason Uber is cheaper is because of the  cost savings arising from the fact that Uber drivers spend less time  driving around without a passenger. 

A recent study finds that UberX  drivers are 50 percent more efficient than taxi drivers in terms of passengers per miles driven. Due to better technology and other factors, Uber is able to cut down  not only on the time wasted when drivers cruise the streets without a  passenger, but also on the gasoline wasted when this happens. Isn’t it  strange, then, that the Quebec government reacted to this  gasoline-saving transportation service by seizing Uber vehicles and  slapping Uber drivers with fines to get them off the roads – all the  while subsidizing electric and hybrid vehicles to the tune of up to  $8,000 each, ostensibly to encourage more fuel-efficient transportation?