Tipsheet

Video Mocks Australian State's Plan to Bailout Taxi Industry

The Australian state of New South Wales is considering giving the taxi industry a "bailout" as it is having issues competing with alternatives like Uber. Some fed-up taxpayers decided to make a video pointing out how ridiculous this is, and protested outside of the NSW parliament in costume as the Coalition of Obsolete Industries, saying that their professions also deserved a bailout.

Uber came about to correct the shortcomings of the taxi industry, and has revolutionized travel and the "sharing economy." It proved that the pitfalls of the taxi industry were correctable, and rather than adapt to the changing business climate to remain competitive, taxi drivers are either striking or demanding a bailout or some other form of compensation. This is ridiculous.

Nobody had any idea how outdated the taxi industry was until Uber was created, just as how people didn't realize how limited personal CD players were until the iPod was invented and perfected. There's a reason why we don't have town criers and horses and milkmen any more--the industry moved on. The taxi industry has enjoyed a monopoly over the transportation market, and some, not all, drivers and companies became complacent--until Uber moved in. Industries change all the time--and while it's tough to say that a company must effectively adapt or die, it's the truth.