Mi sono iscritto a Uber mentre i tassisti di Milano, con metodi discutibili, bloccavano la WIRED Next Fest. Se e quando avrò bisogno di un taxi probabilmente mi affiderò a Uber — perché è comodo e offre un servizio migliore, che è l’unico fattore che conta.

Le cose cambiano, e il The Daily Beast ha un buon esempio di come certe regole (a cui i tassisiti tradizionali devono sottoporsi) siano antiquate e senza ormai alcun senso:

London mandates that its cabbies pass a 149-year-old exam called “The Knowledge” that requires them to master the city’s maze-like streets and know the precise location of museums, police stations, and theaters. As part of the test, they have to verbally recite detailed explanations of how best to travel from one location to another through the city’s roughly 25,000 arteries. Passing “The Knowledge” takes years of study, and most drivers fail at their first few tries. The test causes the gray matter in applicants’ brains to expand, according to one London researcher. […]

In an age of ubiquitous GPS devices, many of which also incorporate real-time traffic data, circling the city in a car is a profound waste of such exceptional minds. London may as well also require that cabbies master the art of saddling a horse and mending a harness.

(Iscrivetevi a Uber da qua per avere un credito iniziale di 10 euro, gratuitamente)