Taxi Cooperatives as an Alternative to Uber
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4335/18.3.449-467(2020)Keywords:
sharing economy, economy, online platforms, Uber, sooperativism, taxiAbstract
The advancement of technology and digitization has enabled the development of online platforms that represent the basis of the emerging sharing economy. Critics of the sharing economy argue that these online platforms do not serve the interests of their users, but mainly the interests of their owners and investors. That is why they propose fostering the development of an alternative to the currently predominant business model within the sharing economy, in the form of online platform cooperativism. The Uber global corporation and local taxi cooperatives are presented as model examples. To serve the interests of its investors and owners, Uber is changing the existing taxi industry, resorting to tax optimisation techniques and evading current regulations, while local taxi cooperatives act in the interests of their members and in compliance with cooperative principles, embodying a well-functioning alternative to Uber.
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