Where Uber is headed

Torontosun.com
Jan. 17, 2016
By Maryam Shah

Whether it’s taxis or carpooling, Uber keeps introducing new services since rolling into Toronto.

But the Uber-ization of ground transportation has made many uneasy about the future of jobs - and the prospect of disrupting the traditional view of employment. Will we all have Uber-style jobs one day?

The Toronto Sun spoke with John-Kurt Pliniussen, a Queen’s University professor and business expert, about the growing sharing economy and where Uber is headed:

Will Uber stop?

“It won’t stop. What will happen is they will continue to experiment with all the inconvenience aspects of transportation. As long as there’s innovation and there are holes that are based on inconvenience, there’s no stop. The only possible restriction might be if there are certain regulations that can’t be overcome.”

Are we all heading for Uber-careers? What does it say about the future of labour?

“It presents new opportunities, for sure. I know people that just love it, for a couple of reasons. One is, it gives them extra cash in their off time. For retired people, it gives them a new job opportunity, especially if they love to drive. But that’s the whole part of the sharing economy. It basically takes a look at everything that’s part of our lives, whether it’s pets or food or clothing, the things we normally spend money on, and it says, “OK, so what’s another way of acquiring or sharing that, that presents an alternative that we didn’t have before?”

What does it mean for the people working these jobs and for job security?

“The entire economy won’t be ‘Uberized,’ it cannot be ‘Uberized.’ I mean, a big part of our economy is the service sector, the government sector, policing, health care - that can’t be ‘Uberized.’

Some people have raised the spectre of “Uberized” health care.

“I personally hope so. I personally hope there are alternatives presented because the beautiful thing about Uber is you don’t have to use them. But the reason people use them is because they’re better.”

What’s one thing you would want taxi drivers in Toronto to accept at this point?

“You can’t go back. There was a time before credit cards, there was a time before bank machines, there was a time before virtual banking.”

On the other hand, what’s something you would want UberX drivers to know?

“They’re on the first wave. These are the early days of ride-sharing. There will be legislative changes.”

Right now it’s transportation and taxis. Which industry is next in line for someone like AirBnB or Uber to disrupt?

“The one I love is pets. That’s the one that’s caught my attention because the pet industry is huge. And it’s very expensive to have a pet and to look after it. The other one’s that big down here is renting high-end clothing and accessories. So you may want a Hermes purse sometimes. But the Hermes purse is $13,000, so here’s an app, you can get the Hermes purse for x, y - who’d have thought?”