Uber in Poland - illegal

Uber is illegal in Poland. Vehicles that run under the Uber are not insured !!

No. It is not illegal. It is operating very successfully in most major cities in Poland and has been for quite some time now. It is growing in popularity. Much better than old-fashioned taxis. I'm a very heavy taxi user and I switched to Uber a couple of months ago as a trial and won't switch back to old-style taxis.

Plus (and this is a big plus) they follow,a route determined in advance so no "going the scenic route" something very common in Poland if the taxi driver thinks you're a stranger in town.

If you have any questions about their insurance (which you don't, since you're a taxi operator and not a bona fide passenger) I refer you to their website: uber.com/cities/gdansk

antyweb.pl/kara-dla-zlapanego-kierowcy-ubera-nawet-do-10-000-pln-uber-umywa-rece-dostarczaja-tylko-aplikacje
Translate .....
airportgdansktransfer.com It has all the licenses for passenger transport / taxi Gdansk

That's about fines for drivers. If you check the Uber website (as a regular and happy user I recommend it to any expat or local) you will see details about their insurance.

Not that a passenger need be interested.

They really are good. If you were genuine, and not a taxi operator pretending not to be and trying (badly) to do a free advert, I'd recommend them to you too.

I would seriously avoid this taxi firm you're trying to push - too many posts from yourself pretending not to be adverts, whereas in fact one radio taxi is much the same as any other.

One reason I prefer uber.com/cities/gdansk

Also worth mentioning that (an alternative to taxis) the new fast rail link from Gdansk Airport to Gdansk centre (with good connections to Sopot and Gdynia) is now open.

Using Uber is ok as long as you do not have an accident. If you as a passenger get injured (or die), then you or your family will have to sue the driver who, most probably is not insured for transporting passengers for money. I can in fact guarantee you, that a normal driver is not insured for transporting fare passengers. As long as everyone is aware of that - then everything is fine.

It was like that here until a while ago - now they have to have the correct insurance.

I heard that now all Uber drivers have to have a registered business and in those cases everything will be o.k.

Yes, that's true. Basically the tax-office were catching people who didn't, so they had to rework the whole thing and Uber have to see and check all the docs.

Uber is a racket

houstonchronicle.com/business/outside-the-boardroom/article/Uber-is-in-the-sub-prime-auto-business-7955561.php?t=4ca09c1fff&cmpid=twitter-premium

What a remarkably fact free article you link to.

I've been using Uber for a while now and won't be switching back to taxis anytime soon. I highly recommend Uber to anybody arriving at Gdansk airport who doesn't want to just get the train into town.

I can understand why you find the article uncomfortable but the entire business model of Uber is turn de facto employees into "independent contractors" so that all the financial risk is outsourced to them.

Established company taxis are cheap enough in Poland that I would have to be one miserably cheap SOB to want save a couple of zloties.

The problem of mafia taxis can easily be solved by having taxi ordering stands in the airport.

This is it and it is more and more common practice in our wonderful and increasingly "liberal" world. It started with the banks and the banksters who have been happy to take huge profits in good times and happy for the taxpayer to pay for the losses in bad times. "Outsourcing' is beautiful, isn't it?

If you want to work for a company that only has employees, work for one. But other people prefer to be a contractor and earn more.


It's not a couple of zloty: it's a couple of zloty per kilometre. Plus faster service, better cars and nicer drivers. And they are all honest. And that's before we get to the convenience of going to a new city and being able to order honest taxis with no problem.

No, it's just a (better than average) taxi service.


Here in Europe, most, almost all, taxi drivers work that way.

Merged:

Uber Driver - What is the current uber legal status in PL?

As of now, is the uber service legal for the drivers in Poland? I've heard that drivers are getting fined because it breaches the transportation law. What is the current uber legal status in PL?

According to a strict definition of the law, it's illegal. User are covering legal expenses for drivers caught, however.

Yes. It's nothing that affects the passengers. Uber are cheaper than conventional taxis, the drivers are politer, and the route is chosen by GPS so no 'scenic route' round town - and if there actually are any complaints, it goes through the app, Uber refund the customer right away, abd of course drivers tend to be on their best behaviour due to the ratings system.

Everything is o.k. with Uber until the time that an accident occurs and the passenger is badly injured. This question has not been covered by anyone.

At least in Poland as far as I know, drivers are obliged to have insurance that covers the passengers.

Yes, I agree. All insurance will cover passengers that are travelling with you. However, and this is the sticking point, the normal insurance will not cover those that are being carried by you for money (fare). That is why you have to have the same insurance as all taxi drivers. I do wonder how many Uber drivers carry such insurance.

Just out of interest I will search on google for any stories where Uber drivers were involved in accidents and what happened.

I'm still continuing my research, but at least found this out.
Uber drivers do not have to have a police check (for previous convictions) nor a medical certificate from a doctor. If you as a passenger get assaulted by an Uber driver (for women - read raped) (for men - read robbed) you will have a hard job persuading the police that you did not get into the car of your own free will. .

If Warsaw taxi drivers have to have such checks, either they can be avoided or I'm a terrible judge of character.


That's not in any way a decision which grants consent to rape or robbery. Frankly you're far far more likely to get robbed by a taxi driver in Warsaw than an Uber driver.

Found a story in which Krakow is fining Uber drivers themselves. krakow.pl/aktualnosci/209707,29,komunikat,zaskakujace_wyniki_kolejnych_kontroli_kierowcow_uber.html
Personally, I do not use taxis nor Uber, so have no interest one way or the other.

Probably far more likely. There are some pretty bad taxi drivers working in Warsaw.

The Uber rating system works to customers' advantage - if the driver gets low ratings, they're given special training, if it continues, they're taken off the system.

Taxi drivers can and do behave more or less how they like.

Uber is not always cheaper.

I only signed up to Uber two months ago and used them a few times. In my experience they are cheaper for longer journeys but more expensive on shorter journeys. You are right that the drivers are much more polite probably because they're aware of the rating system. One drawback though is they can sometimes be overly friendly, trying to force a chummy conversation with you when you'd rather stare blankly out the window. On my last Uber trip the driver didn't shut up for 20 minutes !

Another thing to be aware of is that Uber prices for the same journey change depending upon the demand and can often double or triple during peak periods.

The infamous 'surge pricing'. That can happen in central Warsaw on Friday and Saturday evenings, or if there's a big sporting match. usually it doesn't, and if the surge pricing message appears, just wait a few minutes - it may increase or may disappear.

There's an article here from the truly wonderful Christian Science Monitor about it - csmonitor.com/Technology/2015/1030/Why-Uber-s-surge-pricing-doesn-t-work-quite-as-expected- in short, it's a nice idea that doesn't work in practice.

Recruitment for Uber driver in Poland in Kenya

t.me/hotptakes/8613