Über

Über

 

When I was younger, I often encountered the expression  Deutschland Über Alles, which means Germany Above Everything.  This is found in the first line of the first stanza of the German national anthem -  Deutschlandlied, the Song of Germans.

 

At the time of the Nazis, this first stanza was sung during official occasions, such as the Berlin Olympics, and so this expression remained associated with Nazism.  After the Second World War, and moreso after the unification of Germany, the third stanza, which does not contain these words, started to be used instead of the first during official occasions.

 

Today, the word Uber is often in the news around the world for a different reason, as its come to represent a revolution in service provision, which until yesteryear were only provided by operators regulated and/or protected by law and today are provided by ordinary people using their private property.  An essential component is the use of the internet.

 

The Uber company started operating in the US in 2009.  It produced a mobile app that lets someone wanting to make a trip find a driver who is ready to take him there with his/her private vehicle, for a fee that frequently is less than if the trip was made by taxi.  Uber maintains that the driver is not providing a taxi but a ride-sharing service.

 

Although starting in the US, Uber today offers service in the main cities of 60 countries around the world, including Australia, England and Canada.1  In Malta it hasn't started yet, although some people are arguing in its favour.2  Malta in Illinois, US, is another story!

 

The issue is that the transport industry is usually state-regulated, where taxi companies have a license they need to pay for to operate the service, and those driving taxis are trained and have insurance.  Uber drivers are not obliged to do so, although the company says it has its own insurance policy.3

 

So one might ask, why not simply enforce the state laws and take Uber and its drivers to court?

 

First of all, in a number of states, this is exactly what is happening, as after all the state gains considerable income from taxi licenses.  In NSW, Uber drivers are being threatened with fined of up to $100,000.  In Victoria, Uber has stated it's ready to pay the fines, although so far they have been lower.

 

On the other hand, there's no doubt there is a high demand for this new service as an alternative to taxis, which many times are considered too expensive, late to arrive and unreliable.  Why should government protect an inadequate service?

 

The solution is not easy.  It has to be said that taxi drivers many times pay handsomely to be able to carry out this work, and suddenly are seeing their investment disappear.

 

Nevertheless, in the world of the internet, this kind of new service is impossible to stop. The solution is not stopping it, but to change the regulations around it.  Progress needs to be adapted to, not stopped, with transition measures to help those affected.

 

This is no the only example of proliferation of services that previously were only provided by commercial operators.  Another example is AirBNB, where private properties are rented out for short stays.  Those interested can look up these kind of properties in 190 countries, on the company's website.  This time, the issue is raised by the hotel industry, who mention amongst other the lack of insurance and licenses of private properties.  Familiar?

 

Newspapers no longer have a monopoly on news.  There is no longer a need to go to a shop to buy products - you can purchase from a seller you've never heard of that you find on Ebay.

 

This is not the end of the story.4  The world where governments are in a position to regulate and control everything, and that services are provided by businessmen who control production and employ workers (the classical capitalist system), is fading away.

 

Today, we're moving towards a decentralised economy.  The internet world is inviting common people to get to know each other, find out their needs and consider fulfilling them.  The market, where the buyer meets the seller, increasingly is being created by software.

 

It would be a mistake if governments are more concerned with keeping with established economic models that they (don't) know how to manage rather than prepare for the economic models of the future.

 

What am I saying!  Of today!

 

 

Über

 

Meta kont żgħir, ġieli ltqajt mal-espressjoni Deutschland Über Alles, li tfisser il-Ġermanja Fuq Kollox.  Din l-espressjoni tinsab fl-ewwel linja tal-ewwel stanza tal-innu nazzjonali Ġermaniż, Deutschlandlied - l-Għanja tal-Ġermaniżi.

 

Fi żmien in-Nażisti, din l-ewwel stanza kienet titkanta f'okkażjonijiet uffiċjali, bħall-Olimpjadi ta' Berlin fl-1936, u għalhekk l-espressjoni tibqa' assoċjata man-Nażiżmu.  Wara t-Tieni Gwerra Dinjija, u iktar wara l-unifikazzjoni tal-Ġermanja, it-tielet stanza tal-innu, li ma fihiex dawn il-kliem, saret titkanta minflok l-ewwel wieħed waqt okkażjonijiet uffiċjali.

 

Fiż-żminijiet tal-lum, il-kelma Uber hija spiss fl-aħbarijiet madwar id-dinja għal raġuni differenti, għax saret tirrappreżenta rivoluzzjoni fid-dinja tas-servizzi, li sal-bieraħ kienu jingħataw biss minn operaturi rregolati u/jew protetti mil-liġi u llum jingħataw minn nies komuni bil-proprjetà privata tagħhom.  Komponent essenzjali huwa l-użu tal-internet.

 

Il-kumpannija Uber bdiet topera fl-2009 fl-Istati Uniti.  Ipproduċiet programm (app) għal fuq il-mobajl li tippermetti lil xi ħadd li jrid jagħmel vjaġġ biex isib xufier li lest jieħdu hemm bil-karozza privata tiegħu, għal ħlas li ħafna drabi jkun inqas minn dak jekk il-vjaġġ isir b'taksi.  L-Uber issostni li s-servizz mhux ta' taksi imma li xufier jaqsam rikba (ride sharing) mal-klijent.

 

Għalkemm bdiet fl-Istati Uniti, l-Uber illum toffri s-servizz fl-ibliet prinċipali ta' 60 pajjiż madwar id-dinja, inkluż l-Awstralja, l-Ingilterra u l-Kanada.1  F'Malta għadu ma bediex, għalkemm hemm min qed jargumenta favurih.2  Min qiegħed f'Malta f'Illinois, l-Istati Uniti, ħaġ'oħra!

 

Il-kwistjoni tqum għax l-industrija tat-trasport hija ħafna drabi rregolata mill-istat, fejn kumpanniji tat-taksis ikollhom liċenzja li jridu jħallsu għaliha biex joperaw dan is-servizz, u min isuq it-taksi jingħata t-taħriġ u jkollu polza tal-assigurazzjoni.  Ix-xufiera tal-Uber mhumiex mistennija li jagħmlu dan bilfors, għalkemm il-kumpannija tgħid li għandha polza tal-assigurazzjoni hi.3

 

Allura wieħed jistaqsi, għaliex sempliċement ma jiġux inforzati l-liġijiet tal-istat u l-Uber u s-sewwieqa tagħha jittellgħu l-qorti?

 

L-ewwel ħaġa, f'diversi stati, qed isir preċiżament hekk, għax wara kollox l-istat jieħu introjtu konsiderevoli mill-liċenzji tat-taksis.  F'NSW, xufiera tal-Uber qed jiġu mhedda b'multi li jistgħu jlaħħqu $100,000.  F'Victoria, l-Uber qalet li lesta tħallashom hi l-multi, li s'issa kienu iktar baxxi.

 

Mill-banda l-oħra, m'hemmx dubju li hawn domanda kbira għal dan is-servizz ġdid bħala alternattiva għat-taksis, li ħafna drabi jkunu meqjusa li jkunu għaljin wisq, idumu biex jaslu u li s-servizz ma tistax tafdah.  Għalfejn il-gvern għandu jipproteġi servizz inadekwat?

 

Is-soluzzjoni mhix faċli.  Irid jingħad li x-xufiera tat-taksis ħafna drabi ħallsu l-belli liri biex ikunu jistgħu jagħmlu dan ix-xogħol, u f'daqqa waħda qed jaraw li l-investiment tagħhom qed jispiċċa fix-xejn.

 

Madankollu, li fid-dinja tal-internet, servizz ġdid bħal dan impossibbli li twaqqfu.  Is-soluzzjoni mhix li twaqqfu, imma li s-sistema ta' regoli tinbidel.  Il-progress tadatta għalih trid, mhux twaqqfu, u tieħu miżuri ta' tranżizzjoni għal min hu milqut.

 

Dan mhux l-uniku eżempju ta' proliferazzjoni ta' servizzi li qabel kienu jingħataw biss minn operaturi kummerċjali.  Eżempju ieħor huwa l-AirBNB, fejn proprjetajiet privati jinkrew għall-btajjel qosra. Min huwa interessat jista' jfittex proprjetajiet ta' dan it-tip f'190 pajjiż, fuq il-websajt tal-kumpannija.  Din id-darba l-kwistjoni titqajjem mill-lukandiera, li jsemmu fost l-oħrajn n-nuqqas ta' assigurazzjoni jew ta' liċenzja tal-proprjetajiet privati.  Familjari?

 

Il-gazzetti m'għadx baqgħalhom il-monopolju fuq l-aħbarijiet.  M'hemmx għalfejn tmur għand il-ħanut biex tixtri prodott - tista' tixtri mingħand bejjiegħ li qatt ma smajt bih imma li ssibu fuq Ebay.  

 

Din l-istorja mhix se tieqaf hawn.4  Id-dinja fejn il-gvernijiet ikunu f'pożizzjoni li jirregolaw u jikkontrollaw kollox, u li s-servizzi jingħataw min-negozjanti li jikkontrollaw il-produzzjoni u jimpjegaw il-ħaddiema (is-sistema klassika kapitalista), tista' tgħid li qed tmajna.

 

Illum, qed nimxu lejn ekonomija ddeċentralizzata.  Id-dinja tal-internet qed tħajjar lil nies komuni jsiru jafu 'l xulxin, isiru jafu x'jixtieq l-ieħor, u jistgħu jitħajjru jaqduh.  Is-suq, fejn ix-xerrej jiltaqa' mal-bejjiegħ, iktar ma jgħaddi ż-żmien qed jiġi kkrejat mis-softwer.

 

Ikun żball kbir jekk il-gvernijiet ikunu iktar moħħhom kif se jżommu mal-mudelli stabbiliti tal-ekonomija li (ma) jafu(x) jimmaniġġjaw milli jippreparaw għall-mudelli tal-ekonomija tal-futur.

 

X'jien ngħid!  Tal-lum!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1https://www.uber.com/, retrieved 31/8/2015

2http://www.grtu.org.mt/index.php/publications/publications-after-2010/publications-in-2015/3362-could-uber-be-part-of-a-solution-of-our-traffic-problems, retrieved 31/8/2015

3http://www.news.com.au/finance/business/uberx-versus-taxis-why-the-time-for-taxis-is-over/story-fnkgde2y-1227274842438, retrieved 31/8/2015

4https://hbr.org/2015/07/who-benefits-from-the-peer-to-peer-economy?, retrieved 31/8/2015