Minister of Transport Yisrael Katz expressed strong objections to the entry of UberX to Israel. He did not explain his objections, but it is reasonable to assume that it stems from safety concerns at the involvement of private drivers, and a desire to preserve the status quo in the taxi market and not to approve a legislative change that would harm taxi drivers, and particularly the taxi stations.
In an interview with “Globes TV - Geek Show” Uber Israel general manager Yoni Greifman said, “We hope that the new Minister of Transport - whoever it may be - will be open enough, and will want to advance this concept also in Israel.”
And what if Katz continues for another term as Minister of Transport?
Greifman: “Minister Katz has led many reforms to open the transportation market to competition, such as the Open Skies initiative, and the ports, therefore we believe that someone like him - and I won’t get into personalities - will want to open the market to competition, and will ultimately want to bring this concept to Israel.”
Uber is trying to convince the Israel public of the necessity of UberX, which is meant to reduce costs and to provide employment for private citizens as drivers for hire. As part of this campaign, they offered free rides to voting booths in the Tel Aviv region, and then lifts home for up to NIS 40.
What if in the end it isn’t possible for you to launch UberX in Israel - will you stay here?
“I am still optimistic and certain that in the end the concept of ride-sharing will work in Israel. Even if in the short-term we won’t be able to offer ride-sharing. We operate with taxi cabs that are a great business, and we are certain that we will continue to operate here over time. The intention is not to leave Israel if ride-sharing doesn’t succeed. We are here to stay.”
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on March 19, 2015
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