Innovation….at the speed of a lobster crawl

To quote Dalhousie University,

Our impact on economic development of communities is enabled by the many university activities that foster creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship.

But what is exactly the state of innovation in this “smart” little University city of Halifax? To give one of many examples, Uber, a highly innovative taxi service has been deemed illegal in Halifax because the city won’t give it a “Taxi License.”

To quote,

Earlier this week, Ottawa city council announced plans to loosen taxi regulations so companies like Uber can operate legally. But in Halifax, the rules are very clear: no commercial taxi license, no driver.

In other words, the old taxi mafia business is too strong here. To quote one of their operators,

Uber works like an underground business. They avoid regulations, and we’ve seen they can afford to do that in big cities,” he said. “But in a small economy like Halifax, Uber sticks out like a diamond in a coal mine. I have the app myself, and as soon as someone from Uber comes to pick me up here, I’ll have the police and the bylaw officer waiting.

So the police are now servin’ and protectin’ the taxi mafia? Anyway, in response to Uber, the two Halifax taxi companies are now providing apps (Wowww!). Just be careful not to pass out drunk in their cabs. Their operators can even walk away from rape.

Update: Uber has finally been granted permission to operate. Halifax was years behind some very poor countries in doing so.