In a recent visit to Barcelona I found myself in the need of transportation from the hotel to the airport. I had been told about the amazing novelty app in which you get to set up the pickup place, price, and obviously the day and time. I had enough time to come down from my room and do things traditionally, order a taxi and wait about 5 to 10 minutes.

From the hotel to the airport I would have that entire taxi environment, to which we are used. I have run around in taxis quite dangerously, in Moscow, for instance, racing above 150km/h. Not a big deal if the road wasn't completely icy and filled with snow... but let's get back to Barcelona. I thought that, being in a Smart City and willing to try new things, I should take the alternative transport to the airport. And so I did.

I downloaded and installed the app, and in 2 or 3 minutes it was set up and ready to go. I could not wait to try the craze of the moment, the latest fashion in alternative means of transportation.

The process is quite simple. We pick a time, date, place and destiny that can be geolocated.  Next, we choose a way of payment and receive the confirmation that we will have an assured transport at that exact time and date. I have booked two days ahead.

After a few minutes the first problem rose, my PayPal account was out of credit (which happens a lot ;) ) and I am solicited for a different means of payment. I chose cash! 7 euros. Not a dime more. There is no need to constantly stare at the watch or the meter. I just have to make sure I have the exact amount in hand when I get to the destination.

The day arrived. Around 7am I got a text from the app informing me that my driver (Angel) was on his way to the pickup place. In about 30 minutes, the exact agreed time (7:30am), he was there. I got another text informing me was waiting outside.

I headed on to the exit and I found the car door opened for me, by Angel, with a joyful "Buenos Dias". "Well, that's interesting!", I thought to myself. The car, quite comfortable and brand new, had music on request and the journey was made peacefully and on schedule.

As soon as we got to the airport I proceeded to pay. I still asked, as if suspicious, "7 euros, right?" He pointed to the iPad lodged in the car's console (where we could also watch the entire route) and confirmed the arranged amount.

Oh my. This thing is actually really interesting...- I thought to myself.

Now, a lot of you may already be thinking that I was on the trendy app, UBER.

No.

What I was using was a sort of copy of UBER but for taxis.

The app is called "MyTaxi", the cars are taxis and the drivers are real taxi drivers. I loved it and became a fan.

And why did I not use UBER? Because I do not like the pleas and definitely was not into the trend.

I am a consumer of extreme technology. One day I will try UBER, but the fact that it was also banned in Portugal is a proof that all is wrong in the world.

Let us take it by parts.

Firstly, there is UBER's history. It is not understandable that no one knows how the controversial app came up. It began, as so many other ideas, in the capitalist crib of the Silicon Valley or another incubator of fame and fortune eager geniuses.

Two young entrepreneurs, already used to big stunts in technology, mainly mobile, thought of creating UBER and launching a world war. The most interesting in this matter is that everyone has a positive opinion on UBER (or Airbnb, or any other kind of sharing website).

I have a different perspective. I do not like UBER. I do not like it because it is a swaggerer. And I do not like it because it is opportunist and wild. It takes advantage of holes in the system to sell services priced way under the average without any starting investments because of the unnecessary license or the old-fashioned permit.

Why did not UBER show this solution to the taxi sector first?

Because it was way more difficult to convince a conservative sector ruled by tradition and even because of the lack of technology fluency. A whole lot of trouble.

What the UBER founders thought about was a quick, simple and easy way of making money.

As a mermaid's chant, they have allured all kinds of "drivers" and "professional amateurs" to the quarrel. The split profit clearly benefitted the Startup, that did not need to worry about licenses, or employees or permanent assets.

Secondly, I do not like it that the government authorities, like a headless chicken, could not grasp that what was wrong was not UBER but the archaic and old-fashioned sector of taxi transportation.

An intelligent, so-called smart, government would have taken the lead and implemented legislation to modernize the sector to make it much more appealing and interesting to the user.

With an increase of users, more taxes on the (certainly growing) profits would be collected.

In summary, the trial of strength appears endless. Despite the taxi sector's technological response, launching apps that compete against UBER and with a better service (at least professional and safe), these drivers still need to pay licenses and permits. 

Is it UBER's fault? Is it the taxi's fault?

No. It is the frightful rulers fault, who are completely ignorant in matters of market regulation.

An intelligent government does not fight or prohibit UBER.

Instead it should use its legislative power over the sector to place it on an equal footing with the "sharing economy".

It would be in this context that UBER drivers would have to pay the same taxes and assure the same guarantees as taxis.

Meanwhile, they will sell rides in exchange for "democratic" and accessible journeys, but with an uncertain destination.