Apple Magazine - USA - Issue 404 (2019-07-26)

(Antfer) #1

800,000 properties across 34,000 cities in 90
countries, although it is now facing toughened
competition from the world’s largest hotel
company, Marriott International, which has
entered the home-share market.


Meanwhile, controversy has surrounded Uber
and Lyft’s rideshare business model, which has
driven down costs and consequently led to
more taxicab drivers struggling to make a living.
Under pressure from drivers’ union the New York
Taxi Workers Alliance, New York City Council
decided to temporarily cap the number of
licenses for Uber or Lyft drivers, as The New
York Times reported.


At around the same time, New York mayor
Bill de Blasio agreed to new rules requiring
Airbnb to provide detailed data about its
users. Developments like this suggest that
the days of Uber and Airbnb avoiding the kind
of regulations applicable to their traditional
competitors in the taxi and hotel sectors are now
coming to an end.


A PROMISING FUTURE STILL BECKONS
FOR UBER AND AIRBNB


Despite running into occasional stumbles
over the years, Uber and Airbnb still look very
much like the future of travel in their respective
industries. This year, Uber became a publicly-
traded company on the New York Stock
Exchange for the first time. Furthermore, in
Uber’s listing documents, the cab-hailing firm’s
chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi declared: “We
are not even one percent done with our work.”


His confidence probably isn’t misplaced, given
that Uber also operates a growing food delivery

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