The release of the #UberFiles in France has made me want to re-read my own file on Uber and taxis…
Back in July 2015, I wrote a very long post on the legality of Uber and its methods in Morocco. And what struck me on re-reading it was the similarity of the methods with what the Uber Files reveal.
High-level consultant profiles
At the time, I suggested that the Managing Director of Uber Morocco, who had no management experience, had been chosen as much for her address book (“big family”, “entries everywhere”) as for her profile as a brilliant consultant (no irony intended).
She is basically a consultant and a financial expert (bank, Boston Consulting Group).
In other words, the same profile as Emmanuel Macron, the minister-turned-president under investigation in France.
Over-praise and lobbying in the posts
Uber Morocco did not have the resources to invest in in-depth economic studies to show just how beneficial its service would be in Morocco. However, it did not hesitate to use the results of other studies, in other countries, without of course weighting them so that they corresponded to the Moroccan reality.
On the other hand, there was a flurry of laudatory posts in the ‘press’, explaining all the advantages of Uber and the extent to which Moroccans were just waiting for this service. The now-defunct HuffPost, in particular, did a great job, reprinting the entire Uber press release, and in particular
Legally, Uber is a service company “working in partnership with tourist transport companies”.
Exactly…
Uber in Morocco as in France “I’m illegal but I don’t give a damn”.
This was also the attitude of Uber in Morocco.
At the time, I believe I was the only one to expose the total illegality of Uber’s activity in Morocco, a country that has not yet experienced the economic liberalisation that has been imposed on France. The Moroccan government had to take Uber to court before it finally gave up in 2018, as it was unable to change Moroccan legislation as it saw fit.
Uber, for its part
Can you feel the b***sh*t now?
And so, for three years, while recognising that these “constructive advances” needed to be made, Uber operated in Morocco.
Uber Files and Morocco
I don’t think Morocco is mentioned in the Uber Files.
Firstly, because Uber simply failed in Morocco.
But also because certain tactics are unthinkable in Morocco. When I read
in Morocco, the result would have been quite the opposite. Moreover, there has been violence against Uber drivers, and there are still tensions with Careem drivers, but frankly, nobody cares.
The impact of Uber on Moroccan taxis
The situation of taxis in Morocco is complicated, between poor people who work hard for very little (the drivers) and the licence holders, who are now exploiting a privilege, the ‘grima’.
Paradoxically, the Uber affair has, I think, strengthened the system by blocking all power against the idea of changing the legal framework. And that’s a shame…
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