Is Uber turning into a responsible corporate citizen?In its seven years of existence, the San Francisco-based online transportation network has earned a reputation for riding roughshod over market sensibilities.In certain cities, including some in SA, protests have accompanied the arrival of the taxi service that allows consumers with smartphones to locate the nearest Uber driver — threatening the livelihoods of existing taxi drivers.Uber’s response has been that its presence is good for competition and that, anyway, you can’t halt progress. It says its growing suite of services is the future of urban transport and will cut congestion and pollution by reducing the need for private car use and even car ownership.Its we-know-best attitude has created endless controversy. But now Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty, head of Uber operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, says it’s time to pursue co-operation, not confrontation.Gore-Coty, who’s just been in Johannesburg to look at the local...
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