--- description: Taxi drivers in the city hope that the mayor will shut down the app title: Boston Taxi Drivers Protest Uber with Rolling Rally image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6be20fb21aabe74c/6986909f06f2c14a2f32f049/uber1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Tech](/tag/time-section-tech/) ## Tech Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Boston Cabbies Protest Uber With 'Rolling Rally'  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent May 22, 2014 10:15 PM CUT  The shadow of Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida, is seen during an event at the Uber Technologies Inc. office in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, March 24, 2014\. Rubio addressed the need to adapt antiquated government regulations to increase economic opportunities for the 21st century and outdated regulations limit consumer choice. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images The shadow of Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida, is seen during an event at the Uber Technologies Inc. office in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, March 24, 2014\. Rubio addressed the need to adapt antiquated government regulations to increase economic opportunities for the 21st century and outdated regulations limit consumer choice. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesAndrew Harrer—Bloomberg/Getty Images  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent May 22, 2014 10:15 PM CUT The Boston Taxi Driver’s Association (BTDA) held a “rolling rally” outside Uber’s Boston headquarters Thursday afternoon to protest the app that allows users to request a car through their phone, Boston.com [reports](http://www.boston.com/business/technology/2014/05/22/boston-taxi-drivers-hold-rally-shut-down-uber/5fLnhOEWls556Cmg6zyaAL/story.html "undefined"). Uber, which allows users to watch the driver approach their pickup site on a map, has stolen cab company business: according to a BTDA release, Uber has cut taxi business by 30 percent. The taxi drivers have argued that because Uber is unregulated its car service poses a public safety threat. Uber drivers are not vetted by the city. Uber says that its customer rating system guarantees quality: after each ride a customer rates the driver, and anyone with a rating below four stars receives a reprimand. Taxis circled the headquarters from 2 p.m. until 3 p.m. Thursday honking as they went. > [](https://twitter.com/melissah528/status/469546845300342784) Many Twitter users complained of the loud noise and the seeming inefficiency of the protest. > [](https://twitter.com/heidihitch/status/469552333500989440) > [](https://twitter.com/melgotserved/status/469542475527647234) > [](https://twitter.com/FColagiovanni/status/469559299166191616) \[[_Boston.com_](http://www.boston.com/business/technology/2014/05/22/boston-taxi-drivers-hold-rally-shut-down-uber/5fLnhOEWls556Cmg6zyaAL/story.html "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/109812/uber-protest-boston-rolling-rally/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/109812/uber-protest-boston-rolling-rally/"},"headline":"Boston Cabbies Protest Uber With 'Rolling Rally'","datePublished":"2014-05-22T22:15:25.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:02:19.199Z","description":"Taxi drivers in the city hope the mayor will shut down the app","url":"https://time.com/109812/uber-protest-boston-rolling-rally/","keywords":["Tech","apps","Companies","Uber","taxis"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6be20fb21aabe74c/6986909f06f2c14a2f32f049/uber1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eliana Dockterman","jobTitle":"Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6be20fb21aabe74c/6986909f06f2c14a2f32f049/uber1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Uber","caption":"Uber","creditText":"Andrew Harrer—Bloomberg/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/109812/uber-protest-boston-rolling-rally/","name":"Boston Cabbies Protest Uber With 'Rolling Rally'"}}]}] ```