L'impact de l'arrivée d'Uber sur la rentabilité de l'industrie du taxi, étude de la Région Bruxelles-Capitale

Abstract

All around the world, new companies are creating and joining a new economic model. The activity of these companies is based on their platforms. Through these, the potential customers and sellers are connected. This model is called « sharing economy ». The sharing is not a new idea, but sell through the disposal technology widens the scale. This model does not change what we consume, but the way we consume (Petit, 2016). The studies show that this phenomenon will take more and more scale in the coming years.

In the light of this phenomenon dimension, it pushes aside the traditional companies. Indeed, it leaves nobody indifferent. Generally, the sharing economy companies do not follow the current regulations. It is the case of the company « Uber ». It is a platform which gets in touch people who want a race and people who propose transports. Uber attacks an ancestral sector, which operates with national regulations. The Brussels-Capital Region did not escape this phenomenon. Nowadays, more than 500 vehicles from Uber circulate in the capital streets. This company is, all around the world and including in Brussels, hauled before the court for unfair competition. Uber, which is not respecting the regulations, would allow to propose taxi industry similar services, at unbeatable prices. Monopolizing a part, at least, of the demand, this company arrival would damage the financial health of the sector companies.

With this report, entitled « The impact of the Uber arrival on the profitability of the taxi industry, study of the Brussels-Capital Region », we would like to highlight the reasons of the sharing economy appearance, the stake that it represents for the future, an understanding of the Uber functioning and its implications in the taxi industry. Then, an financial health analysis of the sector will be made trough major actors interviews and taxi industry companies financial statement analysis. The objective of the research is to compare the theoretical and practical results and provide a clarification of the situation of the Belgium market.