Uber has license pulled..

[GeeJayW]

Interesting. I wondered how long it would be before the rug was pulled out from under this.

Uber London licence not renewed

Edit - Oops, I always get confused about licence vs license....

 

[HorseandJockey]

IMHO Great news for the London cabbies

 

[markjay]

I have both an Uber account and a MyTaxi (previously Hailo) account and in London I have always used the latter - I prefer black cabs even if they are dearer.

However, I do find Uber very useful outside London and abroad, it saves the hassle of having to look up a local cab company.

 

[Londonscottish]

Uber is one of my guilty secrets. I use it all the time in London.

The cars are usually pretty new and clean, the drivers very friendly.

The company is clearly run by unethical knobs but they massively subsidise the cost of my journeys and I can get one any time of night or day anywhere in the capital.

But the best thing is that 75% of the time I get to glide around in the back of a Prius rather than having my teeth rattled out on some old diesel chugger.

 

[markjay]

This is obviously a victory for those political elements who relentlessly campaigned against Uber during the past few years... but at any rate I think there is very little we can say here... perhpas this discussion should move to the UK Politics thread.

 

[ToeKnee]

but they massively subsidise the cost of my journeys

I think you'll fond it was the minicab driver that was subsidising your costs by accepting a lower fare from uber.

 

[Mactech]

I can't remember the last time I used a taxi, and I have never used Uber. My Londoner nephew arrived at our local Congleton train station and thought his app had broken as no cabs were showing
Guess who had to collect him
....mind you, I have never lived anywhere with mains gas, so I'm not really a city boy

 

[BTB 500]

I can't remember the last time I used a taxi, and I have never used Uber.

Same here, and I've worked in London for 35 years!

 

[Mactech]

Same here, and I've worked in London for 35 years!

Oh! you poor thing....I simply couldn't do that!

 

[Londonscottish]

I think you'll fond it was the minicab driver that was subsidising your costs by accepting a lower fare from uber.

I'm not sure. I always though that they were subsidising both passenger and driver. In some parts of the US they are actually paying the driver more that the fair.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/ellenh...pay-drivers-more-than-they-earn/#65411f241011

But anyway, given the choice of an expensive clattery TX4, a mid-price clattery (and filthy) Vectra diesel or a cheap and serenely quiet Prius it's the Prius every time for me.

 

[davidjpowell]

Looking at the revenues in London, this is not the last we have heard about this.

 

[Yugguy]

I. My Londoner nephew arrived at our local Congleton train station and thought his app had broken as no cabs were showing

This is why public transport is so shite outside cities, cos the powers that be all live in London and dont realise that the other 95% of the UK bears absolutely no relation to it.

 

[Stratman]

Odds-on they'll get it back on appeal.

There's too much big money backing them for this to be allowed.

 

[E63S]

No way Uber will accept the ruling. Various appeals to come, no doubt.

Obviously the owners of Uber are ethically questionable, but in my view, competition against the black cabs is fair game. For years they have held a monopoly, been complacent, and their fares have risen well beyond the level of inflation. Yet, when someone comes along and undercuts their extortionate fares all the drivers moan. Do they seriously expect the public to pay 3x more just for the benefit of sitting in a black cab? The drivers really are no better, despite having passed “the knowledge”. They all use sat nav/AtoZ.

This could have been solved years ago if TFL had realised that they needed to do something about the runaway pricing of public transport in central london, then Uber would have been just another niche app, and not grown to the size it is now.

 

[tylerdurden]

Love uber on many levels. Cashless, GPS tracking, see pic of driver, know ref of car, can reject rides till I get a car I'm happy with, rerouting , the list goes on.

This really is the future of cabbing till driverless comes online.

I really do hope they successfully appeal this

 

[WG M-B]

Black cabbies have to undergo 'the knowledge', which is the equivalent to 'a degree' so I'm told.
So why should some random guy be allowed to grab a car on finance, get a licence, and drive folk around without any background checks?
Why should black taxi drivers have to play to a totally different set of rules?
I'd never get the the app or get in an uber cab, no thanks.

Ryanair anyone?

 

[m2287]

Black cabbies have to undergo 'the knowledge', which is the equivalent to 'a degree' so I'm told.
So why should some random guy be allowed to grab a car on finance, get a licence, and drive folk around without any background checks?
Why should black taxi drivers have to play to a totally different set of rules?
I'd never get the the app or get in an uber cab, no thanks.

Ryanair anyone?

Because I don't need some with a degree to drive me across London, I need someone with a car, driving license, tax, insurance and a sat nav!

 

[LTD]

In Glasgow, Uber drivers must apply for a Private Hire licence.

That should ensure that the drivers are vetted and properly insured.

Cars are also limited to a certain age - unlike some black clunkers.

Is this the same for other cities ?

 

[WG M-B]

I'm sure they will get their own way.
You crack on and get to where you need to go fast and cheap

 

[E63S]

There are going to be an awful lot of people defaulting on their Toyota Prius PCP deals...

Just last week I went in a 2017 S Class uber. The guy had spent nearly £100k on this car in order to be able to provide an Uber Lux service. I dread to think what he’s going to do now.