Uber to lose license in London today ?

Seagull1989 · Sep 22, 2017

studio150 said:
Given that taxi drivers can not turn down fares based on short hops I would have challenged the cabbie and told him I would be making a complaint to TFL and taken the reg number and taxi plate number.
Same with the £50 cabbie they are not permitted to inflate short hop fares so again I would have challenged him and complained.

I certainly would not have paid £50. As others have said walk or shuttle bus if the cabbies were happy for you to complain rather than saying yes you're right jump in.

The problem was that I had forgotten something at the Hotel had to get there and back quickly to make my flight so couldn't get a shuttle bus in time .

They said that they could refuse the fare as they have something called , "A fares fair" or something along these lines

Seagull kimchi · Sep 22, 2017

First world problems crack me up.

kingcole · Sep 22, 2017

It's the old world trying to prevent the new world.

I hope this gets sorted as Uber has been a huge improvement on the local mini cabs.

I'm not normally one for petitions but this appeal has already get close on 150k signatories. I was just emailed it by Uber.

https://www.change.org/p/save-your-...p_basic_share&utm_term=share_email_responsive

Ernest · Sep 22, 2017

kingcole said:
It's the old world trying to prevent the new world.

I hope this gets sorted as Uber has been a huge improvement on the local mini cabs.

I'm not normally one for petitions but this appeal has already get close on 150k signatories. I was just emailed it by Uber.

https://www.change.org/p/save-your-...p_basic_share&utm_term=share_email_responsive

So hardly an independent petition

NooBHA · Sep 22, 2017

Not once have I ever used an Uber as I live in the city centre. I walk everywhere or I take public transport. If I need a cab which is very rarely, I stop one in the street.

My thoughts on Uber are that they provide a great service if you want to use them and they operate no differently from any other cab office where all the drivers are self employed. Those people looking to be treated as employees would be the first one to object if Uber dictated to them when they worked and when they didn't work. That's the ''acid test'' as to whether someone is self employed or not - Does a ''master and servant'' relationship exist in that an employer dictates hours worked.

Uber do avoid Employers NIC by keeping their workers on a self employed basis. That's the gripe I have and only that because drivers can go work elsewhere if they don't like working alongside Uber but they won't because they know that they don't have to go out and generate their own work.

So even although I have never used Uber I do think they provide an excellent service and it would be sad to see open market competition removed in that industry

Lyndhurst 14 · Sep 22, 2017

Springal said:
Turned down. NY next ?

Unlikely to happen. NYC is already heavily regulated and most people see Uber as a positive influence as it has forced the yellow cabs (who, like London cabbies, had a near monopoly) to up their game and reduced the unlicensed dodgy drivers who plague people at JFK airport before dropping them off in the Bronx and trying to extort $100. There are also at least 3 other similar companies who have sprung up – Lyft, Via and Gett – who are giving Uber a run for their money, and there is now UberPool which is their ride sharing company.

Kaiser_Soze · Sep 22, 2017

hans kraay fan club said:
I'm not disputing the assault claims / stats, but I genuinely don't understand them.

If a teenage girl on her own needs to get home at 3am, from a club, she has two options:

The black cab model involves her waving down a cab, with an unknown driver (in theory, but not always the person the cab is licensed to), with no record of her doing so. Nobody knows whose cab she got into, nor where she was going.

The Uber model means she gets the name and image of the driver sent to her, so she can verify. The booked journey is documented and traceable, and crucially, the driver (if he should be some deviant sexual predator) KNOWS that he is fully traceable and identifiable.

How can the former be the SAFER model?

A large majority of black cabs have CCTV these days. Actual proof for the benefit of driver and passengers. It's all well and good having all the information of an Uber driver but if the allegation boils down to one word against another, it doesn't help.

Kaiser_Soze · Sep 22, 2017

Westdene Seagull said:
I've had that in Brighton - got off the train at Brighton Station and it was pouring with rain. Needed to go to the bottom of North Road and not one taxi rank cab would take me. Ordered an Uber and it was no problem.

There's plenty of tradesman on here. I'm sure they will have at some point, turned away jobs because they weren't worth there while. If I was a cabby i'd probably not be inclined to run you that short way for a £5 fare and then have to spend the next half hour queuing before I got another fare. While I appreciate it was a pain in the behind for you, it's a job and cabbies need to make money.

Johnny RoastBeef · Sep 22, 2017

Whether you like Uber or not, the cabbie's days are numbered.

The Uber business model doesn't have any drivers in the future. Just as Netflix used mail order as a stepping stone to streaming, ultimately killing off Blockbusters. Uber plan to corner the driverless car market by being cheaper and more convenient than owning a car.

Cabbies, or the human driver element, will be a thing of the past within 10 years, and owning your own car for personal use only will be a rarity not long after.

brightn'ove · Sep 22, 2017

Kaiser_Soze said:
There's plenty of tradesman on here. I'm sure they will have at some point, turned away jobs because they weren't worth there while. If I was a cabby i'd probably not be inclined to run you that short way for a £5 fare and then have to spend the next half hour queuing before I got another fare. While I appreciate it was a pain in the behind for you, it's a job and cabbies need to make money.

Problem is cabbies provide a service that thanks to sat nav is no longer a skilled trade, if that service is shit, you should be within your rights to choose a better alternative.

Many of the problems with black cabs are of their own making. People dislike them for a reason.

mikeyjh · Sep 22, 2017

soistes said:
This is (in my view) a good article about why the TfL decision is a sensible one
http://www.citymetric.com/transport...company-provide-cabs-london-here-s-why-s-good

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It is, indeed it makes the point many are missing, the ball has long been in Uber's court - That they continue to display the arrogance they do with their refusal to cooperate with regulators is baffling....

Weststander · Sep 22, 2017

NooBHA said:
Not once have I ever used an Uber as I live in the city centre. I walk everywhere or I take public transport. If I need a cab which is very rarely, I stop one in the street.

My thoughts on Uber are that they provide a great service if you want to use them and they operate no differently from any other cab office where all the drivers are self employed. Those people looking to be treated as employees would be the first one to object if Uber dictated to them when they worked and when they didn't work. That's the ''acid test'' as to whether someone is self employed or not - Does a ''master and servant'' relationship exist in that an employer dictates hours worked.

Uber do avoid Employers NIC by keeping their workers on a self employed basis. That's the gripe I have and only that because drivers can go work elsewhere if they don't like working alongside Uber but they won't because they know that they don't have to go out and generate their own work.

So even although I have never used Uber I do think they provide an excellent service and it would be sad to see open market competition removed in that industry

Good points on tax.

By contrast, do you know how Hackney and Minicab drivers operate tax wise? I know through experience, that the vast majority are self employed too. The public may see XYZ Cabs as the headline business with one telephone number, but normally that's the HQ and banner for a members association or (mutually trading) limited company. A call centre handles the bookings, which are then dished out to driver members (or their journeymen). The members pay subs for the central entity. But their individual takings are all theirs.

James O'Brien on LBC recently made an ill informed accusation, that Uber drivers are all unfairly avoid VAT by being under the registration threshold, whilst Hackney/Minibus drivers in effect have to lose 1/6 of their takings in VAT. In reality most cabbies are NOT VAT registered as their DECLARED takings are under the VAT threshold too.

My point being that there's not an unfair tax advantage to Uber drivers.

Before Uber appeared on the scene, the HMRC have targeted and continue to target taxi drivers. Taxi drivers don't hold the moral high ground over Uber drivers on tax affairs.

Westdene Seagull · Sep 22, 2017

Kaiser_Soze said:
There's plenty of tradesman on here. I'm sure they will have at some point, turned away jobs because they weren't worth there while. If I was a cabby i'd probably not be inclined to run you that short way for a £5 fare and then have to spend the next half hour queuing before I got another fare. While I appreciate it was a pain in the behind for you, it's a job and cabbies need to make money.

That's fine but then they are hardly in a position to complain when I use a service that didn't turn me down next time. Uber gave me the service I required so I used them again - not looked back since. Cabbies need to understand the principle of returning customers - even if occassionaly that means having a 'loss leader'.

NooBHA · Sep 22, 2017

Weststander said:
Good points on tax.

By contrast, do you know how Hackney and Minicab drivers operate tax wise? .

They are self employed

Thunder Bolt · Sep 22, 2017

Bozza said:
I suggest you think its a good article and a sensible decision because it coincides with your own view.

I suggest it's a shit article that I could pick apart line by line if I was bothered, and I say that as someone who is largely indifferent to Uber. Yes, I've used Uber in various places, London included, but most weeks and months I don't because I live in a sleepy Sussex town that Uber has not been interested in thus far.

The actual statement from TfL

https://twitter.com/TfL/status/911168235189489669

[tweet]911168235189489669[/tweet]

alfredmizen · Sep 22, 2017

The Spanish said:
So putting 8 billion of these Prius on the streets of London clogging up the place is helping is it. Buses are half empty in central London during the day and are less than two quid. Why everyone thinks they deserve a personal driver for cheap is beyond me.

I think it's brilliant this race to the bottom has been halted. Black cabs are great.

Spot on

Raleigh Chopper · Sep 22, 2017

Seagull1989 said:
The problem was that I had forgotten something at the Hotel had to get there and back quickly to make my flight so couldn't get a shuttle bus in time .

They said that they could refuse the fare as they have something called , "A fares fair" or something along these lines

They are not allowed to refuse fares at Heathrow (similar thing happened to me when I lived up the road in Northolt)
When they go in first time they have to go into a queuing system and they take a number and go to the terminal when the number pops up.
If they get a short distance fare they are allowed to queue jump on there return to Heathrow.
Brother in law is a black cab driver, I just called him about UBER he is happy but thinks they will contest it, and for clarification I asked him about the above and he confirmed it along with tickets for Arsenal that he can easily get hold of.

Giraffe · Sep 23, 2017

Very odd behaviour from the Muslim mayor.

BiffyBoy · Sep 24, 2017

I'm surprised people love black cabs so much. I was recently watching an online documentary titled "Fake Taxi" and I was astounded at some of their antics.

Nothing like that has ever happened to me in an Uber, and I always give 5 stars.

Justice · Sep 24, 2017

BiffyBoy said:
I'm surprised people love black cabs so much. I was recently watching an online documentary titled "Fake Taxi" and I was astounded at some of their antics.

Nothing like that has ever happened to me in an Uber, and I always give 5 stars.

It would if your a rough old brass who like riding in a taxi :lolol:

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