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Uber London loses licence to operate

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#31

Post by iamben »

sambe wrote: post #16

When I have reported black cab drivers misleading passengers, lying about pricing and regulations or bus drivers driving dangerously and being rude to everyone, TfL are totally uninterested. They give the impression that they know the scams operate and don't care. It's an interesting comparison with my Uber experience, which has been almost flawless and issues are usually fixed by Uber themselves promptly.

Last time my (getting rather elderly) mother came to London I told her and her husband to get an Uber as it was easier than them standing in the rain trying to hail a cab.

They flatly refused. They'd been told by a black cab driver the night before there was a 'strong possibility' they would get raped or robbed by 'foreign' drivers.

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#32

Post by dogma1138 »

gtsteve wrote: post #25
k-mcgrady wrote: post #3

I don't understand why Uber can't get their shit together. In the US they have competition from Lyft and I can almost understand why they have to push the boundaries. In London they have very little competition and therefore don't need to engage is controversial business practices. Personally I don't see what my alternative will be if their service ceases, they have that little competition. Although I am kind of anno…

There's MyTaxi, Gett and Addison Lee has an app. I used to use Hailo before it became MyTaxi. It's certainly not as cost-effective but what I did like were the flat-rate rides you could get. They weren't black cabs, but more like Uber Luxes or Uber Execs and probably 20% cheaper than black cabs. With Uber gone, I'm sure the market would provide something else.

And Kabbee which just unifies all car hires.

In London Uber was the cheapest for short drives < 15-20 min for pretty much everything beyond that the reverse bid system or Kabbee provided cheaper fares.

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#33

Post by alexfoo »

k-mcgrady wrote: post #6
superpope99 wrote: post #2

So, what does this actually mean? Will Uber not be able to operate in London, or will it just not be sanctioned by TFL?

Supposedly they can't operate legally after 30th Sept unless some temporary transitional agreement is put in place.

If they don't appeal their license expires on 30th September.

"The Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998 includes provision to appeal a licensing decision within 21 days of it being communicated to the applicant. Uber London Limited can continue to operate until any appeal processes have been exhausted."

So they will leave it to late September to launch an appeal, and whilst the appeal process is ongoing they can continue to operate.

How long they can push it after the 30th September isn't known as I've no idea what the TfL appeal process involves.

Alongside the reasons in the link (crime reporting, medical certificates, DBS checks, greyball) it's probably also got something to do with the huge increase in license fee: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/uber-licensing-cos...

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#34

Post by pavlakoos »

k-mcgrady wrote: post #22
pavlakoos wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But there is a license for that: a driving license. And the one which is given allows to drive a car with passengers inside. It should be enough...

There's a difference between driving another person from A to B and charging that person. As a comparison you can invite a friend to your house and cook for them. If you start charging people for that there will be food safety regulations etc. you need to comply with.

So perhaps adding the insurance for Uber drivers would solve the issue? I really don't see other reason. Except for the governments fighting with concepts which disrupt current, inconvenient and outdated state of things.

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#35

Post by iamben »

scaryclam wrote: post #28
k-mcgrady wrote: post #3

I don't understand why Uber can't get their shit together. In the US they have competition from Lyft and I can almost understand why they have to push the boundaries. In London they have very little competition and therefore don't need to engage is controversial business practices. Personally I don't see what my alternative will be if their service ceases, they have that little competition. Although I am kind of anno…

To be honest, few people here in London bother with taxis. Public transport is very good, can be faster than sitting in traffic, and is cheaper. Most folks ordering taxis either don't know where they are going, missed the last train or are wealthy enough to not care about the cost. Uber literally made no impact on the quality if life to your average Londoner and won't be missed.

This seems rather subjective?

Anecdotally, many of my friends and colleagues use Uber frequently, especially at night.

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#37

Post by w4tson »

xedarius wrote: post #20

Is this the first domino? Will France (and other European countries) then turn around and say, ah oui we too don't think Uber is fit to operate. Uber is pretty crappy in London, I had one the other night and the guy wasn't even the guy who's picture was on the app (yes the driver did not match the registered uber driver). This is before we even get onto the fact that he didn't know where he was going.

This happens all the time in black cabs. My wife and I rely on uber all the time. It feels right for a city like London. This is a step backwards in my opinion

I’d like to add that most black cab drivers make out like their card machine doesn’t work. It’s a total cash scam to avoid VAT. I’ve had a black cab deny picking me up before because I didn’t want taking very far (I had a twisted ankle and just wanted to shorten my walk home)

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#38

Post by dagw »

k-mcgrady wrote: post #3

I don't understand why Uber can't get their shit together. In the US they have competition from Lyft and I can almost understand why they have to push the boundaries. In London they have very little competition and therefore don't need to engage is controversial business practices. Personally I don't see what my alternative will be if their service ceases, they have that little competition. Although I am kind of anno…

Last time I was in the UK I tried Gett, and at least for the few rides I used it for it worked perfectly fine. Even at 2am.

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#39

Post by treerock »

anilgulecha wrote: post #11

Full details: https://twitter.com/BBCBreaking/status/911175207871762432 Criteria failed on: 1) Criminal reporting 2) Medical certificates 3) something about DBS checks 4) Use of Greyball to identify and block regulators. Edit: Updated to new tweet.. they deleted the original

Thanks for that. It's pretty bad that the BBC posts more information in a tweet than they do on their new article.

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#40

Post by Nursie »

If they can't or won't reform then excellent, let's be rid of them.

I don't want to give any business to a company that are seeking to become a worldwide cab monopoly, and squirrel away any profits to the US. We have a perfectly healthy cab ecosystem in my city, app-driven and with fare competition and city regulation. Which I suppose is why Uber, though present, hasn't really taken off here.

That said, talk of profits may be a little early and AFAICT they're losing money by the fistful. Which kinda says that they're engaging in some dodgy market distortion to me...

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