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Uber London loses licence to operate

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#171

Post by vizzah »

k-mcgrady wrote: post #47
scaryclam wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

>> Uber literally made no impact on the quality if life to your average Londoner and won't be missed. As a Londoner I dispute that claim. It's made a huge difference for a lot of people. Until the night tube's arrival last year getting home from late nights out was expensive, difficult, or impossible. It's quite useful when moving flat - something younger Londoners tend to do quite a lot. I had to go somewhere with s…

I read what many Londoners say about Uber like they never heard about Addison Lee cabs, which existed years before, offer a nice app, professional drivers and fixed tariffs. Last time I checked, tariffs were about 20% higher than Uber. But depending on congestion, could end up cheaper. Most of my friends were praising Uber, but I was warning them that their prices are unsustainable and slightly higher easy-to-hail cab services with apps have been for years on the market largely unnoticed by hipsters ;-)

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#172

Post by kbart »

nikanj wrote: post #116
Nursie wrote: post #40

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 profi…

Most Uber-sized companies squirrel the profits to tax havens in the Caribbean. Getting the profits to the reach of the US tax system would be unexpected.

That's why many people prefer small, local cab companies that pay license fees and taxes to a local budget.

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#173

Post by salcoco »

FreeRadical wrote: post #143
Nursie wrote: post #40

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 profi…

More UK cabs need to start allowing cars payments. Instead they use their local monopolies to force cash use and under declare taxable income.

"You wanna pay £8 with card? Really?"

That's when I stopped using black cabs.

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#174

Post by Nursie »

microcolonel wrote: post #165
Nursie wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> Who said anything about them seeking to become a worldwide cab monopoly? They behave as if they are attempting this, IMHO. >> They are a cab company I believe, depending on which way the wind was blowing, they might dispute this. Their argument is that they are not a cab company, merely a service for connecting drivers and potential passengers. This is how they avoid pesky things like employment laws. >> Any other…

> They behave as if they are attempting this, IMHO. Every rational company should behave as if they're attempting to become a monopoly, this is a completely meaningless point to argue either way.

This is like the idea that every rational company must skirt the very edges of the law, regardless of good ethics, to maximise profit.

I don't personally believe either to be true, and I do believe there's a very real difference between out-competing the competition and using a ton of VC money to undercut them, or skirting rules and regulations that may add cost.

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#175

Post by Nursie »

KyeRussell wrote: post #170
bko wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I don't want to give any business to a company that are seeking to become a worldwide cab monopoly You don't have to use their service

For now, sure, but you may have missed the word "monopoly". Fact is, Uber is running an unsustainable business in a lot of markets to gain market share. It's anticompetitive business practice. Free market fanboys will argue that the issue will fix itself after Uber raises prices - thus allowing more healthy competition, but this takes time. Not everyone can drive or rely on public transportation. In modern society, t…

> Free market fanboys will argue that the issue will fix itself after Uber raises prices - thus allowing more healthy competition

Yup, by which time the current players may well have been driven out by the undercutting. Not really a sign of 'healthy' competition.

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#176

Post by KyeRussell »

cm2187 wrote: post #141
iamben wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I'd rather be raped that do another ride in a black cab. These things have no suspension whatsoever, and are louder than a truck (which matters a lot if you are trying to sleep in a quiet street). Uber minicabs tend to drive a Toyota Prius which is way more comfortable and silent.

You'd rather get raped? What a disgusting thoughtless comment.

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#177

Post by oneeyedpigeon »

collyw wrote: post #63
googleme wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I could not disagree more - often times, especially if travelling with multiple people it is far more convenient, comfortable and can even be more affordable than taking public transport. While I agree that London has great public transport, Uber has been a game changer for myself and many people I know.

>"While I agree that London has great public transport" This must be a different London from the one I was in ten years ago.

What about London public transport do you think isn't great? Compared to anywhere else in the country, it's leaps and bounds ahead.

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#178

Post by eadz »

While I don't particularly feel good about the business model and lack of employee rights etc, one thing I prefer Uber for over Black Cabs is the pollution.

Many Ubers are Toyota Purises. Black cabs have 2.7L Diesel engines which contribute to London's terrible air quality.

Especially as I often see black cabs without passengers driving around - not sure if the're looking for rides or not, but there is no reason for an Uber driver do be doing the same - I see them waiting with the engine off.

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#179

Post by kbart »

snakeanus wrote: post #142
Nursie wrote: post #40

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 profi…

> app-driven Does that mean that you can only order for a cab via an app? Or are apps an alternative?

I'm not an original OP, but in my city there's a centralized call center and several apps -- you may choose to use whichever you prefer as most cab companies support all or at least many of them.

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#180

Post by alex_duf »

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.

Or the card machine that is "broken"
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