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Uber London loses licence to operate

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#491

Post by stale2002 »

PaulRobinson wrote: post #284
mittermayr wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

True, but not taken seriously by cab drivers. I've had many broken card machines in a black cab, and when challenged, it almost always lead to a, "alrite, get out mate" — or a, "well I can try if it works again, it didn't earlier..." I didn't report them, and with their ongoing nonsense and this now, I'll definitely make sure I will from here on forward.

You absolutely 100% must report them. Seriously. Every time. It's the only way we make it better for everybody. The requirement for it to always be available is a new one - it was introduced in recent months. So if your experience pre-date that, that behaviour may have changed. If it hasn't you absolutely 100% need to report the driver to TfL.

There is a much easier way to make things better for everyone.

The easier way is to use a service that doesn't suck, and let the services that DO suck go out of business.

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#492

Post by vizzah »

k-mcgrady wrote: post #360
vizzah wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 ca…

I always thought AL required pre-booking. Can I get a car to my door/where ever I'm standing in 3-5 minutes?

Sure you can. Nearest car is shown on the map and in my experience there was always something very close. Just choose "NOW" and it'll get booked. Besides, comparing pre-booking, it's done properly with AL, because it sends you a confirmation right away after driver accepts. With Uber the system would simply "schedule" your booking for the time specified and then fire request up as usual. Which means you're at a mercy of nearby driver's acceptance. And you have a false expectations that the pre-booking is more timely assured.

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#493

Post by SilasX »

vertex-four wrote: post #385
tomblomfield wrote: post #372

I don't think the Mayor of London or TfL really expect to shut down Uber. It would be a deeply unpopular move. There's an acceptance that Uber has improved things for riders, albeit at the expense of the Black Cab industry, and London wants to welcome innovative technology firms. However, I also suspect that Uber hasn't been as co-operative as TfL would like on several issues mentioned, and so this feels like a warni…

They already had a warning shot four months ago, when their license renewal was denied in favour of a temporary renewal for four months. This one is the next step in the process. Uber isn't magic - if there's pent-up demand for a company that fills Uber's boots, one will pop up. The issues TfL have with Uber aren't to do with the service they provide, it's failing to comply with TfL's administrative requirements. You…

>You could easily build a company that does what Uber does in London without the hate for local Government that is ingrained into Uber's culture - and there already are a number of minicab companies that do what Uber does, just minus quite as fancy an app.

But that just begs, er, fully reduces to the question of ... why haven't they? Is a slick, user-friendly app really that much of a barrier? The article has tweets that are (nominally) from users who are freaking about being able to get a safe ride home late at night, so they at least believe there aren't good substitutes.

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#494

Post by matthewrudy »

iand wrote: post #95
matthewrudy wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is an important piece of information missing from the article. Namely this is not out of the blue.

It's in the article.

I think they updated it a lot after my comment.

Apologies that it's no longer correct.

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#496

Post by stale2002 »

jerf wrote: post #380
microcolonel wrote: post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

Every company should attempt to be the best in their field, yes. However, that does not in general encompass taking vast piles of VC money to run a loss-leader service for years and years on end in an attempt to monopolize an entire sector by undercutting all the competition that has to actually make a profit pretty much every quarter, with their valuation almost entirely based on the idea that they can succeed and t…

There aren't really any barriers to entry for local taxis.

Uber really can't just put the entire world out of business.

Undercutting competition just meana VC funded cheap rides for consumers.

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#497

Post by taormina »

SilasX wrote: post #493
vertex-four wrote: post #385

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They already had a warning shot four months ago, when their license renewal was denied in favour of a temporary renewal for four months. This one is the next step in the process. Uber isn't magic - if there's pent-up demand for a company that fills Uber's boots, one will pop up. The issues TfL have with Uber aren't to do with the service they provide, it's failing to comply with TfL's administrative requirements. You…

>You could easily build a company that does what Uber does in London without the hate for local Government that is ingrained into Uber's culture - and there already are a number of minicab companies that do what Uber does, just minus quite as fancy an app. But that just begs, er, fully reduces to the question of ... why haven't they? Is a slick, user-friendly app really that much of a barrier? The article has tweets…

Frankly, it happened in Austin. Lyft and Uber threw a hissy fit and the market was happy to fill in the gaps.

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#498

Post by sol_remmy »

vertex-four wrote: post #385
tomblomfield wrote: post #372

I don't think the Mayor of London or TfL really expect to shut down Uber. It would be a deeply unpopular move. There's an acceptance that Uber has improved things for riders, albeit at the expense of the Black Cab industry, and London wants to welcome innovative technology firms. However, I also suspect that Uber hasn't been as co-operative as TfL would like on several issues mentioned, and so this feels like a warni…

They already had a warning shot four months ago, when their license renewal was denied in favour of a temporary renewal for four months. This one is the next step in the process. Uber isn't magic - if there's pent-up demand for a company that fills Uber's boots, one will pop up. The issues TfL have with Uber aren't to do with the service they provide, it's failing to comply with TfL's administrative requirements. You…

> You could easily build a company that does what Uber does in London without the hate for local Government that is ingrained into Uber's culture

You act like Uber flaunting local flaws is a flaw for the company. Ignoring 10,000 different sets of local laws in all the localities Uber operates is what made them successful.

It would have been impossible to expand as much as they had if the bothered dealing with the local bureaucrats, and they would have 10,000 sets of compliance to deal with.

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#499

Post by toomuchtodo »

sjcsjc wrote: post #444
boothead wrote: post #440

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I already got the begging email asking me to sign the petition. You're right that this feels like the wrong tone!

I signed it.

Valuing ethics over consumerism requires time and life experience.

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#500

Post by vertex-four »

sol_remmy wrote: post #498
vertex-four wrote: post #385

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They already had a warning shot four months ago, when their license renewal was denied in favour of a temporary renewal for four months. This one is the next step in the process. Uber isn't magic - if there's pent-up demand for a company that fills Uber's boots, one will pop up. The issues TfL have with Uber aren't to do with the service they provide, it's failing to comply with TfL's administrative requirements. You…

> You could easily build a company that does what Uber does in London without the hate for local Government that is ingrained into Uber's culture You act like Uber flaunting local flaws is a flaw for the company. Ignoring 10,000 different sets of local laws in all the localities Uber operates is what made them successful. It would have been impossible to expand as much as they had if the bothered dealing with the loc…

Indeed. Perhaps it would be difficult to replicate what Uber did in SF and other US cities without breaking regulations - but in London, their model is perfectly replicable, as evidenced by the fact that they were originally given a license by TfL.
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