Uber London loses licence to operate • Hacker News Board

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#91

Post by k-mcgrady » Fri, Sep 22, 2017, 10:52 AM UTC

Certhas wrote: post #81

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…

Where does the cost saving vs black cabs come from? Is it from drivers working for less mostly (I have seen example calculations that claim that)? Then the fundamental innovation of Uber is not to make things more efficient but to eliminate labor laws, workers safe guards and unions. In my books, your convenience is not really a good argument for getting rid of those.

I think you've missed my point. I agree with Uber losing their license. They need to be a better corporate citizen. I think they can do that and still offer a lot of benefits.

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#92

Post by DrNuke » Fri, Sep 22, 2017, 10:52 AM UTC

pavlakoos wrote: post #34

k-mcgrady wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 Except for the governments fighting with concepts which disrupt current, inconvenient and outdated state of things.

In principle, being regulated means you adhere to some sort of code of conduct and are fully accountable for whatever goes wrong on your side, which is seldom the case with do-it-yourself solutions... in the latter case, you are basically on your own and good luck, aka roulette. Many people find it unsafe for several reasons not difficult to figure out.

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#93

Post by Nursie » Fri, Sep 22, 2017, 10:52 AM UTC

grecy wrote: post #79

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…

> a company that are seeking to become a worldwide cab monopoly Who said anything about them seeking to become a worldwide cab monopoly? They are a cab company, expanding globally. Any other company can do that too, if they want.

>> 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 company can do that too, if they want.

Few others have the access to VC money that Uber do - I would consider this reliance on an absolute ton of investment, which allows them to operate at the prices they do, to be something of a market distortion.

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#94

Post by emodendroket » Fri, Sep 22, 2017, 10:53 AM UTC

grecy wrote: post #79

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…

> a company that are seeking to become a worldwide cab monopoly Who said anything about them seeking to become a worldwide cab monopoly? They are a cab company, expanding globally. Any other company can do that too, if they want.

Seeking a monopoly seems to be a big part of their business plan or else why would they be offering fares which are so low they lose money for years?

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#95

Post by iand » Fri, Sep 22, 2017, 10:53 AM UTC

matthewrudy wrote: post #78

iam-TJ wrote: post #23

This is after the original (5 year) renewal in May 2017 was not granted and they only got a 4-month extension which expires Sept 30th. So Uber have been on-notice since May that they need to comply with the regulator's requirements for an operators license and haven't done so.

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

It's in the article.

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#96

Post by Herald_MJ » Fri, Sep 22, 2017, 10:53 AM UTC

tallanvor wrote: post #61

w4tson wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 short…

They're required to accept cards and can't make you pay with cash. Just tell them you don't have cash, and they'll make sure their card reader starts working.

> Just tell them you don't have cash, and they'll make sure their card reader starts working.

They will actually usually just suggest driving past an ATM so you can get them cash.

A good alternative that usually works is if you suggest paying them with a cheque. Usually then their card reader will magically start working.

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#97

Post by klausjensen » Fri, Sep 22, 2017, 10:54 AM UTC

geocar wrote: post #86

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…

> none of these are as convenient or cost effective as Uber. I disagree, and let me tell you why: https://i.imgur.com/JITqdiP.png I have blocked out the location of my home and the identity of my "driver", but this guy shouldn't be driving, let alone driving a passenger. I'm never riding Uber again. > I can see the night tube getting a lot more use but I know quite a few people who don't like to take it after having…

I am not 100% sure what I am looking at in that pic...

Does it show that he took a massive detour (presumably to extract more money from you)?

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#98

Post by SamColes » Fri, Sep 22, 2017, 10:54 AM UTC

tallanvor wrote: post #61

w4tson wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 short…

They're required to accept cards and can't make you pay with cash. Just tell them you don't have cash, and they'll make sure their card reader starts working.

Try that at 3am and see if the cab driver cares.

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#99

Post by peoplewindow » Fri, Sep 22, 2017, 10:54 AM UTC

tallanvor wrote: post #61

w4tson wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 short…

They're required to accept cards and can't make you pay with cash. Just tell them you don't have cash, and they'll make sure their card reader starts working.

Mini cabs are just as bad. I had one last week that was ordered by a top hotel, the hotel told me the guy accepts cards, the guy had card logos on the window, then when we arrive at the airport he tells me he'll add £10 to the bill if I want to pay with cards. I was this close to telling to go fuck himself and charge me the right amount on the card, but had a plane to catch and didn't want to waste time fighting so I went to an ATM and went back with the cash.

Uber may not be a perfect regulator, but it's apparently "good enough" and that's what the existing incumbent regulator can't stand - their own efforts to make cab drivers behave appear to be worse than what the private sector can provide.

But hey, what do Londoners expect when they voted in a Labour (left wing) mayor whose first act was to freeze the cost of public transport, thus gutting TfL's budget. Londoners also elected Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbott. They don't get to turn around now and complain about excessive regulation killing off businesses they don't like!

Re: Uber London loses licence to operate

#100

Post by emodendroket » Fri, Sep 22, 2017, 10:55 AM UTC

88 wrote: post #54

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.

Agree with the first part of your comment, as it relates to black cabs. Only wealthy or hapless Londoners use them. Otherwise they’re just a tourist attraction. Strongly disagree with the latter part. My impression was that Uber, through price and convenience, created significant demand for Private Hire travel in London where it didn’t previously exist.

> My impression was that Uber, through price and convenience, created significant demand for Private Hire travel in London where it didn’t previously exist.

That may or may not actually be positive.