Uber vs. TfL
 

Uber is challenging TfL's decision not to renew their licence, as not a "fit and proper private hire operator"

https://www.theguardian.com/technolo...for-london-tfl

https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/pr...london-limited

I think they 30 days to appeal and can keep running while they are in appeal. Time to shape up or ship out :-)

From the Guardian:

"Uber has 21 days to appeal and can continue to operate until that process expires."

So they could still be around for some time. I rarely take a taxi in London but when I do it's a black cab.

Black cabs in London provide such excellent service. IME, the places where Uber is very successful are places where the taxi service is lousy.

True, black cabs are amazing but sometimes after a certain hour they refuse to go to the outer suburbs. Uber can be helpful at those time. Of course I am always home in bed by these times so don't have any issue with the black cabs :)

Still Addison Lee are considered acceptable as "fit and proper"
https://www.theguardian.com/environm...ycott-chairman
so Uber must be really bad.

"the places where Uber is very successful are places where the taxi service is lousy."

Does it "do well" in NEW YORK?

I'm sorry but my impression is that it does <B>best</B> where people where folks also want to SAVE MONEY or am I wrong about that?

Yes, you are wrong about that, as you have been told many, many times.

Sorry, Dukey is not wrong. When I use Uber it is consistently cheaper than taking a taxi; in Paris, London, San Francisco, Sydney, and Singapore.

In London I use black cabs and Uber. There are times when each is preferrable, in my opinion.

I think the reason the TfL was successful in this case is because of a really strong Black Cab union. It's the consumer and the 40,000 Uber drivers who are going to pay the price in this case.

Dukey believes that the only reason to use Uber is to save money, no matter how many times it has been discussed that reasons for using Uber vary.

For example, in busy midtown NYC, Uber is more annoying than simple hailing a cab. On a deserted street in Chelsea at 2am, Uber is easier. Cost is not always the deciding factor.

But Dukey doesn't use Uber, and for some reason likes to insinuate that only cheapskates do.

Newbe, WHY didn't you answer my question about New York? Perhaps it is because we disagree with that constitutes "lousy" cab service.

I suspect there are a LOT of reasons people use Uber and I suspect even in NYC which has scads of cabs it might make sense to get Uber since you can get them to come directly to you perhaps a bit more easily than others.

We have been told repeatedly how people "saved money" using Uber but since in spite of the assertion that I have been told something "many many times" I asked the question again and <B>look what happened</B>!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But Dukey doesn't use Uber, and for some reason likes to insinuate that only cheapskates do.

How do you KNOW what I use. Newbe? You DON'T. And because people sue something because it is cheaper does not make them a "cheapskate." However, pretending people never use something because it IS cheaper is self-explanatory.

Because you've said you don't! Why not just say what you mean?? I don't understand you at all.

Tfl is not "successful" it has to obey the law. It has done what it has done and either the law changes, the appeal suggests a different interpretation of the law or Uber changes its business practices over 5 specific issues, one of which is to do proper back ground checks on drivers and report any criminal activity....

Hardly unreasonable changes but will require Uber to stump up some money. Uber is now trying to use its users to pressurise for standards to be dropped. What a silly little team of w@@@@@s.

I won't use uber in London on principle. Taxi drivers face a long and difficult process to qualify. Any schmuck with a sat nav can drive for uber. Not a level playing field IMO.

This is not unique to London, but it is an interesting debate. My hometown Austin, TX was in the middle of the fight for a while, with Uber and Lyft vacating the city for some time over regulations.

Apparently there are 40,000 shmucks with sat navs who are earning their living driving for Uber in London. So there appears to be a demand both on the labor side and the consumer side. I don't know how many "minii-cab" drivers are also in the mix.

Part of the process of qualifying for a black cab driver license, if I understand it correctly, is learning the entire street map of London. I question whether this is necessary in an age of GPS.

Nikki, anecdotally it looks as though a lot of minicab drivers signed up with Uber because they were the ones most immediately affected by Uber in the first place.

It seems to be turning on how thoroughly Uber have or haven't been carrying out the required safety procedures and criminal record checks, i.e., is this another case of technical innovators so in love with the technology and their image as "disrupters" that they're not too bothered with the boring details of managing human fallibility?

I don't have any experience with Uber in London, but I can tell you that we have had good experiences with both Uber and Lyft on the U.S. Mainland and in Europe.

The pickups have been timely and the rides fairly priced.

In France, we were told that Uber operated only in 6 cities, but in the south of France the Uber drivers were willing to drive long distances, and we found very good coverage. Unlike regular taxi drivers in many cities (perhaps because their licenses or permits only allow them to operate in a limited area), Uber drivers were more than willing to take us to other towns and cities without concern about whether they could get a ride back. One driver told us that when the "season" was over in the South, he moved up to Paris to drive.

I don't know if I agree on that, Nikki. The cab drivers that really screw up ime are the idiots who rely too much on sat nav. They don't understand or know about traffic patterns or potential road work. If the London cab drivers are required to actually pass an in depth exam, that's a point in their favor.

I can believe there is demand for it. And certainly it can be driven by price, but that's not the whole story. I don't like uber, but I will admit they fill a real gap in cab service most places. Friends and family who use uber or lyft usually cite nice vehicles, availability, and cost as considerations, and usually in that order.