Uber stripped of London licence Post Reply

[Annabel (admin)]

Uber sensationally stripped of licence to operate in London in shock move by TfL



https://www.standard.co.uk/news/transpo ... 41046.html

[Annabel (admin)]

Follow up from Techcrunch

https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/22/uber- ... in-london/

[juliantenniscoach]

I don't think it's unreasonable to ensure criminal record checks for all Uber drivers and an acceptable level of driver training. I like the Uber concept but public safety has to be paramount for TFL.

[parsleysong]

I agree with you Julian. Well done to TfL and Sadiq Khan for having the guts to stand up to Uber. It's only been going for 5 years anyway but Uber is making out as if it's the end of the world (i.e. the boss who was on Radio 4 this afternoon)!

[SWpoet]

Quite right too. I tried them twice. The first one was excellent. The second driver had virtually no English, literally no idea of the location of my destination or how to get there, and the journey ended with him driving illegally down one of those really wide cycle lanes and being stopped by the police. They need to meet our city's standards, not redefine them in some endless race to the bottom.

[juliantenniscoach]

You've hit the nail on the head with "race to the bottom". Think BA, Sports Direct and many more. All in the name of shareholder profit dressed up as meeting customer demand. I can only hope the bottom is very near so that we can start valuing standards and quality again...........but I digress!

[parsleysong]

Yes! I also dislike Uber for how it has got people used to being able to have a cab in the snap of a finger, but the cost of that is that now we have 40,000 additional cars parked up in residential roads in London waiting for a booking to come in just so someone can have a cab at their door in 3 minutes. I've usually got 4 parked at either end of my road, taking up space, not contributing to the coffers.

Plus the high-profile sexism in Uber's management team...

Not exactly an exemplary company whatever way you slice it!

[Boutiquemum]

I use Uber now and again, and I agree with all the points above. The number of cars on the road especially on residential roads is getting out of control. Also the fact that they always take the longest route gets on my nerves, I'll always have to give them the directions as a result. I once had an uber driver that had clearly been smoking weed in the car at some point.

[BBens]

When you're a small firm you fly under the radar. When you employ 40k drivers in London you have to adhere to the same standards as the established players. Getting bigger carries more responsibility, are they ready for this ?

If Uber is smart they will respond to the points that TFL and the Mayor have made and stop saying that their drivers will starve. People will still need cabs, so if Uber doesn't get its licence back those drivers can work for other firms.

It might mean that we as consumers pay for for cabs short term but the taxi App won't die. The old hail and ride model was pretty inefficient so I guess it's just evolving to the next stage, hopefully with fewer cars loitering at the end of people roads!

[2009Kat]

I am actually really saddened by this. Obviously totally appreciate safety concerns need to be addressed but there are mostly honest minicab drivers out there and I have actually never had a dodgy uber experience. Far more dodgy getting into unlicensed cabs in town where can't find a black cab or minicab. We don't actually have a car and this is going to cause us a massive headache as uber is a lifesaver when you need last minute transport and can't use public transport.

[supergirl]

Their faire are not do cheap anymore as you had to accept a couple of surge to get a car most nights.

I love black cab but they too take the mick. Their price is way too high (hence driving companies like uber to vome in the first place) and they ALWAYS take the longest route.

Uber needs to comply absolutely with all regulations but they are there because there is a market. I for one love the easyness and speed of getting a car. They will be replaced if they go. No one i know will go back to hailing a black cab unless they addresstheir own issue: price

[jg75]

What annoys me about this situation is the petitions to TfL, which thousands and thousands of people have signed urging TfL to reconsider their decision. Why isn't anyone petitioning uber who have been trying to get away with substandard safety etc - it's their fault the drivers jobs are being threatened!!

[ZNW]

My understanding of the safety issue is that Uber only have drivers that are licensed by TFL. If there are safety concerns, these drivers are still able to work through another mini cab company. I am an uber user and like with black cabs, I had both positive and negative experiences but on the whole think Uber is great and will really miss it!

[jasonz]

Having used Uber dozens of times, I find them more affordable, more convenient and intrinsically safer than black cabs.

After all, is there a centralised record on what driver picked you up, what their snail trail of GPS is across of London, and where they dropped you off with a black cab?

With all that recording, surely it is safer to get in a taxi which is fully GPS tracked, than a black cab which takes only cash in hand, with a driver you don't know the name of. Let alone the radio taxis.

A situation like John Worbys for instance of dozens of sexual offences against drunk women for instance would simply be a logistical impossibility with an Uber.

I know whom I'd prefer my children to travel with.

Even a single person going missing would result in an arrest.

I cannot see the TfL's case standing on merit, it's clearly a politicised decision, and the merits of their arguments look very flaky indeed.

As a matter of record, all the Uber drivers are vetted according to TfL standards - and Uber have passed numerous TfL audits over the last several years without any issues being raised.

It's hard to see under all these circumstances how this will fly in court.

[Scottov]

I find this quite shocking

Having used uber all around the world hundreds of times I don’t recognise these concerns.

They instantly know where they’re going due to location data being transferred from the app, no cash is handled and it could not be simpler

Whilst this decision will no doubt be appealed, i’m not sure what’s more surprising the comments from people unfamiliar with its service or the desire to return to illegal mini cabs

Uber’s affordability and availability has been a huge boon to late night traveller safety.