[canucklad]

I don’t use Uber when I’m in London, but I know some of you do.
Due to serious concerns surrounding the Uber operation, including sexual assaults Uber has just had it’s operating license.

Edit to add—Not unexpectedly, Uber has just announced that it’s challenging TFL’s decision in court.

[seasonedtraveller]

Interesting development.

I used UBER almost exclusively when I was working in USA & Canada and really loved the whole idea but recently, here in Leeds UK, they have become more expensive than my local taxi firm. My last Uber ride from Leeds station was 20% more than a local firm.

[MartynSinclair]

All political posturing by Mayor Khan and TfL.. Uber will continue to operate throughout the appeals process, which could take a very long time.

40,000 drivers are unlikely to lose their jobs, HMRC do not want to lose the tax, the DSS needs the gig economy to know who is earning and who really needs benefits….

Pity TfL did not instead, formulate a licensing/regulatory system for all private hire drivers, instead, they appear to be acting as protectionists in favour of the overpriced, outdated, but very historic “black cabs”….

[capetonianm]

I have signed the petition supporting Uber. So have 280,000 other people. Nobody is forced to use it, but the huge majority of my experiences with Uber have been positive.

https://www.change.org/p/save-your-uber-in-london-saveyouruber

[rferguson]

I signed the petition also.

Black cabs provide a great service but their prices are way out of reach of the average Londoner.

Uber brought taxi travel to the masses.

I find the whole ‘safety and security’ reason for the ban ironic. When I book an uber I receive the registration number of the car, picture of the driver and know I am tracked by GPS. How much safer can you get?

[stevescoots]

This is more about appeasing Khans Union paymasters and protectionism and is going to come bite him on the rear come re-election, and I am someone who has never used Uber in london, or the Uk come to think of it. If there were genuine concerns about their business methods then thats another issue and TFL could have worked with them. but the fact TFL are spouting saftey means they have not. Their employment practice, whilst maybe morally ambiguious to some are Legal none the less

[openfly]

I wonder how much Khan received in his golden handshake from the unions for this decision?

[LuganoPirate]

Great decision by Khan and one I fully support and have written to him to tell him.
The sooner UBER accepts responsibility for its drivers, vets them properly and compensates passengers who have been attacked/robbed/raped the better. Only then may I support the lifting of the ban.

[Montysaurus]

Well said, LuganoPirate.

[rferguson]

Well more details came to light yesterday as the petition reached 300k signatures and Mayor Khan issued a reply.

It seems this was not a knee jerk reaction and had been in the pipeline for some time.

The ‘safety issues’ seem to be mainly based on Ubers failure to report allegations of sexual abuse to the police, it is believed in order to not tarnish its reputation. In one case a driver reported by a customer to Uber for inappropriate sexual conduct was not reported nor suspended and went on to commit a more serious sexual assault.

It was also reported that Uber had been operating on an interim license already. Ubers license renewal was up four months ago and TfL laid out their concerns to Uber and issued them with an operating license for four months only in order for them to continue to operate while getting their house in order. Operating licenses are typically issued for five years.

Then of course there was the report that Boris Johnson was concerned about Ubers conduct as far back as 2015 and wished to ‘curtail their activities’. George Osborne however intervened on behalf of Uber.

[Flightlevel]

Very simple just record the number of incidents and crimes committed by Uber per driver vs. numbers by black cab drivers and other minicab drivers, all register with Tfl.
Direct and fair comparison will give valid reason (or not) to suspend the licence.

[Swissdiver]

Khan and TFL will hit the wall for a very simple reason: they won’t be able to fairly document their decision in front of a judge. The only way to go for them is to write a proper set of rules that specifies the possible sanctions.

For now, Uber will use their usual strategy: public support and an army of lawyers while it continues its business as usual.

[CathayLoyalist2]

Flightlevel, my thoughts exactly. He could have nailed this with that sort of “real concern”comparison data but chose not to. Khan was going to be a side line at the Labour Party conference this coming week but now he is front and centre. To much of a coincidence in timing for this course of action?. In the same manner Singapore has banned property owners from using Airbnb for anything under a 6 months let supposedly because of noise complaints!!. More like the hospitality industry moaning about unfair competition. In New York only if you occupy a property in which you live and want to let out rooms is it ok. Apparently the rental housing stock was being decimated as owners could make better money on Airbnb than through a assured short term tenancy. Barcelona is clamping down in Airbnb and hotel development because the city is overrun with tourists. In a world of technology disruption the authorities are still living in bygone times.

[MartynSinclair]

All Uber drivers must apply to TfL for a “permit” to be a driver for hire. So if TfL cant weed the bad uns out on application, who can??

if you Google “London mini cab driver jailed” – there are quite a few entries, but mini cab firms are not having their licenses revoked.

2% of Ryan Air passengers are being fleeced (literally and currently), but they are not being sanctioned (ok TfL doesn’t regulate Ryan – but if they did, I wonder how they would react).

Uber provide a very cost effective and popular service to Londoners. TfL are simply being the protectionists for the Black Cabs… who are very very overpriced…

[thebigseats]

This is Mr. Khan & his cronies attempting to demonstrate that they have done “something” for Londoners. He/they haven’t. Ever. This measure, like most of the rubbish he spouts, will come to nothing.

[Author]

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