TfL denied Uber operator license, ride hailing service wins on appeal (Sept 2020)

[Crispy]

Make taxis like the buses. Have fares and service quality mandated by TfL, who also offer the only permitted ride-hailing app. Then various cab companies can provide the actual fleets and drivers.

 

[redsquirrel]

Make taxis like the buses. Have fares and service quality mandated by TfL, who also offer the only permitted ride-hailing app. Then various cab companies can provide the actual fleets and drivers.

Well I'd rather just nationalise the whole system, but this will do for starters.

 

[Crispy]

Well I'd rather just nationalise the whole system, but this will do for starters.

Well of course, but this might just be palatable to our current masters

 

[Maharani]

The only time I have ever heard someone saying "I am not racist but..." before coming out with lots of racist shit, was in the back of a black cab!

I was even told, by a black cab driver, that a nice white woman like me probably shouldn't move to the house I am currently living in!!

So yeah, black cabs are shit for many reasons.

Ffs. My other half said they most certainly don't pick him up then I heard a few older West Indian folk on the radio calling in to say it. Now that's enough fucking reason to boycott fucking black cabs. I'm not saying all the drivers are racists but there seems to be a major problem here.

 

[cupid_stunt]

No, I didn't complain to TfL - both of us felt upset and frustrated that there was no-one to complain to.

If I am forced to go back to using the private hire firm who uses illegal drivers and cars not fit to be on the road, then I will complain to TfL, now that it has been suggested.

Good, because if complaints are not made to TfL, it's hard for them to investigate.

Although, in respect of cars not fit to be on the road, random checks are regularly carried out by licencing authorities, in conjunction with the police, right across the country. It's not unusual for 20-30% of cabs being ordered off the road after these stops, but TBF often for very minor things.

 

[Teaboy]

Most of the black cabs round my way (SW London) are driven by black or asian descent guys anyway. I think its more when you get towards Central London you get the cliched cockney racist.

 

[Maharani]

Most of the black cabs round my way (SW London) are driven by black or asian descent guys anyway. I think its more when you get towards Central London you get the cliched cockney racist.

Cunts.

 

[EastEnder]

The only time I have ever heard someone saying "I am not racist but..." before coming out with lots of racist shit, was in the back of a black cab!

I was even told, by a black cab driver, that a nice white woman like me probably shouldn't move to the house I am currently living in!!

So yeah, black cabs are shit for many reasons.

Try getting a black cab from central London to Brixton... even if you can find one who's willing, they seem to have a bit of trouble navigating Brixton's one-way system. I've only done it about 8 or 9 times, but literally every single time they get as far as the railway bridge then need turn by turn directions to get to my street - never once have they managed it unaided. And I live in a very central location, not hidden away down some obscure side street. I always assumed the tacit deal with black cabs was that you paid through the nose but they had the legendary "knowledge". That was the arrangement - costs a shit load, but they get you anywhere, door to door, no problem. Total arsegravy. I usually ended up giving up a couple of streets away & saying I'd walk the rest of the way. Absolute fucking joke. Black cabs are massively overpriced and often fail at doing the one thing they're supposed to be good at...

 

[maomao]

Make taxis like the buses. Have fares and service quality mandated by TfL, who also offer the only permitted ride-hailing app. Then various cab companies can provide the actual fleets and drivers.

Not sure why you would need 'companies' with this model. If Tfl were providing an Uber like app what would the company actually be doing? Running a fleet department for tfl?

 

[Guineveretoo]

And what about it's anti-unionism? Is that not a good reason to shut it down?

(Not that it actually is being shut down, unfortunately)

No - I think that is a good reason to force it to recognise trade unions, which is what the trade unions have been working on.

 

[cupid_stunt]

Of course these is also the money, someone said up thread it would amount to around £3m ...

That was me, the new licence fee for 5 years would be just short of £3m, up from about £3k, a nice tidy sum for TfL.

Its just uber being such shifty fuckers that even with all this tfl have decided something has got to change. It shows how fucked-up uber have been. All these people who are calling conspiracy and the like are just mad fuckers really.

Couldn't agree more.

This hasn't come as some sort of surprise to Uber, they were aware of the problems well before the licence was due for renewal 4 months ago, but seem to have done little to address them. They were given a temp 4 month extension to their licence, but again it seems they have done little to resolve the issues.

This seems to be a classic example of a company expanding to fast, and not handling their growth in respect of what the regulations & law requires.

 

[Crispy]

Not sure why you would need 'companies' with this model. If Tfl were providing an Uber like app what would the company actually be doing? Running a fleet department for tfl?

You may as well ask why we need separate bus companies when TfL could do it all themselves. It'd just be putting a mostly ineffectual competition sugar-coating on the scheme so it's acceptable to our neoliberal mayor.

 

[redsquirrel]

Hardcore unionism there.

 

[maomao]

You may as well ask why we need separate bus companies when TfL could do it all themselves. It'd just be putting a mostly ineffectual competition sugar-coating on the scheme so it's acceptable to our neoliberal mayor.

Yes but bus drivers don't generally pay for their own vehicles and fuel.

 

[bemused]

Not sure why you would need 'companies' with this model. If Tfl were providing an Uber like app what would the company actually be doing? Running a fleet department for tfl?

Local government is shit at innovating in IT.

 

[redsquirrel]

Now that's enough fucking reason to boycott fucking black cabs. I'm not saying all the drivers are racists but there seems to be a major problem here.

And what about the tax dodging, anti-unionism and attack on working conditions of Uber, is that enough reason to boycott them?

Not picking up BAME punters is utterly shit and TfL should be down on it like a ton of bricks but arguing for the slime that is Uber is counterproductive and hurts everyone.

 

[Guineveretoo]

Good, because if complaints are not made to TfL, it's hard for them to investigate.

Although, in respect of cars not fit to be on the road, random checks are regularly carried out by licencing authorities, in conjunction with the police, right across the country. It's not unusual for 20-30% of cabs being ordered off the road after these stops, but TBF often for very minor things.

But only if those cars are licensed. Some licensed private hire car firms use cars which are not licensed as well as those which are!

 

[moochedit]

SO if i get a uber from say... Caterham, its will only be able to go so far and not enter London?

Depends if they are licenced by the local council where you want them to pick you up. I think taxi firms can drop you anywhere but only pick up in areas where they are licenced.

 

[Teaboy]

I've just been emailed by uber and invited to join the save uber campaign. Sorry that should be save your uber.

 

[Guineveretoo]

Ffs. My other half said they most certainly don't pick him up then I heard a few older West Indian folk on the radio calling in to say it. Now that's enough fucking reason to boycott fucking black cabs. I'm not saying all the drivers are racists but there seems to be a major problem here.

I was actually really upset when that cabby told me not to buy the house I am living in. It was the most blatant racism I had directly experienced at the time, and it left me feeling quite shaken.

of course, it didn't affect whether I bought the house, but it did shake my feeling of being safe in black cabs, which is one of the reasons I bought the house (East Croydon station - black cabs all night, as in another post on here).

 

[moochedit]

I dont think uber have ever been licenced in coventry. I still see their cabs about with birmingham taxi licence plates though.

 

[cupid_stunt]

But only if those cars are licensed. Some licensed private hire car firms use cars which are not licensed as well as those which are!

And, that's when people need to report them to TfL or the police, otherwise there's little chance of the authorities knowing, and the cowboy operators will continue to get away with it.

 

[Teaboy]

.

This seems to be a classic example of a company expanding to fast, and not handling their growth in respect of what the regulations & law requires.

Dunno uber seem to have made a habit of falling foul of local laws and regulations all over the world. Its almost as if they don't give a fuck. Maybe they are just unlucky?

 

[Guineveretoo]

And, that's when people need to report them to TfL or the police, otherwise there's little chance of the authorities knowing, and the cowboy operators will continue to get away with it.

I contacted the police one time after my daughter was driven in a car which was not licenced.

They told me there was nothing they could do about it.

 

[Cloo]

On a personal level I am indifferent to this as I'm a bit of tightwad and don't see why I shouldn't just use public transport unless it's the middle of the night (and I have kids, so I'm not often out in the middle of the night), so I seldom use taxis and have never used Uber.

There are interestingly different views on my social media feeds from 'Fuck Uber, evil advantage-taking bastards' to 'This is terrible it's a big employer for a lot of people who might be having a hard time finding other work'; I guess both are valid views.

 

[maomao]

Depends if they are licenced by the local council where you want them to pick you up. I think taxi firms can drop you anywhere but only pick up in areas where they are licenced.

Either end of the journey can be in the licensed area for a prebooked job. A lot of the bigger London firms get away with operating some services outside London for London based accounts (Eg. taking an employee from Guildford to Gatwick) . I've never heard of any of them being challenged by anyone for doing this.

 

[Crispy]

Yes but bus drivers don't generally pay for their own vehicles and fuel.

Neither would the drivers of tacis under this sort of scheme

 

[maomao]

I contacted the police one time after my daughter was driven in a car which was not licenced.

They told me there was nothing they could do about it.

Need to tell TFL not the cops.

 

[maomao]

Neither would the drivers of tacis under this sort of scheme

Need a little work on the details there.

 

[Teaboy]

I contacted the police one time after my daughter was driven in a car which was not licenced.

They told me there was nothing they could do about it.

In fairness to the filth they do take unlicensed cabs pretty seriously, or at least used to when it was more of a problem. A friend who joined City of London spent pretty much his first year in plain clothes jumping in unlicensed cab and nicking them. Problem is they have to catch them red handed otherwise its just one persons word against another.