London cabbies to protest over smartphone app.

[p1stonhead]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Exactly. Adapt or die is the same for any business. Look at Blackberry when they thought touchscreens like the iphone wouldnt work.

[PF62]

Adrian W said:

No! The only difference is one bit of kit does the calculation in front of you and one does it on a server in America , patent lawyers must be rubbing there hands together, this could open the floodgates

However as the judge pointed out, there is nothing in the legislation to that makes it illegal for mini-cabs to calculate fares based on the mileage and time of the journey.

So if it was illegal to have a vehicle equipped with the means to establish the length and duration of the journey which the driver or their base could use to calculate the fare, that means you could prosecute every mini-cab that has an odometer and clock in it.

My favourite quote from the judge "These submissions are no more than an attempt, without clarity of wording or thinking, to devise something which will cause the Uber system to fall foul of s11"

Anyone who want to read the full judgement, it is here - https://www.judiciary.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/20...

[anonymous-user]

London's transport authority has rejected proposals that would have severely restricted Uber....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-35361153

Private hire cars and Uber drivers will need to be proficient in English in addition to having a decent geographical knowledge of London and most likely have their current Congestion Charge exemption removed.

Seems like a decent win for Uber...black cabbie associations not happy.

[Zod]

djstevec said:

London's transport authority has rejected proposals that would have severely restricted Uber....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-35361153

Private hire cars and Uber drivers will need to be proficient in English in addition to having a decent geographical knowledge of London and most likely have their current Congestion Charge exemption removed.

Seems like a decent win for Uber...black cabbie associations not happy.

I've never had an Uber driver who was not proficient in English.

[okgo]

Most of them don't know Covent Garden from Hampstead Garden Suburb though. I put up with it for the cost, but it can be irritating.

[Ste1987]

I love using Uber, and not having to fumble for change whilst bladdered!

[Bullett]

BBC said - "making it obligatory for operators to provide an estimated fare quote in advance - at present this is only shown in Uber's app if customers request it"

Will they be applying this to black cabs as well?

[PF62]

Bullett said:

Will they be applying this to black cabs as well?

Of course they will. Just like they will insist that all Black Cabs must always have a have working credit card machine, so people no longer have to pay cash.

[okgo]

Yet many of them lie and say its not working to avoid it.

Cash is dead, things and places need to probably get on board with that sooner rather than later.

[randlemarcus]

okgo said:

Yet many of them lie and say its not working to avoid it.

Cash is dead, things and places need to probably get on board with that sooner rather than later.

And definitely not so they can put 1/3rd of fares in their savings accounts, no sirree bob

[Smollet]

okgo said:

Yet many of them lie and say its not working to avoid it.

Cash is dead

No it's not. It's alive and well. There are just other ways of paying available.

[okgo]

Smollet said:

No it's not. It's alive and well. There are just other ways of paying available.

Its changing rapidly.

I very rarely carry cash, its another thing to lose, and nearly everything I want to buy take card, and more oft than not contactless (which I get cashback on) which is far and away the quickest way to pay for things.

Obviously Uber for me has won the day due to its payment mechanism, its great. No pissing about, easy to get receipts for work as they're all in one place etc.


Quite right Randle, they're just builders in cars.

[glazbagun]

Zod said:

kev1974 said:

Don't understand why TfL and black cab driver associations haven't just got off their bums and worked on their own app and supportive legislation, before it's too late and Uber (or whatever is the next Uber) completely take over. May already be too late, in which case they should have given people what they wanted ages ago.

There are two of them, Hailo and Gett. Lots of black cab drivers don't like them. They are not supposed to cancel when they've accepted a booking, but they do. Uber drivers don't. I suspect that some black cab drivers also don't like having their journeys and fares recorded on a server.

Whilst I'm sure Black Cab drivers have only self-interest at heart, a world dominated by Uber doesn't look like much of a utopia either:

https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/mon...

[Zod]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Precisely. I haven't heard anyone advocating an Uner monopoly.

[Oakey]

Does Uber ensure it's UK drivers have all the necessary cover or is it like a game of Russian Roulette?

Edited by Oakey on Thursday 21st January 12:54

[loafer123]

[s1962a]

Another benefit of Uber (and apps like it, though I don't know of others) is that you can use it abroad the same way you use it here, and you get billed in local currency without any hassle. I've got one of those credit cards that doesn't charge for foreign currency transactions so using Uber in europe is quite preferable and easy for me, and I just pay the GBP equivalent of the local currency.

The other day some block came up to me in my car and asked me if I was an Uber car - the cheek of the man! For this very reason I think TFL need to take a long hard look at the inconvenience this is causing for members of the public being mistaken for uber drivers whilst going about their usual business.

[Zod]

s1962a said:

Another benefit of Uber (and apps like it, though I don't know of others) is that you can use it abroad the same way you use it here, and you get billed in local currency without any hassle. I've got one of those credit cards that doesn't charge for foreign currency transactions so using Uber in europe is quite preferable and easy for me, and I just pay the GBP equivalent of the local currency.

The other day some block came up to me in my car and asked me if I was an Uber car - the cheek of the man! For this very reason I think TFL need to take a long hard look at the inconvenience this is causing for members of the public being mistaken for uber drivers whilst going about their usual business.

Do you drive a Prius or an E Class?

[s1962a]

Zod said:

s1962a said:

Another benefit of Uber (and apps like it, though I don't know of others) is that you can use it abroad the same way you use it here, and you get billed in local currency without any hassle. I've got one of those credit cards that doesn't charge for foreign currency transactions so using Uber in europe is quite preferable and easy for me, and I just pay the GBP equivalent of the local currency.

The other day some block came up to me in my car and asked me if I was an Uber car - the cheek of the man! For this very reason I think TFL need to take a long hard look at the inconvenience this is causing for members of the public being mistaken for uber drivers whilst going about their usual business.

Do you drive a Prius or an E Class?

Was that you???

[Oakey]

s1962a said:

Another benefit of Uber (and apps like it, though I don't know of others) is that you can use it abroad the same way you use it here, and you get billed in local currency without any hassle. I've got one of those credit cards that doesn't charge for foreign currency transactions so using Uber in europe is quite preferable and easy for me, and I just pay the GBP equivalent of the local currency.

The other day some block came up to me in my car and asked me if I was an Uber car - the cheek of the man! For this very reason I think TFL need to take a long hard look at the inconvenience this is causing for members of the public being mistaken for uber drivers whilst going about their usual business.

That's all very well and good but it seems you're taking a bit of a gamble that these drivers in various cities in numerous countries around the world are going to have the adequate insurance to cover you in the event of something terrible happening, ie, an RTA that leaves you paralysed.

In the UK at least it seems they're treated as private hire vehicles and drivers need to meet the same requirements but elsewhere?