London cabbies to protest over smartphone app.

London cabbies to protest over smartphone app.

Author
Discussion

hairyben

8,516 posts

182 months

Wednesday 18th June 2014
quotequote all
rpguk said:
I feel sorry for drivers who have recently done the knowledge but surely it's been clear for years now that sat nav was getting better. Hail-o, uber and others offer the ability to specifically book a black cab so if their knowledge and vehicles are better then they should be able to continue charging a premium price. If not it's proof that we're holding everyone back to protect them. This kind of protectionism almost never works out in the long term.
Is sat-nav really good enough to replace knowledge (both generally and "the")?

I find it too weighted to arterial routes when there are much quicker ways, can be useful in the last 10 minutes as half the city is a maze of 1 way streets and profit-fine-driven no-turns where you can't use intuition but often in the city it goes bananas and loses track of me anyway

NomduJour

18,988 posts

258 months

Wednesday 18th June 2014
quotequote all
Sat-nav is a waste of time if you know where you're going, that's why it's disappointing to find black cab drivers using it.

rpguk

4,458 posts

283 months

Wednesday 18th June 2014
quotequote all
hairyben said:
Is sat-nav really good enough to replace knowledge (both generally and "the")?

I find it too weighted to arterial routes when there are much quicker ways, can be useful in the last 10 minutes as half the city is a maze of 1 way streets and profit-fine-driven no-turns where you can't use intuition but often in the city it goes bananas and loses track of me anyway
For the journeys I tend to make (evening/night time and not in the square mile), I really don't notice any problem with Sat Nav. However I appreciate there are some times when a bit of local knowledge will help out. But The Knowledge is massive overkill for it and your regular Addison Lee driver will pick up the important short cuts in no time. I can hand on heart say I've had more black cab drivers who have got stuck with their 'shortcuts' then I have with Addison Lee/Minicabs who generally take the more obvious route and as a born and bred Londoner it's not very often that a black cab driver will surprise me with their superior routing.

I find that I often have to explain where I wanted to go when heading to a residential address road too and I generally live in Zone 1/2 (i.e it's just off Main Road.

Sat Nav is always improving especially when it takes into account real time traffic information, road closures etc.

So in conclusion I can see some benefit in knowledge/The Knowledge but not enough to justify the time and effort in doing it. Keep it as something to offer as a premium service but I don't see it as essential.

Edited by rpguk on Wednesday 18th June 14:23

mcflurry

9,079 posts

252 months

Wednesday 18th June 2014
quotequote all
creampuff said:
As for the drivers, they vary. I would say that if you are a motorcycle rider then black cabs usually drive properly and are predictable and safe and minicabs can often be driven by retarded idiots who don't look and have no clue.
There are good and bad drivers, whether behind the wheel of a Merc, Ford Galaxy or TX4.
I've had a black cab driver drive up a pavement and another swear because I counted the exact money as felt his driving wasn't worth a tip!
On the other hand, there was a minicab yesterday, that decided to pull over on the red route by Tower Hill end of The Highway, blocking the lane for everyone..

Puggit

48,355 posts

247 months

Tuesday 24th June 2014
quotequote all
I'm at the Hilton Syon Park and I want to get an Uber car to come and pick me up. The hotel is not on London Road, but is accessed through the park. I can't get Uber to recognise my location.

Any hints?

okgo

37,859 posts

197 months

Tuesday 24th June 2014
quotequote all
Puggit said:
I'm at the Hilton Syon Park and I want to get an Uber car to come and pick me up. The hotel is not on London Road, but is accessed through the park. I can't get Uber to recognise my location.

Any hints?
I must say, that is one annoyance with it, that it only works on landmarks rather than postcode.

FourWheelDrift

88,381 posts

283 months

Wednesday 20th August 2014
quotequote all
Uber are expanding their services - http://google.com/newsstand/s/CBIwybCPsh8

DonkeyApple

54,923 posts

168 months

Wednesday 20th August 2014
quotequote all
FourWheelDrift said:
Uber are expanding their services - http://google.com/newsstand/s/CBIwybCPsh8
Will they keep stick piles around a city or will the minicab driver have to find parking outside the store, go shopping and then deliver?

Using your fleet of cabs is much more efficient if you are distributing drugs.

Centurion07

10,381 posts

246 months

Wednesday 20th August 2014
quotequote all
DonkeyApple said:
FourWheelDrift said:
Uber are expanding their services - http://google.com/newsstand/s/CBIwybCPsh8
Will they keep stick piles around a city or will the minicab driver have to find parking outside the store, go shopping and then deliver?

Using your fleet of cabs is much more efficient if you are distributing drugs.
Pretty sure that this will DEFINITELY fall foul of the law over here.

Off the top of my head I seem to remember something about not being allowed to courier unaccompanied items as part of the licensing conditions. Which is another stupid piece of legislation and pretty much ignored. I've run blood samples/medical packages from Basingstoke to hospitals in London and Bristol.

Vipers

32,799 posts

227 months

Wednesday 20th August 2014
quotequote all
Can't say I am impressed when I get a cab in London to go 3 miles, and the driver didn't know the way.

Black cabs know the way, and best routes. anyone who has used sat navs know they are not always the most direct route.

To me, another erosion of the British way of life.




smile

-crookedtail-

1,558 posts

189 months

Wednesday 20th August 2014
quotequote all
Vipers said:
Can't say I am impressed when I get a cab in London to go 3 miles, and the driver didn't know the way.

Black cabs know the way, and best routes. anyone who has used sat navs know they are not always the most direct route.

To me, another erosion of the British way of life. smile
I'd agree to a certain degree as you can just give a black cab a destination and off he goes. However they are bloody expensive, I paid 40GBP from Chiswick to Heathrow in a black cab which is honestly a piss take, ultimately as it was for work it wasn't me paying so it didn't matter but you can see why these apps are so popular!!

MacW

1,349 posts

175 months

Wednesday 20th August 2014
quotequote all
Vipers said:
Can't say I am impressed when I get a cab in London to go 3 miles, and the driver didn't know the way.

Black cabs know the way, and best routes. anyone who has used sat navs know they are not always the most direct route.

To me, another erosion of the British London way of life.




smile
Normally I mentally roll my eyes when people start pointing out that London is different from the rest of the UK but in this case it very definitely is.

BlackLabel

Original Poster:

13,251 posts

122 months

Monday 22nd September 2014
quotequote all
Glad to see Labour focusing on the big issues again.

Labour Could Ban Uber App Over Tax Avoidance Fears

Rovinghawk

13,300 posts

157 months

Monday 22nd September 2014
quotequote all
BlackLabel said:
Glad to see Labour focusing on the big issues again.

Labour Could Ban Uber App Over Tax Avoidance Fears
Fears of something that's legal? Sounds about right for them.

Bullett

10,873 posts

183 months

Monday 22nd September 2014
quotequote all
And of course Black Cabs being a largely cash based transaction system are not at all subject to tax avoidance...

Atmospheric

5,305 posts

207 months

Monday 22nd September 2014
quotequote all
Bullett said:
And of course Black Cabs being a largely cash based transaction system are not at all subject to tax avoidance...
I am offended on behalf on behalf of the London black cab drivers.

Just because they take cash, doesn't mean they are trying to avoid paying tax. Just because they may charge £90 from London to Heathrow, doesn't mean they won't declare it. No, how dare you...hehe

BlackLabel

Original Poster:

13,251 posts

122 months

Thursday 21st May 2015
quotequote all
Boris isn't beating around the bush, but it hasn't gone down very well. I'm not sure what the cabbies expect him to do - revoking Uber's licence Boris says would be unlawful.

Boris Johnson defends 'market forces' killing black cab trade


article said:
The London mayor faced down jeers and abuse from an audience of cabbies as he defended the "market forces" that threaten to put the historic trade out of business.

"You are dealing with a huge economic force which is consumer choice and the taxi trade needs to recognise that," he told a meeting of the London Assembly.

"Everywhere I go I see yellow lights and I can see the taxi trade is dying and it grieves me, but it is very, very difficult to fight a huge change in consumer preference."
article said:
"I'm afraid it is a tragic fact that there are now more than a million people in this city who have the Uber app, " he said to jeers from dozens of cabbies in the public gallery.

Faced with shouts about Uber drivers undercutting cabbies he shouted: "Yes they are. It's called the free market."
article said:
However, Boris's refusal to take any further action against Uber means London now faces what cabbies described today as "the biggest ever taxi protest" next Tuesday.

Previous protests over the issue have brought London to a halt.

Responding to the threat of protest, Johnson replied: " There's a rail strike on Tuesday you might get some fares."

Johnson previously had a lot of support among London taxi drivers, even enlisting some to distribute 'Back Boris' receipts during his first mayoral campaign.

However he was left visibly shaken today as received shouts of "clown" and "joke" from the assembled cabbies with one shouting "I voted for you once, I must have been on drugs," while another shouted. "You want to be PM? You're a joke."

Zod

35,295 posts

257 months

Thursday 21st May 2015
quotequote all
Vipers said:
Can't say I am impressed when I get a cab in London to go 3 miles, and the driver didn't know the way.

Black cabs know the way, and best routes. anyone who has used sat navs know they are not always the most direct route.

To me, another erosion of the British way of life.




smile
Loads of Black Cab drivers do not know their routes anywhere near as well as they should. Some are great, but many are not.

nitrodave

1,262 posts

137 months

Thursday 21st May 2015
quotequote all
As a consumer, Uber has been the best thing to happen in London for getting around easily, quickly, cheaply and safely and I've lived here my whole life.

From experience I can tell you that many cabies are just bitter old men and I can't wait to see the back of them. They've run a monopoly for so long and think they deserve to retain that. They're also the most aggressive and arrogant drivers on the roads.

Uber is a third of the cost, the drivers are so grateful for the work they get from it, the cars are so much nicer, you don't part with any cash as it is all automated and you know the cost of the journey before you get in.

Also gives me a lot of peace of mind when the missus hops in an uber late to come home. I can see her live on my phone and know exactly where she is the whole time.

I would be devastated if it was outlawed.

sjg

7,444 posts

264 months

Thursday 21st May 2015
quotequote all
The calls for revoking Uber's licence on "safety grounds" are a fantasy at best. They've been audited a few times before and there's not been a problem - unlike some cities, in London they need a PCO licence which involves background checking, etc. Uber are pretty fastidious about checking insurance too. The cars themselves always feel a hell of a lot safer than the ancient black cab design, and the drivers considerably more pleasant.

Black cabs will be nothing more than a curiosity for tourists (just like the old Routemaster buses) within a decade, and it's the drivers themselves that will make it so.