Uber and consumer choice in London

http://blog.uber.com/London-regulations

by edward • 12 years ago

13 14 12 years ago

blog.uber.com

cones688• 12 years ago

This is in response to a proposed strike by London "Black Cabs" which are licensed to be hailed. I think they are a little worried as Uber is nearly as quick as hailing and much quicker than getting a cab through a private hire company (sometimes called minicabs) which are booked through usually calling a central operator who then dispatches the cab.

http://www.ltda.co.uk/campaigns/planned-taxi-demonstration/

test1235• 12 years ago

I fail to see how striking is going to help their cause.

hcho2• 12 years ago

The traffic chaos during their demonstration will be similar to the one we will experience everyday if uber grows unregulated.

matthewmacleod• 12 years ago

We are bringing competition to an industry that hasn’t evolved in years.

Hailo launched a good six months before Uber in London, and seems to have done so by working with industry and regulators, rather than by skirting around the law.

As per the regulations, cars using the Uber platform do not have a taximeter – TFL have confirmed that smart phones used by private hire drivers do not constitute the equipping of a vehicle with a taximeter.

This is technically correct, and it's why London hasn't acted against Uber. They're not breaking any laws at this point.

However, the use of smartphones in this fashion provides the same functionality as a taximeter. There's no denying that; the letter of the law may be followed, but the spirit is clearly being violated. And that's why black cab drivers in London are upset.

I wish Uber all the best - it's good to have some competition in this space. But I can also see why the LTDA(?) would be annoyed by this - they're essentially evading regulations in a pretty direct manner, and in their place I'd be pissed off too.

orkoden• 12 years ago

Evading regulations is the whole business model of companies like Uber and AirBnB.

stephenhuey• 12 years ago

That's not true. Uber is ahead on some basic features like being able to track the progress of the approaching car and seeing the driver's photo on your smartphone. Also, I think they still provide drivers with rates that increase when demand rises. So they compete by providing better perks for both drivers and riders.

nickff• 12 years ago

The most interesting part of this is that the regulations were ostensibly instituted to protect the public from a parade of horribles; but the public seems to like the 'dangerous' service.

moomin• 12 years ago

Gotta love the way they stress safety as a selling point even after all the stories about how they lie about safety.

bowyakka• 12 years ago

Whilst I a massive fan of Uber, and I think they provide a good "taxi experience" I have to wonder why they are bothering with London.

What do they hope to disrupt in London, the transport infrastructure is phenomenal, with the private car hire business (be it black cabs, minicabs, addison lee ...) being an extremely well serviced and competitive space.

Wouldn't Uber be better off of focusing in places where the market for private cars is more nascent ?

Uber and consumer choice in London

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