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[tunnie]

I've only used Uber once when I was with a mate who uses it a lot.  We were going to the pub, he ordered the cab on the app and then tracked it as it made it's way to us while we waited in the warm and dry.  We went out just as it pulled up outside his house. 

It seems like a great service to me, but if they arn't able or willing to comply with regulations then it's only right that they lose their licence. 

Even better when you all have the app, you can split the fair. Cheap travel 

[Sir Tigger KC]

I've only used Uber once when I was with a mate who uses it a lot.  We were going to the pub, he ordered the cab on the app and then tracked it as it made it's way to us while we waited in the warm and dry.  We went out just as it pulled up outside his house. 

It seems like a great service to me, but if they arn't able or willing to comply with regulations then it's only right that they lose their licence. 

Even better when you all have the app, you can split the fair. Cheap travel 

Even better when you don't have the app and your mate pays! 

[tunnie]

True 

[TD]

Addison Lee would be my prefered choice.

Black cabs are licenced to rip you off... the driver has free choice over any metered route regardless of distance*.

This is utterly contrary to Hackney carriage licensing outside of metropolitan London where the driver must know,and use the shortest distance for any metered journey... any agreed fare must be less than or equal to the metered shortest routed. Applying the Uber model to TfL licenced taxis would make them more efficient and protect customers from over charging. In its current guise, as a hailing service using private hire drivers, uber circumvents alot of the licensing regulations.

Although several councils now seem to be addressing this issue by obliging Uber to establish local hubs using locally registered and licenced drivers... without applying it is difficult to see whether the Operators licences are held by Uber or if the drivers must have their own If the former, then Uber are embracing their legal responsibility for their customers and drivers... if the latter, then it's all on the drivers, in which case the drivers have no protection from Uber and their terms and conditions or charges...

*Private Hire fares are different in this regard as they must simply be pre advised/agreed at the time of booking if no meter is used.

Only if the customer asks how much the fare will be.....otherwise the PH driver charges dependant on mileage done....especially if the customer asks to go a certain route, which may be a quick route, but not always the shortest. 

[Rods2]

I've only used Uber once when I was with a mate who uses it a lot.  We were going to the pub, he ordered the cab on the app and then tracked it as it made it's way to us while we waited in the warm and dry.  We went out just as it pulled up outside his house. 

It seems like a great service to me, but if they arn't able or willing to comply with regulations then it's only right that they lose their licence. 

Now I don't know if this is true or not, but the reply from Fred Jones head of Uber cities, in the BBC article below, implies that Uber submits the driver paperwork to Tfl and then Tfl do all the driver checks for Uber?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-41369617

The Mayor of London's reply also seems odd in trying to off-lay the situation onto Uber, I suspect this story is going to have a lot of legs over the next 3 weeks and it is going to be interesting to see where (and I have my suspicions) the fan is directed and the brown stuff lands?

[Doctor Gollum]

All disruptive new technologies create change and normally boost efficiency and reduce costs. It is interesting that there have been over 500,000 petition signatories on change.org in 24 hours protesting the suspension of Uber. Apparently, it is a much-preferred method of transport by many women where the journey can be tracked by family etc and they find black cabs late at night not available and/or too expensive, waiting at bus stops, using buses and tube means running the gauntlet of drunks etc.
.

Well, all I can say is Addison Lee seem to have managed it.

Exactly and very well too.

[TD]

I've only used Uber once when I was with a mate who uses it a lot.  We were going to the pub, he ordered the cab on the app and then tracked it as it made it's way to us while we waited in the warm and dry.  We went out just as it pulled up outside his house. 

It seems like a great service to me, but if they arn't able or willing to comply with regulations then it's only right that they lose their licence. 

Now I don't know if this is true or not, but the reply from Fred Jones head of Uber cities, in the BBC article below, implies that Uber submits the driver paperwork to Tfl and then Tfl do all the driver checks for Uber?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-41369617

The Mayor of London's reply also seems odd in trying to off-lay the situation onto Uber, I suspect this story is going to have a lot of legs over the next 3 weeks and it is going to be interesting to see where (and I have my suspicions) the fan is directed and the brown stuff lands?

That's certainly how it works in Swindon, except I submit the paperwork to the council, which costs me £70/yr plus every three years I have to pay £50 for a CRB check and being over 50 I also have pay around £80 for a private medical every 3 years which will increase to yearly the older I get. If I pass the council then issue me with a licence which is two part. One part being a paper copy which I have to submit to the firm I'm working for. The other for display in my cab. So, yes the council do all the checks before issuing a licence. The PH firm don't do any checks.....except check you have a licence. Which is the same as Uber I believe.....

[Doctor Gollum]

Uber were using their own firm, presumably for cost reasons... Now all TfL regulated operators and drivers are vetted by TfLs nominated CRB company, as it should be

[STEMO]

Uber were using their own firm, presumably for cost reasons... Now all TfL regulated operators and drivers are vetted by TfLs nominated CRB company, as it should be

DBS now.

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

Uber are a typical 'race to the bottom' company.

They make billions but pay virtually no tax. They pay their drivers a pittance with a very poor record on holiday and sickness pay.

Little wonder they have so many oddballs working for them.

[Rods2]

Interesting point: if a London based company made 40,000 people redundant on 21 days notice, do you think Liebour, especially at their conference would deem that as okay and not worthy of comment? So why do they think it is acceptable to potentially put 40,000 self-employed people out of work?

I see the Mayor of London is squealing that Uber is being aggressive and horrible to him by threatening court action, well what did he expect? Personally, I think he has done this as a grandstanding act just before the Liebour party conference and he is going to come badly unstuck. Uber should be calling for a judicial review with it being a full public hearing so we can all see, for transparency sake, the decision making processes. I suspect this would cause some sleepless nights for some of the officials.

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

Interesting point: if a London based company made 40,000 people redundant on 21 days notice, do you think Liebour, especially at their conference would deem that as okay and not worthy of comment? So why do they think it is acceptable to potentially put 40,000 self-employed people out of work?

I see the Mayor of London is squealing that Uber is being aggressive and horrible to him by threatening court action, well what did he expect? Personally, I think he has done this as a grandstanding act just before the Liebour party conference and he is going to come badly unstuck. Uber should be calling for a judicial review with it being a full public hearing so we can all see, for transparency sake, the decision making processes. I suspect this would cause some sleepless nights for some of the officials.

Uber may employ twenty first century technology but they don't give workers twenty first century rights.

They have a Victorian 'fuc**k you attitude' toward people who work for them.

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

The drivers are self employed.

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

The drivers are self employed.

....which means Uber don't need to be a responsible employer.

[Rods2]

Uber are a typical 'race to the bottom' company.

They make billions but pay virtually no tax. They pay their drivers a pittance with a very poor record on holiday and sickness pay.

Little wonder they have so many oddballs working for them.

Nobody is forced to work for them. Many of the drivers use it as top-up income where they don't make enough in other jobs. It is also apparently popular with people with other self-employed jobs which are not full-time.

Providing what they do is legal, then it is up to our very lazy politicians to legislate if they don't like it, but I think you will find what they earn is rather more per hour than the £1.60ph job seekers allowance, if they are eligible, or £0ph if they are not.

The problem is that Liebour encouraged 2m unskilled people to come to the UK, so we have a glut, which has driven down unskilled wages and working conditions across ALL sectors. Brexit should gradually fix this, providing we only allow people into the UK if they are filling an unfilled skilled job vacancy. So put the blame where it belongs on Liebour and their voters with their contempt and abandonment of the semi-skilled and unskilled working class. Liebour is only interested in their own, the smug hard-left degree level London set and when it suits them also minorities.