> Judge Emma Arbuthnot said that while Uber had not been fit and proper when that decision was made, an overhaul of its policies in the subsequent months had changed its position.
> Uber, which has about 45,000 drivers in London, introduced several new initiatives in response to the ruling, including 24/7 telephone support and the proactive reporting of serious incidents to police. It has also changed senior management in Britain, its biggest European market.
> The license conditions include giving TFL notice of what Uber is doing in areas that may be a cause of concern, reporting safety related complaints and having an independent assurance audit report every six months.
They have 15 months, I believe, to prove that they should merit a 5 year licence. If nothing goes wrong, then they would have succeeded in renewing their licence. Presently they are under probation.
I'm not sure why this is even news to be honest; I live in London and noticed zero glitch in the consistency of my Uber rides. I don't think anyone actually thought this would be a problem when 1) they fulfil a service that everyone wants (cabs simply do not compare on speed, efficiency, price and ease of booking) and 2) the company is such a well known global brand, that there would be an uproar if it was banned and no politician would want that stain on their time in office.
Booking's easy I agree, but in much of London it's getting them to turn up in the right damn place that's a persistent challenge.
I was open to trying them but I've got about a 40% failure rate for the cars (it was 50-50 for a while but has picked up a bit). Uber Eats works okay-ish, but you've got to text them every single time to remind them to read the delivery instructions (seems like a perfect task for automation!)
What I can't get over is how much they struggle despite access to good GPS data.
> I'm not sure why this is even news to be honest;
IIRC national taxi cab associations of some european countries have used Uber's story in London as propaganda to sell the idea that Uber is being banned around the world, and thus it should also be banned in their nations as well.
I am not in London so it is probably an unfair assumption. But the most important reason Uber is better is because cab drivers are unequivocally terrible in every way.
Most people weren't using taxis in London regularly (they're too expensive for that), even prior to Uber; they were using private hires (or "minicabs") which is the exact same regulatory structure that Uber operates under (and have existed for 1960s). Uber's advantages in London came about in three main ways, AFAICT: individual ratings of drivers (massively decreasing variation in quality), tracking from ordering to pickup, and not having any issues with card payments (because they're the only way to pay!). Of course, the other private hire companies haven't stood still…
The most notable difference in regulation from a passenger point of view between a private hire and a taxi is you can hail a taxi, but can't a private hire.
> You forgot undercutting the competition using VC cash
I don't understand what point you were trying to make. Why do you assume incumbents have no investors? And why do you believe it's reasonablr to complain about how private investors decide where to invest theie cash?
> oh and evading the taxes that all their competitors pay.
Do you have any basis to support your assertion? Because I find it very odd how entire nation-wide corporativist associations, representing the entrenched incumbents and heavily invested in preserving their personal monopoly, fail to make such an assertion.
I fail to see how that can be passed off as tax evasion. The question was whether Uber drivers were mere service providers earning a few bucks on the side doing some gigs or should be considered proper employees. I believe it's easy to understand that the point of this sort of classification has deep legal implications where tax avoidance are comparatively irrelevant.
While that may be true the experience is drastically different. Cab drivers are miserable and unfriendly, Uber and Lyft drivers tend to be very pleasant.
In terms of knowledge of the streets of London, nobody can beat an official black cab driver.
However, in terms of service, personality and reliability, they are absolutely awful. In theory there are policies in place to stop them from being awful, but they are mostly ignored.
A taxi is when I am incredibly desperate when an Uber will take ten minutes. But I regret the taxi every time. although Uber is a little more hit or miss with drivers/cleanliness of cars lately but still better than any alternative.
This doesn't mean that Uber hasn't been operating in London. It was refused a new license last year but was allowed to keep going pending the decision reported here (in effect an appeal)
but was allowed to keep going pending the decision reported here
In other words, no material consequences for the bad behaviour at all, not even a slapped wrist, just business as usual. London is ill-served by these weak so-called regulators.
If a private citizen had committed these crimes and told a judge they were now a reformed character, would they get off Scot free?
> Jo Maugham QC, our director, told ITV: “I’m suing Uber to understand whether HMRC treats these big US multinationals including Uber with kid gloves. Uber undoubtedly has arranged its business model to minimise its tax liability, to dodge taxes if you like, and to minimise the workers’ rights that it has to offer to its drivers.”
And they really don't need to have that as an advantage over regular cabs as their service already is superior. In my city (Sydney) I would take Uber even if it wasn't cheaper because every time I get in a regular cab they either try and go a slow way or when we get to the destination they hit some buttons and the fare jumps by a few dollars even though we haven't gone over a toll road or the time of day doesn't have a penalty rate.
No, But I do pay all of the tax that is legally required. This is where we differ from Uber. Our company doesn't have a sweatheart deal with the government and would get into a lot of trouble if we didn't.
I travel the world over and Uber London is absolutely the best car service I've ever experienced. Want a bargin BMW 5 series to get you to your place -- Uber Exec. Need to treat a client to a S-Class, use Uber Black in just minutes. Every experience with Uber was a professional at a relatively low price. It makes San Francisco Uber seem like a dumpster fire.
Probably you didn't used it often enough. I have some quiet bad experience (never going to get an Uber with pregnant wife), as well as everybody I know and used Uber in London. Also, the standard Uber car in London is Toyota Prius.
Are other commenters here comparing uber to regular cabs in London or black cabs? I always heard that the difference between them all is substantial - especially regarding knowledge of local streets and motorways
I assume most of the comparisons are for black cabs, which are indeed more expensive but have unrivalled knowledge of getting around central London, as well as being allowed to pick up fares by being hailed on the street.
There are fewer differences between Uber and minicab firms in London. Uber is a bit more expensive on short journeys and drivers lack any local knowledge so can end up taking longer routes, but cheaper for journeys going a longer distance because drivers don't have to return to their home area after dropping you off. Uber's app is better than the others I've tried, but not unique, and their drivers and cars tend to be nice, but so are most minicabs that I've used.
> Judge Emma Arbuthnot said that while Uber had not been fit and proper when that decision was made, an overhaul of its policies in the subsequent months had changed its position.
> Uber, which has about 45,000 drivers in London, introduced several new initiatives in response to the ruling, including 24/7 telephone support and the proactive reporting of serious incidents to police. It has also changed senior management in Britain, its biggest European market.
> The license conditions include giving TFL notice of what Uber is doing in areas that may be a cause of concern, reporting safety related complaints and having an independent assurance audit report every six months.