Uber to lose licence to operate in London

muon · 23 Sep 2017 at 13:43

Caged said:
If they were no worse than the other operators who manage to retain their license then they'd have had it renewed.

Not if the LTDA has been putting pressure on them for years to take action using various arguments. Uber is not being held to the same standards as the hundreds of small minicab firms that exist in London. I can guarantee you that.

They were for example going to force uber to have their drivers pass additional tests before backing down.

Tunney · 23 Sep 2017 at 13:44

Uber aren't the only operator to have lost their licence but 2,400+ operators manage to stay within the law.

Caged · 23 Sep 2017 at 13:44

muon said:
Not if the LTDA has been putting pressure on them for years to take action using various arguments. Uber is not being held to the same standards as the hundreds of small minicab firms that exist in London. I can guarantee you that.

Take your evidence to the press and blow this whole thing up then. You can also submit FoI requests to TfL to get the full details of their decision.

muon · 23 Sep 2017 at 13:46

Caged said:
Take your evidence to the press and blow this whole thing up then.

http://www.cityam.com/267403/uber-wins-right-appeal-transport-londons-introduction

Uber will do so as they have done in the past.

Most uber drivers are also from other companies originally an happy to be self employed.

hyperseven · 23 Sep 2017 at 13:53

Tunney said:
Uber aren't the only operator to have lost their licence but 2,400+ operators manage to stay within the law.

You really don't like Uber, do you

Did they knock you back as a driver or something?

Caged · 23 Sep 2017 at 13:55

muon said:
Most uber drivers are also from other companies originally an happy to be self employed.

Not sure how that changes whether they are 'fit and proper' to be an operator. TfL aren't making a licensing decision based on driver welfare.

I don't know what part of your post proves different standards being applied to Uber over other operators either :confused:

. It just shows that they are happy to use their vast resources to drag things through the courts.

If the law is wrong then great, change the law. But "we think the law is wrong" doesn't mean you get to ignore it.

muon · 23 Sep 2017 at 13:58

Caged said:
Not sure how that changes whether they are 'fit and proper' to be an operator. TfL aren't making a licensing decision based on driver welfare.

I don't know what part of your post proves different standards being applied to Uber over other operators either . It just shows that they are happy to use their vast resources to drag things through the courts.

My point is that a lot of the same potentially "unsafe" drivers will still be working the day after uber is banned.

TfL said it had rejected the company’s application to renew its licence because “Uber’s approach and conduct demonstrate a lack of corporate responsibility” in relation to reporting serious criminal offences, obtaining medical certificates and driver background checks.

Just so you are aware uber does report offences straight to TfL. But they haeve come under criticism for not going to the police. Some people (very few) are also not getting background checks due to delays.

That is why this decision has been made.

Caged · 23 Sep 2017 at 13:59

If other operators are taking them on without performing the checks that are required then those operators should lose their licenses too. That would be fair.

muon · 23 Sep 2017 at 14:03

Caged said:
If other operators are taking them on without performing the checks that are required then those operators should lose their licenses too. That would be fair.

It is very few people not getting background checks done at uber due to delays. Other minicab firms likely suffer from the same problem. That's not to say uber or the other firms don't do checks.

Effectively banning them is massively disproportionate.

Nasher · 23 Sep 2017 at 14:08

They should all be vetted, not only because of the people they will be transporting. Near me some cab company got in serious trouble because they were picking up soldiers from the local base and asking questions they shouldn't be. In went military police lol

muon · 23 Sep 2017 at 14:09

Snookums said:
For all of those saying that uber won't be pulled from London. Look at Austin. Uber left Austin, Texas for months. I believe it has only just returned or is in the process.

Personally although I live in Nottingham not London. Uber is a superior service. We live in a day of dying cash. If a taxi would take my card I'd do it but more than often they don't.

Yes morally uber is a bit shady and TfL are trying to sort this out but then again amazon is pretty shady but I bet most comparing about Uber's morals order off amazon regularly.

Uber is morally shady you say. Even if that is true, why do you think a taxi won't take card payments? Do you know how easy and cheap it is now to take card payments? As you've said there would be higher demand if they did.

Terminal_Boy · 23 Sep 2017 at 14:14

Caged said:
If other operators are taking them on without performing the checks that are required then those operators should lose their licenses too. That would be fair.

Addison Lee would be next in that case, but they're a Private Hire company and don't directly compete with black cabs.

Tunney · 23 Sep 2017 at 14:33

hyperseven said:
You really don't like Uber, do you

An Uber driver pooed through my letterbox.

malachi · 23 Sep 2017 at 14:37

Tunney said:
An Uber driver pooed through my letterbox.

You shouldn't of gave them bad feedback then

Caged · 23 Sep 2017 at 14:43

Sounds like the driver was the one giving the bad feedback

Roar87 · 23 Sep 2017 at 15:16

It's not a sustainable decision, they'll have thousands of drivers protesting and blocking roads if they try to put them out of work, or they'll just ignore the decision. Can't arrest them all.

muon · 23 Sep 2017 at 15:35

3.5m users of Uber in London and 40,000 drivers.

48 reports of alleged sexual assault in the 12 months to February 2017. Actual confirmed number is unknown. Whilst obviously for individuals the low rate is no comfort, objectively what is the rate on other forms of public transport or other minicab firms.

Uber does also successfully get the vast majority of its drivers vetted on time.

TJM · 23 Sep 2017 at 15:38

Roar87 said:
It's not a sustainable decision, they'll have thousands of drivers protesting and blocking roads if they try to put them out of work, or they'll just ignore the decision. Can't arrest them all.

They could be identified and stripped of their driver & vehicle licences with ease. If Uber's licence isn't renewed, the drivers will work for someone else.

Freddie1980 · 23 Sep 2017 at 15:41

muon said:
3.5m users of Uber in London and 40,000 drivers.

48 reports of alleged sexual assault in the 12 months to February 2017. Actual confirmed number is unknown. Whilst obviously for individuals the low rate is no comfort, objectively what is the rate on other forms of public transport or other minicab firms.

Uber does also successfully get the vast majority of its drivers vetted on time.

I'm sure if the numbers are comparable we will find out in the coming days and weeks. Uber's PR machine will be going into overdrive at this point.

apatia77 · 23 Sep 2017 at 15:52

I used Uber many times in UK and abroad and I hope that they will carry on just as before. I really hope this mess will be sorted in the coming days so that they will be able to carry on just as before.