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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to be furious they have banned Uber from London?

608 replies

Acidophilus · 22/09/2017 12:20

WTF?

Uber has itsbissues but this is ridiculous.

TFL have bowed to Black cab pressure and we will all pay massively for it. Or get mini cabs that are less safe and treat heir drivers worse.

OP posts:
CharisInAlexandria · 24/09/2017 19:44

Surely one of the reasons uber can undercut other taxi firms is because they it is actually more efficient?

They are putting customers in touch with the drivers they are closest to so that the drivers are driving fewer miles without passengers in the car?

Must be better for the environment too because miles travelled are all required, it's possible to car pool and a lot of the cars are hybrids.

londonista · 24/09/2017 19:46

Furzedown Cars is my nearest. Their number is 0208 769 6000. Give them a call now and see when the soonest they can get a cab here to get mum home. They've just told me 25 minutes.

I don't choose Uber solely for the price by the way. I'm happy to pay a bit more, as they seem to be the only ones who are ever available to go from SW17 to SW11.

Who shall I try next, Abba Cars? Balham Cars? Come on Riding, don't keep all those fab taxi companies to yourself.

StrangeAndUnusual · 24/09/2017 19:47

Uber are notorious among Guide Dog owners for letting their drivers get away with illegally refusing to take guide dogs. And they refuse to discipline the drivers and won't give the drivers' details to the authorities so that the drivers can be prosecuted. That is flagrantly breaking the law and discriminating against a very vulnerable group.

sparechange · 24/09/2017 19:48

Justanotherlurker

You really, really don't understand the issues behind this decision Confused

There has always been a two-tier system with private hire cabs who can only take pre-booked passengers (uber etc) and black cabs who can be hailed.
The same is true of many (most?) other towns and cities in the U.K. if not the world

As countless others have said, these rates are set by TFL, not the drivers, and no one is calling for Uber to be able to tout for customers.

The issue is that they have failed to comply with the pretty minimal housekeeping expected of them by TFL - keeping proper records, conducting proper checks

They have had months and months of warnings to get their shit together but have played the long-standing game of brinkmanship with TFL. This time, they lost.

People seem to be thinking Uber have been unfairly treated, or asked to hold themselves to a higher standard than other minicab firms.

This simply isn't the case. Everywhere they operate, Uber plays by its own rules and ignores the laws of the land. This time, it hasn't worked and yet they are crying unfairness.

The only thing more pathetic than Uber's conduct is all the whinging customers falling for their spin

Justanotherlurker · 24/09/2017 20:05

The issue is that they have failed to comply with the pretty minimal housekeeping expected of them by TFL - keeping proper records, conducting proper checks

I have already addressed the "fit and proper" tests that TFL have used to justify the decision, whoever wins in court will mean a shake up of TFL's procedures and practices so it's an own goal either way.

Everywhere they operate, Uber plays by its own rules and ignores the laws of the land. This time, it hasn't worked and yet they are crying unfairness.

Yes they have as they are looking to become a big player in the market, but they have not broken any laws and have played by the rules set out by the likes of TFL, it is the monopolies that are generally moaning about "playing by there own rules"

The only thing more pathetic than Uber's conduct is all the whinging customers falling for their spin

Don't particularly like Uber but there is another thing that is just as pathetic, which is people blindly following TFL's hypocritical decision whilst they brush all of Ubers supposed issues under the carpet when it can be applied to not only operating mini cab firms but black cabs themselves, all in the name of partisan politics

Ifailed · 24/09/2017 20:14

How much do uber drivers get paid? Anyone care to elaborate on that? Is it akin to a zero hour contract that should be totally banned or not?

drivers get the fare, less 25% that Uber take, Uber sees them as self-employed. Of course the driver pays for the car, fuel, maintenance , insurance, their license as a cabbie etc. But apparently they are the best paid people in the gig economy, according to a PP. Sadly they couldn't point to any evidence to back this up.

silverbell64 · 24/09/2017 20:17

Who sets the fair rate then?

silverbell64 · 24/09/2017 20:18

Fair? haha fare of course. This is another act for undercutting by large conglomerates surely.

NameChangr678 · 24/09/2017 20:20

No, I hate Uber.

It takes the piss that taxi drivers learn the roads for years, yet any old rando can get in a car with a SatNav, not know where ANYTHING is and kill the local businesses. I don't use them anyway and never would.

Scholes34 · 24/09/2017 20:25

Furzedown Cars is my nearest. Their number is 0208 769 6000. Give them a call now and see when the soonest they can get a cab here to get mum home. They've just told me 25 minutes.

25 minutes - that's good, isn't it?

Justanotherlurker · 24/09/2017 20:30

It takes the piss that taxi drivers learn the roads for years, yet any old rando can get in a car with a SatNav, not know where ANYTHING is and kill the local businesses. I don't use them anyway and never would.

Well they have to have a license the same as any other cab driver, so I guess your should take it up with those issuing said licenses...

londonista · 24/09/2017 20:39

Scholes ... it's definitely good for them! 😂

I made mum get the bus. She needs to just suck it up and quit whinging. Her Zimmer frame has wheels, she'll be fine.

sparechange · 24/09/2017 21:10

londonista

I'm in SW11 and I use (in order of preference)
Addison Lee (app currently telling me 4 mins to get a car to me)
Keen (app currently telling me 15 mins)
Greyhound (never less than 25 mins)

londonista · 24/09/2017 21:16

A couple of people have mentioned Keen - are they any good?

TheAntiBoop · 24/09/2017 21:19

The nice thing about a local mini cab firm is that you can build a relationship with the drivers. For my parents this has been really good.

TheAntiBoop · 24/09/2017 21:20

Also there are times, particularly late Friday's and Saturdays, where gett fixed price is quicker and cheaper than uber.

sparechange · 24/09/2017 21:46

Keen are a typical local minicab company - like we all had to make do with until 4 years ago!
Cars are clean, drivers are fine. You won't get the AddLee VIP treatment with doors opened for you and luggage carrying etc, but they do what they say on the tin, and their app works

lizzieoak · 24/09/2017 21:52

Haven't rtwt, but this gives a good breakdown of why Uber is a shitty company and why many cities have banned them.

NameChangr678 · 24/09/2017 21:59

I don't agree with black cab drivers being better because of the knowledge now - all you need is a Sat Nav - times have moved on since this was useful.

Absolute bollocks. I was in a taxi with my friends going to their house - they asked the driver to drop me off at Peckham Rye station on the way - we were 2 minutes away from it but he had no fucking clue where he was and drove around lost for 10 minutes because his SatNav wouldn't work!

Nope, still would rather pay more for someone who knows London.

OhThisbloodyComputer · 24/09/2017 22:08

I worked as a mini cab driver, a long time ago.

First for NameWitheld in Crystal Palace, then for another mob who i'd rather not name either.

It's a myth that they make good money. The only way is to over charge drunks or hope that someone pukes in your cab and you can charge them for cleaning the car and lost business. (And then continue to pick people up anyway)

The number of drunks I had who said "how's business been tonight. My mate knows a bloke and he makes a fortune."

For a while, the only way to get home to south London from central London was to get into an illegal car. V dangerous.

Uber are rubbish. It's not innovative to avoid taxes and cover up sex crimes. That's just Uber dreadful

lizzieoak · 24/09/2017 22:12

Sorry, just saw the link didn't post.
www.stylist.co.uk/life/uber-license-revoked-tfl-reaction-morals-rape-sexual-assault-conscience

silverbell64 · 24/09/2017 22:15

There are local mini cab firms that have alway been about.
Black cab drivers have to do the knowledge for years to be so and I resepect that.
Uber is trying to bypass all of these things and hopefully being kicked into touch. I will never ever use them. Most won't. Apparently they're going to have to put up their prices:)

AnneGrommit · 25/09/2017 00:01

Well uber came up trumps for the third time for us today. After wasting 25 minutes waiting for a non existent bus and then another thirty five for a non existent cab, it was uber that turned up within five minutes and got us to where we needed to be.

The other two times were the same - call a taxi, be told it'll be there asap, after fifteen minutes ring again, be told it'll be five minutes, wait ten minutes more, ring again ... you get the picture. Prior to uber I just waited, having no choice. Now that they're here, I've used them when local firms piss me about and tbh after today they'll be my first choice so that I don't waste that initial 35 minutes.

PigletJohn · 25/09/2017 00:06

It's great that you had a successful journey with uber.

It's also great that nobody burgled my house today.

Does either of these facts mean that Uber is a decent, honest, law-abiding company that is a fit and proper operator?

AnneGrommit · 25/09/2017 00:24

No. However the local taxi firms here are shit. I mean really keep people waiting for the best part of an hour, lie to them when they ring up asking where their taxi is shit. Every time. For years. Uber don't do that. They are quick and efficient and don't piss you around.

I would love to continue to support local businesses in principle but honestly the cab firms are diabolical here. I've given them a fair crack of the whip but today we really needed to be somewhere for a particular time and supporting local business left me standing in the street like a twat going nowhere. Uber in contrast turned up and got us to where we were going. That's three times now I've given up and used uber. In future I'll bypass being lied to for over half an hour about how my cab is five minutes away, save myself time and go straight to uber. Frankly, after years of paying for a shitty unreliable "service" it will be a relief.