to be furious they have banned Uber from London?

[Acidophilus]

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.

I hope they do get banned. From a personal point of view I’m fed up of arguing with my 14year old about why she isn’t allowed to get Ubers. We live in London and it seems most of her friends parents can’t be bothered to leave the house after dark to pick up their kids and would rather let them get an Uber. Before Uber (I know from my older kids) most parents wouldn’t have contemplated letting 14year olds use minicabs but somehow we’ve all become okay with using Uber?!

I hope its a start of a crackdown on unsafe cabs. Its ridiculous to complain that they are unsafe and also complain they are stopped from operating til they sort themselves out.

Satnav is only as good as the driver who uses it. Both times I was in an uber the driver still managed to get lost and go a completely circuitous route

The problem with uber is that they have washed their hands of their drivers behaviour. They have a clear understanding of why the license is being revoked so need to work to fix it

*should the girls are usually in 2’s or 3’s so parents think it’s safe but I’m still not happy they’re responsible enough at that age to come out on the street late at night, track down the cab, deal with mix-ups (or worse) etc.

Company gets pulled up on lack of corporate responsibility and people complain.

Its fine until people die in a huge scandal isn't it?

As long as its cheap and as long as the down side doesn't affect you personally?

Lack of corporate responsibility ends in things like corporate manslaughter. TfL would not be doing this unless they had a legal basis for doing so, because of the damage to the reputation that it could cause to Uber.

Indeed TfL have reached the decision they have with the advice of lawyers.

I'd like to see more decisions like this tbh.

Sorry but I don't think the knowledge is outdated in the days of Sat Nav. Knowing the area and where hold ups will be, and how to avoid the latest issue in a busy city like London is much better than a Sat Nav can ever be. If you don't know your way then you won't know when the Sat Nav is saying something silly.

Its not necessart to do the Knowlege anymore

But it is still very useful. I use a lot of taxis in London and if I'm pushed for time I always get a black cab - their knowledge of weird routes that the SatNav doesn't give you still has a place.

But is that place worth 70% more

I'm really sorry to hear it and hope their license is renewed. Without exception the Ubers I've used have been spotlessly clean, on time and driven by courteous pleasant drivers. Our local mini cans tend to stink and have drivers who are rude and take stupid routes and are always late or have a 40 minute wait for a cab. Black cabs are obviously excellent but I simply can't afford to take them more than very very occasionally

If you prefer the chap who has done the Knowledge, fine, hail him, but it's outrageous to use licensing to suppress new methods of providing a service. I repeat: it's just as well Canon et al did not need a license to put digital cameras on the market or we'd still be sending films off to be processed.

Sadie Khan has sent out a message that the authorities in London are opposed to change and innovation and are committed to propping up existing businesses and to hell with users. Just what we bloody need!

Why is it Uber's job to report sexual assaults (or any other crime that happens to the passengers) to the police?

Surely it's the victim's job to report a crime?

And if the victim hasn't called the police, then why should Uber believe that there's anything that needs dealing with?

I'd save furious for a real domestic crisis

Uber has actually saved me from a domestic crisis on a few occasions!

But they do need to take responsibility for their drivers and keep passengers safe.

@Firesuit But it is Uber's job to properly vet their drivers and co operate with the authorities. They don't.

Not living anywhere that has Uber or Black cabs can I please ask what is a minicab service - is that just like a taxi service (which firms around here are commonly referred to as)? If not, what is the difference between a minicab and a taxi?

How is Uber less safe. You know the name and registration number of your driver, you can track your journey online, and you pay the agreed amount for the journey by bank transfer. How is standing on a street in all weather, hailing a cab that may or may not take you depending on whether they are in fact going that way, safer for anyone. Years of being told by black cab drivers "sorry live I don't go South London" Uber was a revelation.

Black cabs don't see their own prices TFL do. You are paying for their knowledge and expertise. Rather than use a sat nav and not know where they are going a black cab can take short cuts etc when traffic is bad. They are also regulated and police checked. Uber are not.

Northend77 a minicab is a licensed private hire vehicle but doesn't have a metered fare like a black cab and isn't able to pick people up off the street or at taxi ranks - they can only be pre-booked.

I'm glad

How outdated is "the knowledge" when you can have navigation fitted.

I don't understand people complaining about uber drivers using a sat nav. It's progress, it happens in every industry.

Northend77 where the distinction exists, a taxi can legally pick you up if you flag them down in the street. A minicab cannot legally do that, you have to book via their office, traditionally by phone call but nowadays Uber etc let you do it by smartphone app.

Also, in some cases only a taxi is allowed to use a meter. A minicab is expected to charge based on the driver's estimate of distance and time. (Which was one of the Uber controversies, because their app acts like a meter for the driver.)

You say it all Redtoorh

On Mumsnet, everyone MUST be DBS checked otherwise it's a "safeguarding ishoo"

Not Uber drivers though

Uber is not a taxi company it is a software company, a technology platform joining freelance drivers with people who want a ride, to all intents and purposes an app.

BeyondThePage, bovine excreta.