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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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:
RaskolnikovsGarret · 22/09/2017 14:42

Blahdy. Yes it happens - definitely when i was with my mixed race husband. We are teetotal, so never get drunk, respectably dressed, as we have to be during the day as lawyers, and we have still been passed by, or where black cabs have to take you eg outside a station, they have been upsettingly rude.

Having to go back to that makes my stomach sink a bit really.

sparechange · 22/09/2017 14:44

I've never had a problem with Addison Lee

Their drivers are polite and helpful, the cars are always immaculate and they are only ever a few quid more than Uber. And you get a fixed price rather than the Uber estimate which is always wrong by 15% when you get the final bill.

And having read some of the stories about how Uber drivers have to work 60+ hour weeks to make a living, or have to chose between which maintenance job they do on their car because they can't afford both, I feel far safer in an Addison Lee fleet car than I do in a dodgy Prius

If the cost of that is waiting 6 mins instead of 4 to be picked up, I'll take that.

RedToothBrush · 22/09/2017 14:45

See the big thing here is there is a demand for a service that isn't a Black Cab. And there is money to be made from this.

I have this spooky feeling that Uber will do something to access that market. And even if they don't someone will step into the breech pretty damn quickly.

So I don't know, I think most of those drivers will be just fine one way or another. And so will all these low income women who are walking the streets. In fact they will be safer! How amazing is that!??

Think of it, a reverse strike action for the benefit of the safety of passengers, rather than Uber losing their licence forever.

FlowerPot1234 · 22/09/2017 14:45

balsamicbarbara

Pull out your phone and compare the pickup times between AL and Uber.. I guess on the plus side, if Uber go under AL can pick all the best Uber drivers

Remember though that AL agrees completely with Uber about drivers in the gig economy, and AL appealed the court decision against Uber which involved the Uber driver because AL knew it would ruin their business too. The ruling will destroy jobs, not protect or make them.

lyndenrose · 22/09/2017 14:46

I don't think it'll effect me much. I hardly ever take cabs in London, I prefer to take the tube or bus as we live in zone 1 so it's pretty easy to get anywhere with a few connections no matter how late. I tried Uber a few times when I was carrying some heavy items home and there was a promo on (so didn't actually cost me anything) and the driver got lost both times Hmm. Have been diagnosed with epilepsy so I get free tube and bus now, so even less reason to pay out for any other transport.

iseenodust · 22/09/2017 14:47

Cavender
I find this really interesting. I use Uber regularly where I live in the USA and it has a really good reputation. Why is it such a problem specifically in London?

It's not just London. Recently in San Francisco and, aside from the dire corporate reputation, they are having a crackdown on Uber there too over waiting in no-wait zones, driving in bike lanes and disability access issues.

blahdyblahblah · 22/09/2017 14:57

Rasko Sad. Horrible. Having said that, one is my best friends is mixed race (half Jamaican, half white) but very fair and we've been in mini cabs with drivers of all ethnicities being horrifically racist about black people not realising she's mixed race.

conserveisposhforjam · 22/09/2017 14:57

We should be allowed to use a firm which exploits its workers and tries to dodge responsibility and is the focus of police concern based on actual cases because black cab drivers are racist based on my anecdotal experience

Spot the straw man argument

Um, if that's at me and my anecdote then it might be relevant to to note that I never said we should be allowed to use anything for anything at all ever!

TatianaLarina · 22/09/2017 14:59

Flowerpot1234

Haven't read the TfL letter, my comment has nothing to do with that. It's based on a long horror of Uber misogyny and dodgy dealings which is shared by others as you can see from this thread.

If it were well behaved and had an exemplary record on safety and dealing with safety issues, a high level of consumer satisfaction, then could have been told 'ditch greyball' and we'll talk.

Misogyny + shit contracts + tax dodging is not a recipe for popularity when you need approval for a licence, throw in some controversial law-breaking software, that's a problem.

chajazam · 22/09/2017 15:02

I use Uber fairly regularly but have been recently disappointed by the quality of the drivers, I had one take a wing mirror off another car recently and they did nothing when I complained and the pricing is good.

However as far as I am aware their end game and what much of their company valuation is based on is the end game of automated/driverless cars (see their current lawsuit with Googles parent company, Alphabet). They don't care about their drivers and see them as a stop gap. I don't think they actually make money overall on the company as it is today and once they have driven competitors off the roads we will see the prices start to rise with no other options. I'm now trying to be more even handed with what taxi service I use.

Sprinklestar · 22/09/2017 15:07

YANBU, OP. Uber is one of the most successful companies in the world. People don't like success... In some ways I feel sorry for the drivers who have done 'the knowledge' but this is progress. Reminds me of the Luddites complaining about mechanisation to be honest.

I've used Uber in the US since it started on the East Coast. Excellent service, never a problem, short wait times (if any). Drivers generally really interesting to chat to, students making a bit of extra cash, nurses between shifts, mums between school drop off and pick up. It's a very flexible way to earn for many.

Now compare this with the taxi drivers I used in Yorkshire/Manchester as a teenager and a student (20 years ago). How many were involved in the grooming of young girls and convicted of sexual assault and worse? How many would drive you to a secluded area and try it on - there was no tracking of where you were in those days. Here's a clue - the answer isn't zero! I'd far rather take an Uber than go back to the days of chancing it with a supposedly reputable taxi company that, in reality, everyone knew was a front for child sexual abuse.

sparechange · 22/09/2017 15:07

So all the Uber fans, are you comfortable with the lengths they have gone to in order to make sure they never pay any tax, or even any VAT?

Are you ok with tax dodging in general?

girlsyearapart · 22/09/2017 15:07

The black cab app is now called MyTaxi which has replaced Hailo- it's currently offering half price fares all weekend every weekend until November.

Dh is a black cab driver- the amount of work that goes into learning the knowledge is phenomenal and cannot be replaced by sat nav.

Lonelynessie · 22/09/2017 15:07

Yanbu at all. I've lost count the amount of times black cabs have not stopped for me or my dh (we are not white), or I've had to wait around whilst my non-brown friends hailed a cab for me. Or the amount of times they won't take me south of the river, even late at night. Safer my arse - not for all!

girlsyearapart · 22/09/2017 15:11

Also if you try a hail a black cab and it doesnt stop it might be that you are trying to hail one outside its area.
The ones with a green card in the front with the light on should stop for you but light off they don't have to. One with a yellow card can only stop in certain areas.
If you do hail one and tell them where you want to go then they refuse get their badge central and report to TfL as they aren't allowed to

girlsyearapart · 22/09/2017 15:11

Central = number

formerbabe · 22/09/2017 15:15

get a proper regulated minicab or use the night tube - even cheaper for you you misers

I live in south East London...there is no tube. Last few times I've tried to call a mini cab there's been a 45 minute wait at least. Uber is a great service as far as I'm concerned.

FlowerPot1234 · 22/09/2017 15:16

girlsyearapart
Dh is a black cab driver- the amount of work that goes into learning the knowledge is phenomenal and cannot be replaced by sat nav.

Yet over the last few years, every time I get a black cab, the driver enters my destination into their sat nav, sits back, waits for it to tell them where to go, and then follows the sat nav slavishly. If we get stuck in traffic and I ask them to come up with another route like I did in previous years, they say they don't know the area, or point to the sat nav and shrug. Hmm

PurplePickledPlums · 22/09/2017 15:16

Most of the Uber drivers also work for the mini cab companies...it's the same drivers. I've used uber extensively and had maybe two bad experiences. I've had awful black cab drivers. We don't need black cabs. They need to give over. You don't need the knowledge anymore. It's why we have sat navs.

girlsyearapart · 22/09/2017 15:18

That isnt what you should expect flower complain !
They have had some problems with drivers doing 'badge sharing' e.g. One person in the family does the knowledge and the rest share it.

namechangefordummies · 22/09/2017 15:24

Everyone on mumsnet must be loaded if they can afford black cabs every time they go out! I live in zone 3 SE London and trust me, it's prohibitively expensive to get a black cab there, which I will now have to do if I ever want to stay out past 1130pm... which as an adult, I would like to sometimes. There's no longer a cheap option.

I've lived in London 8 years and everyone I know uses uber. I've never heard a bad story like those being banded around here. It must be a very small proportion of actual wrong doers!

Ontopofthesunset · 22/09/2017 15:28

From my perspective it's not about being misers. Black cabs are very difficult to get out of central London, and anyway at certain times in central London you can't find them, like a rainy Friday night after about 10.30 pm. Uber's a godsend for teenagers coming home from parties in the suburbs late at night - no calling taxi firms from noisy parties and being told its 45 minutes till the next cab's free.

Of course I would rather they paid tax fairly, but I use Amazon too so I'm not really able to get on a high horse about it.

5rivers7hills · 22/09/2017 15:29

Are you ok with tax dodging in general?

@sparechange companies can have aggressive tax planning that is within the law. I might not like it but I also use amazon, Tesco (who make big profits off the back of paying their workers peanuts because the state tops up with tax credits...) etc.

If you want ot take a stance on tax planning its really hard to shop!

ArcheryAnnie · 22/09/2017 15:30

All uber need to do to get re-certified is to adhere to the bloody regulations. If they are not prepared to do that, then they shouldn't be allowed to do business.

5rivers7hills · 22/09/2017 15:31

Yet over the last few years, every time I get a black cab, the driver enters my destination into their sat nav, sits back, waits for it to tell them where to go, and then follows the sat nav slavishly.

The last one I had did that too! Gave him the road name, and what road it was off (and area) and he was like "I don't know that whats the postcode"