

Uber and consumer choice in London - edward
http://blog.uber.com/London-regulations

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matthewmacleod
_We are bringing competition to an industry that hasn’t evolved in years._

Hailo launched a good six months before Uber in London, and seems to have done
so by working with industry and regulators, rather than by skirting around the
law.

 _As per the regulations, cars using the Uber platform do not have a taximeter
– TFL have confirmed that smart phones used by private hire drivers do not
constitute the equipping of a vehicle with a taximeter._

This is technically correct, and it's why London hasn't acted against Uber.
They're not breaking any laws at this point.

However, the use of smartphones in this fashion provides the same
functionality as a taximeter. There's no denying that; the letter of the law
may be followed, but the spirit is clearly being violated. And that's why
black cab drivers in London are upset.

I wish Uber all the best - it's good to have some competition in this space.
But I can also see why the LTDA(?) would be annoyed by this - they're
essentially evading regulations in a pretty direct manner, and in their place
I'd be pissed off too.

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orkoden
Evading regulations is the whole business model of companies like Uber and
AirBnB.

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nickff
The most interesting part of this is that the regulations were ostensibly
instituted to protect the public from a parade of horribles; but the public
seems to like the 'dangerous' service.

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dfxm12
There's a difference between "like" and "accept the risk of".

I would never have used airbnb or Uber (and the like) if I hadn't heard good
things about the services from my friends. Plus, these services offer me
something that "legit" ones don't. Sometimes I can't get a cab, or get refused
service. Sometimes it's cheaper to rent a whole house rather than enough hotel
rooms for a large family...

Look, there's times when I was in a black (or yellow) taxi and didn't feel
safe. Just because regulations are in place, that doesn't mean the public is
always safe. Regulators aren't always watching, nor are they always straight.

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cones688
This is in response to a proposed strike by London "Black Cabs" which are
licensed to be hailed. I think they are a little worried as Uber is nearly as
quick as hailing and much quicker than getting a cab through a private hire
company (sometimes called minicabs) which are booked through usually calling a
central operator who then dispatches the cab.

[http://www.ltda.co.uk/campaigns/planned-taxi-
demonstration/](http://www.ltda.co.uk/campaigns/planned-taxi-demonstration/)

~~~
test1235
I fail to see how striking is going to help their cause.

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hcho
The traffic chaos during their demonstration will be similar to the one we
will experience everyday if uber grows unregulated.

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tomp
How so?

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hcho
There are about 20000 black cabs in London which make abrupt pull overs,
ridiculous u-turns and blocking lanes 2 mins at a time. Luckily London drivers
are familiar with how they look and can prepare ahead for erratic behaviour.

Imagine there are 100000 of them, effectively under camouflage.

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bowyakka
Whilst I a massive fan of Uber, and I think they provide a good "taxi
experience" I have to wonder why they are bothering with London.

What do they hope to disrupt in London, the transport infrastructure is
phenomenal, with the private car hire business (be it black cabs, minicabs,
addison lee ...) being an extremely well serviced and competitive space.

Wouldn't Uber be better off of focusing in places where the market for private
cars is more nascent ?

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moomin
Gotta love the way they stress safety as a selling point even after all the
stories about how they lie about safety.

