
Uber to Lose Private Hire Licence in London - AgentIcarus
https://twitter.com/TfL/status/911168235189489669
======
merricksb
Active discussion:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15310664](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15310664)

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jaymzcampbell
More from the Guardian here:
[https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/sep/22/uber-
lice...](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/sep/22/uber-licence-
transport-for-london-tfl)

They have 21 days to appeal and can keep operating until the _appeal_ process
itself finishes (Oct 13th then).

> [TFL said] Uber’s approach and conduct demonstrate a lack of corporate
> responsibility

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alexfoo
> They have 21 days to appeal and can keep operating until the appeal process
> itself finishes (Oct 13th then).

The 21 days is how long (from now) they have to begin the appeal:-

"The Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998 includes provision to appeal a
licensing decision within 21 days of it being communicated to the applicant.
Uber London Limited can continue to operate until any appeal processes have
been exhausted."

[In that press release] There is no specified time limit on the length of the
appeal.

~~~
frgtpsswrdlame
On NPR this morning they mentioned the appeal may take up to 18 months. No
idea how accurate that is however.

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peteretep
Dang. Good thing London has Addison Lee.

Edit: who are a long-running minicab service who give fixed price bids, have a
reasonable app, have their own fleet by dedicated drivers, and are usually
price competitive with Uber.

~~~
dijit
One thing to note is that Addison Lee minicabs are notorious for their
dangerous driving and ability to get away with injuring people. Especially
cyclists.

This measure of protection is not afforded to uber drivers, nor are they
encouraged to drive illegally by their company.

[http://road.cc/content/news/56878-tfl-warns-it-will-take-
act...](http://road.cc/content/news/56878-tfl-warns-it-will-take-action-
against-addison-lee-london-minicab-firm-tells-its)

~~~
barrkel
IMO Royal Mail are the worst drivers, far worse than any cabs.

I sometimes see them racing one another in large lorries, especially around
Mount Pleasant. The fact that they have such large vehicles, while also
driving unfamiliar routes (i.e. turning down roads that most traffic doesn't)
makes them worse.

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choult
Greyball specifically called out by TfL as a primary reason behind their
decision - that's karma for you.

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kennydude
Can't over-rule the law everywhere Uber. (Public transport in London is
incredibly good most of the time anyway...)

~~~
Robadob
Expensive relative to other European capitals though (the unions control over
TFL in part to blame for that though).

~~~
davidgerard
It's a lot more to do with putting off investment for literally decades, then
finally having to pay for massive amounts of work on pretty much all the
lines.

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garblegarble
Here's the statement released by the regulatory body, pointing out Greyball as
one of the factors:
[https://twitter.com/TfL/status/911168235189489669](https://twitter.com/TfL/status/911168235189489669)

Edit: the url of the story has now been changed from the original bbc news
link to this url

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boothead
Well, I can't disagree with the reasons, but as someone who lives outside the
M25 this means I lose a really handy way to get home when I've had a drink. Ah
well, I'm supposed to have given up anyway :-)

~~~
pjc50
How much does that really cost though? Is that from central London?

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Jimmed
You're looking at roughly twice the cost, usually more if it's late on a
Friday/Saturday night. I used to regularly travel from Zone 1 to _just_ inside
the M25 to the West of London ─ an Uber costs ~£40, whereas I've paid between
£80 and £120 for other private hires for similar journeys.

~~~
cjsuk
4 miles in a black cab summoned via Hailo can cost you £25 on a Saturday
afternoon as a price comparison. It takes 15 minutes for them to turn up and
the journey takes up to 30 mins or so depending on traffic.

I can actually walk that in under an hour if I need to.

~~~
Jimmed
If/while you still can, you might as well just walk (or take a bus, they're
great)! London is a beautiful city, with myriad hidden wonders that you just
don't find unless you're on foot.

I've found myself in countless situations where the walk is maybe 10-15 mins
longer than any available public transport (Uber included), so I've saved
myself the money and taken a hit on a little bit of time.

~~~
cjsuk
I really can’t stand busses. I used to walk 8 miles a day to avoid them!

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jmkni
So they have to stop operating in London? I wonder if this will be used as a
precedent to do the same in other cities?

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pacifika
Lose or never had one?

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choult
Their current license runs out on September 30th

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cm2187
Does that mean Uber can't operate in London?

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Zenst
Yes - that is exactly what it means.

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cjsuk
What happens if they just carry on operating?

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chrischen
Uber is too useful and too much better to fail.

~~~
probably_wrong
You mean in London specifically, or in general? Because I agree with one but
not with the other.

