In just seven years they have added over 60,000 vehicles to London’s already congested roads since their licensing in July 2012 ?
At one time adding over 600 vehicles a week to the total amount of cars working on the app. The proliferation of Uber licenses have caused a major delay in Licensed Taxi Driver and Taxi licence renewals.
New data shows that Uber minicab drivers are carrying fare paying passenger for less than half their shift... this raises serious concerns, the ride-hailing giant is massively adding to pollution and congestion.
Drivers are having to work long hours, most are working between 12 and 14 hours a day, as the fares are so low, with many drivers paying the company 35% of the fare in commission. A new report in the Sunday Times today, shows that these vehicles are driving around empty for well over half their shift.
The data shows drivers in London spent more than a third (35%) of their time cruising looking for work and almost a quarter (23%) of their time just driving empty to a location to pick up a passenger.
The data also shows vehicles only have passengers on board for 42% of the time. That’s 58% of their 12-14 hours driving round empty.
The Mayor of London (Boris Johnson) was ordered by government ministers to "go easy on Uber" and Uber's path to their launched into Britain was eased, with a promise that its smart technology (which matches passengers with the nearest vehicle plying for hire) would reduce traffic. But the time spent cruising round empty was never taken into account.
Questions should be asked why was the Mayor of London leaned on to go easy and why has the minister for transport, refused to put a cap on their numbers ?
With Sadiq Khan and TfL constantly reducing the amount of road space available to vehicles in the capital, the congestion and pollution is set to get much worse.
At one time adding over 600 vehicles a week to the total amount of cars working on the app. The proliferation of Uber licenses have caused a major delay in Licensed Taxi Driver and Taxi licence renewals.
New data shows that Uber minicab drivers are carrying fare paying passenger for less than half their shift... this raises serious concerns, the ride-hailing giant is massively adding to pollution and congestion.
Drivers are having to work long hours, most are working between 12 and 14 hours a day, as the fares are so low, with many drivers paying the company 35% of the fare in commission. A new report in the Sunday Times today, shows that these vehicles are driving around empty for well over half their shift.
The data shows drivers in London spent more than a third (35%) of their time cruising looking for work and almost a quarter (23%) of their time just driving empty to a location to pick up a passenger.
The data also shows vehicles only have passengers on board for 42% of the time. That’s 58% of their 12-14 hours driving round empty.
The Mayor of London (Boris Johnson) was ordered by government ministers to "go easy on Uber" and Uber's path to their launched into Britain was eased, with a promise that its smart technology (which matches passengers with the nearest vehicle plying for hire) would reduce traffic. But the time spent cruising round empty was never taken into account.
Questions should be asked why was the Mayor of London leaned on to go easy and why has the minister for transport, refused to put a cap on their numbers ?
With Sadiq Khan and TfL constantly reducing the amount of road space available to vehicles in the capital, the congestion and pollution is set to get much worse.
Taxi Leaks Extra Bit :
It has also been bought to our notice that TfL are also protecting Uber by flat out refusing to answer a request to regularly publish the sexual assault and rape statistics of Uber passengers by drivers. They say to do this may seriously affect Uber’s business model and could put people off using the private hire app.
So now TfL have put protecting the Uber app, over protecting the public.
But again, this was to be expected... after they (TfL) swept the fact that 13,000 of Uber’s drivers had fake DBS certificates under the carpet. Recently at a senior reps meeting TFL's general manager tried to deny the figure was ever 13,000, till it was pointed out that the statistic was in fact TFL's own published figure.
The fact that many Uber drivers had acquired medical examinations 'ON LINE' was also kept quiet and only came to light after being exposed in an article in a nation newspaper.