A stranger with a car
An unrecorded journey
No pre-booking
Passengers ripped off by surge pricing.
Wasn't this the reason TfL licensed PH in the first place?
How is this issue dragging the trade into the 21st century?
Surely it's a step back to the 20th.
This from the RMT:
Taxi union RMT will be supporting a massive, joint protest by thousands of London Taxi Drivers which will take place in London on Wednesday 11th June, centred around Trafalgar Square from 2pm onwards and expected to gridlock the capital, as organisations representing the trade unite in defiance of measures being driven through by Mayor Boris Johnson which amount to an all-out assault on the industry.
RMT is backing the protest, under the banner “Cabbies Against Boris”, which has been mobilised against the many improper and unlawful decisions imposed on the taxi trade by Transport for London and the Mayor. These include the improper London Taxi Age limit and failure to enforce Private Hire Law (including the recent issues with Uber the mini cab booking app) and a host of other damaging decisions.
The Mayor of London is due to answer questions in the London Assembly at 10am on the same day.
In evidence to the Mayor, taxi organisations have exposed the nonsense of the London Taxi Age Limit and the entirely bogus arguments about the impact that scrapping the older vehicles has on emissions and pollution in London. Cabbies Against Boris has also drawn attention to the vested interests driving the policy and the fact that a similar scheme in South Wales had to be withdrawn as the consultation was found to be loaded.
The latest undermining of the Private Hire Laws by apps such as Uber is just another attempt to casualise and weaken the professional and safe licensed taxi trade and the long-established regulations around the right to ply for hire, coming after the exposure of the illegal ranks around London and the drive to destroy the airport services.
Huge and wealthy multi-national corporations like Google are now trying to use their financial clout to bully their way into areas that have been governed by Private Hire Laws in London for decades and which have delivered safe, reliable and efficient services for Londoners down the years.
RMT Acting General Secretary Mick Cash said:
“RMT is fully behind “Cabbies Against Boris” and this Wednesdays protests in central London. The attack on the professional licensed taxi trade by a combination of Boris Johnson and wealthy global corporations seeking to maximise profits is nothing short of a scandal.
“We would urge the people of London to back their cabbies 100%. There will be serious disruption on Wednesday but that will be nothing compared to the disruption and dangers of allowing our licensed taxis to be driven from our streets through a combination of ignorance and greed.”
This From Unite:
The arrival of Uber on London’s streets has exposed Boris Johnson’s natural political instincts to side with wealthy powerful multi-national corporations.
The taxi trade demonstration has been organised to highlight Boris, The Mayor and Chair of TfL Board, capitulation to Uber, a company based in the USA and controlled by Google and Goldman Sachs.
Uber has one aim, to deregulate taxi markets around the globe and now it has London in its crosshairs. It has a reported 1 billion dollar war chest, which can be deployed to undermine existing taxi regulation. The end game of this strategy is Uber’s stated aim, a deregulated Taxi & Private Hire market. This will lead to the loss of all safety gains for the travelling public since the 1998 London Private Act. Uber is the very thin end of a very thick wedge.
Boris needs to stop capitulating to the wealthy and powerful. He needs to find some “Bulldog Spirit”.
Uber must be stopped from leading a race to the bottom which we believe will undermine existing safeguards for the travelling public.
Why is Boris failing to ensure that Uber publically disclose their UK tax liabilities? Are they paying UK Corporation tax? Boris should force Uber to come clean.
Uber cheaper than taxis and Private Hire? Not with rain, snow, disruption or traffic congestion- welcome to Uber Surge Pricing.
If it ain't "Pre Booked", then it's illegal.