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Uber to Lose its License to Operate in London

posted by martyb on Saturday September 23 2017, @11:14PM   Printer-friendly
from the license?-we-don't-need-no-stinkin'-license! dept.

takyon writes:

Uber will lose its license to operate inside London. The issue may be only a temporary setback since the license expires on September 30th and Uber can continue to operate in London while appealing the decision:

London's transportation agency dealt a major blow to Uber on Friday, declining to renew the ride-hailing service's license to operate in its largest European market. [...] "Uber's approach and conduct demonstrate a lack of corporate responsibility in relation to a number of issues which have potential public safety and security implications," the agency, Transport for London, said in a statement.

[...] In issuing its decision, Transport for London, which is responsible for the city's subways and buses as well as regulating its taxicabs, declared that Uber was not "fit and proper" to operate in the city — a designation that carries significant weight in Britain. "Fit and proper" is a benchmark applied across different sectors of business and the charitable organizations in the country to ensure that people or organizations meet the requirements of their industry or specialty. Tests typically assess factors like an individual or company's honesty, transparency and competence, though there is no formal exam. In Uber's case, Transport for London said it examined issues of how it dealt with serious criminal offenses, how it conducted background checks on drivers and its justification for a software program called Greyball that "could be used to block regulatory bodies from gaining full access to the app."

Opinion: London's Uber Ban Is a Big Brexit Mistake

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 24 2017, @04:37AM (3 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 24 2017, @04:37AM (#572242)

    and have to be earned through learning "the knowledge" (a black taxi cab driver needs to know the best way to get to any street, in traffic, without aids, such as maps or apps).

    So what you're saying is you have to have ten years of experience as a cab driver in London before you can become a cab driver in London. Either A) There are A LOT of unlicensed black cab drivers in London, B) Black cab drivers, since they are so scarce and have knowledge that took a large time investment to achieve, earn an average of £150,000 a year due to simple scarcity driving cost, or C) That's a load of bullshit. I tend to believe option A since heavy regulation and corruption go hand in hand.

  • (Score: 4, Informative) by c0lo on Sunday September 24 2017, @08:32AM

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Sunday September 24 2017, @08:32AM (#572264) Journal

    So what you're saying is you have to have ten years of experience as a cab driver in London before you can become a cab driver in London

    Bullshit. All you need is a scooter [wikipedia.org].

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  • (Score: 4, Informative) by rleigh on Sunday September 24 2017, @12:06PM

    by rleigh (4887) on Sunday September 24 2017, @12:06PM (#572287) Homepage

    Er, no. You can drive a "private hire" vehicle. And then later learn and pass the test for driving a black cab. Both are taxis, but only the latter can pick up passengers off the street who have not pre-booked.

  • (Score: 2) by TheRaven on Monday September 25 2017, @09:25AM

    by TheRaven (270) on Monday September 25 2017, @09:25AM (#572600) Journal
    Black cabs are not the only taxis in London, they are just the only ones that you can flag down on the street (and are required to take anyone - there are a number of 'mystery shoppers' that work for the regulator that flag them down and will take away the license of any that refuse a lift to them, or if they don't go the best route). There are other minicab companies that you can book using a telephone or an app. These do not require their drivers to pass such stringent tests and are generally cheaper.
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