The Storm In The Teacup Over Uber
I’ve only ever used Uber once and the guy got lost three times between Walthamstow and Dalston. For the pick-up he had come all the way from Ealing, so how environmentally-friendly is that?
I generally only use black taxis from a rank, as otherwise I use the buses or trains, as I have a Freedom Pass.
What I object to about Uber is a variety of things.
- How can I be sure that the driver is fully insured and pays their taxes?
- All private hire cars and taxis should be recognisable. So Uber cars must have an Uber sign on the side!
- I like to pay taxis in cash!
- Uber’s database will get hacked soon and I don’t want to lose my details.
But the biggest thing about Uber and the other private hire vehicles is the congestion and pollution, the number of vehicles in London creates.
All new black taxis will have to be zero-emission after the first of January 2018 and vehicles over 15 years old will have to be retired.
Do the same rules apply to Uber and the other private hire vehicles? If not, it’s not a level playing field!
I said it was a storm in a teacup about Uber. TfL, Uber and the other private hire vehicle companies will agree a set of rules, which is fair to all.
And that must cover the important ones of driver suitability, congestion and pollution.
But within twenty years all taxis will be driverless electric vehicles. As one black-cab driver put it to me, if he could buy one of those, he wouldn’t need to suffer the stresses of driving in London and he could retire.
The Anonymous Widower 