'WE ARE ASTOUNDED' - Uber comes out fighting over ban amid mounting customer anger
'WE
ARE ASTOUNDED'
Uber come out fighting over ban as 187,000
sign petition backing firm amid mounting customer anger
Uber employs 40,000 drivers in London alone - but TFL
has deemed it 'not fit and proper' to hold a licence
22nd September 2017,Updated: 22nd September 2017,
UBER has come out
fighting after being stripped of its licence - as more than 187,000 fuming
customers sign a petition to keep the app alive in London.
Transport for London
announced this morning that the company will not be given
another private hire operator licence after its current one
expires on September 30 over safety fears.
If they lose the
appeal, Londoners will no
longer be able to get an Uber - but the move will be welcomed
by black cab drivers who
have long campaigned against the private hire company.
Uber has since urged
its London users to fight the decision as 40,000 drivers - the equivalent of
the population of Dover in Kent - will lose their jobs.
There are currently
3.5 million passengers in London using the app - just under half the population
of the capital.
More than 187,000
people have already signed a petition set up by Tom Elvidge, general manager of
Uber in London, calling on Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to make a U-turn on the
plans.
The company also sent
out an email to its London users who are as "astounded" by the
decision as Uber are.
"Not only will
this decision deprive you of the choice of a convenient way of getting about
town, it will also put more than 40,000 licensed drivers who rely on our app
out of work."
Fuming customers also
slammed the move on social media - with some calling on TfL to make the night
Tube more frequent instead.
@foodieflo1985 said:
"Are TfL going to speed up the night tube now?? How will people get home
safely if #uber isn't there?! Black cabs are too expensive".
Uber has also written
to its drivers in London, urging them to sign the petition
@SteveCross91OF wrote: "Monitored journey, License
plate, face and name saved, Estimated fair upon arrival but yet this is seen as
‘Unsafe’. Pathetic #Uber".
@NenehTrainer fumed:
"If you’re going to end #Uber then make the tubes 24 hour, 7days per week.
And black cabs half in price. What a joke of a city. @TfL".
@powell6269 said: "Loosing #Uber makes london more
unsafe for young people, especially students who can't afford the ridiculous
rates of black cabs."
@Mrkc999 wrote:
"Well done @MayorofLondon - Thanks for taking choice away from Londoners
and putting thousands of drivers out of a job.#Uber".
Uber users in London
also went into a meltdown
over the move on social media with a string of memes
showing actors crying in various movie scenes.
TWITTER
People were quick to
react to the decision by TfL on social media
One Twitter user
shared an image of Kim Jong-Un hugging an officer and wrote: 'Black cab drivers
right now'
TWITTER
The decision has been
slammed by furious Londoners on Twitter
TFL said earlier today Uber's conduct "demonstrates
a lack of corporate responsibility on issues which have potential public safety
and security implications".
They outlined a
number of issues - including the company's approach to reporting serious
criminal offences.
If you're worried
about losing Uber maybe try an alternative like Taxify instead
Mayor of Sadiq Khan
said of the decision not to issue Uber with a licence: "I want London to
be at the forefront of innovation and new technology and to be a natural home
for exciting new companies that help Londoners by providing a better and more affordable
service.
"However, all
companies in London must play by the rules and adhere to the high standards we
expect - particularly when it comes to the safety of customers. Providing an
innovative service must not be at the expense of customer safety and security.
"I fully support
TfL's decision - it would be wrong if TfL continued to license Uber if there is
any way that this could pose a threat to Londoners' safety and security.
"Any operator of
private hire services in London needs to play by the rules."
Uber said in a statement they would challenge the
decision in court and said the ban shows London "is closed to innovative
companies who bring choice to consumers".
They added: "By
wanting to ban our app from the capital Transport for London and the Mayor have
caved in to a small number of people who want to restrict consumer choice. If
this decision stands, it will put more than 40,000 licensed drivers out of work
and deprive Londoners of a convenient and affordable form of transport.
"To defend the
livelihoods of all those drivers, and the consumer choice of millions of
Londoners who use our app, we intend to immediately challenge this in the
courts.
UBER - DRIVEN BY CONTROVERSY
Ever since it launched in 2009, Uber has had to fight regulatory
and legal battles all over the world.
By 2015 they had been embroiled in at least 70 different legal
challenges.
The firm's dramatic growth and comparatively low prices have
made them tough competition for traditional cab firms.
In London, drivers don't need to pass The Knowledge - a test of
the capital's geography which can take black cab drivers years to learn.
Other controversies involving Uber involve the safety of passengers,
strange routes taken by drivers and the over-charging of customers.
In February, it was reported that a man hoping to
nip home to Croydon from Brixton ended up travelling via Bristol and
was charged £440 by the app.
And, it isn't just passengers who have had grievances.
In March, Uber boss Travis
Kalanick was filmed having an angry row with an Uber driver who
moaned to him that the firm was bankrupting him.
Then on June 3 it came under fire on social media, with
outraged users accusing the company of profiting from the terror attack on
London Bridge.
The firm, which allows riders to hail cabs with their
smartphones, upped journey costs with surge prices around the affected area,
where seven were killed and 48 hospitalised by terrorists armed with knives.
But Uber has responded
insisting that fare surges were stopped as soon as it learned about the terror
attack.
"Drivers who use
Uber are licensed by Transport for London and have been through the same
enhanced DBS background checks as black cab drivers. Our pioneering technology
has gone further to enhance safety with every trip tracked and recorded by GPS.
"We have always
followed TfL rules on reporting serious incidents and have a dedicated team who
work closely with the Metropolitan Police."
Uber is currently
under criminal investigation in America over the use of "Greyball",
a software tool it used to deny rides to people it suspected were police
officers or other authorities.
The company mentioned
the tool in their statement - saying "an independent review has found that
‘Greyball’ has never been used or considered in the UK for the purposes cited
by TfL".
Uber were backed
by David Leam, of London First, which campaigns for business in the
capital, who said Londoners will see the decision as "Luddite".GETTY
IMAGES - GETTY
The decision wasn't
welcomed by business experts
The Association of Independent Professionals and the Self
Employed (IPSE) also slammed the decision as it will put "tens of
thousands of hardworking, honest and dedicated self-employed drivers out of
work".
Chris Bryce, IPSE CEO
said: “TfL’s decision not to renew Uber’s licence is perverse. It is a bad move
for London’s travellers and a disaster for people using the app to make a
living.
"The vast
majority of drivers who use the Uber platform are self-employed individuals who
will now struggle to put food on the family table. Many of the drivers are tied
in to lease deals on their cars and they will be incurring costs without a way to
earn a living.
“This seems like a
politically-motivated decision which totally ignores the many thousands of men
and women who earn a living through the Uber app, and runs counter to what
should be at the heart of Sadiq Khan’s political agenda: ensuring the wellbeing
of ordinary hardworking people.
“We call on Sadiq
Khan to think again, revoke his support for this decision and intervene to
ensure drivers will be able to continue working. The self-employed simply want
to earn a living without having to rely on the state.”GETTY
IMAGES - GETTY
The move has been welcomed by those who have campaigned
against Uber in London - including the drivers' union GMB.
Maria Ludkin, GMB
Legal Director, said: “This historic decision is a victory for GMB’s campaign
to ensure drivers are given the rights they are entitled to - and that the
public, drivers and passengers are kept safe.
“As a result of
sustained pressure from drivers and the public, Uber has suffered yet another
defeat - losing its license to operate in London
“No company can be
behave like it's above the law, and that includes Uber. No doubt other major
cities will be looking at this decision and considering Uber’s future on their
own streets.
“This decision
vindicates our campaign and should be a wake-up call to a company that has for
far too long been in denial."
"We expect Uber
will again embark on a spurious legal challenge against the Mayor and TfL, and
we will urge the court to uphold this decision. This immoral company has no
place on London's streets."
While Shelley
Harnett who runs the Save Our Black Taxi Facebook page said: “I feel speechless
but want to shout from the roof tops at the same time!!
“This is just THE
BEST NEWS!!!
“Have goosebumps and
feel very emotional! Be lucky all you Black Cabbies out there! Today is our
day!! Sense and justice has for once won!!
“Stronger
together."
Bookies were also quick to react to today's decision -
with Ladbrokes giving 3/1 odds TfL will perform a U-turn and allow Uber back on
the streets of London.
While William
Hill are odds on that TfL will uphold their decision at 4/6 - and 11/10 they
reverse it.
Last month Uber was
accused by police of allowing a driver who sexually assaulted a passenger to
strike again by not reporting the attack - along with other serious crimes.
Inspector Neil
Billany of the Metropolitan Police's taxi and private hire team suggested the
company was putting concerns for its reputation over public safety.
A string of serious
crimes it allegedly failed to report included more sexual assaults and an
incident in which a driver produced what was thought to be pepper spray during a
road-rage argument.
The ride-hailing
company investigated 215 claims, including sexual harassment and misconduct. As
a result, it fired 20 people and reprimanded more than 40 others.
Uber suspended its
services in Bulgaria last year after being accused of "unfair trade
practices".
It was forced to pull
out of Denmark in 2014 and it will soon be completely banned in Italy.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete