Cabbies Protest.

BobQ

I do not use black cabs a lot but most of the drivers I have encountered seem to love wittering on about politics and seem fairly right wing. Ironic therefore that they seem to be objecting to something that in many traditional industries would be regarded as a restrictive practice that has had its day. So they must take their turn to be shafted by modern technology its called progress.

wymondham

Never heard of Uber... until today, so they have probably made their plight worse??

Out,_Vile_Jelly

I've lived in London for 12 years and can only remember using a black cab four times. I thought they were just for tourists.

Bantex_2

I think the protest was arranged by Uber. This amount of publicity would have cost them millions.

Are cabbies really that thick that they couldn't see what was going to happen?

jay213

Black cabs are too expensive, ain't it mainly tourists and people who use business expenses that use them. They want to keep there monopoly and they will if competition e.g. things like Uber are forced out.

I hope uber is allowed to continue, nothing is fitted to the engine so the 'metering' is not the same as a black cab. A map or GPS shows a route and a cost is calculated. They'll just have to compete.

Bantex_2

Apart from just not wanting competition, what is the taxi drivers objections to other types of cabs being metered?

dryhat

Uber has jumped from being the 100th most downloaded app. to the 3rd most downloaded.
signups in London alone up 850%

The cabbies protest appears to have badly backfired.

movilogo

I think Knowledge test is now overrated especially in web connected mobile phones era.

Black cabs are expensive (irrespective of whoever sets the fare).

In London, why bother using black cabs when you have excellent tube/bus system?

I wonder how many of black cab passengers pay from own pocket vs claim fare on company account. That will be an interesting statistics.

Bantex_2

I live south of the river, many black cab drivers will refuse the fare. Minicabs will accept it.

buglawton

Around the world there are going to be 2 types of capital city - those that ban Uber and those that allow it (with regulation of drivers & vehicles of course).
Interesting times.