40,000 Drivers to lose their jobs in the next 21 days

michaels

Herzlos wrote: »

Not quite, GPS is great for getting you from A-B with no idea what's going on, but it's often not an ideal route, especially in a busy city at different times of day. Maybe route A is the shortest, but that right-hand turn takes forever when it's busy so it's much quicker to head in a completely different direction.

It's also not got awareness of things like football games and minor roadworks.

So I'd always assume an experienced cabby would be able to get you there quicker than a random guy with a sat nav.

Do you never use google maps? - We even use it for local journeys we know 'like the back of our hand' as google knows about the live traffic situation so will avoid that snarl up due to a delivery van or whatever that previously we would have got stuck in, something that no amount of 'knowledge' would ever be able to know.

GreatApe

michaels wrote: »

Do you never use google maps? - We even use it for local journeys we know 'like the back of our hand' as google knows about the live traffic situation so will avoid that snarl up due to a delivery van or whatever that previously we would have got stuck in, something that no amount of 'knowledge' would ever be able to know.

exactly google maps is better than someone with the knowledge it learns every road every turn ever delay and also has real time data thanks to the 50 million or so smartphones in the uk

The knowledge should be scrapped from today, the current participants given 5 years grace and then after that it should be that anyone who has a drivers licence and takes a 2 hour talk in a TFL office should be able to buy a black cab and start trading or use a uber like service ideally one set up and run by TFL with much lower fees

Hopefully self drive vehicles are 5 years away, maybe uber can drag out the court challenges until then or maybe Londoners can stop voting so far left wing but that doesn't look likely not when inner London intentionally went to 50% social housing to buy/keep votes

theEnd

GreatApe wrote: »

The knowledge should be scrapped from today, the current participants given 10 years grace and then after that it should be that anyone who has a drivers licence and takes a 2 hour talk in a TFL office should be able to buy a black cab and start trading or use a uber like service ideally one set up and run by TFL with much lower fees

Agree. But why even black cabs? Horrible experience.

While Uber is probably a horrible company and may have cut some corners, they really shouldn't have, most people are much happier taking an Uber than a black cab.

westernpromise

Alternatively, there could continue to be black cabs where the drivers do the Knowledge and charge £90 to go from Heathrow to Piccadilly. Alongside them, you'd have something Uber-like which relies on a satnav and the same journey is £35 (or whatever).

The customers then choose what they want. Sooner or later, one or the other will go out of business. Banning one when there's a perfectly effective competitor is the cartel telling its customers what they should want. Instead, the customers can tell the producers what they want. It is exactly because they want Uber and think black cabs not worth the premium that black cab drivers want Uber banned.

A_Medium_Size_Jock

westernpromise wrote: »

Alternatively, there could continue to be black cabs where the drivers do the Knowledge and charge £90 to go from Heathrow to Piccadilly. Alongside them, you'd have something Uber-like which relies on a satnav and the same journey is £35 (or whatever).

The customers then choose what they want. Sooner or later, one or the other will go out of business. Banning one when there's a perfectly effective competitor is the cartel telling its customers what they should want. Instead, the customers can tell the producers what they want. It is exactly because they want Uber and think black cabs not worth the premium that black cab drivers want Uber banned.

There's a lot in that but it's another conundrum really, isn't it?
People want cheaper even if safety, the legality and the prosperity of those able to supply cheaper is not what it should be.
Uber is to transport what Mike Ashley is to clothing.
(Maybe not quite, no, but well ....... you get the idea.)

GreatApe

A_Medium_Size_Jock wrote: »

There's a lot in that but it's another conundrum really, isn't it?
People want cheaper even if safety, the legality and the prosperity of those able to supply cheaper is not what it should be.
Uber is to transport what Mike Ashley is to clothing.
(Maybe not quite, no, but well ....... you get the idea.)

you can regulate general standards

For instance you could regulate the type and efficiency of taxi cars, the safety standard (ie above a certain NCAP safety) and even things like having to have a dash cam inside the cab

However this seems to be just targeting uber because it is the biggest and the most successful

Thrugelmir

GreatApe wrote: »

Sat Navs have killed the need for the knowledge,

Hasn't improved the ability to drive though. Round here drivers seem not to have read or understood the highway code. Sometimes being cheap has downsides.

theEnd

Thrugelmir wrote: »

Hasn't improved the ability to drive though. Round here drivers seem not to have read or understood the highway code. Sometimes being cheap has downsides.

But that's all drivers, not just Uber and black taxi's probably the worst offenders.

Thrugelmir

michaels wrote: »

Do you never use google maps? - We even use it for local journeys we know 'like the back of our hand' as google knows about the live traffic situation so will avoid that snarl up due to a delivery van or whatever that previously we would have got stuck in, something that no amount of 'knowledge' would ever be able to know.

When everyone uses Google maps then the advantage soon goes.

stator

Perfect opportunity for competitors to launch their new apps in London. I'm thinking about existing private hire firms.
They've had years to develop these apps/platforms so they can compete with Uber. So there should be plenty of them out there.


Why are only black cabs allowed to operate meters in London?
Private hire are allowed to operate meters in most cities in the rest of the UK