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

westernpromise

theEnd wrote: »

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

The other thing about black cab drivers is that accidents are never their fault. If you are pranged by a black cab, six others will instantly appear and their drivers will swear they saw it all and it was your fault.

My favourite Viz strip was the one where Cockney ɹǝʞuɐM did the Knowledge, and after passing he had to do the Ignorance. "Now, Mr. ɹǝʞuɐM, how would you get from 'Lovely weather we're having' to 'Send 'em all back'?"

GreatApe

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.

Being cheap has nothing to do with the quality of the driver, in fact we dont even measure that so you are just making a claim to fit your prejudices. In a driving test you either get a pass or a fail they dont grade you

However once more, general standards can be set. Uber drivers and black cab drivers could be given a test which is graded on a scale of which they would need to get above a certain number. I doubt black cab drivers would fair much better than normal can drivers. Even if someone failed they could just improve and pass the second or third time. So your points are pointless.

Black cabs have had it good for decades, they made huge money on hugely inflated fees and often they paid little or no taxes. It was by in large a working boys club as westernpromise is alluding to they passed their friends and friends children.

Herzlos

How many hours do these 40,000 drivers do and how many of them declare the income? It's a big figure but I got the impression most of the drivers on the books worked pretty rarely.

I've never used Uber, private hires just seem like the better option

Thrugelmir

GreatApe wrote: »

Black cabs have had it good for decades, they made huge money on hugely inflated fees and often they paid little or no taxes.

Suggests that your view isn't backed up with hard facts, just beliefs.

zagubov

michaels wrote: »

Talk about a country shooting itself in the foot.

Steady on! Every other big city in the UK (apart from maybe Bristol) and even smaller cities like Brighton and Cambridge still have it.

GreatApe

Thrugelmir wrote: »

Suggests that your view isn't backed up with hard facts, just beliefs.

No it isnt, I only have two black cab people I know in real life to go off and maybe a few dozen uber cab conversations. However I suspect that is a good deal more than your information

GreatApe

About 350,000 signed a petition to the mayor to keep uber

https://www.change.org/p/save-your-uber-in-london-saveyouruber

Seems to be growing by 25,000 an hour.

Shouldn't be too surprising if they have 40,000 drivers and each one gets 10 family/friends that is 400,000 people not too happy with TFL

kinger101

I believe there are already alternatives to Uber based on a similar model, which pass on more of the fare to the driver. And then there's minicabs and black cabs.

I don't think taxpayers will be picking up the bill. I suspect taypayers were largely funding Uber, as their drivers would have been more likely to be in receipt of in-work benefits than the black cab driver.

Arklight

I use Uber all the time in the States on business. I've even not had to rent cars sometimes because I can get around with Uber.

Calling a cab is bad enough when you know where you are. Calling a taxi company you've never used before, overseas, with only a vague idea of where you are, at a quid a minute on your mobile, which they will refuse to call you back on because it's an international number (and therefore may not even accept the booking) and then standing around on the street wondering where your ride is, is not a lot of fun.

It's not really a surprise that Uber's done so well.

That said there are two problems with Uber that really bugged me on my last trip:

1) Tipping and ratings.

You used not to be able to tip - busy times were dealt with with surge pricing, now you can. But it's the US which means optional tipping is mandatory.

Drivers simply no longer rate you based on what you were like as a passenger, they rate you on the tip you give, and you better do it quickly after the ride ends or your passenger rating will tumble. Get too low a rating and you can't get a ride. I.e. Uber's prices have just gone up 23% overnight.

Despite giving drivers 5 stars, my near 4.9 rating fell to a low 4.8 after a few rides under the new regime, simply because I gave only the lower or middle tip amount. Mostly for rides that were so short I couldn't see why I had to give almost 50% of the fare again as a tip, or because the service was mediocre.

One guy tore through traffic tailgating and blasting gangster rap, ran a red, then dropped me a block away from where I wanted to be. He then almost immediately downrated me because he could see I hadn't tipped, although I had done nothing to hurt his rating for the lousy ride (maybe he was just having a bad day).

2) Drivers not knowing where they are going.

Uber's GPS does not make up for local knowledge, common sense, or using your flipping eyes.

I don't mind drivers getting a bit dithery at the airport when you have to choose between 8 different lanes for the right terminal and airline, they aren't cab drivers after all. I do mind them driving right past my hotel looking the wrong way and then cancelling the ride at the end of the road because it's a one way system and they can't figure out how to get back.

I've never used it in London, it doesn't seem especially cheap there, but then black cabs are extortionate. A journey of 4 miles at closing time is near £30. If you dare to call and book one then that's another £2.

In practice good luck finding a cabbie who will take you anywhere other than north to south (i.e. towards where he lives) at the end of the night. Actual minicab companies, assuming they ever turn up, can leave you waiting 90 minutes plus for a ride on a weekend.

That leaves you with unlicensed minicabs hanging around clubs and bars, which are essentially men driving their own cars for cash in hand. It's these who tend to get the bulk of Londoners home, and probably these who are most likely to be the Uber drivers pushed back into the uninsured shadows.

Herzlos

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.

I do and it's still not as good as local knowledge. Near me there's a route it always suggests which usually means a huge wait to turn right, and it's quicker to take another street to turn at a set of lights.

It's also terrible for getting you in the correct lane when it's busy when you may need to pick a lane before the signs.

In both cases local knowledge is far better.

GPS is brilliant though, but I'd always favour local knowledge.