Uber Ruled Lawful

[Pagnell]

http://news.sky.com/story/1570673/blow-for-black-cabs-as-uber-is-ruled-lawful

Controversial cab-hailing app Uber does not break the law, the High Court has ruled.

Black cab drivers had argued that by using GPS signals to calculate the cost of a journey, Uber was breaching a law which bans private hire cars from being equipped with taximeters.

Transport for London (TfL) went to court for clarification, where Mr Justice Ouseley handed Uber a decisive victory and said the app operates differently to a taximeter.

Sounds good to me. Surely anything which results in increased competition, lower costs to the general public, and decreased inconvenience can only be a good thing.

 

[smat]

http://news.sky.com/story/1570673/blow-for-black-cabs-as-uber-is-ruled-lawful



Sounds good to me. Surely anything which results in increased competition, lower costs to the general public, and decreased inconvenience can only be a good thing.

I didn't have you down as a free-market fundamentalist.

 

[Stagat]

Anything which results in more people saying 'we got an uber' and suchlike can only be a bad thing.

 

[Destruction]

http://news.sky.com/story/1570673/blow-for-black-cabs-as-uber-is-ruled-lawful



Sounds good to me. Surely anything which results in increased competition, lower costs to the general public, and decreased inconvenience can only be a good thing.

Aye let's kill off an entire industry and the workers in that field so some speccy eyed tosser whose made an app can be rolling in money instead.

 

[Pagnell]

As opposed to protecting the exclusivity of an outdated business model for no other reason than it was there first.

 

[Cheese & Biscuits]

I do feel a little sorry for the black cab drivers. They're regulated, trained and have to abide by certain rules however anyone with a SatNav and car can become an Uber driver. Seems a little unfair.

 

[Abertawe]

Surely only tourists use black cabs. A 5 mile journey would probably set you back close to 20 quid.

 

[spireite]

I do feel a little sorry for the black cab drivers. They're regulated, trained and have to abide by certain rules however anyone with a SatNav and car can become an Uber driver. Seems a little unfair.

Is that the actual truth of it and why the guys are upset? Genuinely don't know. As I understand it, under UK regs any taxi driver has to pay mahussive insurance premiums depending on how many they can carry (imagine if you have a crash and all your passengers claim whiplash or w/e against you) plus register their vehicle as a business vehicle with the extra cost that brings. If someone is doing something cheaper than you within the same regs, then you were charging too much.

 

[JoeJoeJoeJoe]

Love Uber. Elland Road to my halls for £6.

 

[Pagnell]

Instead of going after a business model that make use of new technology and benefits the public's pocket, the black cab industry and the regulations that restrict them should come into the modern age and try to beat them at their own game. Why should it be protected from competition?

 

[Oaf]

I used Uber a fair bit while over in America and it was a brilliant service in my experience. The fact that you can rate drivers and that they have very high standards (I believe that drivers need an average of 4/5 stars before they're no longer allowed to drive for them) means that the drivers you do get are usually very good at their job and give great customer service too. I found uber drivers to be much friendlier than taxi drivers over there. Even if they're only doing it for a good rating, it's still better than getting into a cab with an asshole driver.

I'd love to see it come to Plymouth.

 

[Cheese & Biscuits]

"Benefits the public's pocket"

Didn't Uber jack up their prices to ridiculous levels when the tube strike was on? Black cab drivers are regulated so have a set fare structure.

You can bet that if Uber become dominant, the prices will rise too.

I'm neither for or against them really but I think the black cab drivers get painted as being in the wrong a little too easily.

 

[Pagnell]

"Benefits the public's pocket"

You can bet that if Uber become dominant, the prices will rise too..

Uber costs less than a black cab for the same journey as far as I'm aware, so they benefit the public in terms of expense. The ideal scenario is no one to be dominant and no one to be allowed a monopoly, then competition itself will keep the costs down.

 

[Cheese & Biscuits]

So just ignore the part about them raising their prices then...

 

[Pagnell]

So just ignore the part about them raising their prices then...

You asked it as a question and I didn't know the answer. If they did raise the fair then it's supply and demand I guess. I can't see them having made it more expensive than a black cab or no one would have used them.

 

[T.A]

I do feel a little sorry for the black cab drivers. They're regulated, trained and have to abide by certain rules however anyone with a SatNav and car can become an Uber driver. Seems a little unfair.

If they're that bothered why don't they quit and become an uber driver instead?

 

[Cheese & Biscuits]

That's exactly how it works when there's a lack of supply, people sit around politely until the cheapest option becomes available. How naive are you? Thousands of people hailing a handful of cabs and yet you think people wouldn't use the expensive option?

 

[Cheese & Biscuits]

If they're that bothered why don't they quit and become an uber driver instead?

You'd have to ask a black cab driver. I'd guess the money they've forked out for the cab itself may be one reason.

 

[Pagnell]

That's exactly how it works when there's a lack of supply, people sit around politely until the cheapest option becomes available. How naive are you? Thousands of people hailing a handful of cabs and yet you think people wouldn't use the expensive option?

I'm trying to relate this to what I posted. In short, what the fuck are you blabbering on about?

 

[Cheese & Biscuits]

I can't see them having made it more expensive than a black cab or no one would have used them.

I'm trying to relate this to what I posted. In short, what the fuck are you blabbering on about?

You think people wouldn't have used them if they were more expensive when demand far outstripped supply during the tube strikes?

 

[Stagat]

You asked it as a question and I didn't know the answer. If they did raise the fair then it's supply and demand I guess. I can't see them having made it more expensive than a black cab or no one would have used them.

That was mentioned in this interview, which starts at about 1:10 in the vid.

 

[Pagnell]

You think people wouldn't have used them if they were more expensive when demand far outstripped supply during the tube strikes?

I think Uber upping their costs closer to that of black cabs charge during such a time is neither surprising or unreasonable. Would no one have used a black cab if Uber were more expensive? No, so my wording wasn't ideal as there is always someone willing to pay what is required to get to work or home.

 

[Cheese & Biscuits]

Apology accepted.

 

[Abertawe]

You think people wouldn't have used them if they were more expensive when demand far outstripped supply during the tube strikes?

Why are you so passionate about this? Business raises it's price when demand means they can, what a fucking shock.

You seem desperate to prove that Uber don't have the moral high ground over black cabs for some bizarre reason.

 

[Pagnell]

Apology accepted.

I didn't make an apology, but you're welcome all the same.

As for Uber being tax dodgers according to Brand (I'd love him to be arguing my side of things if I was a black cab driver BTW), surely the Uber cab drivers themselves are paying tax on their income in exactly the same way black cab drivers are. And I imagine Uber as a company aren't dodging paying tax at all, they're simply paying the amount they're obliged to by a fucked up system.

 

[Cheese & Biscuits]

Why are you so passionate about this? Business raises it's price when demand means they can, what a fucking shock.

You seem desperate to prove that Uber don't have the moral high ground over black cabs for some bizarre reason.

I didn't think I was that passionate. As I said above, I'm neither for or against Uber but I do think Black Cab drivers get painted in a bad light when this discussion gets brought up as they are seen as whingeing and anti-change when in fact they are expected to compete with people who have a more open market. People seem to forget the profiteering with Uber but bash the cabbies over their high fares (which they can't change).

 

[Abertawe]

I didn't think I was that passionate. As I said above, I'm neither for or against Uber but I do think Black Cab drivers get painted in a bad light when this discussion gets brought up as they are seen as whingeing and anti-change when in fact they are expected to compete with people who have a more open market. People seem to forget the profiteering with Uber but bash the cabbies over their high fares (which they can't change).

Maybe not. But you can bet your house they do a slight detour when an unfamiliar accent steps foot in their cab.

 

[Pagnell]

I didn't think I was that passionate. As I said above, I'm neither for or against Uber but I do think Black Cab drivers get painted in a bad light when this discussion gets brought up as they are seen as whingeing and anti-change when in fact they are expected to compete with people who have a more open market. People seem to forget the profiteering with Uber but bash the cabbies over their high fares (which they can't change).

Shouldn't they then be lobbying for changes to the regulations that restrict them so they can compete rather than throwing shit at competition attempting to enter the market place?

 

[Cheese & Biscuits]

As far as I know, their stance is that they want all cabs to be under the same regulation, not to remove it altogether.

I'm far from an expert on this though.

 

[Stagat]

As for Uber being tax dodgers according to Brand (I'd love him to be arguing my side of things if I was a black cab driver BTW), surely the Uber cab drivers themselves are paying tax on their income in exactly the same way black cab drivers are. And I imagine Uber as a company aren't dodging paying tax at all, they're simply paying the amount they're obliged to by a fucked up system.

He did say pretty much that during the video, tbf. The main reason I posted it was because it mentioned the massive fare hike during that tube strike. The one C&B mentioned and you hadn't heard about.