Uber being banned from London
Oct 5, 2017, 11:28 am
#91
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That is not correct; the driver is not told until after he has accepted the job. Indeed, there is no requirement to set a destination until the vehicle arrives.
Oct 5, 2017, 4:02 pm
#92
Moderator: UK and Ireland & Europe
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The driver can mess you about though, phoning you and telling you to cancel once the destination is apparent, thereby blocking you from calling another one until you do so. The really unscrupulous ones may even start the journey in your absence of you refuse. Sure, you can complain, but it does happen, especially at airports (most recently near Luton, for me...)
Oct 5, 2017, 4:07 pm
#93
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 22
"The UBER driver can (as does a mini cab driver) easily refuse to take you somewhere because he / she knows where you want to go before they accept the job. The cabby only finds out when you tell them once they have stopped for you."
This is wrong on both counts. The Uber app doesn't let the driver know the destination until the passenger has got in the car. Black taxi drivers do get told the destination on prebooked jobs through the networks.
This is wrong on both counts. The Uber app doesn't let the driver know the destination until the passenger has got in the car. Black taxi drivers do get told the destination on prebooked jobs through the networks.
Oct 5, 2017, 5:48 pm
#94
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Oct 5, 2017, 5:52 pm
#95
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Whether an individual prefers a black cab or an Uber is only relevant in a context where Uber is actually banned. Fortunately, whilst TFL has its head in the sand, its political masters have realised that banning it is a major vote loser. The only question is over what sort of face-saving agreement will be made to ensure its continuance.
Oct 5, 2017, 7:03 pm
#96
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Oct 6, 2017, 2:28 am
#98
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This was a main plank of the Employment Tribunal's decision that the drivers are effectively employees not contractors.
Oct 6, 2017, 2:48 am
#99
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I should point out, for balance, the the vast majority of my Uber journeys have been great - fast, hassle free, good value, and with helpful drivers. My worst experiences tend to be journeys from near airports (where the assumption seems to be that I'm trying to go to the airport on a very short journey - actually generally not the case, not that it should matter...)
Oct 7, 2017, 4:07 am
#100
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Location: Manchester, UK
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Oct 7, 2017, 4:11 am
#101
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Never had an issue in Manchester. I thought the driver didn’t find out the destination before the trip had started? In Kampala, cash strapped drivers expected me to call them, to confirm the journey, but that was because a lot were being hailed in error. That’s the other nice thing about Uber. The growing number of places where you can get off a plane and not have to try too hard to work out the local taxis.
Oct 7, 2017, 4:18 am
#102
Ambassador: Emirates Airlines
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I had some issues at Manchester Airport last week. I booked a car from T1, but the usual meeting place (the Texaco garage) has now been closed down. A total of 4 drivers eventually phoned me, with the first 3 cancelling. I managed to leave 1 star reviews for 2 of them.
When I eventually got in the 4th car, the driver said he thought that there may be some technical issues issues as he was getting lots of jobs, but they were automatically cancelling.
I felt a bit guilty about the 1 star reviews
Oct 7, 2017, 5:59 am
#103
Join Date: Sep 2015
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The danger in all of this is that Uber has the power to eradicate competition. Once that is gone Uber will be king and not only enjoy local monopolies but one global one. But seeing how the arrival of Uber everywhere is cheered on by customers rather than them having reservations (e.g. "yeah price is great but what's it going to be like 5/10/15 years from now?") may make an eventual IPO very interesting.
Oct 7, 2017, 7:43 am
#104
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I see more of a danger in that. Just think about it for a minute. If Uber dominates markets everywhere, they can just dictate the price for rides and at the same time dictate pay of drivers.
The danger in all of this is that Uber has the power to eradicate competition. Once that is gone Uber will be king and not only enjoy local monopolies but one global one. But seeing how the arrival of Uber everywhere is cheered on by customers rather than them having reservations (e.g. "yeah price is great but what's it going to be like 5/10/15 years from now?") may make an eventual IPO very interesting.
The danger in all of this is that Uber has the power to eradicate competition. Once that is gone Uber will be king and not only enjoy local monopolies but one global one. But seeing how the arrival of Uber everywhere is cheered on by customers rather than them having reservations (e.g. "yeah price is great but what's it going to be like 5/10/15 years from now?") may make an eventual IPO very interesting.
Oct 7, 2017, 8:27 am
#105
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Being able to sustain many years of heavy losses is not an option for local coops.
We are gradually moving into OMNI territory here, though, so perhaps we should go back and focus on the London situation.