Taxis - Black Cabs, Uber, Illegal Cabbies

Not really sure where you're coming from, but TBH that sounds like you're about to offer me some shares... Profits? More or less guarantee a return? Always more relaxed markets?

Maybe in central London.
Out in here in outer west London, the private hire guys who have switched to Uber are still in their diesel Tourans.

Under Transport for London (TfL) rules, all new black cabs from 1 January 2018 will need to be electric, or capable of producing zero emissions. Combined with an age limit for the cabs of 15 years, that means the last diesel ones should disappear from London by 2032.

2032

Lol .. Really?!

Indeed although one would hope people will vote with their feet and speed implementation.
Anecdotally I have heard black cabs have been hard hit by uber, and many of the older ones are thinking of turning it in. This from a friends father in law who is well in his 70s!!

2032 is frankly a joke and the fact that they are left out of ULEZ is also rather insulting. They need to die sooner if Uber/some other gig economy kills them I'd be very happy.

Pretty much that, if they go electric they can stay as a tourist attraction. If I was a cabby I'd be fairly pissed off that the ltda has allowed them to fall so far backwards and out of contention.

Is there a petition I can sign supporting the TfL decision?

Would that be the email sent from Uber's tax efficient HQ in Amsterdam (look at the address at the bottom)?

Don't save uber

https://www.change.org/p/tfl-don-t-save-uber?recruiter=794275078&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_petition&utm_term=autopublish

Uber is an awful company and while this is far from the end of it (undoubtedly there'll be a lot of legal wrangling), it is a decision I welcome strongly.

All the main points have already been covered, I think, except for why Uber has so much venture capital backing it, and this is because they plan to switch to driverless operation once it is ratified everywhere and get rid of most of their staff, so if you're concerned about people losing their jobs, it would be much worse once Uber operated globally as part of an oligopoly or even monopoly on certain kinds of transportation, having got there by attacking local regulations.

Much of the strategic thinking in car companies has been around replacing public transport with private hire vehicles, and Uber is on the non-manufacturer side of this. Car manufacturers have been thinking about whether they can earn more from the production of a vehicle if they continue to own it and users pay through the nose every time they use one--similar to the idea that users should pay every time they stream an audio or video file. As above, they then want to get rid of the drivers. Great, doesn't everybody want to work less? Errr ...

On the greenwash side, we are then promised that there would be far fewer vehicles, as people's privately-owned vehicles wouldn't be clogging up every street. Maybe (if people really were prepared to let go of their own cars, rather than (as is more likely) using both their own and hire cars), but this would be offset by numerous other disadvantages.

Uber obviously are using standard tactics to drive competitors off the market--invest lots from 'startup' capital while hemorrhaging money, initially keep prices low, etc. None of this would last with smaller competitors gone. They may not be perfect, but I'd take the (genuinely) self-employed black cab operators over the unwitting completely insecure slaves of a global company with extremely objectionable business practices any time.

will now have diesel powered black cabs? The drivers of which are actively anti-cycling?

Not explicitly anticycling but aggressive to all other competitors for the route ahead. Luckily they're highly trained drivers.
Imagine opening the trade to literally anyone-- the final consequences of Uber and friends-- while increasing driver competition and the pressures to push through and get a good review.. they have little choice once they join ranks.. little pawns on the board which will inevitably be replaced by robots and left in debt..
The clock for The black cab too is ticking but as one of the pillars of public transport they won't just disappear but will clearly see their functional duties shift and evolve.

Quite the contrary. I was about to offer you some free money. My friend in Nigeria says he can help you out.

Fuck em .. hope their lungs fill with diesel fumes some day like they are doing to us. Rigid little Britain cunts.

Uber being discussed on R4 right now (with some fella called Fred Jones)...

[There was a lot of repetition of the diversionary line 'We need to sit down with TfL to understand their concerns', and a seemingly troubling reluctance to agree that Uber would/should contact the police to report serious crimes involving their drivers (at the moment they just log them with TfL).]

Uber: We are working with the MET to establish how best to contact them regarding serious allegations
Radio 4: Why not just pick up the phone?
Uber: [More waffle]

Luckily they're highly trained drivers.

Oh dear, you've fallen for this crock of shit. Years driving a moped round London memorising routes does not make you a good driver and beyond repeating the basic driving test with a test of getting a wheelchair in and out the cab, there are no additional technical skills tests or training for black cab drivers.

Even better DVSA aren't even doing the taxi tests right now so there is no formal driving test after doing the knowledge until it is replaced.

https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/taxis-and-private-hire/licensing/learn-the-knowledge-of-london/taking-the-taxi-driving-test

But doing the knowledge does tend to mean you don't suddenly cut across two lanes of traffic to make a left because you've just seen where your sat nav is sending you. In my experience Black Cabs drive in a more consistent and aware way than most forms of London traffic.

most forms of London traffic

Let's be honest - that bar is set pretty low though. My experience with cabs differs from yours, however being the best of a shit bunch doesn't make you great.

Rigid little Britain cunts.

Haha brilliant

more consistent

Consistently bad

This is good on Uber and definitely worth a read

http://www.londonreconnections.com/2017/understanding-uber-not-app/

But doing the knowledge does tend to mean you don't suddenly cut across two lanes of traffic to make a left because you've just seen where your sat nav is sending you.

Indeed.

You just have them slamming across lanes and smashing their brakes because they have seen a fair, or they are dropping someone off.

Hazard lights. I needn't say any more

A fair lady, a fair deal, a funfair?