Uber/taxi drama could soon come to an end
As the Uber/taxi drama in London
continues, city officials are taking
steps to fix the situation.
London City Hall recently announced five possible options regarding the future of Uber in the city, each of them with varying effects on the current taxi system and Uber. These issues were discussed at a public participation meeting on March 30.
The five options for the future of Uber as reported by the London Free Press in the article “Council to weigh Uber options” by Jonathan Sher are as follows:
• Maintain the status quo and continue fining Uber drivers for breaking London by-laws and not change any regulations on taxi companies
• Force Uber drivers to follow the same regulations as traditional taxi companies
• Classify Uber as a limo service, which would not place a cap on the number of vehicles allowed but also have stricter regulations which would mean less cars would qualify
• Create a new category with regulations decided by the city
• Allow Uber to run freely with no enforced regulations, making the company responsible for disclosing its safety features Interrobang reached out to Uber for a comment.
“Regrettably, due to current commitments to a diverse range of on-going projects, we will be unable to work with you on this, at this time,” said an Uber spokesperson.
London taxi services have been battling Uber since the company arrived in the city in July 2015.
Kayoumars Alipoor, project manager at Yellow London Taxi, spoke at the public participation meeting on behalf of the company asking for the city of London to prohibit Uber from operating until a decision has been made regarding its future.
He said Uber is not a legal company because they are not following any municipal or provincial laws.
“When it comes to the options [proposed by city staff] the council can decide, that’s not in any of my power. But when it comes to today we believe Uber has to cease and desist from operating in the city of London until such bylaws are in place that protect the client and drivers,” he said.
Alipoor said London Yellow Taxi has lost between 30 to 40 per cent of profits. He added that many users support Uber because they compete against existing taxi and limo services, but Alipoor argues it isn’t a fair competition at all.
“We have no problem with competition, there are [over] four taxi companies in the city… When you just come in and operate without any sort of regulations, that’s not competition. That’s illegal activity, which is what we have a problem with.”
He said chief municipal law enforcement officer Orest Katolyk supports this decision.
London City Hall has not announced when the decision regarding the future of Uber in London will be made.
London City Hall recently announced five possible options regarding the future of Uber in the city, each of them with varying effects on the current taxi system and Uber. These issues were discussed at a public participation meeting on March 30.
The five options for the future of Uber as reported by the London Free Press in the article “Council to weigh Uber options” by Jonathan Sher are as follows:
• Maintain the status quo and continue fining Uber drivers for breaking London by-laws and not change any regulations on taxi companies
• Force Uber drivers to follow the same regulations as traditional taxi companies
• Classify Uber as a limo service, which would not place a cap on the number of vehicles allowed but also have stricter regulations which would mean less cars would qualify
• Create a new category with regulations decided by the city
• Allow Uber to run freely with no enforced regulations, making the company responsible for disclosing its safety features Interrobang reached out to Uber for a comment.
“Regrettably, due to current commitments to a diverse range of on-going projects, we will be unable to work with you on this, at this time,” said an Uber spokesperson.
London taxi services have been battling Uber since the company arrived in the city in July 2015.
Kayoumars Alipoor, project manager at Yellow London Taxi, spoke at the public participation meeting on behalf of the company asking for the city of London to prohibit Uber from operating until a decision has been made regarding its future.
He said Uber is not a legal company because they are not following any municipal or provincial laws.
“When it comes to the options [proposed by city staff] the council can decide, that’s not in any of my power. But when it comes to today we believe Uber has to cease and desist from operating in the city of London until such bylaws are in place that protect the client and drivers,” he said.
Alipoor said London Yellow Taxi has lost between 30 to 40 per cent of profits. He added that many users support Uber because they compete against existing taxi and limo services, but Alipoor argues it isn’t a fair competition at all.
“We have no problem with competition, there are [over] four taxi companies in the city… When you just come in and operate without any sort of regulations, that’s not competition. That’s illegal activity, which is what we have a problem with.”
He said chief municipal law enforcement officer Orest Katolyk supports this decision.
London City Hall has not announced when the decision regarding the future of Uber in London will be made.
