Crackdown on Uber and other taxi firms launched

The decision comes amid an ongoing feud between taxi drivers and Transport for London over its licensing of rival minicab-booking app Uber, which has led to a string protests in central London.

Together, presumably, they have reacted angrily to the idea that Uber could be hamstrung, with London’s transport authorities accused of “arbitrary” proposals that could “damage London”.

The proposed rules, seen by The Telegraph, encompass the introduction of a minimum five-minute waiting time between ordering a vehicle and it arriving, and limits on ride-sharing – both of which seem to be direct confrontations against Uber and its UberPool service.

“If adopted, they will mean an end to the Uber you know and love”, it said.

In a bid to defend itself, Uber has set up a petition calling for people to remind TfL that riders and drivers come first.

Mr Johnson, said: “Londoners have embraced new technology and rightly so, but we can’t continue to have more than 13,000 private hire drivers in central London and growing given the congestion that results”. All up there are about 15,000 Uber drivers in the country.

The move to cater for new services like Uber is an Australian first, as other major cities are enforcing their own approach.

Uber recently announced plans to launch in the nation’s capital, and has claimed that almost one in 100 residents have signed on to be drivers already.

Labour’s candidate for Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Londoners’ safety depends on the proper regulation of the taxi and private hire sectors”. The changes should also create a level playing field between cab operators and help protect the city’s “historic taxi trade”, he said.

TFL revealed on Tuesday evening that it’s planning a public consultation on various proposals that could potentially affect Uber. The hearing was postponed to allow analysis and sharing of computer records seized by police. Dutch police in Amsterdam recently raided the firm’s headquarters for a third time.

The consultation document, which purports to make the changes to ensure London has “an effective and up to date regulatory system” would also force Uber to take advance bookings for up to seven days in advance and employ it’s drivers full time.

Meanwhile, the NRMA has called on the NSW Government to overhaul its legislation relating to taxis and ride-sharing services, encouraging the legalisation of Uber in NSW, the establishment of a new category of vehicle registration and insurance for ride-sharing suppliers, and new safety and service regulations.