Uber lashes out against private hire clampdown

Now, it appears, a few of those suggestions could implemented by Transport for London (TfL).

A few of the proposed changes include a mandatory 5 minute wait time for all rides, a ban on showing cars on the in-app maps, updates to payment methods for ride-sharing apps and a cap on how many companies a driver can drive for.

If the rules are adopted, Uber said in an email to users, it would be the “end of Uber you know and love”.

Popular US-based app Uber and other ride-sharing operators will be able to legally pick up passengers from October 30 in Canberra, with the Australian Capital Territory government requiring drivers and vehicles to undergo accreditation and registration. “Uber is attracting a lot of drivers, because it offers a service that no one else does”.

“Our checks are actually of a higher standard than the taxi industry and they are backed up by a rating system that drivers must maintain if they are to be kept on the system”, said David Rohrsheim, general manager of Uber Australia.

In a blog post aimed at taxi drivers, he wrote that the firm – which was founded by London cabbies – had “drifted too far” from its roots, but would now be focused exclusively on boosting the embattled taxi industry.

Uber were predictably less keen, with a spokesperson commenting that the proposals are “designed to address the concerns of black-cab drivers, who are feeling squeezed due to competition”.

The department also wants to place controls on ridesharing – a move that would scupper plans to bring the company’s new fare-saving service UberPOOL to the capital.

Uber has said it has more than 15,000 drivers in London, which represents the vast majority of its operations in the UK.

Transport for London (TfL) is expected to launch a consultation on Wednesday, which is set to propose a number of new rules for London’s private auto hire operators, most of which are damaging to Uber.

City staff will now develop regulations to level the playing field & ensure all drivers operate safely, fairly & within the rules. Hosted online, the petition has nearly reached 70,000 signatures at the time of writing.

Labour’s candidate for Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said he hoped the proposed rules would “help protect Londoners and London’s historic taxi trade”.

Elsewhere in Europe, two Uber executives are going on trial in Paris today, The Wall Street Journal reports, because its drivers did not have professional licenses – a requirement of a new taxi law in the country.