"Be a Disrupter"
 
‘I’ll get an Uber’ trips off the tongue as easily as ‘I’ll call a cab’, confirming how upstart operations are now disrupting traditional businesses.

From travel and holidays to property and finance these ‘disruptors’ threaten the stranglehold of incumbents by smart use of technology. Sally Hamiltonshows how the winners are consumers who enjoy convenience and more competitive prices.

The Uber minicab app has made hailing a taxi simple when there isn’t one in sight, as well as chopping cab bills for millions of travellers in cities such as London, Birmingham and Manchester.

Passengers who sign up on a smartphone are connected to background-checked, private drivers who pick them up where they want, on average within three and a half minutes of booking. Payment is taken automatically from a pre-registered credit or debit card – so there is no scrabbling around for cash at the destination.

Drawbacks include passengers not being able to book far ahead – for example, holidaymakers wanting a car to the airport tomorrow. And if you choose a busy time to hail an Uber on the app, ‘surge’ pricing may apply that can push up the cost of the fare.

As part of their licence all drivers are required to have insurance and Uber holds copies of all the driver's documents on file. But if it transpires they have none following an accident then Uber has back-up cover.

Uber and its ilk are part of a ‘people-powered’ revolution in transport that has spread to car sharing, lift sharing and even parking.

Digital marketing executive Debbie Cass is a big fan of Uber and uses it regularly for both work and play.

But she likes another disruptor of the transport business even better – car sharing business BlaBlaCar.

The 27-year-old from New Cross Gate, South-East London, uses the service to take her to Truro in Cornwall, where her partner Liam works as a hospital doctor.

She says: ‘Relocating to Cornwall is not feasible for me so we visit each other as much as possible at weekends.’

But the sky-high cost of rail or air travel was a serious hurdle so they hunted round for other options. Debbie says: ‘Liam tried BlaBlaCar first as I was a bit nervous. But he had no problems so I felt comfortable having a go.’

Debbie searched its website, which presented drivers planning to make the journey she wanted and included names and profiles and even how chatty they were. Debbie booked and paid £20 in advance (£2 of which went to BlaBlaCar) to travel the 300 mile, five and a half hour journey from Truro to London with a woman called Helen, who lives in Cornwall at weekends but commutes weekly to the capital by car.

Debbie says: ‘The train can cost more than £100 return. But with car sharing you save a fortune and have company all the way.’

Debbie sometimes drives her own car, often taking three customers with her. ‘That covers all my fuel costs and then I have a car down there. They have always been friendly people.’ She also likes the fact she can choose to share only with other women if she wants.

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-3199262/Be-Disruptor-save-cash-high-tech-upstart-brands-cut-bills-hailing-taxi-selling-home.html?
-------------------------------------------
PLANS to ban petrol and diesel vehicles from Oxford city centre by 2020 could lead to “chaos” and rising transport costs.

Oxford City Council environment boss John Tanner said the move to create a “zero emission zone” within five years could lead to bus fares rising and would force people to buy expensive electric cars.

And the plans have been strongly criticised by 001 Taxis managing director Mark Green, who warned prices could triple.

Oxfordshire County Council will vote on Local Transport Plan Four, which contains the proposals, at a meeting on September 8.