Documents seen by the Telegraph reveal that London’s transport body is due to consult on new proposals for private hire companies that would ban some of Uber’s key features.
The proposals include a minimum five-minute wait time between ordering a private hire vehicle and it arriving, and banning operators from showing cars for hire within a smartphone app – a hallmark of the American company's service.
TfL is also proposing that passengers must be able to book fares up to seven days in advance, and limiting ride-sharing, a move that would severely hamper Uber’s plans to introduce its UberPool service in London.
The proposals represent the latest crackdown from various regulators around the world on Uber, which has threatened to disrupt London’s black cab industry as well as taxi services in many other cities, and could have a major effect on its success in the capital.
"These bureaucratic new rules will not improve your ride," said Jo Bertram, Uber's general manager for the UK, Ireland and Nordics.
"They’re designed to address the concerns of black cab drivers, who feel under pressure from increased competition.
"But the answer is to reduce the onerous regulations cabbies face today - not increase them for everyone else."
TfL documents marked “private and confidential” reveal how the public body plans to launch a September consultation on the matter "in the interests of public safety and an effective and up to date regulatory system". It is expected to be unveiled within days.
Uber matches drivers with passengers via a smartphone app, allowing riders to hail a ride within minutes. This makes it significantly quicker than traditional private hire operators, although they are regulated as such.
This has caused outrage among London’s black cab drivers and associations, who have repeatedly held protests causing gridlock in central London over the issue.
Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, has defended Uber at times, recently telling cabbies: "You are dealing with a huge economic force which is consumer choice and the taxi trade needs to recognise that.”
However, after closing a consultation on the private hire industry in June, TfL is now proposing a series of rules that its documents say have been drafted and discussed with trade groups.
The 25 proposals in the draft document include several that would be particularly damaging to Uber, and appear designed in response to the rise of minicab apps.
The proposals are contained in a draft document, so may have changed.
Uber has faced difficulties with regulators in several other countries. The company's UberPOP service has been abandoned in France after it was suspended, and has been banned in Belgium pending appeal.
Uber has said it has more than 15,000 drivers in London, which represents the vast majority of its operations in the UK.
Garrett Emmerson, TfL’s Chief Operating Officer for Surface Transport, said: “We are launching a public consultation in order to inform and improve the regulations that govern the Capital’s private hire trade. In recent years the private hire industry has grown exponentially and technology has also developed rapidly.
"The consultation sets out a number of ways that standards across the industry could be raised, ensuring Londoners can continue to benefit from the service provided by licensed private hire vehicles. No final decisions have been made and we’re keen to hear a range of views from the trade and from Londoners too.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/11899018/Uber-faces-massive-crackdown-in-London.html
Uber is growing day by day as well Uber have faced a lot problem and clear cases in courts but still going up metro airport cars
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