Uber is bracing itself for regulators to deliver a crucial ruling that could trigger the removal of tens of thousands of private-hire drivers from London's streets.
Sky News has learnt that Transport for London (TfL) could announce as soon as Friday whether it is handing the world's biggest ride-hailing app a new five-year operating licence.
Sources close to the decision said there were growing expectations that the capital's transport body would curtail or reject altogether Uber's application for a new licence.
If such a decision transpired, it would be welcomed by Uber's growing army of critics, who argue that the company has exacerbated London's traffic congestion and done too little to address violent incidents involving its drivers.
A ruling by TfL against a new operating licence for Uber, which last raised money from investors at a valuation of almost $70bn, would stun the company, which has been left in turmoil over the conduct and subsequent exit of its founder, Travis Kalanick.
Uber Technologies Inc announced last month that it was appointing Dara Khosrowshahi, the boss of travel company Expedia (Frankfurt: A1JRLJ - news) , as its new chief executive following a bitter row involving board members and investors.
The ride-sharing app has faced numerous regulatory obstacles in markets around the world, but having its licence abolished in London would be one of the biggest blows it has faced during its short history.
Sources insisted that TfL could yet decide to renew the licence.
Earlier this week, it emerged that Uber's fee for operating in London would rise from £3000 to £3m if it was granted a new five-year licence, following changes to the way that TfL calculates such payments.
TfL had been due to make a decision about Uber's licence by the end of September, but two sources said on Thursday night that a ruling was likely roughly a week before that deadline.
In May, TfL renewed the company's permit to operate but for a period of only four months, amid continued opposition and threats of legal challenges from the GMB union and Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association.
Uber now has about 40,000 drivers in London, and is used by about 3.5m customers, but its rise has sparked the most significant backlash to date against a major champion of the so-called sharing economy.
Spokesmen for TfL and the Mayor of London's office both declined to comment, while a source close to Uber said it had yet to be notified of any decision.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/uber-braced-crash-tfl-delivers-225400104.html
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@MyTaxi. Problems in Eire
Taxi drivers have insisted that it is fair to start charging customers €2 to book a cab through the Mytaxi mobile app.
The National Transport Authority (NTA) approved the optional charge for customers who are not hailing taxis on the street but the management of Mytaxi had urged drivers to waive it.
However the company has had to deal with complaints from workers since it took over Hailo in March. In an attempt to placate them, it announced that it would lift the block on the booking fee from yesterday.
Jim Waldron, spokesman for the National Private Hire & Taxi Association, said that the charge covered the cost of travelling to pick up a passenger.
“The charge pays for the convenience to the customer, who doesn’t have to go out on to the street to hail a cab,” he said.
“If a driver accepts a job on Mytaxi and has to drive 1km, he might pass a fare on the street, but the original fare might cancel on the way, or he might have to wait a long time for the customer to come out of their house. Why would a driver pass a fare on the street when they’ll get more money for it?” Mr Waldron said that drivers had grown frustrated with the company and had started to go elsewhere.
“Now it’s getting a bit busier and the economy is picking up, a lot of taxi drivers are thinking, ‘I’ll switch off the app. I’ll just get my own work and make more money for it’,” he said.
Mytaxi, which is owned by Daimler, the German carmaker, has 100,000 drivers and more than six million customers in nine European countries, but has experienced problems since its launch in Ireland in March. Customers have complained of long waiting times or taxis not being available.
In another measure designed to get more drivers using its service, the company offered prospective drivers help in passing the NTA’s testing programme.
Tim Arnold, Mytaxi’s general manager, said that the company had decided to allow the “industry standard” booking fees to ensure that there were enough drivers working for the service to meet demand.
“There’s never been more demand for taxis in Ireland. The past few weeks have been busier for Mytaxi than Christmas and new year’s last year,” Mr Arnold told the Newstalk Breakfast radio programme.
“At the same time, there are fewer taxi drivers operating in Ireland than at any time in the past ten years. We’re confident that by implementing this change, that Mytaxi drivers will offer an ever-improving service and fewer customers will be disappointed when they can’t find a taxi.”
Last week the NTA approved average rises to taxi fares of 3.2 per cent. These will come into effect next February.
http://bit.ly/2hnI8hq
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BURY
A Private Hire firm is celebrating going from four cars to 90 in just a few years.
Swiftline Taxis, which started up in Whitefield, has merged with Star Taxis, meaning the service can now cover the whole of the borough.
Ali Khan, a director of StarSwiftline, said: "We set up in Whitefield a couple of years ago and moved into Radcliffe.
"Just recently we went into a partnership with Star Taxis.
"So we've been able to move into Bury, we've gone from four cars to 90 cars in just a few years."
He said the company has state of the art equipment and their new app means customers can track their taxis and feel safe.
Mr Khan added: "We just keep going from strength to strength. It's family run and most of the staff are family too."
The merger has led to the two firms opening a new joint office in Bolton Street, Bury.
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