London mayor Sadiq Khan has today launched the “bus hopper” ticket, which allows passengers in the capital to make a second bus journey free of charge within an hour of beginning their first.
Advertisement
Headline commitments include opening up 20 additional bus lanes for use by taxis, boosting the number of taxi ranks by at least 20 per cent by the end of the mayoral term and adding taxi information to TfL’s journey planner by summer 2017.
The Taxi and Private Hire Action Plan was unveiled by City Hall on Tuesday morning amid a renewed battle between the transport regulator and Uber over rules governing its operations in the capital.
Uber is awaiting a court hearing at the U.K.’s High Court to review three of the mayor’s earlier proposals, which would require the company to locate its call center in London, give Transport for London advance notice of changes to its operating model and have its drivers pass a written language test, a company spokesman said.
Uber has taken umbrage with the news, stating it unfairly favours black cab drivers over those that work through booking services like its own.
Mr Khan said: “Our new taxi and private hire action plan will help us deliver a truly world-class service for Londoners and create a vibrant taxi and private hire market where all providers can continue to flourish”.
The city’s traditional cabs have been hit by competition from a number of firms such as ride-hailing app Uber and private hire taxi firm Addison Lee, which have grown in popularity due to their often lower fares.
Since then so-called “private hire” cars have been flourishing and now outnumber black cabs by almost four to one.
London is one of Uber’s top 10 cities globally, with 30,000 licensed drivers who use the app and more than two million regular users, according to a company spokesman.
He also reiterated plans to enforce new English tests for private hire licensees and tighten up regulations governing their insurance.
This would mean all drivers undergoing reading, writing and listening tests.
The Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association said it welcomed the plan.
Advertisement
He said: “We are bitterly disappointed that once again the fundamental issues of illegal plying for hire and the abuse of the regulations by outfits like Uber have been ducked even though they pose the greatest threat to public safety and the future of the black taxi trade”.
