Mr Loades slammed the taxi industry’s leasing and network fees as “draconian”, as 57 per cent of a Sydney taxi driver’s earnings go towards fees, compared with 20 per cent for an Uber driver.
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Tory’s motion, which passed council with a vote of 32-12, will ask city staff to try and fit the Uber business model into the city’s existing regulatory framework.
He added TfL had 3,000 operators of private hire companies in the capital and the proposed regulations would apply to all of them.
However, while the proposals may seem to be particularly targeting Uber, it’s important to note that none of them single out the company and will only come into effect with the backing of London residents. The new proposals from TfL include a minimum five-minute wait time for all preordered taxis and the ability to preorder up to a week in advance.
It’s also purported to be proposing that private hire operators like Uber would have to stop showing cars available at a given time within its smartphone app.
Meanwhile, the NRMA has called on the NSW Government to overhaul its legislation relating to taxis and ride-sharing services, encouraging the legalisation of Uber in NSW, the establishment of a new category of vehicle registration and insurance for ride-sharing suppliers, and new safety and service regulations.
Uber Canada’s general manager Ian Black says they will not comply with that request.
For its part, TfL wants to set standards for the private hire industry, and left the door open to input from the public. “No final decisions have been made and we’re keen to hear a range of views”, TfL Chief Operating Officer Garrett Emmerson said in the release.
“If adopted, [the proposals] will mean an end to the Uber you know and love today”, the petition states.
Black-taxi drivers, who have to pass a grueling test to get a license, have complained that Uber threatens their livelihoods and is lowering service quality.
But even with this in mind, TfL’s proposals will come as a surprise given that the Conservative government has regularly spoken up for Uber.
The petition has attracted more than 70,000 signatures in a matter of hours.
The plan represents 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.
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“That system largely worked fine until recently, but the emergence of Uber has turned it on its head”, he said.
