Uber has established itself in many major cities around the world as a rival to traditional taxi companies.
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Striking a blow to the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA) and numerous anti-Uber lobby groups, the court found that Uber’s in-app fare calculation was found not to be a taximeter – a fare measurement device legally restricted only to licensed black cabs.
And cab drivers argue that Uber’s smartphone app is the equivalent of a taximeter for calculating fares – which it’s illegal for PHVs to have.
The Licensed Taxi Drivers Association immediately responded on Twitter, saying that it has lodged an appeal to the Supreme Court and emphasising that it believes any device that uses “time & distance to calculate fare” is by definition a meter.
Taximeters are only available for black cab drivers in London. They are hoping to curtail Uber’s activities in the city through this argument. Private-hire vehicles are prohibited to be equipped with a taximeter. London cabbies – who require years of training to pass a licensing test – have clogged roads and threatened criminal complaints against four Uber drivers. Cheaper than a black cab, or a private taxi hire, they’re also incredibly easy to book, via an app. You can also complain really easily if your driver is untoward in any way.
But the spokesman stressed whatever the outcome it would not affect Uber’s overall ability to operate in London, even if adjustments had to be made.
TfL admitted in its initial ruling on the taximeter issue that there simply aren’t enough laws and regulations to help it decide how to deal with Uber.
In a statement, TfL’s MD of surface transport, Leon Daniels, added: “Disruptive technology and new business models have radically changed the way that taxi and private hire services operate and has widened customer choice”.
The case had been brought by Transport for London (TfL), the capital’s transport regulator.
Transport for London is now investigating whether there should be a minimum five-minute wait between Uber passengers ordering a vehicle and being picked up.
An Uber spokesman said: “This is a victory for common sense and it means we won’t have to make any unnecessary changes to the way Uber works today”.
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A petition against the move has been signed by 130,000 people.
