Taxi Driver Online

Uber launching in Oxford with its new 'local cab' pilot

https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/19370 ... cab-pilot/

Uber is launching its new product ‘local cab’, in Oxford, which will enable passengers to book a trip with a local taxi company via the Uber app.

Anyone opening the Uber app in Oxford will see the ‘Local cab’ option which will connect passengers to the taxi firm 001 Taxis Oxford.

Users will have to download the latest version of the app to be able to see the Local cab product.

Despite the Uber app being opened as many as 65,000 times per month in Oxford, passengers have not previously been able to book a ride in a local cab.

Uber’s application was declared a void in July 2016 after the firm let a twelve-month window lapse without providing Oxford City Council with ‘vital details’ on how it would operate.

Since, the two biggest taxi firms in the city 001 Taxi’s and Royal Cars launched apps.

However, now passengers will be able to book their ride via the Uber app.

Amir Khan, managing director at 001 Taxis Oxford, said: “We’re delighted to be one of the first operators in the UK to pilot ‘Local cab.’ This will give the people of Oxford another way to book with 001 Taxis Oxford – and anyone visiting the city, that already uses the Uber app, will now find it easy to book a ride with a local operator. With the boost in passengers, we will also be looking to welcome new drivers to the company.”

And I'm delighted to announce my purchase of an island in the sun.

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IDFIMH

I just want to add the fares are upto 30 percent higher then the standard 001 fare, it’s 20 percent for Uber and 10 percent for 001 plus the weekly base rent of £120. The drivers have realised they’re being taken for mugs and the customers get upset when they realise they could have saved 30% by booking 001 direct.

We just laugh at the Uber muppets, obviously it’s customers choice but instead of being a push button person they could have got a black cab and we are slightly cheaper then the 001 Uber.

As an example Uber local cab is £75 to high Wycombe, so it’s £14 for uber, £7 for 001, £7 in fuel
And the driver receives about £43 for driving 55 miles - muppet.

If the uber customer negotiated, most black cabs would happily go for £70 or less, but as we know uber is an addiction to some.

Oxford taxi drivers protest against Uber Local pilot with 001

https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/19540 ... pilot-001/



Taxi and mini cab drivers in Oxford are infuriated with Uber’s new pilot relationship with taxi company 001 Oxford.

Uber's 'Local Cab' feature allows passengers to book a trip with a local taxi company through the Uber app. Many local taxi drivers who do not work for 001 are concerned that this pilot will put the livelihoods of many local drivers at stake.

Today , taxi drivers and supporting councillors protested outside Oxford Town Hall to oppose the Uber pilot. Protest organisers said Uber has managed to 'slip through the back door' and is now available in Oxford, even though the app has never been granted an operating license.

Azmat Sherwani, protest organiser and head of Say No to Uber said: "Oxford council have not approved Uber for a licence, they have not been able to get into the area because they have had their licence rejected many times. What Uber have now done is bought a software provider that supplies software nationally to the taxi industry which gives them a back door into certain areas. They are now coming into Oxford and it is going to be catastrophic to all these drivers that are here today because they will be potentially losing their businesses."

Bashir Ahmed, chairman of City of Oxford Licensed Taxi Cab Association believes with Uber in the city it is not 'a level playing field' for taxi drivers.

He added: "We are expected to meet the high criteria of Oxford City Council in terms of vetting the drivers and meeting the demand. Uber do not have that, there is no one vetting their system."

Independent councillor for Temple Cowley Hall Saj Malik is a driver for Royal Cars. He says he is disappointed in Oxford City Council for letting Uber into the city and is concerned for the safety of Oxford passengers.

Oxford councillor Tom Hayes said: “It is our duty, as the licensing authority, to ensure that the taxi trade in Oxford operates according to the law, the legal guidance issued by the government, and our local policy that puts the safety of passengers first. We take this responsibility seriously and are investigating whether or not the relationship between Uber and 001 meets these requirements.

“Neither Uber nor 001 contacted Oxford City Council about this pilot. We are in the process of speaking to councils in the same situation and have contacted both Uber and 001 to understand the legal issues and the impact on taxi licensing in Oxford. We have concerns around safeguarding passengers and ensuring driver and vehicle standards reach the high levels we expect as a licensing authority and are eager to understand what this means for the rights of staff and a possible proliferation of out-of-town vehicles that we do not license."

Uber believes that it is working within Oxford regulations because it is working with a local licensed cab company. An Uber spokeswoman said: "We are proud of Local Cab, which connects riders who use the Uber app to local operators in towns and cities that we do not currently operate in, including Oxford.”

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IDFIMH

If 001 use local vehicles then surely that can't be an issue for the council as they license them.

If however 001 are using non Oxford cars, then I can understand the council and the trade getting the hump.

However none of what is being proposed is, IMO, unlawful.

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IDFIMH

Could post this in the other thread, but maybe this one's more appropriate

But what the 001 Taxis proprietor thought would be an odds-on-favourite turned out to be a Trojan horse


Oxford: Uber launch in city raises fears over loss of trade

https://www.thisisoxfordshire.co.uk/new ... oss-trade/

The launch of Uber in Oxford has raised fears that it will result in a loss of trade for longstanding taxi firms in the city.

Uber was granted a private hire operator licence in Oxford after Oxford City Council said the licensing authority found there was "no reason to refuse the application".

Officially launching in Oxford yesterday (Wednesday, February 26), Uber said it was "delighted" to launch in "one of the UK's most iconic cities".

The company said prior to the launch, more than 10,000 Uber users opened the app every week to try and book a trip with Uber and couldn't - until now.

But Amir Khan, manager of 001 Taxis Oxford, has concerns about the impact this will have on taxi firms already operating in the city.

"The main concern is wherever they go, they flood the market with taxis," he told us.

"They could be local taxis, but a lot of the time it's out-of-towners, which then impacts the local drivers who have been working in these areas for a long period of time.

"The worry is the flooding of out-of-town vehicles, which will kill the trade for local drivers... the driver earnings will just diminish."

Mr Khan, whose firm has been operating in Oxford for 50 years, said he has concerns about vehicle standards dropping.

"There's no check, the vehicle standards are not to the standard they are in Oxford. The vehicles, drivers, the processes are all different.

"The standards, will they drop? Because in Oxford we've got pretty good standards."

In 2021, taxi and mini cab drivers in Oxford protested when Uber launched a local cab trial with 001.


Image: Oxford Mail

Mr Khan said: "We teamed up with them, because they said 'it's all about the locals'.

"Then about a year ago they turned it off and now they've come directly and taking on the drivers themselves."

In 2016, an operating license for Uber was declared void, but a spokesman for the company said at the time that it would not rule out re-applying in the future.

A spokesperson for Oxford City Council said: "The company’s application and premises were reviewed against the council’s criteria and the licensing authority found no reason to refuse the application.

"The application was reviewed against the same criteria as all other private hire operators in the city.

"A new operator will give residents and visitors more options for moving around the city safely and conveniently."

A spokesperson for Uber added: “Oxford is one of the UK’s most iconic cities, so we are delighted to be launching today to provide new earning opportunities for local drivers, give passengers greater transport options and support the local economy.

"Uber’s industry leading safety features will give passengers the ability to book safe trips to wherever they want to go, in particular the city’s students and tourists.

"All Uber drivers have access to industry leading worker rights such as holiday pay and a pension, as well as formal representation through GMB Union.”

How often did I predict that might happen when Uber bought Autocab and started the Local Cab stuff?