Taxi Driver Online

Pretty short this one, and the same old stuff, in the main, that's been gone over time and time again. And this makes it sound like it's never been raised before at the national level, and that the TransComm stuff just hasn't happened

But today it's 'ridesharing', yesterday in Fife it was 'ridehailing', so which is it?

Maybe just a 'taxi' firm with an app. Or private hire operator, in more technical language. In fact it says that in the article

But a new one to add to the 'cross-border'/'out-of-area'/'out-of-town' lexicon - 'out-of-patch'

Anyway, good to know that Tim Farron still exists. I'd totally forgotten about him. Wonder why that might be?


Uber drivers 'undercutting' taxi drivers, according to MP

https://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk ... r-drivers/

It is wrong that taxi drivers living and working in south Cumbria are getting their jobs ‘put at risk’ by out-of-patch Uber drivers, an MP has said.

Tim Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, made the comments after receiving a letter signed by 30 taxi drivers based in Kendal, Windermere, and Barrow, about their fears around being undercut by Uber drivers licensed as far away as Wolverhampton.

Westmorland and Furness Council granted Uber, a worldwide ridesharing operator, a license to operate in the area last year.

Talking about local taxi drivers’ concerns, Mr Farron said: “I have spent a lot of time listening to the understandable frustrations of local taxi drivers who feel that they are being undercut by Uber.

“It’s unacceptable that local taxi drivers are able to have their livelihoods put at risk by drivers registered in Wolverhampton – and this is something I am continuing to raise with the Transport Secretary.”

In the letter to Tim Farron, sent on behalf of the south Cumbrian taxi drivers, a spokesperson called for private hire operators, like Uber drivers, ‘to comply with basic consumer transparency requirements at the point licences are issued’.

The spokesperson also wrote in the letter that they believe the fears ‘merit parliamentary attention’.

They also said it is worth the ‘scrutiny of licensing authorities’ performance, and consideration of whether stronger accountability is needed to ensure licensing authorities 'do the job Parliament expects of them.’

Westmorland and Furness Council was contacted for comment.

In September last year, the council gave the Californian tech giant Uber a three-year licence to operate within the region.

The licence is officially called a Private Hire Operator (PHO) licence.

As part of its application to the council, it was revealed that Uber had asked to headquarter their Westmorland and Furness operations in the Ulverston Business Centre, 25 Market Street, Ulverston.

No, me neither

And at least the terminology is correct here, but Uber *drivers* aren't private hire *operators*.

I would refer the honorouble Tim Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale to Ubers business model which they have operated since they first set up their piratical business in LA !

_________________
lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

How can the UBER drivers be undercutting the locals? Aren't all UBER prices set by UBER automatically on the app?

and Ubers app sets different rates for every district or city based on what the local competition charge unless it has been changed more recently.

_________________
lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector