Taxi Driver Online

Sorry for being a bit flippant with my thread title, but it's literally correct. And had to check this article was current rather being from ten years ago

Slightly odd article, though, both from the journalistic side, and from the trade angle - there's some odd bits and pieces here, and you'd think the High Court ruling would be a lot more important at the moment.

But, as regards much of the stuff below, surely the ship has sailed long ago

And, most obviously, and as is often the case with pieces about Uber the 'disruptor' etc, readers of this would be forgiven for assuming that the private hire trade doesn't even exist. Which I'm sure makes Sussex very happy


Brighton taxi driver slams Uber for taking over his business

https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/2368676 ... -business/

A taxi driver has slammed Uber saying that the ride-hailing service’s takeover of the city has been “ridiculous”.

Paul Murray, 61, said he had been a taxi driver for 25 years and was one of the first people to pass the knowledge test which involves memorising streets in Brighton.

Now, Mr Murray has called for a clampdown on Uber in the city and for more to be done to protect traditional cabbies.

He said: “I was one of the first people to pass the test. When I walked out of the town hall with my head held high I really thought I had achieved something.

Now, all they are doing is picking up all night and no one is doing anything.

“At the end of the day, it’s not right and people have lost their livelihoods to this. It’s become ridiculous and something has got to give.”

Currently taxi drivers in Brighton and Hove are licensed by the council and drive hackney carriages painted in white and turquoise.

However, unlike licensed taxis, Uber drivers are not required to carry a meter and do not need to be licensed by Brighton and Hove City Council.

Paul is calling for more of a clampdown on the Uber drivers including charging a fee for unlicensed drivers to pick up in the city.

Uber arrived in Brighton in 2016 and has proved popular in the city after extending the app’s national coverage.

Hackney Carriages have to charge a set tariff but Uber prices vary depending on how busy the service is.

Brighton and Hove City Council and Uber were approached for comment.

Drivers picking up all night? Whatever next?


Not licensed by B&H Council rather than 'unlicensed'

Some interesting comments, but I assume this is more about cheap WAVs required for an HC plate rather than Uber per se:


Again, this is presumably more of an app advantage thing over traditional controllers rather than about Uber per se. Although with surge pricing and the like designed to eradicate any temporary undersupply, obviously Uber's waiting times will be optimised, at least for those willing to pay the price.


I'd guess this is a street job, and the driver chancing their arm

To put it mildly.

What on earth was the point of that article?

A cynic might say this is yet another hackney owner who is struggling to get a journeyman.

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IDFIMH

Was quite commonplace, and still is quite commonplace.

The only difference is Uber now charges that kind of money late at night now.

For those not ofay with the B&H tariff, it would go about £45 on the meter from the town center.

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IDFIMH

Can't say I'm au fait with that particular word

But, yes, I had a quick look on the map earlier, and it didn't look very far, but according to Google, Brighton to Seaford is almost 13 miles. Which even on our T2 in Fife is around £42, so the £23 cited by the commenter doesn't seem a realistic comparison, unless it's maybe a decade or more ago.

And, of course, on the other hand, someone in the comments claming it's an 18 mile run