[TusharK]

Authorities in London have revoked Uber's licence after it was found that more than 14,000 trips were taken with drivers who had faked their identity.



The Transport of London found a "pattern of failures" by Uber that put passengers at a risk. The authority had asked the company to address issues with checks on drivers, insurance and safety. The company failed to comply and therefore, Uber's licence will not be renewed at the end of the 2 month probationary extension granted in September 2019.

Uber will be appealing against the decision to revoke its licence and until the proceedings are completed, Uber cars will continue to run in London.

Source

Link to Team-BHP News

[samy1117]

This is ridiculous ruling. I visit London every february and Uber is a life saver. The black cabs charges are at least 3 times more than the Uber cars.
Also, Uber cars provide more comfort as well.

IMHO, Courts have no right to tell people to ride only on particular cab service.
Ultimately, if people face issues with Uber, they will automatically reject Uber.

Most of the immigrants make a living out of driving Uber in London. If London bans Uber, then their livelihood would be in big trouble.

Black cabs are behaving like a Cartel. They don't want to reduce the fares.
At the same time, they don't like any competition. Hope, court revokes the ban on appeal.

[KL01toKA03]

Originally Posted by TusharK

Authorities in London have revoked Uber's licence after it was found that more than 14,000 trips were taken with drivers who had faked their identity.

Assuming they have a way to find drivers who fake their identity, why don't they work with Uber to ensure that those drivers are barred from using the platform to provide rides? Isn't that easier than trying to ban Uber?

[am1m]

Originally Posted by KL01toKA03

why don't they work with Uber to ensure that those drivers are barred from using the platform to provide rides?

This is probably a way to get Uber to do that. On their own, does/will Uber ban drivers from the platform? Several indications in our Indian cities that Uber does not take any action based on rating information.

But yeah, banning Uber in London is most probably because of this:

Originally Posted by samy1117

Black cabs are behaving like a Cartel. They don't want to reduce the fares. At the same time, they don't like any competition

[ValarMorghulis]

Uber doesn't treat the cab drivers as employees and provides no benefits, either health or pension etc. For them the drivers are mere contractors.
Black cabs have drivers who are employees.
Let's also consider the livelihood of drivers and not just cheap fares. Uber is burning VC money to cover for itself and where it doesn't burn VC money it affects the lives of the drivers who can no way make ends meet with such minimal fares.
Free marketplace should not be at the expense of employees.

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by samy1117

... and Uber is a life saver.

Only if one makes it out alive.

after it was found that more than 14,000 trips were taken with drivers who had faked their identity

a "pattern of failures" by Uber that put passengers at a risk. The authority had asked the company to address issues with checks on drivers, insurance and safety. The company failed to comply

I am surprised that we in India are supposed to get police verification done for domestic helps / security guards etc. What makes an arrogant organization like Uber feel that they are above all these procedures?

[abhinavinc]

I believe Uber is at fault here, I drive sometimes with Uber and Lyft here in Toronto, and i know some people who drive for them as well. They could definitely step up the security measures they undertake every time a driver tries to go online on their app.

I have seen cases where a father would allow his son to drive or do deliveries under their verified account, and people who sometimes drive under their friend's account. This is more common for deliveries than actual cab rides, as there is not a very high security threat in the case of deliveries and the customer would generally not give two hoots as long their food order arrives on time in the frigid winters, right at their doorstep.
In my experience, for actual cab rides, most customers place a high priority on getting into the right car and the right driver due to the recent bad publicity about these practices, and Uber on their part does require me to provide a live photo verification every once in a while (I have no idea if they actually go over the data). Lyft is worse in the sense that they never require me to click a selfie before going online, ever! It is upto the customer to figure out if the driver in the car they're getting into is the verified driver of the car, and that can be a tricky task in itself during late nights in the winters as i have seen most drivers wear scarves and warm headgear to keep away the cold, plus its very dark inside the car.

The reason IMO people try to drive on their family's or friend's account may be many - they are on a tourist visa to Canada and are ineligible to work, or they are a student who can only legally work 20 hours a week or just sheer stupidity and negligence. Most of these drivers are usually immigrants and they don't know how serious a crime identity theft is in North America.

For their part, I believe the rideshare companies do need to take responsibilty, and giving a small warning to the driver's account in case a passenger claims of identity theft just won't cut it. The court's decision pending an appeal surely is a big slap to Uber's big butt, it surely is time to take strict action on the ground, instead of just saying it in the press and the courtroom.

My two cents.

[ChiragM]

IIRC, this is the second time Uber is getting into trouble in London and having its license revoked. Uber has to take safety of its passengers seriously and take steps to ensure they meet all the regulations, especially when it comes to safety.

Looks like Uber's loss is Ola's gain. Looks like they are about to launch their London operations and could cash in Uber's absence (link). Make hay while the sun shines.

While I have used the app in other cities in the UK, I can hardly remember using Uber in London. As public transport (Underground+buses) are so good in the city, I hardly felt the need to get a cab here.