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[Musician]

Listening to this.

fucking hell, I had no idea....

Pretty disgusting, isn't it?

that podcast is gold

The dollop is one of my all time faves. I've listen to every single episode and I think maybe.. one or two were sub-par. If you have any interest in history or having a good time, listen to some more!

Or if you want to rage, listen to the Iraq episode.

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

The ignorance in this thread is astounding. All Uber had to do is follow the same *VERY REASONABLE* rules as everyone else did. They didn't, and apparently had an app to detect if the government was trying to find out.

This is as open and shut as it comes, they either comply or go away

 

[UnemployedVillain]

I mean, Gett exists. It works the same way as Uber but with black cabs. I'm sure it's not quite as good as Uber but lets not pretend Uber is the only app based taxi service, and Lyft will make it here eventually. Or maybe Uber will actually sort their shit out and never leave London!

I actually use Lyft and haven't used Uber is a LONG time because of all the shit they've been found to be doing. It's why I said "ride sharing" when not specifically talking about Uber

 

[Buckle]

Good. That company is straight up evil.

Get fucked, Uber.

 

[Breakage]

I heard on the radio this evening that ~230,000 people have signed a petition to "save Uber in London". Clearly cheap travel and convenience are far more important than public safety for quite a few people.

 

[Jack Scofield]

I heard on the radio this evening that ~230,000 people have signed a petition to "save Uber in London". Clearly cheap travel and convenience are far more important than public safety for quite a few people.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: democracy simply doesn't work.

 

[Ahgod]

Fuck Uber. I'm sure they'll just get back in the city from this uproar but it's funny for now.

 

[Dougald]

Just because uber are cheap doesn't mean they should be able to get away with shirking safety regulations. If they want to continue doing business they can comply like everyone else

Not surprised they think they can get away with doing what they like, just like everyone else in the 'sharing economy'

 

[Breakage]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: democracy simply doesn't work.

Yeah, it's crazy how much of the anger is directed towards TfL and not the company who can't be bothered to follow a set of rules. Just read the petition hit 300k in seven hours. On the Mail there's a woman describing the decision as "terrible because Uber saves her a lot of money".
I mean how can female (Uber) customers be angry at TfL for trying to protect them?

 

[Just_myles]

That is going to suck for them if major markets decide to suddenly pull out because they don't want to operate up to that territories transportation codes.

I mean what would a town look like once they're gone? I feel the pricing is their greatest advantage. If they were to bring themselves up to code, that will go up and they will be no better than their competition. Taxi's for instance cost a lot more money.

 

[UnemployedVillain]

That is going to suck for them if major markets decide to suddenly pull out because they don't want to operate up to that territories transportation codes.

I mean what would a town look like once they're gone? I feel the pricing is their greatest advantage. If they were to bring themselves up to code, that will go up and they will be no better than their competition. Taxi's for instance cost a lot more money.

Even if Uber raised their prices people would still use them because of the name recognition. They could honestly follow these regulations, to a hit in their pricing/margins, and probably still be used over taxis

 

[tonysidaway]

I mean what would a town look like once they're gone?

Most towns might regret the decision. London, though? Uber isn't that important.

 

[frankie_baby]

Most towns might regret the decision. London, though? Uber isn't that important.

Be interesting to see if any other towns follow suit,

 

[Humidex]

Even if Uber raised their prices people would still use them because of the name recognition. They could honestly follow these regulations, to a hit in their pricing/margins, and probably still be used over taxis

That might help the bottom line considering they posted a net loss of $645m in Q2 2017...

 

[UnemployedVillain]

That might help the bottom line considering they posted a net loss of $645m in Q2 2017...

Well if it's lower margins vs losing entire user bases in large cities, the former is a better choice, don't you think?

 

[daxy]

Good. Uber is a travesty of a company.

Read up on them or listen to this extremely funny and mostly accurate summary of most of their controversies.

http://thedollop.libsyn.com/271-uber

Just finished listening to this. My mouth was agape almost the entire way through. Unbelievable.

 

[Englebert3rd]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: democracy simply doesn't work.

To be honest, it led to Brexit...

 

[kudoboi]

It was while she was in london... Just her app must be still set to where she lives so has that option ( Indonesia)? I am starting to think she is either very confused or it may have been a trial?

You can pay by cash for Uber in Asia. Im in Singapore and there is an option to pay by cash.

 

[Hasphat'sAnts]

Dara's internal email to Uber employees

Make for a very different read than the email from Uber London, doesn't it?

 

[faridmon]

Good.

Great to see scummy company getting screwed over for a change.

Good Job Khan!

 

[frankie_baby]

Dara's internal email to Uber employees

Make for a very different read than the email from Uber London, doesn't it?

Presumably because the employees actually know everything TFL said is completely true so bit hard to spin the great injustice lie they are peddling to the general populace

 

[Ravensmash]

Dara's internal email to Uber employees

Make for a very different read than the email from Uber London, doesn't it?

Interesting.

Lets hope that this is meaningful and they do take positive steps.

Best thing that can come out of this.

 

[tonysidaway]

Be interesting to see if any other towns follow suit,

I see Uber quotes in Google maps in my local area on the coast of Tyne and Wear which is quite highly populated. The bus and Metro services here are superb so I'm never tempted. The local taxis are fairly competitive, too.

Up in the hinterland, I think there might be more of a case. But Uber probably wouldn't be interested in providing cheap impromptu journeys between hamlets like Rookhope and Otterburn, and shaving the margins up there would only make it harder for the few independent taxi drivers who operate up there.

This is a low crime area. It wouldn't take much for the City of Sunderland and other local entities to look very searchingly at Uber's customer-facing policies.

 

[tonysidaway]

Presumably because the employees actually know everything TFL said is completely true so bit hard to spin the great injustice lie they are peddling to the general populace

I think it's significant that neither the public response nor the internal message dwelled on the rather damning grounds on which the company's licence renewal has been refused.

You'd think the new Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi would want to throw those very damaging accusations back in TfL's case if they were untrue, wouldn't you?

 

[nitekrawlwer]

I hope some smart and most importantly humane entrepreneurs see this market void coming and prepare to capitalize. While Uber is back in Austin I don't have to use them. When they left plenty of new services sprung up to fill that demand. I know this is London and not in the US but since the market is still much larger than Austin Texas and surrounding areas I can't help but think someone wants a piece of that pie.

 

[Linkura]

Dara's internal email to Uber employees

Make for a very different read than the email from Uber London, doesn't it?

This dude stepped into a giant mess. It's a huge opportunity for him to make things right. I hope this is sincere.

 

[Psychotext]

Where I'm from Uber don't really have much of a presence outside the town centre... and they're MASSIVELY outnumbered by black cabs which are very easy to get.

When I'm at home (about 20 mins from the centre) I generally don't have to wait more than 5 mins for a taxi, and the three companies I use all have apps that are comparable to the Uber one.

 

[And_Gignac]

Damn, folks here must think women are really so stupid that Uber even being allowed to operate is a threat to their wellbeing.

As folks say there are plenty of choices for private hire cars in London. There is less choice without Uber on the streets which is bad for competition.

If as folks say black cabs and other apps are better than Uber, use those instead and let Uber be completed out of the market. This snacks of short-sighted protectionism.

Faux feminism argument to defend depredatory free market foolishness. 🤔

 

[Dabanton]

The only issue I have with Black Cabs are that I seem to get the ones that act like they're having a stroke when i want to pay by card...

It’s always been winked at that black cab drivers are ‘creative’ with their taxes hence they hate card payments as they leave an evidence trail.

 

[Auto_aim1]

Uber sucks. When they enter a market they use cheap prices to get people hooked then use surge pricing to rip people off. I still prefer them over normal taxis though.

 

[andrerobot]

That doesn't make ANY SENSE FOR UBER.

It's all done through the app via card. And the complaint process is automatic if you go to the help page.

What the hell?

Not calling you a liar but I can't make sense of this.

--

I'm trying to think. Did she have a windows phone? It's the only device where you don't put the destination in and can still call them. Or did she take someone else's Uber?

FYI, Uber allows cash payments in some markets.

Edit: beaten

 

[Izuna]

FYI, Uber allows cash payments in some markets.

Edit: beaten

Not in London, definitely.

And I'm sure no driver would have ever expected cash.

 

[diaspora]

Or alternatively it highlights how awful TFL is, when by removing the licence it is removing the income of 40k people.



Why can't the market sort it out. Uber has these major issues, surely folks can go to another taxi firm?

Half this thread is talking about how this isn't the end of the world as London has such a wide variety of transport options. Surely by those transport options, folks have all they need to avoid Uber if they don't like the idea of taking taxis that lack background checks and whatnot?

Again, I think this is actively harming the consumer in a bid to protect the consumer. It's completely backward logic.

Because it's a fucking safety concern- like the reason lead is banned from paint.

 

[Nero3000]

This article really sums up how bad Uber are:

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/apr/12/why-everyone-hates-uber-seven-step-playbook

To sum up:

1) enter markets ignoring all regulations, cry foul when called out
2) recruit drivers from rivals, sometimes sabotaging them
3) heavily subsidise fares, artificially lowering prices to unsustainable levels to build a loyal userbase using their endless pot of VC money
4) Buy political influence
5) Continue to ignore regulations and actively avoid them
6) Something about protests
7) reduce fares and increase commissions to screw drivers

Uber needs to come up to code or good riddance.

Also i hope the people who are really concerned about the 40k drivers will be just as concerned once Uber reaches its end game with driverless cars.

 

[Booser]

Hang on a second....that's a FAKE taxi!

 

[PdotMichael]

Isn't it the same with Airbnb? They can outcompete the traditional competition because they don't need to follow the same regulations.
The "free market" excuse doesn't work here because the companies are just plain exploiting flaws of market regulations and less that they are providing a better product/service.

 

[Jezbollah]

It transpires that the Change.org petition has already acquired over 400,000 signatures in under a day. :/

 

[Psychotext]

It transpires that the Change.org petition has already acquired over 400,000 signatures in under a day. :/

It really shouldn't come as any surprise that people love these sorts of services. Doesn't mean they should just be able to wilfully ignore TFL's criticisms though.

 

[frankie_baby]

It transpires that the Change.org petition has already acquired over 400,000 signatures in under a day. :/

How many "employees" do uber have?

 

[Korey]

Why is Lyft so slow to expand? They're missing out on a huge opportunity to fill the void?

 

[SoRuffShoNuff]

I really don't care how bad it gets with Uber regulations wise. I use them because when I use the app someone actually comes to pick me up. Trying to catch a cab while black is extremely frustrating and often outright humiliating.

 

[oneils]

I would be pretty disappointed if Uber were ever banned in my city. It’s changed my life.

 

[Breakage]

Apparently the Uber petition is fastest growing petition this year - over 500k already.
I was listening to Maajid Nawaz on LBC today, and he was saying the decision goes too far - Uber should have been fined instead. He said it sends out the wrong message, ie London is closed, against innovation, etc. He also left out Uber's poor handling of sexual assault incidents in his opening segment until a black cab driver phoned in and brought it up.

 

[Empty]

It transpires that the Change.org petition has already acquired over 400,000 signatures in under a day. :/

makes sense

uber is a convenient and popular service and i feel that most people (quite understandably given the wording) read this story as 'uber is 100% permanently banned from london forever', instead of 'uber has been told in no uncertain terms it needs to make a few small changes regarding security policy which it will almost certainly do'.

 

[Jezbollah]

It really shouldn't come as any surprise that people love these sorts of services. Doesn't mean they should just be able to wilfully ignore TFL's criticisms though.

Yep I agree with yours and Empty's post above - this does give uber some leverage but I really hope they do adopt the changes they really need to make - rather than force some kind of power play, which benefits no one IMO

 

[Huw_Dawson]

Because it's a fucking safety concern- like the reason lead is banned from paint.

Because there is a large impact of lead paint on the health and safety of many people who did not choose to put lead paint up on their walls, and children who did not choose to have parents who live in a house with lead paint, etc.

The reasons for regulations are for common standards where the market cannot enforce standards itself. I cannot understand in an extremely competitive market like London private hire transport, where not only are their competing apps and firms but excellent bus services, tube and overground services, TfL and the mayor decided to step in to pull Uber out of the market.

40,000 people out of work and over three million customers affected warrants more than the knee-jerk of "public safety" as justification. If Uber's standards were not acceptable to the public, who are the people that ultimately matter, then they would not have been so successful in London in recent years.

My hope is that this is just a gambit to twist Uber's arm and the arm is twisted - I think Uber getting banned from London is a very bad outcome. However, Uber improving its standards is a good outcome.

 

[avaya]

Because there is a large impact of lead paint on the health and safety of many people who did not choose to put lead paint up on their walls, and children who did not choose to have parents who live in a house with lead paint, etc.

The reasons for regulations are for common standards where the market cannot enforce standards itself. I cannot understand in an extremely competitive market like London private hire transport, where not only are their competing apps and firms but excellent bus services, tube and overground services, TfL and the mayor decided to step in to pull Uber out of the market.

40,000 people out of work and over three million customers affected warrants more than the knee-jerk of "public safety" as justification. If Uber's standards were not acceptable to the public, who are the people that ultimately matter, then they would not have been so successful in London in recent years.

My hope is that this is just a gambit to twist Uber's arm and the arm is twisted - I think Uber getting banned from London is a very bad outcome. However, Uber improving its standards is a good outcome.

Fuckiing lol that the market is actually competitive. It isn't. Uber has floored the price by running at a horrendous loss, the barriers to anyone else offering a similar service at the same price are stratospheric, there are only a handful of companies in the world that could do it. Your defence of Uber in this situation using the free market is comical.

 

[tonysidaway]

I cannot understand in an extremely competitive market like London private hire transport, where not only are their competing apps and firms but excellent bus services, tube and overground services, TfL and the mayor decided to step in to pull Uber out of the market.

Here's a lesson for you: if you don't pay attention you end up babbling nonsense in public like the above.

Far from "stepping in", TfL granted a four-month extension to Uber's expiring licence, and now as that extension approaches expiry they have enumerated some strong reasons why they are declining to renew the licence further. Those reasons are very likely to survive the closest legal scrutiny, and the most serious of these has already been raised separately last year by the Metropolitan Police.

Nevertheless Uber has the right to appeal and is permitted to continue operations until they exhaust all legal options for appeal.

 

[davepoobond]

Hang on a second....that's a FAKE taxi!

its still a taxi tho

 

[Ozigizo]

Jesus Christ. People would rather rapes and assaults continue just to save a few dollars on cab fare?