In article ,
(tim.....) wrote:

"JNugent" wrote in message
...
On 30/09/2015 17:49, tim..... wrote:

https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/tph...hire-proposals

so what does the team think?

The law is clear.

"Services" such as Über cannot operate lawfully unless:

(a) each vehicle is tested and licensed before commencing
operations,

(b) each driver applies for a licence, is investigated and not
found ineligible, before commencing operations, and

Uber will claim that they do do (a) and (b)

(I have no idea if they are right or not)

The law requires the state in some form to deal with that, not farm it out
to those who have an interest in ignoring them.

(c) the operator (presumably Über) establishes a base within
Greater London and submits to the appropriate licensing regime,
thereafter complying with the requirements for record-keeping, etc.

and whilst this does seem unnecessarily nanny state, complying with
it isn't impossible for them

They may not have to comply with that bit much long if the Law Commission
report is legislated for. The coalition somehow managed to let it slip, and
not because Lib Dems didn't agree with it so I wouldn't bank on it, though.

Do all of those (especially assessing and licensing the drivers to
weed out dodgy characters) and Über is effectively pointless.

Except that anecdotally, it isn't

Vehicle tests, DBS & Police checks, knowledge tests. Not sure how many could
be credibly done by an operator.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

wrote:
In article ,
(tim.....) wrote:

"JNugent" wrote in message
...
On 30/09/2015 17:49, tim..... wrote:

https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/tph...hire-proposals

so what does the team think?

The law is clear.

"Services" such as Ãœber cannot operate lawfully unless:

(a) each vehicle is tested and licensed before commencing
operations,

(b) each driver applies for a licence, is investigated and not
found ineligible, before commencing operations, and

Uber will claim that they do do (a) and (b)

(I have no idea if they are right or not)

The law requires the state in some form to deal with that, not farm it out
to those who have an interest in ignoring them.

(c) the operator (presumably Ãœber) establishes a base within
Greater London and submits to the appropriate licensing regime,
thereafter complying with the requirements for record-keeping, etc.

and whilst this does seem unnecessarily nanny state, complying with
it isn't impossible for them

They may not have to comply with that bit much long if the Law Commission
report is legislated for. The coalition somehow managed to let it slip, and
not because Lib Dems didn't agree with it so I wouldn't bank on it, though.

Do all of those (especially assessing and licensing the drivers to
weed out dodgy characters) and Ãœber is effectively pointless.

Except that anecdotally, it isn't

Vehicle tests, DBS & Police checks, knowledge tests. Not sure how many could
be credibly done by an operator.


I was talking to someone today who's an enthusiastic Uber user. He reckons
that not only are they typically less than half the price of a black cab,
but the service is much better, too.

He said that on the few occasions when the service wasn't up to standard
(eg, the driver took a different, longer route than the Uber app
recommended), Uber agreed and not only refunded the full fare, but even
paid compensation. It seems Uber keeps a full record of the actual route
the driver took, and so can see if he took the wrong route. He also said
that, unlike black cabs, Uber drivers can't reject a fare if it's not where
they want to go (they only discover the destination after accepting the
booking via the app).

What also works well is the international nature of the service: once
you're signed up, you can use the service anywhere in the world that Uber
operates, without having to register locally. And, of course, you don't
need local cash to do so.

It seems like it would be very unwise for the authorities to try to bring
in new rules that favour out-of-date producer interests rather than
consumers who are enjoying a much better, cheaper service.

On Thu, Oct 01, 2015 at 09:19:46PM +0000, Recliner wrote:

I was talking to someone today who's an enthusiastic Uber user. He reckons
that not only are they typically less than half the price of a black cab,
but the service is much better, too.

I agree, it is better.

Unlike local minicab offices, I actually know how to get in touch with
Uber, wherever I am. Unlike black cabs, available Uber cabs actually
exist in places that I want to get cabs from. Those alone make Uber far
better than their competitors.

--
David Cantrell | top google result for "internet beard fetish club"

If you have received this email in error, please add some nutmeg
and egg whites, whisk, and place in a warm oven for 40 minutes.

The vehicle tests and criminal record checks are not done by
the operators. Negligent TfL has only delegated knowledge testing
to the cab firms who, of course, pass every driver because they
want as many drivers as possible.

On 02/10/2015 06:26, Robin9 wrote:
;150401 Wrote:
Vehicle tests, DBS & Police checks, knowledge tests. Not sure how many
could
be credibly done by an operator.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

The vehicle tests and criminal record checks are not done by
the operators. Negligent TfL has only delegated knowledge testing
to the cab firms who, of course, pass every driver because they
want as many drivers as possible.

TIs there a street knowledge test (or requirement) for the drivers of
the unlicensed vehicles?

Surely that's only for taxi-drivers?

On 2015-10-03 01:12:37 +0000, JNugent said:

TIs there a street knowledge test (or requirement) for the drivers of
the unlicensed vehicles?

Surely that's only for taxi-drivers?

Who cares? It's 2015, there is sat-nav.

Neil
--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the @ to reply.

In article ,
(Neil Williams) wrote:

On 2015-10-03 01:12:37 +0000, JNugent said:

TIs there a street knowledge test (or requirement) for the drivers
of the unlicensed vehicles?

Surely that's only for taxi-drivers?

Who cares? It's 2015, there is sat-nav.

Hollow laugh How many sat-nav howlers are you aware of?

--
Colin Rosenstiel

In message , at 05:32:14
on Sat, 3 Oct 2015, remarked:

TIs there a street knowledge test (or requirement) for the drivers
of the unlicensed vehicles?

Surely that's only for taxi-drivers?

Who cares? It's 2015, there is sat-nav.

Hollow laugh How many sat-nav howlers are you aware of?

Satnavs aren't always very good at trips to *places* rather than
*addresses*. I remember many years ago getting into a cab in central
London with a visitor from the USA and telling the driver the name of a
small restaurant in Kensington. Where he whisked us with no additional
prompting. The visitor was amazed!
--
Roland Perry

"Roland Perry" wrote in message
...
In message , at 05:32:14 on
Sat, 3 Oct 2015, remarked:

TIs there a street knowledge test (or requirement) for the drivers
of the unlicensed vehicles?

Surely that's only for taxi-drivers?

Who cares? It's 2015, there is sat-nav.

Hollow laugh How many sat-nav howlers are you aware of?

Satnavs aren't always very good at trips to *places* rather than
*addresses*. I remember many years ago getting into a cab in central
London with a visitor from the USA and telling the driver the name of a
small restaurant in Kensington. Where he whisked us with no additional
prompting. The visitor was amazed!
--
Roland Perry


With Uber you confirm the pickup and drop off points on a map, and the
search function is probably linked to Google so it will already know most
places. It would make sense for the app to learn anything that isn't already
in the search DB so if anyone is ever picked up or dropped off there it gets
added to the search function.

Sat-Nav howlers tend to be confined to standalone units (e.g. units fitted
in cars) with out of date map data; everyone else uses a smartphone with
online data. The driver of a taxi I pulled off the rank at Newark,NJ airport
recently only had a standalone unit with limited address data and had great
difficulty finding my hotel. Uber (which I started using once I had got
there) would have found the same hotel with no problem.

I've only had a couple of glitches with Uber in New Jersey:
1. The driver for what should have been my very first journey cancelled the
booking when he realised he would be driving 10 miles to pick me up for a 2
mile trip, so I used a local cab firm instead.
2. When I requested a taxi to meet me off a train the driver arrived at the
wrong side of the tracks and both the nearest crossing points - a bridge and
a level crossing - were closed to road traffic due to engineering work on
the railroad. A rather long diversion was required but that was his problem,
not mine.

--
DAS

On 03/10/2015 02:16, Recliner wrote:

all types don't have to get the "knowledge". And are there any other
professionals who can only qualify by not using modern technology?

Steam loco drivers?


--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK