Taxi app "Cab:App", To Takes On Uber In The UK

A new app that enables users to hail black cabs and licensed taxis has launched in the UK and Ireland in a bid to combat increased competition from car-sharing services such as Uber.

  

Cab:app works in a similar fashion to Uber, allowing customers to hail a cab to their current location using an in-app map, but it also lets passengers pre-book journeys and decide before travelling whether to pay by cash or card and track driver location when they are en-route.

Since launching in the UK, services such as Uber have been criticised as being unfair competition, with black cab drivers in London and around Europe accusing the service of side-stepping some licensing rules.

The app was co-founded by London taxi driver Peter Schive, who said: “Cab:app draws on the heritage and expertise of the black cab industry and translates it for the digital world. It connects communities through a business model that is driven by rewards where drivers, passengers and charities all share in its success.”

“Cab:miles” are collected on each journey taken using the service, and these can then be used to pay for future journeys, or their monetary value can be donated to charity. Journey prices are also fixed for travel over eight miles, the firm says.

“Cabs are integral to the transport infrastructure, connecting the community with road, rail and air,” added Mr Schive.

“Cab:app ensures the public can now enjoy the convenience, safety and accessibility associated with the iconic black cab from one national app.

“Black cabbies offer unparalleled local knowledge and service with the assurance that passengers are getting a fully licensed, vetted and insured cab that can use bus lanes and take the most direct route.”

The app has taxi coverage in more than 90 locations around the UK and Ireland, and can be downloaded for free on both iOS and Android-powered smartphones.

Please use this link to get involved and show support for Cab:App : >Click Here<

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Artemis & Cher talk to the Gentleman Cabbie about Save Taxi

Artemis & Cher chat to "The Gentleman Cabbie" about how Save Taxi was started and all the great work they've been doing to promote & support the Black Cab trade in London

 

      

  

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From Roots, To Routs : By London Taxi Driver Marc Turner.

Alex Hayley’s Roots; Saga of an American family was published in 1976. A year later, ABC TV’s mini-series had a record breaking 130 million viewers in the US and millions more in the UK with its story beginning in 1750 and the birth of Kunta Kinte into a life of slavery. Roots follows his family’s battle against slavery through the years. 

 

London Cabby Marc Turner, recently spoke to an Uber driver and noted a similarity to that original series. Marc’s story is true. 

Kizzy is a 27 year old male who hails from Togo in West Africa. From the 16th century and for around 200 years, Togo was the trading centre for Europeans searching for slaves to export. It even earned Togo the name of The Slave Coast. Kizzy doesn’t think much has changed and describes his position nowadays as being in 'servitude' to Uber. “That's what it feels like,” he told me recently in the full knowledge that his words would be reproduced in Call Sign. He went on to explain those words...

“The UK is the mother of democracy; everyone wants to be here for its liberty, tolerance and safety. Uber welcomes migrants and refugees with open arms, allowing us to get a foothold – at least so far as work is concerned and where 'good' English isn't a necessity. Most drivers’ partners have other jobs as it is impossible to make a decent living on Uber unless you work around the clock.”

Kizzy often has to sleep in his Prius in order to make his working hours pay. I asked him if he felt exploited? He earnestly replied that it was better to take Uber’s crumbs then to steal from his neighbours! He told me that he rents his car but refused to talk about his insurance status and added that working for Uber was unpredictable, varying between slack and busy.

He said he prefers short rides with their £5 minimum, but dislikes ‘roaders’ because the fares are so cheap and just not economically viable. He tends to call punters with an excuse if a job doesn’t suit him and gets them to can- cel, earning himself a fiver! If they don't cooperate, he will pretend they’re not at the pick- up and scrub it. Contrary to rumour, Uber do allow some rejection of jobs, but if drivers continue to do so they will be deactivated without notice.

Ratings are another pressure. If they drop, drivers get a call enquiring whether they know their way around town. Kizzy admitted to me that he often hung up at Eurostar. When I asked why, he replied honestly that at hourly earnings of around £6 (well below average minimum wage) he had to put himself where the work was.

I asked Kizzy what he thought of licensed taxi drivers? He rather touchingly gestured a bow and then pronounced: “You are the undisputed kings! Taxis are the father, Uber is the baby. If baby gets smacked for continually crying, it will scream louder. Baby needs to be embraced and caressed and taught how to behave properly.” I impressed on him that was TfL’s responsibility and not ours! I was then taken aback by Kizzy’s assertion that young women loved Uber.

“They can't resist the cheapness, despite surge pricing or even feeling scared of the drivers. They all tend to make contact with loved ones as soon as they enter my car because I think they don't trust me! The majority of night customers are young women. Their usage is phenomenal. They may even be the deciding factor in this conflict.”

I had one final question to Kizzy; what were his hopes and predictions for the future? His answer wasn’t one I really wanted to hear: “Uber is dropping prices again to try and attract new passengers from all over London even though it will aggravate ‘partners’ with rising commissions. If we raised our fares and you dropped yours, we could meet somewhere in the middle. We Uber drivers shouldn't be ene- mies with taxi drivers because we have one thing in common – our mutual hatred of Uber.”

At that point Kizzy, genuinely tearful, admit- ted that he didn’t want to be an Uber driver for much longer. He found it to be so stressful due to his not being qualified for the rigours of responding to ‘immediate hire’. In other words, he didn’t know his way around.

At that point, I thanked Kizzy for his time and insight. We parted company – he to yet another night’s sleep in his car followed by another day in Uber bondage. I wouldn’t dream of saying it directly to Kizzy for fear of offending someone who had been honest in his responses, but there was obviously a tenuous link from Alex Haley’s Roots to Kizzy’s lack of Routes and Uber... 

There but for the grace of God go we... and please, don’t blame the messenger!

Seasons Greetings to one and all...

Marc Turner 

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No End To Night Tube Dispute: Latest pay offer falls short, says union

The delayed Night Tube has suffered another setback with the Rail, Maritime and Transport union saying a revised pay and conditions offer "falls short" of what it wanted.

Last week London Underground said it would recruit part-time staff to cover nightshifts at weekends.

It also offered to extend the three-year pay offer to four years.

But the RMT said reps had reported that the offer did not meet drivers' expectations.

General secretary Mike Cash said the union's executive committee would now consider its next steps.

Steve Griffiths, chief operating officer of London Underground, said the latest offer was "fair and affordable".

"We have listened to union feedback and have made absolute guarantees which mean no existing driver will have to work the Night Tube, unless they choose to do so. Instead we will hire part-time train drivers specifically to run the service.

"We have also been working hard to secure a long-term pay deal in order to provide certainty for our staff and for London, so we have now added a fourth year to the deal."

London Underground workers held strikes in July and August over the impact the proposed 24-hour service at weekends would have on safety issues and their work-life balance

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Splyt Rideshare, convicted for operating without a private hire licence

Transport for London (TfL) has taken enforcement activity against an app-based minicab company that was operating illegally without a private hire licence.

Last week TfL successfully prosecuted Splyt Technologies Ltd for breaching the requirement for a London private hire operator's licence.

Splyt, which offered private hire journeys through an app, launched their service in April this year without an operator's licence. TfL believed this to be in breach of legislation and Splyt ceased their operation following correspondence. Earlier this week, Splyt pleaded guilty to the charge.

Splyt were fined £1,750 at Westminster Magistrates' Court, as well as being ordered to pay TfL's claimed costs in full, a further £5,217.50.

The District Judge remarked that it had been a complex case, and that there had been extensive correspondence between TfL and Splyt to try to resolve the matter.

The number of private hire drivers in the Capital has risen rapidly in recent years - there are now 92,049 licenced private hire drivers, up from 76,249 in March 2015. 

This rapid growth has given rise to a number of wider issues, including rising traffic congestion, illegal parking and impacts on air quality. This is why the Mayor is calling for the Government to bring forward primary legislation to give TfL the power to cap minicab numbers.

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Your chance to voice your opinions about TfL's consultation on card payments.

TfL recently held a consultation about Credit Card payments in regards to the licensed Taxi trade. Many drivers felt the questions were loaded in favour of an agenda already decided by TfL and decided not to take part. Therefore, only 349 licensed Taxi drivers actually responded to the consultation. 

AskPOB have decided to redress this issue and are carrying out a survey, asking the questions that drivers feel should have been asked in TfL's consultation. 

Please give this survey your full support.

  Dear Driver

Here's your chance to voice your opinions about TfL's consultation on card payments which managed to get just 349 responses. So, please take part today to help create a true reflection of trade opinion.

AskPOB is currently conducting an independent survey to establish driver opinion on card payment solutions and possible changes to taxi tariffs. AskPOB is an impartial third party, working in collaboration with trade organisations and groups to reach as many drivers as possible, and to understand how drivers would like to best use card payment facilities and at what cost.

The last driver consultation conducted by AskPOB yielded over 1,400 responses and delivered a comprehensive voice from the London taxi trade on recent changes at Tavistock Place. 

By completing this survey, AskPOB will once again ensure that London taxi drivers are being heard. 

AskPOB is a free subscribed service giving all drivers a voice.

Please use this link for survey: >Click Here<

Many thanks and be lucky,

Perry Richardson
AskPOB

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IF YOU CARE, BE THERE...LTDA BRANCH MEETING TODAY 5PM WOODFIELD ROAD

It's no good just moaning that your representative org isn't doing anything, or they at not listening to your worries. It's no good just talking to other cabbies in shelters or on ranks. 

You have the opportunity of shaping the policy that's made on your behalf by turning up at branch meeting. 

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