Uber's New Year's Greedfest Sees Tens Of Thousands Deleting The App.

Uber's rapidly expanding its ride-hailing operations across the globe seems to have hit a major hurdle.

But here in Frankfurt's city of 690,000 citizens, slightly less than the population of Uber's hometown of San Francisco, the company recently did something unusual: It retreated.

In early November, Uber shut down its small office in Frankfurt’s centuries-old city centre, after just 18 months of operation. Mothballing the online platform that had let people hail rides through a smartphone app. 

The pullback was spurred in part by drivers like Hasan Kurt, the owner of a local cab business, who had refused to work with the American service.

With more than 20 years of experience as an operator, Mr. Kurt said he disliked how Uber barreled into Frankfurt in early 2014, using primarily unlicensed drivers who had not passed the same exams and health checks required of licensed drivers. That low-cost service, UberPop, which is similar to UberX in London, faced legal challenges and was eventually outlawed by German regulators last March.

Uber then tried to recruit licensed Taxi operators like Mr. Kurt to build its service within the letter of the law. But Mr. Kurt would not budge.

"It's not part of the German culture to do something like what Uber did," said the bespectacled 45-year-old over, a cup of tea during a break in his busy holiday schedule. "We don't like it, the government doesn't like it, and our customers don't like it."

Uber's withdrawal from Frankfurt is just one of a multitude of retreats by the company across Europe in recent months.

In November, the ride-hailing service also pulled out of Hamburg and Düsseldorf after less than two years of operating in each of those German cities.

Also, in Amsterdam, Uber recently stopped offering UberPop. 

New Year's Greed

Over the weekend, the company has been subjected to a deluge of criticism and complaint as reports of price surges up to as much as x8.9 were recorded during the New Years Eve celebrations. 

In Perth, Western Australia, one customer complained he was charged $480 for a 50klm journey usually costing less than $55. 

In London there were reports of Uber customers deleting the app in their thousands. Many of these taking up the black Taxi app, Hailo. 

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Councillor says 10 minute parking 'grace' period at St Pancras puts public in danger and is causing chaos

Back in August 2015, Councillor Sian Berry supported the United Cabbies Group's call on Camden Council to use terrorism clauses in legislation to enforce its two minute waiting period restriction for drop-offs at St Pancras station. 

  

In a dossier submitted to the council, Cllr Berry included photographic evidence from black cab drivers showing the restricted bays on Pancras Road filled throughout the day with mini cabs waiting for 'e-hails' from apps such as Uber. 

In the wake of what's been happening in Paris and Brussels and the current security alert pointing to an imminent terrorist attack, you would have thought Camden Council, in league with the British Transport Police would be on the case with the current abuse of the parking regulations outside one of the biggest international terminus in Europe. 

Unfortunately, it looks like it will take an atrocity to wake these people up.

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Spartacus's New Year Resolutions

Dear Taxi Leaks readers, I would like to wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year. 

As we stand on the threshold of what could be our biggest battle for survive yet, these five resolutions must be at the top of everyone's list:

1. Trade orgs and unions to hold an immediate council of war. All orgs, no matter how small, must be invited.

2. Radio Circuits and Apps to consolidate to face the threat from ehailing illegality. We have the technology.

3. Every Taxi Driver to meet their M.P, Local Cllrs and GLA member to explain the issues.

4. We demand The Mayoral Candidates issue their cab trade manifestos

5. All drivers take cards, work ranks and act the part as the world's best Taxi service.

The time has come, the enemy is at the gate, divided we fall!

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Oyster card glitch costs Transport for London £250,000 in a single morning

An Oyster card glitch meant that Transport for London (TfL) lost approximately £250,000 in just one morning. 

The problem was linked to software problems relating to a fare hike of 1.1% being applied to Oyster cards.   

The BBC reported that around 100,000 free journeys are believed to have been made between 04:00 and 10:00, which cost TfL a quarter of a million pounds.

Barriers at many underground stations were left open, as commuters enjoyed a rare free journey on the network.

The fault was met with joy from commuters, who expressed their happiness on social media.

“Thanks @TfL,” wrote one passenger on Twitter. “I was expecting to pay the new 2nd of Jan fares in the tube but the whole oyster ticketing system is down! Free journey for me!”

“Time to use the tube. The Oyster system is down and everyone is travelling free!” another person encouraged.

Buses were also affected, with some drivers waving through passengers showing Oyster cards.

However, contactless debit cards were still working properly.

A spokesperson for TfL said: "This morning's technical issue with our Oyster Card readers has been resolved. Customers should now touch in and out as normal. Anyone charged a maximum fare due to this issue will get an automatic refund credited to their Oyster card early next week. We apologise for this disruption."

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Uber To Trial New Unlicensed Service...Uber Commute...by Jack from Mons

Uber are hoping to get round TfL's ban on Uber Pop, by calling it by another name, "Uber commute".

Any motorist will be able to become an Uber driver on their daily commute or just a trip to the shops, with the simple touch of a button on their phone, according to the company's chief adviser.

David Plouffe said the aim was to make The controversial ride sharing app, which is locked in a perpetual battle with Black Taxis, accessible to private drivers by allowing them to use its technology to ferry about strangers, whenever it was convenient.

Our goal is eventually you don't even think about becoming an Uber driver, you say I'm going to do this when I'm running errands or running to the airport, I'll just make a little bit of money," he said. 

"Think about that. I'm not an Uber driver per-say, but on those ten times a week when I'm driving to work I'll press the button on my phone and if there's someone in my neighbourhood I'll take them in. 

"It won't work the same in terms of price, it'll be less expensive, but we think that's a huge potential benefit."

Plouffe rejected criticism, voiced by London Mayor Boris Johnson among others, that services such as Uber increased congestion and insisted that the company was "filling a void" between the desire to travel and modern technology. 

Unlicensed cars, unlicensed drivers!

No need for a PHV licence, no need for car to get PH roundels, no need for two MoTs and no need for costly hire and reward insurance.

Have Uber Gone Too Far This Time...Will TfL Have The Backbone To Stop Them?

Most Uber drivers earn do little they have to tout to make a living. Most common form of touting is to wait in central London streets with fog lights on. Passengers have been told to wave their phones at car with fog lights on and driver will let them in.

What the public haven't been told are the risks of using an unrecorded car service.

So, the public want to be able to flag down an uber, with unchecked, untrained drivers. 

Journeys will be uninsured and unrecorded, so should anything happen, untraceable!

We are told that the public want cheap, but do they really want cheap at any price? 

This is how easy it is to come unstuck. 

  

EDITORIAL COMMENT:

Uber Shoot Themselves In The Foot On NYE.

Reports have come in to Taxi Leaks that over the New Year's evening, Uber passengers were deleting the app in their thousands as it surged to record heights of 6.9 times the normal fare. 

The good news is thousands of customers went on to download and used the Black Taxi Hailo app. 

Nigel Farage attacks Uber drivers on LBC –

    >Watch Nigel Fatage, Click Here<

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We Need The Met To Record Evidence Identifying Taxis As A Separate Mode Of Transport To PHV's

This should not be recorded as a Taxi and Private Hire incident?

This petition is to request the Metropolitan Police Service (MET) record evidence that identifies Taxis as a separate mode of transport to PHV's.

The (Metropolitan) Borough Councils and Transport for London (TfL) do not distinguish between taxis and private hire vehicles (PHV) when assessing collision statistics and the potential to cause serious injury to cyclists. 

London is being forced to sustain a massive influx of PHVs- mainly working on the instant hire market- and the number of collisions caused by PHVs reflect this increase.

On this basis, data that is recorded by the MET is used by Borough Councils and the Mayor of London’s Cycle Safety Action Group to determine whether or not to include / exclude taxis from road safety schemes. Currently, there is no discernible difference between Taxis and PHV.

For example, Camden Council collated data on collision statistics which were used to inform the recommendations limiting taxis and PHV's from the redevelopment of Tottenham Court Road (TCR) and road traffic restrictions recently implemented to Tavistock Place The TCR / Gower Street location is one of the worst ten locations in the borough for collisions, with 259 casualties in the three year period from 1 August 2011 to 31 July 2014. 

The MET also responded to a public consultation to the effect that permitting taxis to use TCR during daytime hours would increase the collision risk. Both The MET and Camden Council referred to data that did not identify Taxis separately from PHVs.

London's highly trained licensed taxi drivers suffering the consequences brought about by untrained PHV drivers' operating on the instant hire market. Presently, there are 600 - 700 PH licenses per week are being sold by TfL (50,000 in 3 years).

In the interest of public safety, licensed taxi drivers (and those effected), request that the MET obtain and record a comprehensive breakdown that identifies taxis as separate from PHVs- when recording/ referencing accidents and inappropriate driver behaviour.

Additionally, the recent conviction of an Uber driver who sexually assaulted his female passenger cannot go without reproach. The barrier to working for the Uber platform is astonishingly low, and with 700+ new drivers registering every day, Uber and other ride sharing apps are likely to attract nefarious characters. 

Even by the law of averages, driver impropriety should be a concern. To be clear, no licensed London taxi driver- individual or collective- should be deemed indistinguishable from an industry with such a discreditable reputation

It remains an injustice that an individual who is extensively vetted over a long period of time, who has invested their time and money developing a skill that is a prerequisite of a mandatory licensing requirement, and whose service is consistently voted the best in the world should be burdened by the consequences of those who have chosen NOT to undertake any such training.

Yours Sincerely Sean Day 

>Click Here To Sign<

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Letter to the Editor : Uber, A Social Engineering Exercise.

No matter what we do Uber are here to stay. 

Unless of course, they are banned. But l just don't see that happening any time soon.

I here people say we should lower fares to compete, but all Uber will do is undercut us and to be honest, we could never go as low as they can! 

Bringing in more regulation won't help either,  they will just carry on, simply because they know they can get away with it. They know who's on there side.

This is a massive social engineering exercise. 
Their drivers are mostly immigrants, that are happy to live on tax credits and housing benefits, all paid for by the likes of you and me.

They may not be earning a lot, but then, they don't have to!
They get a family car that during the day, is used by the family and by night, it's out in town earning money. Obviously they don't care how much they earn because after the car is paid for, it is all bunce. Basically, they are living at our expense. 

That's why the Tories love them. They are classed as working and it looks good on the books. It is one of the most corrupt things ever to happen. 

I have a good friend who is a labour councillor, working on harrow council and every single application for tax credits and housing benefit puts on their application form they are a taxi driver...says it all. This is what we are really up against.

Richard Busby. 

EDITORIAL COMMENT:

The streets of London were once believed to be paved with gold, but now it seems they are covered with discarded plastic bottles full of urine and carrier bags full of faeces.

The problem is more acute with uber drivers because they have no operating centre or base.

 Apparently, the lack of public rest rooms in the capital is causing most Uber minicab drivers to “improvise” when answering the call of nature. The problem was highlighted on an Uber forum in March of this year when drivers shared advice on “Toilet issues.” 

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