London taxi drivers bring central London to standstill in protest over Uber

London taxi drivers bring central London to standstill in protest over Uber
http://www.mytechbits.com/london-taxi-drivers-bring-central-london-to-st...
By Charles Farwell - February 12, 20160

Thousands of London black cab drivers forced traffic in Whitehall, Piccadilly and surrounding roads to grind to a halt this afternoon as they staged a massive protestagainst mincab app Uber and government regulation of the industry. “The protest is peaceful”.

Tory said he has sympathy for the plight of traditional cabbies but said taxis can’t be allowed to block streets as they did during a protest in December. Even though they are not officially employing anyone, their drivers earn the right to some basic necessities, such as minimum wage guarantees and health insurance.

But, just a week later, Daoust is calling for Uber to suspend the operations of its UberX service in the province until the committee has done its work.

Commenting on the cabbies’ protest, Jo Bertram, Uber’s regional general manager, told the London Standard, “Of course competition has affected the taxi trade, but it can also lead to service improvements and a better experience for passengers over time”. Speaking to a small crowd at the London protest on Wednesday, Galloway said that if he’s elected mayor of the city in the upcoming May vote, he’ll “run Uber out of London“, a statement he later repeated on Twitter. “Meanwhile, they’re not regulating Uber and Uber X and Lyft”.

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Drivers say Uber drivers are undercutting fares and operting outside the law. “Everybody’s aware of that, but everybody wants to point their finger and say ‘Oh, I don’t know anything about it.’ Somebody needs to take responsibility”. Instead, Brian Abernathy, first deputy managing director for Philadelphia, met the protesters and promised that within the next few days, city officials would convene a meeting to discuss how to fix some of the drivers’ concerns.

Philadelphia taxi and limo drivers, angry with ride-booking services UberX and Lyft cutting into their business, took to Center City streets Thursday blocking traffic and making noise. “Each year, the PPA requires limousine drivers to pay $404 per vehicle for a PPA sticker and $130 for their chauffeur’s permit to be renewed”.

A seperate trade body, the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association, argued that the introduction of a segregated cycle route on the Victoria Embankment breached planning rules, but the High Court rejected its claim today.