Uber taxi app is no threat to London’s black cab says TfL commissioner October 2, 2014 Uber does not pose an imminent danger to London's iconic black cab. So says Transport for London (TfL) commissioner Sir Peter Hendy. Speaking at the Guardian's transport debate held during the Conservative party conference, Hendy argued the fury directed toward the San Francisco-based company had been largely "misplaced". In fact, Hendy was optimistic that there [...]
Uber makes peace with German taxi drivers September 30, 2014 Uber has launched its UberTaxi service in Berlin and Hamburg after a series of struggles with German courts. UberTaxi, which operates in London and New York, allows users to hail a licensed cab. Furthermore, Uber will be changing its UberBlack service to comply with Berlin regulations. The prices are, usually, lower than those of traditional [...]
Rothschild hails his Uber rival September 29, 2014 Finance family heir Nat Rothschild branched out into the tech scene yesterday, putting the finishing touches to his new black cab sharing app Maaxi at Millwall’s New Den ground. Aiming to rival car hire service Uber and taxi locator Hailo, Rothschild’s start-up lets customers share rides when they are heading in the same direction. He [...]
Is Uber about to give in to European regulators? September 25, 2014 Uber is willing to consider a dialogue over the regulation of the company's services in Europe, according to Uber's vice president for Europe, Middle East, Africa and Africa Niall Wass. Uber has faced angry opposition across Europe from regulators, politicians and taxi unions, with demonstrators across the continent voicing their displeasure at the company's regulatory [...]
London taxi protest: Uber invites black cab drivers to join up before today’s strike September 24, 2014 London cabbies are set to wreak traffic havoc across central London as they prepare to protest against illegal minicabs. The action means up to 4,000 black cabs will drive slowly around Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square. The London Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA) which organised the protest, said: TFL’s inability to deal with the growing threat [...]
Uber taxi app could face fresh crackdown under a Labour government September 23, 2014 Taxi app Uber could face a much more hostile regulatory and tax regime if a Labour government is elected in 2015. Speaking at a fringe event hosted by the New Statesman at the Labour conference, shadow transport secretary Mary Creagh said her party would not tolerate "tax avoidance on a large scale" adding that Uber's [...]
Could it happen in London? One chart showing how Uber has impacted San Francisco’s taxi industry September 22, 2014 Beloved by punters, hated by rivals, taxi service app Uber has a knack of dividing opinion. The company has been the subject of an outright ban in Germany (which was later overturned), a gridlock protest from black cabbies in London and vociferous complaining from local taxi drivers in just about every one of the 45 [...]
Uber’s German ban just got overturned September 16, 2014 A judge in Germany has reversed a country-wide ban on Uber, the taxi app. The service had been told it could no longer operate in the country, but after an appeal Frankfurt Regional Court Judge Frowin Kurth decided the original complainants – other taxi companies in the country – had waited too long before they [...]
Uber Germany: Frankfurt court issues first injunction against taxi app driver September 11, 2014 Uber has suffered a fresh blow in Germany after a Frankfurt taxi operator won a temporary injunction against an Uber partner driver. The driver will no longer be able to offer services through the taxi app and was punished with a €1,000 fine. Furthermore, the driver could face a €250,000 fine or a six-month jail [...]
Uber Germany ban sees signups skyrocket 590pc in 24 hours September 3, 2014 If the German taxi lobby was breathing a sigh of relief yesterday after a Frankfurt court issued a temporary injunction against Uber banning it across the country, it isn't any more. Uber Germany has seen signups in Hamburg alone soar a whopping 590 per cent in the last 24 hours. Rather than shunning the San [...]