Black cabbies have no problem with entrepreneurship but the entrepreneurs have to play by the rules.
As I said, they have never protested or had any problems with any other cab firm.
hmm nah they used to get upset with Addison Lee a lot, but Uber are the main issue for them these days
I stand corrected, but I don't understand what the big deal over them 'metering' their service is, still? I have a gas meter, an electricity meter..
and the people providing those meters are all quite strictly regulated
black cabs are strictly regulated and the people driving them have to pass a tough test - granted with sat nav that is becoming a bit less relevant but it shouldn't be discounted too much - London cabbies are regarded as the best in the world for a reason
the private hire cab market is regulated still but less strictly and has lower entry requirements - private hire cabs are not allowed to pick people up off the street and are not allowed to have meters - you go through an office by phone they radio the cap (or these days you just use an app)... the fare is fixed in advance - part of this is to stop you from getting ripped off... now the apps have pushed things a bit, you're technically booking the car in advance but you're basically calling a cab albeit on a slightly delayed basis... now uber is essentially using a meter too - they've basically got people driving the equivalent of black cabs but bypassing the actual requirements to get a license.
why is this an issue? Well perhaps it isn't too much for uber as it is at the moment, they don't number too many, black cabs still exist and they're a big company with no reason to scam you.... but it won't necessarily take long for someone else to construct a meter or provide an app other
cabbies private hire cabs can use
there is already an issue with unlicensed/uninsured cabs/private hire cars in London, and even with some of the legit firms you really have to make sure you get the fare confirmed in advance - the idea that some of these firms could install their own custom meters and run their own version of dynamic/surge pricing is a real possibility.... I'm not sure I'd like the idea of Dodgy Dave and Amoral Abdul running a minicab firm complete with their own metering system and dynamic pricing.... while private hire firms can vary charges, it is harder to rip someone off if they give you a quote up front that you can easily decline
leave the meters to the properly regulated black cabs, private hire cars should be running on a fixed fare, we could easily end up with a 'taxi mafia' preying on tourists like some Eastern European countries if standards are relaxed too much... I'm not against competition and don't want to limit numbers but letting uber have meters is wrong, the black cab market is open to competition as it is and is very meritocratic but there is a high barrier to entry which makes it, currently, the best in the world
