Uber – Where did it go wrong?

Uber – Where did it go wrong?

Posted : 27th September 2017

Uber has been dominating the papers this week with Transport for London denying Uber a new licence to operate on London streets. The decision has split opinion all-round the country with some hailing it as a victory for the safety of Londoners and other claiming the cheaper alternative to black cabbies is well needed on the London streets, with people wanting ‘more transport options in London not fewer.’ It is clear the divide it has caused and this is evident by more than 750,000 signatures listed on the petition to get Uber its taxi licence back.

The divide on Uber is not something entirely new and surprisingly not something just relevant to the London market. York recently gained signatures on a petition to strip Ubers licence. In December, the council refused to extend Uber’s licence by five years, instead agreeing to a 12-month licence, despite many complaints from local drivers. The company said it believed public safety was a priority, all drivers were properly licensed and all journeys were properly logged.

To its critics, Uber’s failure to address these issues is emblematic of a ruthless, unyielding corporate culture that flowed from the top and never seemed to learn from its mistakes. In July, its chief executive, Travis Kalanick, resigned following a series of scandals and criticism of his management style. A month before, a number of staff were sacked after a company investigation into sexual harassment and bullying.

In the UK there were concerns that the company had failed to report assault allegations against its drivers to police. In the year to February 2017, there were 48 sexual offences where Uber was referenced in a crime report for a taxi and private hire journey in London – a 50% rise on reports in the previous year. However, on the flip side with more than 750,000 signatures on a petition to get Uber its licence back many Londoners are hitting back saying they feel safe in Uber, some claiming that without Uber they would have to walk the streets in the dark due to the high prices of a black cab, posing the question would walking be safer than Uber?

It is clear that it is only a small minority who are abusing their position as Uber Drivers and this is not a reflection on the whole task force of Uber who are in excess of 40,000 in London. These families now face financial hardship in the most expensive city to live in the UK.

Our head office is based in Middlesbrough and as of yet Uber has not hit our streets, this is celebrated by local drivers who believe the market in Middlesbrough is already small enough never mind with increased competition from Uber drivers, who may not necessarily know the Middlesbrough streets as well as our trusted cabbies. Similarly with our other firms across the North of the UK including; Harrogate, Northallerton and Darlington who have not yet been consumed with Uber.

Watson Woodhouse Solicitors have been working with Taxi Drivers across the North of the UK with many different taxi companies. We have built good relationships in the local market and importantly understand just how vital having your taxi licence is to your business and livelihood, if you ever find yourself in the situation where it gets either revoked, suspended or refused then Watson Woodhouse Solicitors can help.

In the event of the above situations, you are likely to want to appeal, we can certainly help but we will need to act fast as there is a strict 21 day time limit in which we need to file a taxi licencing appeal. The 21 days is from your licence being revoked, suspended or refused. Despite the strict time constraint we can allocate you a dedicated and experienced solicitor who will take care of your case from the very beginning to the end.

The process we take for Taxi Licencing cases is started by assessing your case through a consultation then we appeal your case to the Local Licencing Authority, If your appeal is granted then we will represent you at the initial committee hearing and if your case goes to the Magistrates Court or even to the Crown Court.

If you would like to speak to one of our experience solicitors regarding your Taxi Licence please get in touch, or visit our Law Clinic on Thursday at the Berwick Hills branch for a free, no obligation consultation.

More information on Uber can be found in the following articles:

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/sep/27/uber-london-ban-sexual-assault-california-case-police

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-41358640

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