Uber is planning to let black-cab drivers in London use its app from next year. This means that taxi drivers who use traditional black cabs can join Uber and get more customers. But, some taxi groups, like the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association (LTDA), are not happy about this. They say Uber didn’t talk to them before making this decision. LTDA thinks joining Uber would be bad for the taxi business. Steve McNamara from LTDA says there’s no need for this partnership because taxi drivers are already doing well, especially after the pandemic.
Uber says a few cab drivers have already joined, and they hope to get a few hundred more by January. However, LTDA thinks most of its members won’t want to join Uber because of its bad history, like not keeping passengers safe and not treating workers well. The LTDA also thinks Uber is trying to attract drivers by offering them six months of not having to pay a commission on the bookings they get through the app.
Uber believes that working together with traditional black cabs is good for everyone – it helps the drivers make more money, gives more travel options to passengers, and makes London’s transportation system work better. Some black-cab drivers agree, saying that using the Uber app brings in more customers, and that’s good for their income.
In the past, black-cab drivers didn’t like Uber because it changed the taxi business with its app, and they thought it wasn’t fair. Uber also had problems with the London authorities in the past, but it is trying to be better now. The big question now is whether many black-cab drivers will actually join Uber, considering the history of disagreements between them.(Source: BBC)
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-67555092