First a little bit about me, I am a recently badged black cab driver, my previous career was in IT, to be specific I owned an IT company and I was the software developer for my company. My projects varied a lot between tweaking someone else’s database to writing from scratch a bespoke system. When you take on a new project where you will be writing a bespoke system, you spend considerable time with the client before putting your hands on the keyboard talking about what they want, you normally involve people that are doing the tasks that are going to be computerised at this point, you watch what they do, you take notes about their workflow, mapping some of it into flowcharts for complex processes.
So back to Uber, we are about to demo and they come out with a seemly generous offer of come on their system for 12 months free of charge, sounds great on the surface, but we are talking about Uber here, nothing they do can be deemed generous, far from it, everything they do is about making them more money, I have sat in boardroom meetings with people that their only single interest in anything proposed is ‘how does this make me more money’ Uber are no different. So lets quickly look at Uber and why they have any customers at all, one word sums them up, cheap, so we would just be the expensive end of a cheap product, so the reality is we would not get much business from being on the platform, but worse than this they would be tracking our every move especially if you have an android device as the security settings are much more relaxed on that platform compared to an Apple device. So they would analyse all our journeys they would start to tweak their Sat-Nav software so it behaved more and more like a black cab driver, little things like coming south on Bishopsgate going into Liverpool Street we all know what we do, my guess is their Sat-Nav takes them round Camomile Street to get the left into Liverpool Street, this is one example. Cut thoughts that are not the straightest line but you know the lights are phased in a specific way that it is quicker is another example.
They could produce algorithms that could potentially work out when we get street hails, by looking it us decelerating when all other cars around are not, they could build a picture of where and when we get street hails and target those areas, this is not hard to do.
So what I am saying is this by going onto their platform, you are giving them some of your knowledge, they will be stealing this from you gradually over time you won’t even know its happening, then all those little cut throughs will have Prius cars filling them up and they won’t work anymore.
We have something currently they cannot program, we have human knowledge, Uber would love to be able to computerise us, by going on their system you are enabling them to do so with some of your very hard learnt knowledge.
I will not allow them to de-skill my job by eroding one of my Unique Selling Points, they will be asking for the knowledge to be watered down this is them also chipping away at us, we must fight as hard as we can to maintain the current standard of the knowledge, if it takes 4 years so be it (it took me almost 6 years and I am not moaning about it).
Uber is the enemy anyone going on their platform from our trade will be considered the enemy too, in my mind it is very black and white.
THE general manager of Uber in Ireland has denied claims that local taxi drivers will be out of work if the firm brings ride-sharing to the city.
Jude Williams of Xpert-Treaty Cabs based in Davis Street was speaking on RTE’s Today with Sean O’Rourke, and said if Uber was allowed to operate a ride-sharing service in Limerick – allowing regular drivers to pick up passengers for a fee, it could see 20,000 drivers out of work.
But Kieran Harte, rejected this claim, saying: “There are no numbers I have seen that taxi numbers, as the gentleman said, are falling down in matters of weeks. We have been in Los Angeles for five years now, and the ground transportation market has grown by 500% there. Taxis have only felt an impact of less than 10% there.”
“It is hardly controversial,” he added. “It is used if someone who owns a car, and wishes to drive their fellow citizen from point A to point B.”
Uber is well on the way to creating 300 new jobs in Limerick, with the setting up of its ‘centre of excellence’ in Thomas Street, servicing Europe, the Middle-East and Africa.
But Mr Williams said: “If they do come up with the jobs, it’s great news. But they could be putting 20,000 taxis out of work. If they work the way they work in the United States, they will wipe out the taxi industry within weeks, rather than months.”
Uber currently does not operate a ride-sharing service in Ireland – only partnering with some taxi drivers in Dublin.
But Mr Harte says it is something he would love to see here, confirming the firm is in debate with both government, and local authorities.
He also disclosed workers at Uber’s new centre of excellence in Limerick can earn from €30,000 upwards.
David Cameron’s best mate Rachel Whetstone works for Uber, her husband worked on Cameron’s political campaign. George Osborn told our Tory Mayor Boris Johnson to “Leave Uber Alone” by the way he is mates with Rachel Whetstone also, even traveled the states with her and the Cameron’s.
George Osborn allowed Google to pay peanuts of what they owe in UK corporation tax even past due. He then gets flown out to the Google sponsored Super Bowl and enjoy’s front row seats all for free and treated like a VIP.
It’s been proven there were “Secret Talks” (where NO minutes were taken) between Deputy Mayor Isabel Dedring and Uber.
Also, it seems our Deputy Mayor Isabel Dedring was part of the Garden Bridge planning stage more importantly WHICH construction company got the garden bridge contract (Arup). It seems she is now going to work for the very company the Mayor’s office chose to build the Garden Bridge.
Apparently, Richard De Cani a senior official with TFL involved in awarding the contract to Arup, has now accepted a top position with them also.
Could this be a bridge too far?
The Cycle Super Highway is an obvious pathway for driverless cars, segregated roads created to keep cyclists from being hit by cars driven autonomously – Maybe even all provided by Google and Uber? It has been proven our government has already invested 20 million in driverless cars.
And how about this:
The major three CC payment equipment suppliers have lost market share to budget new comers PayPal, CabApp and iZettle as more and more drivers start taking card payments. Now TfL want to authorise only equipment that conforms to the big three suppliers in October this year. Drivers will be expected to sign expensive contracts and rental agreements, plus drivers to pay up to 10% payment surcharge as 3% cap is scraped by TfL.
Now there’s a coincident !!!
Does anyone else feel that the honest working class heroes are being squeezed dry by the privileged few and their mates?
Reports are coming in from drivers who have done freedom of information requests asking for the amount of serious sexual assaults (including rapes) on customers by Private Hire drivers over the year 2014-15.
We are being informed that the results of such searches carry a caveat that these statistics must not be publish, because they could put people off using private hire.
In 2010, TfL released figures on their website that showed a 54% rise in the number of minicab related rapes and serious sexual assaults carried out by drivers licensed by TfL, bringing the total to 126.
At the same time, an FOI request showed detection of these attacks resulting in a conviction dropped by 50%, to just 3 convictions.
At that time, there were less than 30,000 PHV drivers. So going on the law of averages and taking into account today’s 96,000 PH drivers, using the statistics available to us, last years statistics on rape and sexual assaults could be around 380.
That’s over 1 a day….and that’s just the ones that are reported.
Back in 2011, we were also told that 84% of victims do not report attacks immediately and that 60% never do. This could mean the actual number of attacks could be as high as 800 or to put it another way, 65 a month.
If TfL and the Met are worried about the true number of rapes and serious sexual assaults becoming public, because it might put people off using private hire….just how high are the number of attacks……And why are the powers that be, covering this up?
“Because people may be put off using Private Hire !!!….”
Surely our licensing authority and the Met Police have a duty of care to the public.
Public safety must
See our video from 2011. This video was removed from YouTube. We fought hard to get this reinstated. Warning….it’s a tough watch.
Legally TfL cannot make anyone take credit without a change in the law.
Ms Chapman said she will change the cab act, well good luck with that, getting a different law for Taxi drivers to every other trade.
If one of our members (UCG) are reported for refusing to accept cards and TfL try to take ANY disciplinary action, then I have warned her our legal scheme will kick in and they will have a legal battle they cannot win.
Then the whole thing is going to explode in her face. I warned her but it appears, she knows best.
Our view is:
“Encourage” yes,
“Incentivise” yes,
“Mandate” No.
It was always understood by us, that the ONLY way to mandate it is by Conditions of Fitness, where we would need a fixed terminal.
Next it would need to be linked to the meter. Choice is then reduced, and prices will rise.
And yet TfL continue to bleat on about the free market.
There are so many problems with this issue they haven’t thought through….
If It’s linked to the meter what happens if little Johnny jams a lolly stick in the machine in the back at 6pm Friday night ?
What if it just fails due to a technical fault?
Do you get a stop notice?
Liberty have already told us TfL will not win a case if it goes to court.
There are drivers who for whatever reason do not have a bank account (yes that is true).
You can’t be made to have a bank account.
You may not be allowed a bank account due to some technicality with bancruptcy?
The United Cabbies Group are NOT anti credit card, we need to encourage drivers to use them voluntairly wherever they can.
Surely, we can work as a trade to develop a system of front and rear facing signage, once its displayed “NO BROOMING” or maybe another better solution??
We are seeing the beginings of how a well intentioned but poorly thought through idea is impacting upon us already.
Personally, I have a hand held Chip and Pin Machine, I have an in cab charger, I have a spare battery and carry a spare till roll.
I also have an iZettle Pro Device -Which despite all rumours, can print receipts using a star micronics printer- or for the iPhone, any apple airprint compatible printer
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