A FORMER Conservative MP has challenged London mayor Boris Johnson to release an app for London’s black cab trade and beat Uber at its own game.
She said that “everyone” uses Uber vehicles to get around in New York and that black cabs will, “dwindle to nothing” unless Boris, keeps up with the times.
Mrs Mensch, married to Metallica manager Peter Men- sch, said the mayor should hire IT experts to bring a taxi app to market that is as good as Uber’s online vehicle booking service.
The former Conservative MP, who resigned from the House of Commons in 2012, said: “If Boris was really clever, here’s my advice. TfL, make an Uber-style app and system for black cabs and undercut Uber on price.
“Black cabs will die out without this. I don’t mean to sound alarmist but it is a fact. Everybody in New York City uses Uber and that’s even with yellow cab taxis being cheaper than black cabs are in London. Because black cabs are more costly, Uber will ultimately destroy them.
“If TfL and Boris coded a good app, they could beat Uber, but it would have to have all the same features. I am a fan of Uber but not one that wants to see black cabs disappear. Boris should get some good coders on this right away or a part of London’s heritage will dwindle to nothing.”
