The London cabbie strike is one of the stupidest industrial protests ever, literally driving business to their new rivals. Uber is reporting an 850% increase in app downloads today:

Does anyone have details of this #Uber app everyone's talking about? It sounds awesome. I'd never heard of it until today…

— Matt Hancock (@MattHancockMP) June 11, 2014

Hadn't heard of Uber till the cabbie protest. I've just downloaded it.

— Andrew Griffiths (@agriffithsmp) June 11, 2014

Currently on my first @Uber journey – thanks for letting me know about the service, @TheLTDA, very helpful of you.

— Mark Wallace (@wallaceme) June 11, 2014

Never heard of Uber before today. Currently downloading it.

— (((Dan Hodges))) (@DPJHodges) June 11, 2014

I just signed up to #uber. Cabbies might as well be doing PR for them.

— Tom Seymour (@TomSeymour) June 11, 2014

Hadn't heard of Uber before the taxi strike. Signed up now. Bit of an own goal methinks!

— David Sears (@DSearsqc) June 11, 2014

In protest at the London black cab strike today I have just signed up to Uber.

— Rosie Ellis (@Rosiellis) June 11, 2014

Saw about #taxiprotest on @itvlondon Had never heard of @Uber but now signed up! That worked then..

— Amanda Jackson (@Amdania1) June 10, 2014

I use cabs every now and then but today I downloaded Uber because everyone is talking about Uber.

— Tom Gilchrist (@TomGilchrist) June 11, 2014

https://twitter.com/daniel_barnett/status/476741186301198336

Use this link to download the app and you get your first £10 ride free…