Uber have thrown their weight behind Britain’s vaccination push by launching a new free-ride initiative for those travelling to and from vaccination centres. Anyone travelling to the 7 up-and-running vaccine jab site hubs will see their fare covered up to £15. They are hoping this this will shift the UK’s jab progress up a gear…
Uber say they are “joining the effort to vaccinate as many people as possible by committing trips to or from the original seven mass-vaccination centres”, namely: Stevenage, London, Newcastle, Manchester, Surrey, Bristol and Birmingham. This could be a major help to many who would otherwise have had to use public transport – especially in London. To think Sadiq has twice tried banning the company…
Uber has won their legal challenge after TfL and Sadiq Khan’s second attempt to ban the company and fix the market for the black cabs cartel. Readers may remember back to 2017 when the mayor announced their licence was to be revoked, only for Uber to win a legal challenge. TfL then lost their licence again in November 2019, however were permitted to continue operating while they appealed the decision. Some cynics at the time posited Sadiq went in hard on Uber before the election. With the Mayoral race now being pushed back, don’t expect Khan to take this ruling lying down…
Sadiq Khan has dangled red meat to the unions over Uber since he became Mayor. The ban this morning was the second time the popular ride app service has been whacked by him. Why, you might ask, is Sadiq so keen to inconvenience the millions of Londoners – and potential voters – who use and enjoy the Uber app?
Electoral Commission records show that in 2015, Sadiq received almost £100,000 from three anti-Uber trade unions.
GMB: £20,000
TSSA: £15,000
Unite: £60,000
All three unions welcomed the decision today, they have been campaigning against new entrants into the taxi market for years. Limiting competition for taxis in London might hurt consumers, on the other hand it helps these powerful unions who are busily recruiting London cabbies to their ranks. Sadiq is paying them back ahead of passing the hat around next year for donations when he seeks re-election.
Sadiq has also burdened Uber with conditions attached to the Private-Hire Operators licence to which other operators are not being held. The last Uber London licence had 20 regulatory requirements, whereas other app based operators have no more than 9. Sadiq is singling out Uber for politcal reasons…
Uber’s licence to operate in London has ended today, but the company will continue to operate while it appeals TFL’s decision. Developing…
Readers may remember this has happened before. In 2017 Sadiq tried to ban Uber but the company won on appeal. This looks a lot like the Mayor flexing his muscles…
Sadiq’s new emissions tax means private hire vehicles will need to pay the Congestion Charge of up to £11.50 per day when driving in the central London “Ultra Low Emission Zone”. As a result from today a £1 central London fee will be added to every Uber trip that starts, ends or passes through the city centre. Khan’s tax is being passed directly on to consumers, it will also hike costs for London’s shops and accelerate the shift to online retailers, which is why the Taxpayers’ Alliance dubs his charge zone an “Ultra Low Enterprise Zone”.
Khan says it is to combat air pollution. In which case it is irrelevant to the rapidly improving trend:
Despite a growing population air pollution in London was 900% higher within living memory. So what is he trying to achieve? He’s raising revenue to splurge for his re-election. Car drivers in the suburbs don’t vote for him and businesses don’t have votes, so he calculates he can tax ’em without losing votes.
In fact across the UK Britain is getting cleaner air at rapid rate. Khan’s tax is neither here nor literally there.
Every time Guido gets into an Uber he’ll curse Khan’s tax. So will Londoners…
The Labour administration that runs Brighton and Hove City council has revoked Uber’s licence to operate in the city. They are citing a 2016 data breach by American hackers to declare that Uber do not meet the fit and proper persons test. Uber will appeal, if they lose Brighton residents will no longer be able to use the taxi app. Socialism isn’t cool, kids…
