Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, is known for a lot of things, from his wacky antics to the ‘Boris’ bikes that you can ride around London. He has even pledged that London will have 5G by 2020. This time, his words were a little less welcoming and was targeted at a common form of transportation, Uber.
Boris Johnson has a weekly column in the Telegraph and this week it would appear he has used it to defend the classic sight of black London taxi’s and this week he has gone on the offensive.
Johnson is the chairman of Transport for London and has often spoken about the transportation within London. In July, Johnson stated that Uber drivers would need to pass a knowledge test to be able to work in London, but his more recent comments state that the law is clear and that only hackney carriages (the other name for black cabs) can be hailed on the streets.
Another possible area for discussion is that only black cabs can operate with a taxi meter, meaning that fare calculating apps like Uber technically breach this law. Either way, Transport for London are looking at amending the law regarding taxi’s to help clarify systems like Uber, from their rights and responsibilities to outlining just how they can operate within cities like London.
Are you a Uber user? Do you think that Uber should be held to the same standards as a taxi company?
Thank you Ars Technica for the information.
Thank you BBC for the image.
