Southampton Taxi Cab Drivers Concerned about Uber
According to the BBC website, official stats show a significant decrease in the number of people coming forward to become a trained London Taxi driver with 'The Knowledge'. Some think this may be because of the car-booking phone app Uber. The Uber phone app was designed in California by two entrepreneurs, and allows people to book a car journey using their smart phone. London cabbies say they feel under threat from Uber.
To be a licensed Hackney Carriage Driver in London, cabbies need to take The Knowledge test to ensure they know all of the streets and traffic layouts throughout the city. With Uber there is no driver test, and no meter; the fare is calculated on distance according to the App on your phone.
Once London Taxi Drivers have passed The Knowledge test they can get a passenger from A to B in London quickly and safely, however drivers do have to foot the bill of their training which amounts to around £600. Uber, simply allows drivers to start earning money with no training, just a reliance on Sat Nav.
Licensed Hackney Carriage drivers who can easily be identified in the city of Southampton by their 'all white cars' are now very concerned. They worry that Uber will kill off their trade, as it is believed that to date 20 Cities in the UK have already licensed Uber to operate - the latest one being very close to home - Portsmouth.
Steve McNamara, head of the Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association is quoted in the BBC article as saying: "Doing the Knowledge is a big time investment. Why would you do two or three years' training, when you have the promise instead of going out and earning instant money? We're very, very concerned about the situation." He goes on to say that Uber cars are 'clogging up the streets of central London while they wait to pick up passengers, and that Transport of London are not doing enough to ensure driver standards are maintained.
Oliver Cromwell set up the Fellowship of Master Hackney Carriages in 1654. The Knowledge test was introduced in 1851 as visitors to the Great Exhibition complained that drivers were making too many mistakes. Many people today still maintain that it is really important that licensed taxi drivers have a firm knowledge of the streets they drive upon, instead of relying on GPS.
Protests against Uber in London, have been mirrored in cities across Europe. It has been banned in Berlin and Madrid, while in the UK, unions in Leeds actively opposed it's launch there. Southampton Taxi Drivers now have to wait to see if Uber is allowed in the city.
