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Black cab drivers and unions have major concerns that Uber could exploit “a loophole” to keep their cabs operating in London, as Uber could easily register with surrounding authorities within London.
If Uber registered with any council they will legally be allowed to operate within the capital as well as the surrounding areas due to how their app works.
The general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Driver’s Association, Steve McNamara said: “If they don’t get the licence in London, they’ll use the licence somewhere out of the city and bring 30,000 vehicles to work in here.
“They’ve done it before. Reading council said they didn’t want to license Uber and so Uber got a load of drivers from London, offered to pay them £30 an hour and sent them to go and work in Reading.”
McNamara added: “We’ve been trying to compete with this tax-dodging company for the last five years.
“This is a company that has been engaged in a predatory price programme since 2012, it subsidises its rides to the tune of 41 per cent, and it’s a completely unrealistic pricing structure that was totally unsustainable.”
Geoffrey Riesel, the chairman of Gett, said to the Standard: “The biggest issue at this moment in time, if this is upheld, is there’s nothing to stop them getting a licence to operate outside London, and then continuing to operate in London.
“I know the Department of Transport is very worried about it, because it would make a nonsense of everything.
“It would not surprise me. That loophole needs to be plugged.”
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