Uber has scored another victory against the struggling taxi industry. London passengers will soon be able to hail one of the city’s iconic black taxis.
Taxi drivers in London can now start signing up for Uber’s travel referrals, but the service won’t be rolled out until early 2024. Uber says some drivers have already begun to express interest in being featured on the app.
Uber has been steadily signing deals with taxi fleet owners to bring the traditional taxi industry into its app. The ride-hailing giant recently signed deals with taxi fleets in Los Angeles, New York City, Paris, and Rome to list their drivers on the app. Uber says taxi drivers now make more than 10% of Uber rides in Europe and the Middle East.
Whether London’s black taxi drivers will sign up for Uber in droves is another story.
Steve McNamara, a spokesperson for the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association, an industry group representing 10,000 drivers, said in a statement that the group is “partnering with London’s iconic and world-famous black taxi industry. “I had no interest in tarnishing its name.” Uber, its poor safety record, and everything else that comes with it.”
McNamara also said he wasn’t aware of drivers signing up for Uber and didn’t expect Uber to catch on, given Uber’s reputation for safety and worker rights. He said the group was not consulted before Uber’s announcement.
With London’s black cabs, you don’t necessarily have to hail an Uber on-demand via an app. Taxis are available through other apps such as Gett, Taxiapp, FreeNow, and ComCab. So Uber is trying to enter the market with other services as well.
In order to gain more market share and increase the stability of the app, Uber is making available additional transport bookings on its UK app, such as intercity trains, Eurostar, National Express, car rentals, and even airline tickets. I did it like this.
Uber’s Black Taxi Drivers receive regular taxi rides at upfront rates You can choose to accept or decline travel destinations. All new drivers benefit from 0% commission for their first 6 months. This can quickly increase sign-ups before commissions are raised to their normal range (around 20%-30%).
Source: techcrunch.com
