London mayor pledges new support for black cab industry in Uber fight September 13, 2016 The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has put his backing behind the capital's famous black cabs as they face competition from Uber with new measures to support the industry. City Hall has promised to increase the number of taxi ranks around the city and increase access to bus lanes, while cab information will be added to Transport for London's journey [...]
Now Amazon’s getting into restaurant food delivery in London September 7, 2016 Amazon is the latest company looking to grab a slice of London's restaurant delivery market, rivalling homegrown Deliveroo and UberEats, with the launch of its own service in the capital. Customers will be able to order from more than 100 eateries such as Strada and Pod for delivery within the hour via Amazon's Prime service in [...]
Uber wins judicial review of English tests for drivers and other new rules September 1, 2016 Uber has succeeded in the first stage of its legal challenge against new rules on English language tests for drivers in London after the high court today approved a judicial review. The billion dollar startup argues the English exam, which it claims is tougher than the test for British citizenship, is discriminatory and contravenes the Equality Act. City A.M. exclusively revealed in August that [...]
Uber’s going electric in London August 31, 2016 Uber is launching a fleet of fully electric cars across London in a bid to reduce levels of pollution in the capital ahead of another potential clash with the city's transport regulators. Already well-known for its hybrid Toyota Priuses, 50 electric powered cars will hit the city's roads over the next month with potential plans for hundreds more [...]
Watch out Uber, now Google’s getting into ride-sharing August 31, 2016 Google is getting in on the ride-sharing action with the expansion of a pilot feature helping commuters catch a ride from a driver heading in the same direction and who has a spare seat. Google will use Waze, a real-time mapping and navigation startup it snapped three years ago, to connect those driving in San Francisco with potential passengers. The tech company has already been testing [...]
A Google executive has quit Uber’s board August 30, 2016 An executive with Google has left the board of billion-dollar startup Uber as both companies pursue the development of driverless car technologies. David Drummond, the vice president of corporate development at Google's parent company Alphabet left the Uber board in the last few weeks, the Wall Street Journal reports, due to a growing conflict of interest. [...]
UberEats drivers to protest against pay cuts after Deliveroo takes action on pay structure August 26, 2016 UberEats drivers are to protest today against cuts to their pay, just after staff at rival business Deliveroo took action over changes to their own pay structure. UberEats, Uber's fast food delivery service, was launched in a bid to challenge Deliveroo's newly established dominance of parts of the UK's takeaway market, with both firms offering to deliver food from restaurants that [...]
GMB union goes to war with Addison Lee over driver dismissals August 25, 2016 The GMB union has launched legal action against London private car hire company Addison Lee over the dismissal of three drivers. The challenge – which relates to contracts that were terminated earlier this year – is understood to be a test case for the union which could lead to action against hundreds of former drivers. The drivers were dismissed following protests [...]
Now you can book an Uber in advance as Scheduled Rides comes to London August 25, 2016 Uber is shaking up the way users can order a car, expanding upon the on-demand model which first made it a hit with a new feature for scheduling journeys ahead of time. People will now be able to book a car up to a month in advance of their journey, or just 15 minutes ahead. [...]
Don’t fall for the Uber hype – London needs a common sense approach to taxis August 25, 2016 The lavishly resourced Uber PR machine has cranked into gear once again – with a blizzard of activity attempting to obstruct Transport for London's eminently sensible new rules for regulating the taxi industry in London. Quite why Uber are huffing and puffing as much as they are is anyone’s guess: TFL – the industry's regulator – [...]