Black cab drivers are striking in London today because they are angry that Uber – a rival taxi service supported by Google – is undercutting their market. They will argue that Uber’s drivers are using a smartphone app to calculate fares, despite it being illegal for private vehicles to be fitted with taximeters.
I couldn’t care less about the intricacies of this argument (the High Court can figure that one out). All I care about is getting home safely and it not costing too much. Uber offers me that.
I’m wary of jumping into unlicensed minicabs. As those spooky tube adverts remind you, ‘If your minicab’s not booked, it’s just a stranger’s car’. But with Uber, they are booked. In fact, you get far more information about your driver than you’d ever expect to receive from a black cab driver. After you book via the efficient app, you are sent the details of your driver: name, phone number, type of car, number plate.
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