11/06/2014

London Faces Jams Over Anti-Uber Protests

Thousands of black-cab drivers are set to bring significant jams and traffic disruptions to central London in protest at the lack of regulation of rival cab services Uber, the Google-backed company that uses an app to allow users to order a car at the touch of a button and calculate the fare using GPS tracking.

Traditional cabbies said the app is tantamount to a taxi meter, which only black cabs are legally entitled to use in London.

The protest will start in Trafalgar Square at 14:00 and must not end later 15:00 BST.

More than 12,000 cars are expected to fill the streets around Trafalgar Square and Transport for London (TfL) has warned of significant disruptions, while the transport authority is seeking clarification from the High Court over whether or not services such as Uber should be licensed and say the action is "pointless".

Transport for London's chief operating officer for surface transport Garrett Emmerson, said: "A number of taxi drivers are set to cause pointless disruption for Londoners over a legal issue that is down to the courts to decide upon. "TfL will work with the Metropolitan Police to do all we can to keep central London moving. However, given the scale of the likely disruption, we would advise drivers to avoid the area if at all possible."

Steve McNamara, of the Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association said: "We have nothing against competition but we feel that Transport for London has failed Londoners by allowing Uber to operate outside the law."

(CVS/IT)

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