It pays to be uber-careful these days...

THE authorities have been remarkably silent about the nature of the taxi that swerved off the road opposite London’s Natural History Museum some days ago and mowed down almost a dozen pedestrians. Had it been a black London cab with a Cockney driver I suspect he would be in the dock by now, Hackney cab licence withdrawn. But nothing, save that it was not a terrorist affair. It may have been an Uber cab but if so why not say so and name the driver?

You may have read that London Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced he intends not to renew the licensing of Uber cabs. It has caused quite a stir in the capital where tens of thousands use them. Personally I sympathise with the black cabs and their utterly reliable drivers but they are heavily regulated and thus very expensive. Where is the harm in someone on a kerbside summoning a private car by iPhone?

But opposed to mega-regulation as I am, some at least is needed here. Who is the man behind the wheel? Can he drive? Is the car maintained? But much more to the point: is he trustable with a single, pretty and tiddly woman in the back?

With Uber it is not always clear. It would be perfectly feasible to ordain that every available-for-hire taxi have an illuminated light on the roof with the cab’s unique registration number and the driver’s details, plus number, on the rear of the front seat, facing the passenger.

That would virtually guarantee identification if he proved other than safe, reliable and courteous.