Cabbies’ warnings on safety as Uber heads to Scotland
UBER has faced protests, controversy and a High Court legal challenge in London.
Now the smartphone app for calling a taxi has been launched in Glasgow, with a service i n Edinburgh expected to follow soon.
But cabbies north of the Border have claimed that the company lets unlicensed drivers slip through the net and does not follow the industry’s stringent regulations.
They want councils to ensure Uber operates on a ‘level playing field’ with black cabs, saying that otherwise passengers’ safety could be put at risk.
They spoke out yesterday after the High Court in London dismissed a challenge to the app’s legality, ruling it does not use meters, which are only legally available to black cab drivers.
Bil l McIntosh, general secretary of the Scottish Taxi Federation, said: ‘ Unless the Government make Uber accountable to the authori- ties, they will be putting the public at risk.’
Uber said last night their drivers are licensed by the council, Criminal Records Bureau checked and sent reminders of vehicle checks.
However Greg MacFarlane, 58, who has been a taxi driver in Glasgow for 32 years, said: ‘It’s disgraceful. We are paying a lot of money in insurance and these people are just coming in and taking our liveli- hood away. It’s getting harder and harder to make a living.
‘I’ve been down to London. It’s killing the boys down there. And what’s going to happen when the first bad incident happens with one of these drivers? The legislation has got to be right.’
Fellow cabbie Jim Stevenson, 51, said: ‘If I had a daughter I wouldn’t let her go in it. Someone’s going to get murdered before anyone does anything about it.’
Uber claims its taxis will be cheaper than private hire vehi- cles and Hackney Carriages. It says a ride to the airport from Glasgow city centre will cost £12, compared to £25 in a black cab, while a trip from Queen Street Station to the Hydro will cost £6.50, compared to £9.20.
Users of the app register their credit card details on their phone and the app makes a charge automatically after a journey is completed. When you want a ride you tell the app where you are and where you want to go. A driver near you receives a message telling him where to pick you up.
While you wait you are sent the driver’s profile, including their name and picture, the car’s registration number and reviews by previous users.
Uber supporter Daniel Reilly, 24, a software developer in Glasgow, said: ‘It’s a lot more regulated than private hire companies. They do criminal background checks before any driver can drive for them and they have in-app ratings. You can see exactly who’s driving and Uber have a record of it.’
Ewan MacGill, 27, who works in public relations, welcomed the choice the app will give.
‘I think it can be hard to get a taxi, especially on some nights of the year like Black Friday, and we don’t have a train service that runs that late,’ he said.
Max Lines, Uber Glasgow general manager, said: ‘All partner drivers on the Uber platform are l i censed f or private hire by Glasgow City Council.’
‘Putting the public at risk’