Controversial taxi app 'Uber' coming to Cardiff
 

http://www.itv.com/news/wales/2016-0...-this-weekend/

From what l have heard, in the news etc. I would use this company.

Recently there was an article where a Blind person took a driver to couts, as the Uber driver wouldn't take the Guide Dog, and the lady won.

If you want a decent cabbie - use a known one or a black cab

re: Controversial taxi app 'Uber' coming to Cardiff
 

its competition arthure -no more fighting over a cab just order it from your phone and track its progress right to you ;)

tbh i wouldn't allow a dog in my car - where i live if you inform the cab company of your needs they dispatch the appropriate vehicle for you.

re: Controversial taxi app 'Uber' coming to Cardiff
 

My nephew is a Paris Taxi Driver, and has seen his income drop like a stone due to Uber. He's upset of course, but lays the blame on the council who set their fees and take a huge chunk each year for licensing.

Here in Cardiff, the leader of the taxi cabs was stopped from operating because he refused short-distance fares. He got them to strike one weekend from midnight to 2 am, so clubbers just carried on dancing until 2 am. This weekend's strikes were called off... just as Uber launched here on Friday.

Many locals said they would prefer night buses, however infrequent, but the council said no... it would upset the taxi drivers...

re: Controversial taxi app 'Uber' coming to Cardiff
 

Uber's advice on carrying animals: https://help.uber.com/h/8ffe0050-756...3-bf7993ff0466

Basically, they do allow animals. If the animal is a pet, they advise you to phone the driver (there is an option to do so in the app) and confirm he or she is happy to take the pet.

If the animal is a service animal (such as a guide dog), the drivers are required to carry it.

Re: Controversial taxi app 'Uber' coming to Cardiff
 

If the taxi drivers are losing that much work to Uber ,why don't they become Uber drivers instead of crying like babies that someone else is doing a better job of servicing the industry

Re: Controversial taxi app 'Uber' coming to Cardiff
 

I do think that, in London at least, the mini cab firms have a reasonable cause for complaint. TFL has (in it's attempts to make the industry safer) required that the drivers go through all sorts of legal checks (such as CRB), get passenger liability insurace and jump through various other "hoops" in order to get a licence.

With Uber, they have seemingly reduced a lot of those requirements, or not enforced them at all.

Re: Controversial taxi app 'Uber' coming to Cardiff
 

I understand that a lot of cabs are bought and maintained through sharia loans from Saudi Arabia. Perhaps a clause in the loan contract makes them stay as "black cabs" for better control of the asset and loan?

Re: Controversial taxi app 'Uber' coming to Cardiff
 

All Uber drivers in the UK have passed an enhanced disclosure and barring service ,licensed by the local authority and have insurance the same as black cabs
In Newcastle the black cabbies complain about every little thing ,last year they had a bee in their bonnet about the council scrapping the knowledge test because most cabbies use sat navs ,the year before it was because the council where issuing more licences to encourage people to use them but if you try to use one in the city to take you 3 miles to your house they don't like it because it means leaving the rank for a small fair. Uber launched in Newcastle last year and the black cabs shut down the city during rush hour by having slow drive around the city

---------- Post added at 12:50 ---------- Previous post was at 12:46 ----------

Do you actually believe that rubbish ?

Re: Controversial taxi app 'Uber' coming to Cardiff
 

What is "Controversial" about Uber ?

Re: Controversial taxi app 'Uber' coming to Cardiff
 

Black cabs don't like them because it shows them for they are ,overpriced and inefficient dinosaurs

Re: Controversial taxi app 'Uber' coming to Cardiff
 

It's called evolution, every place they've been introduced it's upset the established, and each time they've gone on strike or on a go slow or launched a legal challenge, not just here but in other countries too, it's not gotten them anywhere. In time they'll see the light and join or leave. I don't think this will be a bad thing (surge policies aside) and we the consumer will have what we want, versus to what we're told we're getting.

It's all good. (for us)

Re: Controversial taxi app 'Uber' coming to Cardiff
 

Used Uber a couple of times in Glasgow and they've been fine.

Re: Controversial taxi app 'Uber' coming to Cardiff
 

Yes, from a local TV interview with several taxi drivers complaining of the lack of a level playing field in financing taxis and maintaining them. Sharia loans were specifically mentioned, and drivers who used them were not denying the practice.

Plus "hot-seating" of taxis by unlicensed drivers to keep them on the road for as many hours as possible.

Unmetered trips were also talked about and proven to happen on longer journeys.

Uber had it's first bad press here when someone was charged over £30 for a 3 mile trip due to "GPS problems".

Re: Controversial taxi app 'Uber' coming to Cardiff
 

So basically exactly the same as any hackney or private hire company in the country

What's wrong with Sharia loans ?

Re: Controversial taxi app 'Uber' coming to Cardiff
 

Nothing, just interest free and easy to get during these times of austerity.

Re: Controversial taxi app 'Uber' coming to Cardiff
 

http://www.theguardian.com/money/201...money-interest They don't charge interest, but make a profit in other ways...

Re: Controversial taxi app 'Uber' coming to Cardiff
 

Tbf Sharia banking is available to all.

My concern with uber is that they are creaming off the city/town business and offering no service for rural areas.
This is exactly what postal companies have done, taking the profitable city work and leaving RM with the unprofitable bits.

I guess it's all fine if you are happy to live in a town or city...... :)

Re: Controversial taxi app 'Uber' coming to Cardiff
 

They don't call it the Grauniad for nothing...

Sharia-Complaint...

Compliant perhaps?

Re: Controversial taxi app 'Uber' coming to Cardiff
 

Have you seen how these muppets drive I'm surprised they haven't killed anyone yet. can't say I've used one but one of my work colleagues used one and because you pay the fee like a DD she was way over charged for the fair and was too late to argue the point

Re: Controversial taxi app 'Uber' coming to Cardiff
 

All Uber is, is another Mini Cab service. The reason why Black Cabs are up un arms about is, they are governed by local Authority. On how much they can charge. And they have to train a long time, to pass the test.

And Black Cabs have to pay a surcharge to park at Heathrow. Whereas Mini Cabs don't.

Mini Cabs or Uber, is another way they can charge you the earth. And people think they cannot complain, well they can.

Re: Controversial taxi app 'Uber' coming to Cardiff
 

You get a quote when you request it (within a price range), then you immediately get the price (and an email confirmation) when you leave the cab.

I have used Uber quite a lot, and found them reasonably priced (except for when they surge charge, so don't use them at those times), and the rating system (for both passenger and driver) seems to keep everyone polite and friendly.

Re: Controversial taxi app 'Uber' coming to Cardiff
 

First a link to sharia law on loans.

http://www.money4medstudents.org/bor...er-shariah-law

Now Arthur you are slagging off UBER in direct conflict with your OP where you were backing them so please make up your mind.

Black cabs have to pay to sit at the airport but minicabs don't. Why not? minicabs are set down and pick up only (must be prebooked) Black cabs (or better Hackney cabs) can wait for speculative fares all day if they want! There's a difference. They won't do it but that's the prevlige they pay for. They don't have to have an office and their fares don't have to be pre-booked. Hail and ride which you cannot do (legally) with a minicab.

The local council only used to set a standard fare for hackney carriages following representation from the hackney carriage group in the area, as with anything else though, give the Council a bit of power and they'll rip your arm off for the controlling interest.

AFAIK They still listen to the local Hackney Carriage groups when setting fares.

Re: Controversial taxi app 'Uber' coming to Cardiff
 

I would rather walk in the pouring rain and over broken glass than give parasitic black cabs my money.the biggest rip off merchants in the country.bring on uber and their ilk and break up this black cab cartel.

Re: Controversial taxi app 'Uber' coming to Cardiff
 

Probably not a good idea to try and get people to feel sorry for black cab drivers.

They charge a hell of a lot for what they offer, and still do make hefty profits. Also, my dad was a minicab driver and he frequently said that as soon as most black cab drivers saw that at least two people in a car, and saw two aerials, they would do their utmost to make things difficult for the driver of that car. Of course, that's not a problem now, with a lot of mini cab drivers using mobiles rather than radio.

Uber is fine, in my opinion. I've used it a few times. They are cheaper than some local mini cab firms, more expensive than others.

I have read in the past that TFL went a bit easy on them during the licencing process, and have read enough reports about Uber drivers attacking passengers that I would be inclined to question their background checking, however.

Re: Controversial taxi app 'Uber' coming to Cardiff
 

Tried Uber once, a few months ago when I was in London. I'd just gotten to Gatwick Airport and the £20 fee for a 5 mile trip via taxi to my hotel was laughable so I tried Uber which gave me a £7 quid cost. Unfortunately it appears Uber drivers hanging around Gatwick airport are just cherry picking fares into central London and straight up decline you after a phone call and establishing you're actually going in the other direction. Seemed like a pretty nice system though being able to GPS plot.

As for Taxi's, we had a company a few years ago and we started relying more on contracts than phone bookings. Set fares became the norm as prices had to get lower but not low enough to swing it back round, it's a dying job. If you don't get contracts for companies then you need to hope you're the most popular gig in town. Example being we had a contract with Shearings travel (Coach Holidays) whom used to book in a 16 seater to take a group from a service station all the way to their holiday destination. The fare was set and agreed in writing for future business based on destination and I always assumed it was because they didn't have enough demand for that Holiday to ship them down via Coach. This would set the driver up for a week though, He'd make a weeks usual earnings in one day and then double that with the return on the Friday and those with the PCV Licence each got a rotation so it'd be someone else the next week.