London's Black Cabs Really Don't Like Uber

London’s trademark black cabs really don’t like Uber, and they’re backing their qualms with some pretty strong action.

Controversy between the app-based minicab service and the traditional cabbie has been brewing in various countries across the US and Europe, and when Uber started operating in the UK this month, the capital became the latest battleground. The London Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA) has already promised a mass demonstration on June 11, which will see cabbies take to the roads in an effort to cause traffic, gridlock, and general transport chaos.

Basically, they’re defending their turf any way they can. They've also mounted a legal challenge, and the latest in the saga sees the LTDA’s struggle referred to the High Court in an attempt to finally settle the matter.

There’s an obvious reason for cab drivers’ aversion to services like Uber—they represent new competition—but their argument hinges on a legal detail. Here’s the crux of the dispute: It’s illegal for a private-hire vehicle (as opposed to a licensed taxi, which is what black cabs are) to be fitted with a meter.

According to the city’s Private Hire Vehicles Act, “No vehicle to which a London PHV licence relates shall be equipped with a taximeter.” They define a meter as “a device for calculating the fare to be charged in respect of any journey by reference to the distance travelled or time elapsed since the start of the journey (or a combination of both).”

So the million dollar question is, does the Uber smartphone app constitute a meter? The LTDA argues that it does, because it uses GPS in its fare calculation, and that Uber drivers are therefore breaking the law and getting a free pass where regular cabbies have to abide by regulations.

Transport for London, which regulates the city’s cabs, isn’t so sure. They came to the provisional conclusion that the app doesn’t count as a meter, but they’ve now referred the issue to the High Court, admitting that the current rules aren’t 100 percent clear regarding these new technologies. “The rapid pace at which smart phone based technology has been developing in recent years has led to a need for clarity about what is required in order for apps to comply with the regulatory framework in London and to ensure there is a level playing field for all operators,” they wrote.

The particularly heated nature of the debate is no doubt fuelled by the distinct pride London cabs take in how they operate. Licensed black cab drivers have to take a test known as “The Knowledge,” which can take years to pass and essentially means they need to know the city like the back of their hand—they need to be able to figure out a route without a map or any of the mod cons like GPS.

Uber acknowledges the black cab status, but basically says it’s time for a change. “London cabbies are iconic—arguably the best taxis in the world,” wrote Jo Bertram, Uber’s London general manager, in a blog post. “However, there is room for all and there is room for more and better. We are bringing competition to an industry that hasn’t evolved in years.”

They’re not the only ones trying to update the industry, and last week Hailo also came under fire following its application for a license that would allow private hire vehicles to use its app, which had previously been open only to black cabs. In the backlash, Hailo’s offices were vandalised. Steve McNamara, LTDA’s general secretary, admitted to LBC that there was a lot of tension there. “When the app was set up it was done so under the idea of supporting black cab drivers, and they saw it as fighting back against the private hires. So now the guys just feel betrayed,” he said.

Ultimately, I can’t help but think that black cabs are fighting a losing battle against inevitable technological innovation, though it’s clear that the law could really do with an update. In the future, an app might be the least of today’s cabbie’s worries. I reckon I can already guess what they might think of a future of self-driving robotaxis.