Boris Johnson today said it would be “nuts” to ban the technology behind minicab-hailing app Uber as a battle to determine the firm’s future in London reached the High Court.
Transport for London and Uber are set to meet at the Royal Courts of Justice for a two-day hearing to rule on whether the app used to calculate fares is legal in the capital.
Under a law drawn up in 1998, only black cabs are allowed to use a meter to determine the cost of journeys while private cars must set the cost of journeys in advance. There have been warnings that if Uber is unsuccessful in claiming the app is not a meter its drivers could be liable for criminal prosecution and a £1,000 fine.
The Mayor today called for Uber, private hire firms and black cabs to work together and “find a balance” for the benefit of London.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, he said: “The app is allowing private hire vehicles to behave like black taxis: to be hailed, to ply for hire in the streets, to do exactly what the law says they are not supposed to do.
“At present that law is being systematically broken — or at least circumvented — by the use of the Uber app. On the one side [we have] a black cab trade that represents a premium service, offered by people who really know the city… And on the other side minicab apps that have become a boon to so many. I agree completely with the free-marketeers: it is nuts to try to ban technology.”
The two-day case is being heard by Mr Justice Ouseley with the main trade bodies — the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association and Licensed Private Hire Car Association — joining in the application for judicial review.
TfL has stated that, on balance, it believes smartphones are not taximeters.
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