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Old September 29th 17, 12:56 AM posted to uk.transport.london
Recliner[_3_] Recliner[_3_] is offline
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Default Uber shut down in London

wrote:
In article
-september
.org, (Recliner) wrote:

Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 09:49:01 on
Thu, 28 Sep 2017, Robin9 remarked:

[excessive snippage]

Interesting, but none of that changes the simple reality which is
that if Uber shut down in London, their drivers will not then give
up being minicab drivers and seek new vocations. They will
continue as minicab drivers as best they can and their cars will
still be on London's roads. .

Why didn't they do that *before* Uber arrived?

You are saying that the Uber app wasn't facilitating extra cabs
after all.


It almost certainly increased the number of minicabs. But if Uber really
does get shut down in a year or so, lots of other similar apps will be
waiting to take its place. In effect, Uber established and validated a new
market in London, and even if it is forced out, that market won't vanish
with it.


But the fares will more closely reflect actual costs rather than Uber's huge
loss leader rates.


Yes, fares probably will rise, and not just because of the end of Uber's
promo rates.

For example, Uber has created an artificial corporate structure that lets
it avoid VAT; that loophole will probably be closed, even for Uber. And
Uber apparently has no limit on how many hours its drivers work, or checks
that they are actually the licensed drivers. Tightening up on that may also
raise fares. If the drivers are treated as part-time employees rather than
self-employed, then fares will also rise, as the minimum wage and holiday
rules will become applicable.