Thousands of London black-cab drivers are set to bring the capital to standstill when they protested against American rival cab service app Uber.
The San Francisco based company allows smartphone users to book nearby taxis and work out fares, a godsend for private hire cars. Black-cab drivers denounce the phone app, because they believe it works as a taximeter. Legally, only Black-cabs are entitled to use meters in London. Uber has 3,000 registered drivers in London and works in more than 125 cities in 37 countries.
Transport for London’s chief operating officer, Garrett Emmerson, said in a statement: "A number of taxi drivers are set to cause pointless disruption for Londoners over a legal issue that is down to the Courts to decide upon. Transport for London will work with the Metropolitan Police to do all we can to keep central London moving, however, given the scale of the likely disruption, we would advise drivers to avoid the area if at all possible."
Transport for London also added, "The demonstration has been organized by the taxi trade who believe some private hire vehicles are illegally using smart phones to calculate fares. TfL’s provisional view is that these devices do not constitute the equipping of a vehicle with a ‘taximeter’. However,[...] Transport for London is inviting the High Court to give a binding determination on this issue."
Reports indicate that close to 12,000 cabs are blocking the streets of London.
"We have attempted to contact those who we believed to be responsible for organizing this event, said Metropolitan police chief superintendent Pippa Mills in a statement. We even put out a letter through our social media channels to encourage organizers to come forward but they have either ignored our approach or been misleading."
aa.com.tr/en
