Member Article

TfL's 'five minute rule' could see Uber losing millions in London

Uber taxis may end up £19m a year out of pocket if new proposals from Transport for London (TfL) are given the green light.

The city’s transport operator has unveiled plans to force Uber drivers, and other taxi apps, to introduce a ’five minute delay to any pick-ups in the city.

According to research published by Uber, the company could see its drivers lose £1,000 each a year. The report found that more than 43 per cent of trips in London last month began within five minutes of the customer’s request.

In a statement, Uber said: “If partner drivers had been forced to wait a full five minutes before starting these trips they would have wasted more than 52,000 hours a month of sitting and waiting instead of making money driving on trips.”

The company’s UK general manager, Jo Bertram, said introducing the wait time would be a “huge mistake” for London and its economy.

She said: “These plans would take money away from hard working partner-drivers and also create a safety issue with people banned from getting into their car, even after it’s booked and waiting right there,

“And they would add to congestion as cars will be forced to hang around, clogging up streets before being able to start trips. Let’s keep London moving, not slow it down.”

Following a clash between London’s black cab drivers and the taxi app company, TfL announced plans to review the industry’s regulations in September.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .