Uber

A free taxi-hailing app has been launched in London to help good causes as ride-hailing apps battle it out to get the capital’s cabbies to join their platforms.

The move comes as Uber expands its global operations and revealed plans to add all licenced taxis on to its platform by 2025 – something many drivers in the UK’s capital want to resist.

The lack of fast and reliable EV charging points has been one of the biggest barriers stopping taxi drivers from making the switch to electric.

Drivers of black cabs and private hire vehicles need to spend more time on the road than they do charging their vehicles in order to earn a living.

Households are trying to find ways to reduce energy bills and the Government hailed Uber to help show people how.

We previously looked at how bespoke digital advertising could be shown to Uber riders, based on the information the company holds on passengers.

We are asked for feedback for almost every product and service we buy, and it is a vital part of being a modern taxi or private-hire driver.

Reviews of products and services help to improve standards and keep people safe. The use of taxi booking apps makes feedback important to passengers because it lets them know the experiences other fares have had with a driver.

Is it possible to have too much of a good thing? Taxi drivers in one major city believe it is and say they are looking to swich jobs to make ends meet.

The issue has come to a head with Uber and Lyft drivers in New York City who say they are facing crippling debts just to keep their cars on the road – only to be taking home a fraction of what they used to earn.

Uber is continuing its growth in the UK which could be good news for other firms and taxi drivers who are being added to its ride-sharing app.

As well as booking a ride with an UberX or UberXL driver, the Local Cab option gives passengers the option to select another private hire firm to make the journey.

Taxi drivers never know who’s getting into the back of their cab. It could be sports stars, actors, rock stars, politicians . . . the possibilities are endless as this Uber driver found out.

But even with the use of booking apps, drivers don’t really know who they are picking up – or what their passengers are doing.

Ride-hailing founder Uber is following its rivals with plans to launch adverts in and on its taxis.

In trials in its home city of San Francisco and in Los Angeles, Uber is using tablets in its private hire taxis to show adverts to passengers. And with valuable data at its fingertips, Uber’s advertising proposition has the potential to land global brands.

Cancellations are hurting taxi drivers, passengers and venues – and are making people lose faith in public hire app bookings.

It is easy to understand why a black cab taxi driver on route to a booking might stop to pick up a fare in the street and cancel the booking – or why passengers who book a public hire cab jump in the nearest available taxi instead.

A private hire taxi driver has sparked debate after she claims to have exposed an affair by taking a cheating man and his mistress back to his home – just moments after his wife and children had waved him off.

The incident happened in Dallas after an Uber driver who gave her name as Roni shared a video on TikTok.

A recent cyber attack at Uber reveals that keeping technology safe and secure is as important as taxi drivers getting passengers to their destination safely.

Following the data breach last month, in a bid to reassure staff, drivers and customers that its systems and data are secure, Uber has released details of the hack and how the firm reacted to stop the breach and improve security.

Taxi drivers play an important role in our communities and for more than 100 years have been a convenient, reliable and safe way for people to get around.

Passengers would regularly use the same private hire taxi firms and knew where to hail a black cab if they arrived at a train or bus station or other public venue.