London will be brought to a standstill by a procession of black cabs protesting against the mobile app Uber, but the Met Police has warned drivers that they face arrest if it goes ahead without the proper planning.
Uber uses a mobile app to book rides in both licensed taxis and minicabs, then measures the journey distance and calculates a fare which is paid direct to the driver. The Licensed Taxi Drivers Association argues that it acts like a taxi meter, which private cars are not allowed to use, and has helped to organise a protest which promises “severe chaos, congestion and confusion across the metropolis”.
It is thought that up to 10,000 drivers will mass on Trafalgar Square at 2pm tomorrow. Rival app Kabbee claims that the disruption will cost the economy £125m.
The protest is the latest escalation in an increasingly tense battle between black cabs and the mobile apps which are disrupting their business model. Rival app Hailo recently opened up to private cars, having been founded as a tool for black cabs, prompting a protest which saw its offices vandalised. Grafiti on one wall read “scabs”.
The Met Police has issued an open letter to all licensed taxi drivers which claims that the force is keen to “facilitate a peaceful protest” and to “avoid serious disruption”. It points out that it has not been approached about organising an official protest and urges the leaders of the event to get in touch to make arrangements. Police warn that an unplanned protest could interfere with the work of the emergency services and put lives in danger and goes on to say that without written notification any protest “could give rise to criminal liability”. Any drivers going ahead would be at risk of arrest and prosecution, it said.
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