Uber will launch UberPool in London despite TfL proposals, says exec

                              

Uber is planning to launch UberPool, its service that provides rides for much cheaper by allowing passengers to share journeys, in London in the coming months despite threatened limits on ridesharing.

Andrew Byrne, Uber's Head of Public Policy in the UK and Ireland said that Uber is hoping to launch "a major new product called UberPool" in London within the next few months, which will match riders and drivers going in the same direction, and allow people to share a ride.

"We want to end car ownership in London," he told the Parliamentary committee at the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee inquiry into the digital economy.

Uber, whose growth in London has sparked widespread protests from the black cab industry, is facing questions over its future in London afterTransport for London proposed new restrictions on minicab services.

In particular, the restrictions suggest "controls on ridesharing in public vehicles" which would block UberPool in London completely. Uber's chief executive Travis Kalanick has previously said a £21 black taxi trip with UberPool would cost just £6.

The ride-sharing service already runs in cities including Paris, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Boston, with Indian city Bengaluru being themost recent addition to the list.