PiP is perfect vehicle for my new side job

It's true that the square mile of the City has its own, very weird, form of government, intimately connected with the old livery companies, descended from the guilds of mediaeval London. Since the City is now an almost exclusively financial district, it's rather odd to find very grand livery halls of Painters, Coopers, Haberdashers etc. hidden away in side streets - I get to go to them for lunches and receptions as part of my job and they are often magnificent. These days most members of the livery companies have a rather tenuous connection with the trade; you'll find that the CEO of a major clothing retailer also delights in a title such as Warden of the Inner Court of the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers (I've just made that up, but checking their website I see the current master and wardens comprise two financiers, a lawyer, an accountant, and a former government minister...).
However, black cabs are NOT limited to the square mile, they are part of what everyone would know as London, and are regulated through the same organisation that runs the Underground and the buses. As for whether it is anachronistic, I can see the argument, but remember that London is not laid out on anything that could remotely be called a grid system. A black cab driver can get you round bottlenecks before a minicab driver has reprogrammed his satnav... I tend to get very irritated when taking taxis outside London because they don't know where anything is even in their own city.

 

Thank you for clarifying that black cabs are not limited to the City of London. I did not know that.

We Americans sometimes have a hard time remembering that London has been around many centuries, with narrow alleys and twisty little roads designed at best for horses, and more often suited only for pedestrians. A satnav system may provide a path from point A to point B, but really cannot tell you if that path is actually useable. That is what the black cab drivers can provide.

 

Great thread. Just turned a friend in DC/VA on to these. He's not working and has a Merc in the garage. Have to keep a eye on the VA issue though. When I see those pink lips a pied piper pops into my mind and I don't know why. Hmm.

British tv series Map Man season 2 epi 7 is all about the creation of the London a to zed print map. Very interesting. Another one was about the creation of the tube/underground/metro station map.

 

...wow I gotta add this to my write-a-Va. state-delegate list, but I was not aware of the Lyft service.
VA in major political turmoil right now as state senate has suddenly swung Repub with an unexpected Dem senator resignation, so not sure this is on too many radar screens yet.

 

I just had a meeting with my mentor.
Very friendly and relax experience, I should start in the next couple of days.

 

In 2013 They also got a cease and desist notice from the Los Angeles D.O.T. And as of today they are still in business in Los Angeles, I doubt they they will go away any time soon.

 

do you get a muse as well?

 

A mustache, I believe...

 

Anti-Uber protests backfire in Europe
Anti-Uber protests backfire in Europe - Jun. 11, 2014

 

Awesome, so taxi drivers announce an upcoming "park in" to raise awareness.
Uber advertises it will offer discounted rides on the day of the taxi park-in.
Uber sees more new subscribers than any day other than when they first started.

Uber also announces that Black Cab drivers are welcome to join Uber (probably similar to Uber-Black here in the states).

 

i can't find fault with the cabbies, they pay a fortune for a medallion. it's the government that needs to relook at things.

 

Sounds like you can easily rack up 1,000+ miles a month in addition to your own mileage. So at double the mileage rate, someone with a new car could be out of the bumper to bumper warranty in as little as a year and a half.

 

I think it's the cabbies and the companies that they drive for or lease from with a dispatch system that are complaining here in the US. For these operators all fares need to be on meter by contract or lease. Any use of the company cab or license to earn fares off meter would be theft of service. For the independent cab owner Uber and Lyft could just be used as a form of dispatch service to add to their business. Some of the regulatory problem is that cab meters need to be periodically tested for accuracy and how that would be done with a virtual cloud based meter is not clear. There is also the question of what class of drivers license is needed. Some jurisdictions require a chauffeurs class license for drive for hire especially with passengers. And does ICC and FHA regulation of interstate passenger transport factor in? I'm thinking of the fatal wrecks caused by poorly maintained "Chinese" buses that operated out of NYC on this one.

Pink lips, hair, and finger nails... Yeah Dale Bozzio could give me a Lyft, cause who walks in L.A.

 

How much do the drivers make?

 

Uber website claims drivers in San Francisco who work 40 hours a week make $90,000 annually. The driver has to have insurance, which makes me wonder how insurers will react to this use of personal vehicles.

 

Did just that, and found that at least in California, participating drivers are in what is being called "insurance limbo" because personal policies exclude coverage for "driving for hire of passengers or cargo." That happens to be the first item listed under the things not covered in my Auto Club of So Cal policy. The articles I read told about drivers trying to get commercial coverage who found it was either unavailable or in one case would cost $8,000.00 a year. Some of the commercial insurers that cover limo services wouldn't write for drivers doing this kind of transport for hire. Uber says their one million dollar liability policy (required by Ca) only covers the driver while he is actively transporting passengers, and only if their driver is at fault. It does not cover the Uber driver's vehicle. The articles said many of the drivers they interviewed are not telling their insurers what they are doing with their cars, afraid they might be cancelled. Doesn't sound like a very good deal to me.