Uber Ban in London Research

Uber Company introduced some great feature with the new application which allowed anyone with a smartphone to order a ride anywhere they were. A study indicates that by early 2010, more than forty thousand people were registering and downloading Uber application as new Uber users on a daily basis in London alone (Knight, 2016). The same research indicates an equal rate of growth in Uber markets all over the world with the company registering new markets every fourth night. To prevent any opposition from the locals, the Uber Company would use a local recruiter to be able to recruit local drivers in the London. Initially, the introduction of Uber application was met by a lot of positivity in the local markets because it was launched at the time the United Kingdom was recovering from the great recession.

These reason cited by the Tfl include: • Allegations of sexual assault of Uber passages by the company drivers and poor handling of these cases by the Uber Company. • Poor scrutiny of Uber drivers by the company to a bid with the same standards that the regular taxi companies perform when it comes to background and medical checks. • Some authorities also expressed concern over Uber software that allows the company to identify and circumvent authorities who were trying to question the company’s adherence to the rule of law. • An idea that Uber sees itself as a company above the law. Finally, the research also aims at investigating a popular opinion that the underlying reason for Uber ban by the government is to shield the black cabs in London from competition.

They were given specific questions including the reports they receive from Uber users on the conduct of Uber drivers, Uber attitude as a company on the set rules and regulations, their previous actions on these cases, the sexual assault allegations by the Uber users and their previous actions on these reports and their view on the reports linking Uber with software application that can help the company circumvent the London authorities. The local taxi providers were also included in the primary research to give their views on the conduct of Uber within the London markets. The questions were also structured differently to answer on the relevant areas in their business. They were required to answer the conduct of Uber drivers in terms of ethical issues in their business, the relation with Uber and the local taxi service providers, their views on Uber market share and the reports linking Uber ban as a motive by the local government to protect the local taxi service providers.

Finally, a survey was conducted on Uber Company management to investigate their drivers' recruitment process, their policies on the violation of company rules, their policies on observing the traffic rules, their relation with the Transport for London, their previous actions on sexual allegation on passengers, the allegations on the malicious Greyball software and their view on the ban. 4 Mode= 2 Median response= 2. 5 Do you agree with the sexual assault allegations? No. of respondents Responses Uber clients Uber drivers Other taxi drivers Tfl authorities Strongly disagree 0 8 4 3 Slightly disagree 2 5 5 4 Not sure 3 3 4 0 Slightly agree 5 4 2 5 Strongly agree 10 0 5 8 Mean responses = 4 Mode= 5 Median= 4 What is your view on Uber services in terms of rules and regulations? No. of respondents responses Uber clients Uber drivers Other taxi drivers Tfl authorities Very poor 7 3 8 10 Slightly poor 5 4 6 10 Average 4 6 6 0 Slightly good 4 5 0 0 excellent 0 2 0 0 Mean response= 3.

9 Mode= 0 Median= 4 Do you agree with the allegations about the local government trying to protect local taxis? No. Uber drivers, however, did not believe in the authenticity of these allegations. Majority of Uber clients especially the women supported the allegations citing that some Uber drivers are very unethical. In addition, Tfl authorities and other taxi service providers gave responses supporting the idea indicating Uber is not fit to serve London. What is your view on Uber in terms of rules and regulations? This was another question that was common among all the groups. Again, the responses indicated that the majority except the Uber drivers viewed Uber as a lawbreaker. A research conducted on Uber clients, Uber drivers, other London taxi drivers and the Tfl authorities indicated that Uber ban was purely based on the ethical conduct of Uber service providers in London.