London is bracing for major traffic disruption later today as thousands of taxis are expected to block the streets in protest of app-based cab service Uber.
The protest is planned to begin at Trafalgar Square in central London at 14:00, and Transport for London (TfL) have warned:
“With several thousand vehicles possibly involved, all driving very slowly, this will cause disruption to traffic in the local area.”
TfL chief executive Garrett Emmerson said:
“A number of taxi drivers are set to cause pointless disruption for Londoners over a legal issue that is down to the Courts to decide upon. TfL will work with the Metropolitan Police to do all we can to keep central London moving, however, given the scale of the likely disruption, we would advise drivers to avoid the area if at all possible. There are lots of other ways to get around, including the Tube or walking, and we’re asking cyclists to take extra care given the large number of vehicles expected to be involved.”
The cabbies are unhappy that Uber is using a mobile app to determine the cost of rides, which they argue is tantamount to a taxi meter, which only black cabs are permitted to use in London.
