Taj Alhaj works a 12-hour day in his cab, then goes home “exhausted, tired.”
The extra three hours of work each day has been his reality ever since Uber arrived in London, taking away what Alhaj estimates to be between 30 per cent and 50 per cent of the business.
“It’s the same number of calls, it’s the same business — but now shared by so many cars,” he explained.
A report going to the community and protective services committee next week sheds light on the number of Uber drivers who have registered in London; it’s information the city didn’t have before since the ride-sharing service showed up in the late summer of 2015 and began operating without regulation.
It says between April and September 2017, 2,591 private vehicle-for-hire drivers registered with the city of London.
There was an influx when regulation came into effect, explained the city’s chief municipal bylaw officer Orest Katolyk.
“The very next day of the bylaw being in full force and effect, we received just under 1,000 applications for Uber drivers,” he said.
While the number of cab drivers has been steady over the years at a little over 1,000, Katolyk says there’s an important distinction to be made.
Cab drivers still take on the majority of calls for trips in London. The report says 48 per cent of trips are driven by cabs, 41 per cent are driven by private vehicle-for-hire drivers (Uber drivers), while 11 per cent of the market goes to limousines.
One Yellow London Taxi driver, asked not to be named, but told 980 CFPL it was unusual that he’d wait nearly an hour on a Tuesday afternoon waiting for a customer.
“Now, there are so many circumstances to that. Loss of economy, people not having that much money, etcetera etcetera. But Uber is taking the pie, and a share of the income.”
Like Alhaj, the driver suspects the ride-sharing service has eaten between 40 per cent and 50 per cent of his income.
The report going before a committee on Tuesday, suggests waiting until there’s a year’s worth of data before deciding whether to change the fee or regulatory structure.