With the creation of the San Franciscan company, that americanised the modern cab their threat on the traditional black cab is becoming bigger and bigger in London; Uber is a company who do not currently adhere to road laws and many cab-drivers are becoming more concerned on the effect they are having on their sales compared to their prior establishment.

I interviewed Mr.Cato, a lisenced black cab-driver who has worked for dial-a-cab for 27 years in London and Greater London, as he tells me the polemic against the company that many Black Cab drivers have rather than the drivers themselves. Now nearing retirement age Mr. Cato says that he wants to see a change in the major inequity of the competition.

He begins with “it’s not per say uber but phone apps” as he speaks about how many Ubers are constantly driving around in hopes that they get spotted by the app and are able to take the job.

He explains to me how the law allows hackney carriages, an official term for ‘taxi’, to ply for hire on the public highway but does not allow any other vehicle to do the same. Therefore, the fact that the phone apps mostly depend on where the nearest driver of that car is, means that it is unlawful as they aimlessly drive around as a PHV firm who aren’t included in this law (in which the TFL-approved taxis are).

I ask him ‘why are they not prohibited from driving?’ and he responds with: “Transport For London and the Metropolitan Police have failed to do anything to stop this unlawful hiring to happen…”

“…Uber UK is funded by an investment bank called ‘Blackrock’ whose members include many members in the UK government including many ministers.”

“Why do you think people are choosing uber over black cabs?”, I also ask, in which he states that Uber are cheaper, knowing that the competition i.e. hackney carriages or legal PHV operators (minicabs) cannot compete financially.

Mr. Cato continues to criticise how Uber UK are dictating the fair to the driver - the driver is working against their will for a lower figure. Thusly, this means that there’s less profit and now have to work longer hours to get a sufficient living wage. Additionally it is the fact that the driver is the one who provides the vehicle and taxation, while Uber takes a percentage of the fair money that they have dictated as their fee instead of helping cover the car's costs - all they do is provide the job opportunity and the use of the app.

“Uber makes a profit as they aren’t the ones funding the vehicle, but the driver is and therefore has to work more to cover costs and make a living wage. The only investment they’ve made is the app itself.”

He tells me an interesting fact on how Uber worldwide is banned from most major countries (Italy, France and Bulgaria) as those countries can see the exploitation of the working person; he provides me the idiom of ‘just creaming off the top’ as they don’t supply any investment.

Cab drivers are so outraged on this injustice that the cab trade has lobbied to get the authorities to make Uber accept hirings and then dispatch it to a driver - this would be like a mini cab-driver.

But there is even more outrage about how even though they got license revoked, they appealed and their licence was still reinstated with no changes at all.

He tells me that TFL have now found out that they’re unlimited issue of licensing to PHV drivers has caused complete congestion 24hrs a day in the busy parts of the city. However the only major proposal for change has come from Sadiq Khan, who says next year PHVs will have to pay to sit in congestion area.

The concern is obviously alarming as Uber are repeatedly allowed to stay in London despite the injustice just because they are $6.7 billion dollar company who many people in parliament are believed to invest in. But the thought that taxi-drivers are annoyed at the drivers, is simply a misunderstanding as they are clearly frustrated at the company, who manage to escape the law in order to make a significant amount of profit from helpless workers.