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London Insists on English Requirement For Private Hire Drivers (reuters.com)
An anonymous reader shares a Reuters report: London's transport bosses said on Monday that all drivers of private hire vehicles must speak, listen to, read and write English to a set level, intensifying a battle with taxi app Uber which says the expected standard is too high. Earlier this year, the capital's transport authority said it would introduce the measure as part of a series of stricter rules on apps such as Uber and private hire firms like Addison Lee whilst supporting the city's iconic black cabs. The move prompted San Francisco-based Uber, which allows users to book journeys on their smartphone, to take legal action arguing that the written component was too demanding. But on Monday, regulator Transport for London (TfL) said drivers will have to take either an English proficiency test or provide proof, such as a British school qualification, that they can meet the required level.
Give me some bad points for this?
The article reads like it's a bad thing but then doesn't have any negative points. Seems more like another clueless millennial ranting than news.
I think there might be reasonable concerns, frankly. Not all traffic instructions are in picture format and there might be rather important instructions a passenger feels necessary to give even after having indicated where they initially wanted to go... things like "Oh crap, I've forgotten my heart medication. I need to go back home and get it"
For there to be some reasonable standards regarding a driver being able to understand both the customer and the road signage would seem to make perfect sense.
-- Gaxx
People conducting business that involves the public and their safety are required to know the national language. Imagine that. ....But I can just imagine the rabid leftie PeeCee do-gooders will be all over this.
If I were to move to, say, France, I'd feel obliged to learn French, preferably before I actually moved there, but as soon as possible upon arriving there otherwise.
Same would go for any other country I might find myself living in. It's rude and absurd for someone moving to another country to expect everyone else to learn your language, you should learn their language, especially if you have a job where you interact with the public-at-large all day long.
The problem Uber was changed from its original intent.
[Citation needed]
Initially it really was for computers who were all going to the same place, and the driver could make a few bucks while bringing a bunch of of other people to the same area they were going. It wasn't really a Taxi service, just a way to share your ride.
I don't see any evidence in the historical record suggesting this was EVER the "original intent" of Uber. Uber's name was originally "UberCab," suggesting some similarity to, well, CABS, i.e., taxis, or at least hired cars.
Here's a Techcrunch article from right after the initial launch in San Francisco in July 2010. The article compares Uber to a taxi-finding apps and notes:
UberCab calculates the cost of your trip based on milage and time in the car, similar to the way other limo companies calculate fares. However, the startup says you are able to get better fares because its drivers perceive these on-demand trips as extra money in addition to their regular full-priced trips to and from the airport.
In other words, the initial market was heavily based on limo drivers trying to get extra money. This is confirmed in a Techcrunch article a few months later when Uber was first challenged in court. The article concludes:
... Uber -- nee Ubercab -- often pitches itself not as a taxi service, but an app that helps ride seekers book a premium car and driver quickly and easily via mobile, and helps licensed limo drivers connect with clients.
Or, take the word of USA Today as Uber was interviewed preparing for its national launch in 2011:
Backed by star Silicon Valley investors, Uber offers people with iPhones and Android-based phones an app that connects them to limo drivers of black Lincoln Town Cars.... Uber partners with local limo companies that work with the start-up to earn some extra business during down times.
Then, in late 2012, Uber shifted its emphasis toward lower-end options. Here we zoom in on September 2012 and an interview with the CEO. But by this point you have Lyft and numerous other start-ups in the low end "ride-sharing" space. So, by the time Uber turned to "ride-sharing" instead of professional drivers, there were already PLENTY of amateur folks already doing "ride-sharing" as de facto cabs.
Basically, Uber has shifted its emphasis away from high-end transport over the years. However, it was NEVER this mythical "ride sharing" opportunity for folks to just hook up with "someone going my way." At the beginning it was focused on off-duty limo drivers, and then more folks with lesser cars joined. But Uber has always been about hiring a professional driver, not just "sharing a ride."
Sorry, but you've fallen for their legal propaganda.
Also, for 200 years, drivers in London knew only English - you didn't have Londonistan then. The people from the commonwealth who did come were generally the elites of other places who made it a point to make English their first language. That's completely different from the last 30 years where you have people from all stratas of society coming to the West, w/ no intention of assimilating.