Uber Loses Legal Test Case Over Language (bbc.com)

Ride-hailing service Uber lost a court battle on Friday to stop a London regulator from forcing private hire drivers to prove their reading and writing skills in English, the latest setback for the firm in London which could now lose some workers. From a report: The ride-hailing app went to court after Transport for London (TfL) said that drivers should have to prove their ability to communicate in English. Uber argued that the standard of reading and writing required by the test was too high. The US firm said the test was "unfair and disproportionate" and it would appeal against the court's decision. The ruling will also apply to all minicab firms in London. "TfL are entitled to require private hire drivers to demonstrate English language compliance," said Judge John Mitting as he rejected Uber's claim. Tom de la Mare QC, for Uber and the drivers, told the judge that the language requirement would result in 70,000 applicants failing to obtain a licence over three years. The proposals would have a disproportionate impact on drivers from countries where English was not generally spoken and give rise to "indirect discrimination on grounds of race and nationality."

Comments

Who cares about the drivers,

[Anonymous Coward]

How about we require call center employees to demonstrate english language compliance?

Re:Who cares about the drivers,

[Anonymous Coward]

the reason that many people in Europe speak multiple languages is because they are in close proximity to other countries where these languages are spoken. Europe is kind of like a shattered pane of glass of little countries all mixed together. It makes sense to be able to communicate with people who live near you. When you're from Arkansas.... not so much utility in knowing all these other languages when anyone with a thousand miles of you is an English speaker. It would be a waste of time that you could have spent learning something more useful to you.

We even go so far as to visit a country like France, and if they don't speak English, we speak English slower and LOUDER until they get what we are saying.

I've found a sturdy smack on the temple helps as well.

Re:Who cares about the drivers,

[Anonymous Coward]

I think it's useful to remember that in many cases, English is kind of the world's common language.

It's not so much that people from the US have some strange arrogance that the rest of the world doesn't exist. It's more so that first the British conquered a large amount of the world and then the US became the dominant country -- so English is a kind of standard.

That's why if you want to do international business and you're from France, you probably speak English as well. While it's not so necessary in reverse. It's more useful for those in other countries to learn English since it's so prolific.

Of course this can and most likely will change over the years. In a hundred years most of the world may speak Mandarin and it doesn't make sense for Chinese to spend their time learning some little country's language.

The point is, the water moves with the biggest boat. If you're on the biggest boat everything moves around you.

Re:Newspeak is real

[squiggleslash]

Ride hailing is actually a perfectly reasonable description. It's "ride sharing" that's the dubious - no, not dubious, more or less completely false - description of the main product.

If you can't mandate English in England..

[swb]

Does anyone really have a problem with requiring public hire drivers speak the local language? I mean, it is a place called "England" and presumably it's called "English" because it is the indigenous language of the people of England.