A ride in a London taxi is an essential experience for visitors to London, and once aboard you can be sure of three things: that the driver will deliver you safely to your destination, that there’ll be no shortage of conversation during the trip and thirdly, that once you’ve arrived you’d better have deep pockets to pay for the privilege.
While black cabs may be safe, they’re not cheap. Even a journey of a few miles can accumulate a steep charge.
I’d heard people talk of Uber – the minicab service, available at the tap of your mobile phone – yet until now I’d never tried it.
Maybe it’s a generational thing, for in order to use the service you first have to install the Uber App on your mobile. As someone who still has trouble switching on the darned device, I’d always preferred the traditional means of hailing a cab.
It took the teenage son of a friend of mine to get me up and running, but he was adamant that once I’d mastered it, Uber would revolutionise the way I got about the capital.
He was right. No more shivering on street corners. Instead, all I did was to register a request on my Uber App and my screen displayed a pulsing map of my whereabouts, complete with tiny minicabs converging on my location.
The first driver to arrive was Ibrahim in a Vauxhall Astra. Even before he pulled up I had on my screen both his name and an image of his face, plus the make, registration number and colour of the vehicle, as well as an estimate for the cost of the journey.
But could Leicester Square to West Hampstead really only cost £9 (Dh51) as predicted? In a black cab you could clock up that much in a few hundred metres if the traffic was congested. But Ibrahim assured me the figure was accurate. Following an uneventful journey all I had to do on arrival was to bid him goodnight. No scrabbling in the dark for money to pay him, or even any need to tip. Instead the fare would be deducted automatically from my bank account.
Actually the news was even better. Ibrahim informed me that a first journey using Uber is always free. No wonder the service is sweeping all before it.
Yet the most memorable aspect of the experience was our conversation as we travelled along. Originally from Somalia, Ibrahim has been an Uber driver for 18 months, and makes a tidy if unspectacular living.
There are now more than 3,000 registered drivers, with 100 more joining each week. Such is the sophistication and reliability of the software that bespoke travel has never been easier or cheaper.
Uber is increasingly popular across Europe, America and in the UAE. Traditional cabbies may fulminate against the ill-regulated nature of the company and its drivers, but nobody’s listening because the crushing laws of economics are unarguable. Many young people living in this most expensive of cities hardly have enough money for a tube ticket these days, let alone cash to spend in a licensed taxi. Traditional cabs are simply not an option.
In truth, opposition is growing to Uber. London taxi drivers are threatening mass protests if something isn’t done, while in Paris only last week French cabbies rioted in against what is known locally as Uberpop, forcing Francois Hollande to suspend the company and instigate a judicial inquiry as to the legality of the service.
Meanwhile in the US, one survey has claimed that 46 per cent of all total paid car rides throughout the country are now being taken using Uber.
Presumably there will come a point where supply will outstrip demand. Yet as long as it offers value and convenience, Uber will remain unstoppable. So if you’re thinking of visiting London, do sample a trip in a traditional black cab while you still can. They may not be around much longer.
Michael Simkins is an actor and writer who lives in London
On Twitter: @michael_simkins
