Uber to add a pound to all journeys passing inside the London Congestion Charging zone
Ride-hailing app Uber have announced they are to add a pound to the cost of every journey in central London as the minicab drivers exemption from the congestion charge is set to be revoked next week. As of 8th April all private hire drivers entering central London must now pay £11.50 pounds Monday to Friday during the day. Each private hire driver had been exempt from the charge. Regulators Transport for London are under pressure to ease congestion and improve air quality within central areas on the capital. TfL officials see the bloated minicab industry amounting to a fleet of drivers five times bigger than that of the Licensed Taxi industry as a cause for future concern. According to Reuters an Uber spokesperson said: “To help ease the impact on driver earnings, Uber trips that start, finish or pass within that Zone will include a 1-pound Central London Fee,” Theo Usherwood of LBC Radio said via Twitter: “Uber sources have suggested a level playing field so that black cabs are also subject to the same charge. “The danger is that central London, from Uber's point of view, becomes the preserve of black cabs. “Am told TfL isn't even thinking about this move at the moment.”
