Following the footsteps of New York City, Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London is also considering capping ride-hailing licenses in order to reduce congestion. According to the Guardian, the Mayor is trying to find the right legal manner in order to limit the surge of private ride-hailing cars on the road.
The main reason, in order to reduce both congestion and pollution in the city. London is one of the few cities which charges a congestion fee to people who drive into highly congested zones.
Based on the number of private hire licenses given, there has been a significant rise of almost 100% over the past 10 years. In the 2017/2018 period, London has now given out 114,000 licenses. According to Uber, there are about 45,000 workers in London alone.
This move would limit the growth of ride-hailing companies including Ola, the Indian equivalent of Uber who is making a move on Uber in London. Sadiq Khan is working now with regulators to enable this ruling to be passed.
“Uber is committed to helping address congestion and air pollution and we strongly support the Mayor’s ultra-low emission zone. Already more than half of the miles travelled with Uber are in hybrid or electric vehicles. By competing with private cars, getting more people into fewer vehicles and investing in our clean air plan, we can be a part of the solution in London,” said an Uber spokesperson to the Guardian.
