Hailo taxi app offices vandalised as London black cab drivers' anger grows

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/may/22/hailo-taxi-app-offices-vandalised-black-cab

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The offices of the creators of taxi hire app Hailo have been vandalised after the company opened up its smartphone booking service to private hire vehicles.

Black cab drivers in London are angry that access to the app is being extended to other, private hire, services, and the word "Scabs" has been scrawled on the wall of Hailo's London office.

Police were also called after a fight broke out.

In an open letter to London cab drivers published on the company's website, Hailo's co-founder, Ron Zeghibe, said: "Hailo has applied for a private hire operator's licence in preparation to have the full service that passengers and businesses tell us they want.

"There is no point burying our heads in the sand – people want a choice and taxis need to be in the mix. A taxi-only app will get isolated and customers will take their money to services without any cabs on offer. It is already happening. Let's win back that work.

"Individuals who are in denial of this truth are part of the problem not the solution. The worst thing the taxi industry could do now is deny that things are changing and hold on to the past. Complaining is not a strategy."

Hailo was set up by three London cab drivers, and the app allows users to book a taxi based on location, track its journey to them, and agree a payment method before entering the cab. However Zeghibe says that the company needs to be pragmatic in order to remain successful.

"Drivers like you are losing their livelihoods because passengers are moving to apps that don't offer [black cabs] as an option. It's happening in London. Let's do something about it," he said.

"Hailo was founded by taxi drivers and has put more money in forward-thinking cabbies' pockets than anyone else.

"When we started, it was a straight fight between taxis and private hire. Now, it's not so simple. These are tough times that call for tough decisions – and that means doing what's right, not what's popular."

However, black cab drivers have been quick to voice their anger at Hailo's decision.

Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association, said: "There's a lot of resentment and anger out there.

"When the app was set up it was done so under the idea of supporting black cab drivers, and they saw it as fighting back against the private hires. So now the guys just feel betrayed. There's a huge amount of frustration.

"There's been various incidents all over town, and I know there are guys down at garages now peeling the Hailo stickers out of their cabs. What we're saying is if you don't want to be a part of it any more, then just leave."

Of the fight that took place at the Hailo offices, McNamara said: "It grew out of all proportion, but it shows there's a lot of anger out there."

McNamara also confirmed that drivers were deleting the app, removing themselves from the Hailo service.

London cab drivers are also planning a protest in June to show their frustration at the presence of other services like Uber, which cab drivers say is not subject to the same regulation that licensed drivers are.

Uber uses an app to calculate fares; cab drivers say this is similar to a taximeter, which is illegal to have in a private vehicle. Cab drivers are planning to cause gridlock in central London on 11 June in protest.