Uber is coming under increasing pressure after Boris Johnson accused the taxi-hailing app of systematically breaking the law.

In his weekly column for the Telegraph, the mayor of London said Uber’s mobile phone technology is effectively mimicking the act of hailing a taxi – a process that only black cabs can legally carry out.

Johnson’s comments come as Transport for London (TfL) takes Uber to the high court over a separate issue to determine whether the app breaks the law by effectively acting as a meter.

And Uber is already facing the threat of a major crackdown on its business practices in London after TfL last week launched a public consultation to consider proposals including making passengers wait at least five minutes for a ride.

Johnson, who chairs TfL, has been largely defensive over the issue of Uber’s impact on the black cab trade, arguing that the shift is the product of market forces and consumer choice.

But in Monday’s column, he wrote: “The reason TfL is consulting on new regulations for minicabs is very simple: we need to uphold the law. At present that law is being systematically broken – or at least circumvented – by the use of the Uber app.”

Johnson said he understood the indignation over TfL’s consultation and the arguments in favour of Uber - it creates jobs, is cheap and convenient.

And he argued the black taxi trade has not been its “own most effective advocate”, being let down by the behaviour of a few cabbies, such as those who protested in City Hall, allegedly injuring a security guard.

But he insists many Uber minicabs are breaking the law “because technology makes it so easy for it to be broken”.

“You no longer need to see a vehicle to hail it,” he said. “Your phone will see it for you. In other words the app is allowing private hire vehicles to behave like black taxis: to be hailed, to ply for hire in the streets, to do exactly what the law says they are not supposed to do.”

Johnson argued for a balance that allows the black cab trade and minicab apps to coexist.

“I agree completely with the free marketeers: it is nuts to try to ban technology,” he wrote. “But until parliament has the guts to change the law we must uphold the existing and longstanding legal distinctions between black cabs and minicabs.”

The high court hearing starts on Monday and is expected to conclude on Tuesday. Black-cab drivers argue the app’s calculation of fares constitutes metering and is therefore illegal. TfL believes the app is not considered a meter under current laws but has deferred a final decision on interpreting the law to the courts.

Uber has launched a petition, which has so far attracted nearly 120,000 names, to support its fight against the TfL proposals. It says: “These rules make no sense.”



An Uber spokesman said: “In the UK, Uber is fully licensed and regulated and abides by all private hire legislation. Uber’s model has been scrutinised not only by TfL, but by over 25 other regulators and found to be compliant.

“These bureaucratic new rules will not improve your ride. They’re designed to address the concerns of black cab drivers, who feel under pressure from increased competition.

“But the answer is to reduce the onerous regulations cabbies face today – not increase them for everyone else.”