That a new service is cheaper than an established one is usually welcomed by politicians, but in the case of Uber, lower prices were seen as a threat, if not to ordinary citizens, then certainly to the powerful black cab industry, which has got used to holding Londoners to ransom every time one of them wants to go “saf” of the river any time after eleven o’clock at night.

On the face of it, Transport for London’s decision is merely the logical follow-through from promises the mayor made during his election campaign, the fulfilment of an important part of his manifesto. And that’s democracy, right?

Well, in a way, I suppose…