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Uber loses licence to operate in London, will still operate while appealing

(www.bbc.com)
256 points reubensutton | 3 comments | 25 Nov 19 10:19 UTC | HN request time: 0.442s | source
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gorgoiler ◴[25 Nov 19 11:46 UTC] No.21627245[source]▶
Deliveroo should suffer a reckoning too, if there’s any sense in the world.

Have you ever seen a bunch of Deliveroo riders clogging up the public space outside a restaurant or other public space? Why should one business get to exploit pavements for profit, without regulation. Private companies shouldn’t be able to co-opt public space without scrutiny or permission.

Or maybe I’m too ethical and not being enough of a hustler, and I should move my team into the desk space at the local library?

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1. miracle2k ◴[25 Nov 19 12:07 UTC] No.21627357[source]▶
That seems like a fairly narrow concern to me, but...

Maybe the restaurant should pay for the use of that public space of they want to offer delivery?

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2. TeMPOraL ◴[25 Nov 19 12:10 UTC] No.21627379[source]▶
That is one solution, and one that would effectively kill off Deliveroo and its breed.
3. gorgoiler ◴[25 Nov 19 12:18 UTC] No.21627429[source]▶
You’re right, I suppose it is a narrow concern and the solution you highlight would be an appropriate one for that particular problem.

It feels though like the delivery driver loitering problem is a red flag for a much larger problem of corporate appropriation being acceptable, without being challenged by those we entrust to look after our public spaces and roads.

It’s why a solution like “delivery drivers shouldn’t loiter in public spaces” is a poor solution, and why “private business should not be conducted in public without a license” might be a better and more general message.