Taxi drivers strike over mobile phone fares app

Black cab drivers in London are to strike over the introduction of a Smart Phone app which allows users to calculate taxi fares. The High Court is being asked to settle a bitter row after cabbies claimed private hire firms who use the app are breaking the law on taximeters.

They have reacted furiously to Transport for London's decision to licence an international minicab operator called Uber. The company uses the advertising slogan "Taxi without the hassle" and offers customers: "No whistling, no waving, no cash needed."

Current laws make it illegal for a passenger to make a booking with a minicab driver. TfL believes smart phones which use GPS tracking to measure the distance and duration of a journey should not be classed as taximeters.