The taxi-booking service Uber has received a boost after the high court ruled that its app was legal in London. Had it lost the

admin2022-07-06  44

问题     The taxi-booking service Uber has received a boost after the high court ruled that its app was legal in London. Had it lost the case, the company would have been forced to change its service to comply with rules that protect black-cab drivers.
    The transport regulator Transport for London (TfL) had brought the case after pressure from the city’s black-cab and minicab drivers, who claimed that the Uber app was being used as a taximeter. The taximeter is a privilege afforded only to black-cab drivers in return for the extensive training they undergo to learn London’s streets.
    But Lord Justice Ouseley ruled that Uber’s mobile service did not constitute a taximeter. Ouseley said that while the smartphone using the driver’s app may be essential to enable the calculation of fares, that did not make it a device "for" calculating fares, which would breach the taximeter prohibition.
    Uber described the ruling as a victory for common sense and took aim at plans by TfL to impose new regulations on the company. "Now the high court has ruled in favour of new technology, we hope Transport for London will think again on their bureaucratic proposals for apps like Uber," said Jo Bertram, Uber’s regional general manager for UK, Ireland and the Nordics.
    The chief executive of Addison Lee, the biggest minicab firm in London, said the ruling was disappointing. "This is a sad day for London," Andy Boland said. "This judgment opens the door to a return to the bad old days of cabs charging what they like and the passenger not knowing what the fare is until it is too late."
    Steve McNamara, general secretary of the LTD A, said it was a "ludicrous decision", adding: "Does the Uber smartphone calculate the fare by a combination of time and distance? There can be only one answer, and any judgment that declares otherwise is flawed and wrong."
    But businesses welcomed the ruling. The Institute of Directors said it was "a victory for consumers and innovation". Simon Walker, the IoD’s director general, said: "Britain should be at the centre of disruptive technology and this decision will give businesses around the world confidence that we welcome new ideas."
    The founder of a rival taxi app, Kabbee, suggested the ruling would lead to all minicab firms adopting similar technology. Justin Peters said: "Now all licensed minicab fleets have the right to use in-car meters, which will mean more competition and better consumer choice. It’s a positive step." Butj he added: "Today’s verdict does not address remaining inconsistencies such as Uber not requesting a destination address from the passenger and the historic questions over payment of VAT."
The black-cab drivers regard Uber app illegal because

选项 A、Transport for London has charged Uber.
B、it works as a taximeter that can be exclusively used by black-cab drivers.
C、the application of Uber app has brought about more law cases.
D、it forces black-cab drivers to undergo extensive training.

答案B

解析 第二段第一句提到伦敦交通局迫于压力只能起诉优步,因为黑色出租车司机称优步的应用程序实际是盗用了他们的特权:计程表(taximeter),故B项正确。A项“伦敦交通局已起诉优步”是因为出租车司机声称优步侵用了他们的特权,与题干所述因果倒置。C项“优步的使用带来更多的法律案件”利用原词case作干扰,无原文依据。D项“它使出租车司机接受大量的训练”不符文意,原文是说伦敦出租车司机接受训练是为了取得运营资格(即获得使用计程表的特权),与优步无关。
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