Uber today hit back at criticism from cabbies in London, arguing that Uber is safe and does not run afoul of local regulations.
"With so much chatter about us, we thought it was about time to jump in and clarify a few things," Uber said in a blog post.
As the BBC reported earlier this month, London's Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA) plans to cause gridlock sometime in June in protest against services like Uber.
LTDA claims that Uber is equipping its cars with taximeters despite the fact that it is illegal for private cars to have them. But Steve McNamara, LTDA's general secretary, also told the BBC that Uber is an "American monster that has no qualms about breaching any and all laws in the pursuit of profit, most of which will never see a penny of tax paid in the U.K."
In its blog post, Uber argued that "there is room for all and there is room for more and better. We are bringing competition to an industry that hasn't evolved in years."
"Uber has been fully licensed as a Private Hire Operator since our launch in London nearly two years ago, and we meet all the required private hire regulations," the company said.
Uber said that regulatory agency Transport for London (TFL) does not consider the use of a smartphone app within a private car to be the same as a taximeter.
"As a licensed operator, Uber London accepts the bookings and manages the dispatch of drivers through its dispatch system, monitored and controlled by our local operations team here in London," Uber said.
On the safety front, meanwhile, Uber pointed to the ability for riders to see their driver's registration number, photo, and name before arrival and estimated arrival time, as well as the option to share a journey with friends and get an emailed journey summary after the ride.
"Our mission is to keep London moving in the safest, most efficient way possible and we will continue to put consumer choice and safety, and driver opportunity," Uber concluded.
Uber is not the only app-based car service under fire in London, though. As the BBC noted last week, London black cabbies attacked the offices of Hailo and wrote "Scabs" on the walls.
Last month, meanwhile, a court in Brussels banned Uber in the Belgian and European Union capital, promising to fine the ride-sharing service 10,000 euros every time it violates the order.
Uber has faced pushback in some U.S. cities, too, but it got a boost earlier this month when a Google Maps update added a feature that tells you how long you'd have to wait for an Uber car.