The British Hospitality Association, the private sector forum for the hospitality and tourism industry in the UK, has commended Transport for London (TFL) for issuing a second consultation to modernise private hire regulations, which could result in tighter regulations on so called sharing economy businesses like Uber.
Repercussions for the hospitality industry
The TFL consultation could have repercussions for the hospitality industry which has been championing the need for similar consultations. Hotels, B&Bs, Serviced Apartments and other types of visitor accommodation are facing challenges from more lightly regulated home-exchange businesses such as Airbnb.
Customers must be afforded the same regulation and h & s protection
The BHA believes the government should act to ensure fire, health and safety regulations apply equally to every player within the industry, including sharing economy accommodation providers. Ufi Ibrahim continued: “The BHA role’s is to champion better standards across the industry. Visitors and residents alike should be free to choose any transport or indeed accommodation that they prefer. However, all customers must be afforded the same basic regulation and health and safety protection.”
Ensuring a fair competitive environment
CEO of the British Hospitality Association, Ufi Ibrahim said: “This consultation by TFL will look into the regulations governing private-hire taxis and is to be commended. It shows that TFL is listening to its stakeholders across the industry and concerns for public safety and standards. The investigation into the sharing economy mini cab sector which includes multinational, multi-billion dollar companies like Uber, will review if sharing economy providers should continue operating under lighter, less costly regulations than the rest of the sector. Ensuring a fair competitive environment is the right thing to do both for employees within the industry and ultimately for customers.”