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(Bloomberg) -- If you want to hail one of London’s iconic black cabs, you’ll soon be able to do so by pulling up the Uber app.
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Uber Technologies Inc. launched in London more than a decade ago but has faced stiff resistance from drivers of the bulbous black cabs, also known as hackney carriages, who must pass a grueling test of the city’s streets to obtain a license.
Starting in early 2024, Uber will offer riders the option of choosing a black cab as part of the company’s expansion in recent years into a one-stop transportation app including bookings for intercity trains, the Eurostar and car rentals.
London was one of the last major holdouts in partnering its local taxi drivers with Uber. The San Francisco-based company has already struck similar deals in Paris, Rome, New York and other cities in 33 countries. Uber joins other ride-hailing companies including Israeli startup Gett and Germany’s Freenow, which already offer on-demand black cabs in London.
Black cabs have been on the streets of London since at least the early 20th century, when they replaced for-hire horse-drawn carriages. Drivers are licensed by the city regulatory body Transport for London, which requires them to learn the “Knowledge,” a mental encyclopedia of some 25,000 streets as well as all landmarks within six miles of Charing Cross. Often called one of the most difficult tests in the world, it typically takes three to four years to learn. Uber drivers, meanwhile, rely on GPS to get around.
Licensed black cabs, which are traditionally slightly more expensive than minicabs, also have privileges including being able to pick up customers from the street rather than only with pre-booking.
Uber has had a tortured history in London, where cabbies have vehemently protested the app’s presence in the city for fear of losing their livelihood and out of concern the app’s drivers don’t adhere to strict safety standards and oversight. Hundreds of drivers demonstrated in London in 2014 as part of Europe-wide protests against Uber. Two years later, 8,000 protesting drivers again blocked traffic in central London.
The company has made attempts to recruit hackney carriage drivers in the past. In 2016, Uber gave them the option of using the app without paying a commission for 12 months, an offer that was later dropped.