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Wayne Morrison, Uber driver
Andy Parsons

Things you only know if you’re an Uber driver

Written by
Time Out London contributor
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…according to Wayne Morrison, 46.

London’s taxi wars are played out on the streets

‘Black cab drivers don’t let you out – they’re deliberately difficult. They know you’re an Uber because we have stickers in the window showing we’re licensed by TfL. I had an altercation with a black cab driver outside the W Hotel in Leicester Square. I couldn’t move back and he wouldn’t move back, so we sat there until the police came.’

Our nightlife has had an Uber boost

‘I’ve picked up passengers in central London and taken them to places like Windsor and Southend. Before Uber, people who lived outside London would’ve got the last train home or maybe booked a hotel. They wouldn’t have got a black cab. Ubers are cheap, so people can stay out later and bars do better business.’

You can find the drunkest Londoners in Soho

‘Friday and Saturday nights there are crazy. One guy I picked up leaned out of the window and was sick down the side of the car. I had to take pictures and send Uber the receipt to get my cleaning bill reimbursed.’

There are perks to the Uber lifestyle

‘People say we’re treated badly, but if you want to earn good money, you’ve got to work when it’s busy! I’ve been driving for two years now and I love it. My wife says I love the captive audience.’

Unexpected things happen in cabs

‘My biggest surprise was a woman giving birth in the back of my car. The woman’s mum said, “Hurry up – I can see the head!” I went through red lights, but I could hear the baby crying before we got to hospital. A midwife wiped down my car. Luckily it had leather seats!’

Interview by Samantha Rea.

Now here are the things you only know if you’re a black cab driver.

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