优步因安全不过关在伦敦被禁，将失去其欧洲最大市场？

Uber’s cars will not disappear immediately as its current license expires on September 30 and it plans to challenge the ruling by London’s transport authority in the courts immediately. The firm can continue to operate in the capital until it has exhausted the appeals process, which could take months.
优步的网约车不会在9月30日营业执照到期后立刻消失，该公司正打算立即对伦敦交通局的决定进行上诉。走完所有上诉程序需要花上数月，在此之前优步仍可在伦敦继续运营。

伦敦交通局对叫停优步经营牌照给出的解释是，优步在伦敦的一些运营存在安全隐患，缺乏社会责任。例如没有按规定提供司机的犯罪记录、医学健康证明等，一些优步司机在约车软件中使用“反钓鱼”程序躲避交通部门的监管。

The decision was backed by the British capital's black-cab drivers and Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.
这一决定得到了伦敦黑色出租车司机和伦敦市长萨迪克•卡恩的支持。

Uber’s chief executive, Dara Khosrowshahi, wrote to staff on Friday confirming that the company would appeal against the ruling. He said he disagreed with the decision but it was based on past behavior.
优步首席执行官科斯罗萨西22日在致员工的信件中确认，该公司将对这一决定上诉。他表示并不同意伦敦交通局的决定，但这一决定的确是基于优步过去的表现。

此前发生的一些事件证明，优步的确存在安全隐患，据《伦敦晚报》2016年5月报道：

Metropolitan Police officers received 32 allegations of rape or sexual assault involving Uber drivers over 12 months, the equivalent of about one every 11 days.
伦敦警方在过去12个月里受理了32起与优步司机有关的性侵或性骚扰指控，相当于每11天左右就出现一起。

英国《太阳报》去年12月也曾报道，有乘客反映一些优步司机向其兜售毒品：

Uber customers have claimed their drivers are offering them drugs with concerns flagged that the taxi system is the "ideal means" to sell illegal products.
优步乘客声称，优步司机向他们兜售毒品，他们担心优步的网约车系统会成为销售不法物品的“理想工具”。

Dozens of people have reported the dodgy dealings, with many taking to social media to recount the drug offers. One man took to social media just days ago, writing: "I've had Uber drivers offer me sex or/and drugs before".
很多人已经举报了这些狡猾的交易，不少人在社交网络上描述了毒品交易的过程。一名男子数天前在社交网络上写道：“我曾遇到向我提供性服务、毒品的优步司机”。

今年8月，伦敦大都市警察局主管出租车及约租车安全的高级警官尼尔•比尔兰尼（Neil Billany）致信伦敦市交通局，对优步没有向警局上报严重犯罪行为而感到担忧。他认为优步可能为保护公司声誉，而对司机严重的犯罪行为知情不报。

In the letter, Billany detailed how Uber failed to report a sexual assault to the police in January this year. According to his account, Uber spoke with the driver, who denied the offence, then did "nothing more." Then the driver struck again four months later, assaulting a different female passenger. Three days later, Uber fired the driver and informed Transport for London, which in turn told the police.
比尔兰尼在信中详细描述了优步在今年1月没能向警方上报一起性侵事件的过程。据他称，优步和这名司机谈过话，该司机不承认犯罪，于是此事就“不了了之”。随后，这位司机在四个月后再次作案，性侵了另外一名女性乘客。三天后，优步辞退这名司机，且通知了伦敦交通局，警方这才得知消息。

He accused Uber of reporting "low-level" fraud, but of not reporting more serious episodes because they might damage the company's reputation.
比尔兰尼认为优步汇报了“程度较轻”的犯罪，但可能为保护公司声誉，而对情节更加严重的罪行知情不报。

He added that Uber didn't automatically report serious crimes in case it breached passenger rights.
他还称，优步并没有自动上报情节严重的犯罪以免乘客权益因此受损。

基于以上种种，伦敦交通局认定优步存在公共安全隐患，但是这一裁决仍然引发了大量群众的不满。据BBC报道，优步于9月22日发起网上请愿活动：

More than 680,000 people have signed an online petition in a bid to keep Uber operating in London after its licence expires on September 30.
已经有超过68万人在请愿网站上签名，支持优步在9月30日营业执照到期后继续在伦敦运营。

不少支持者认为，以优步“不够安全”为由禁止其在伦敦运营是不成立的，因为没有了优步更加不安全，他们给出了以下理由：

1. The app tracks your location and lets you share it with friends
优步可以跟踪你的定位，允许你将其分享给朋友。

2. You can wait somewhere safe until your Uber turns up, whereas a black cab involves waiting on the street
你可以在安全的地方等待你的优步出现，而黑色出租车却只能在街上等。

3. Uber serves the suburbs of London, where it's harder to find a black cab
优步在伦敦郊区也可以用，而很难在那里找到黑色出租车。

这位网友就认为，优步的安全性在于你可以全程监控自己预约的行程：“你可以为你的爱人预约一辆优步，然后全程盯着它直到安全抵达。”

上文中提到的black cab，俗称“黑出租”，就是在优步进入伦敦以前，英国人多年来一直乘坐的出租车。这种车通体黑色，内部空间很大，司机专业，乘坐舒适，但缺陷是价格极贵。

黑出租之所以收费高，是因为司机经过严格考核才能上岗，对伦敦街道的各种信息了如指掌，但他们所能提供的专业服务现在已经可以被科技取代。

在伦敦，还有一种被称为mini cab的出租车服务，这是一种约租车。

Mini cab is a car that is used as a taxi but that must be ordered in advance because it is not licensed to pick up passengers who hail it in the street.
约租车必须要提前预定，因为这种出租车没有在街边揽客的执照。

约租车的费用比黑出租要便宜，但由于需要事先预定，乘客往往要等待较长时间。