I had an affair during my last stay in London. I didn’t expect to, it wasn’t planned, but it happened and I can honestly say that I don’t regret it for a second.

During my many years of living in London over the past two decades, I’ve always been in love with the Black Cab. The vehicles, the drivers, the whole concept of ‘The Knowledge’; it gave me a connection to the Black Cab. As a Melbournian, not having to direct the cab driver or even ask them to turn on the dormant Sat Nav was a thrill (sorry Melbourne cabbies!). It was a proper relationship – they were there when I needed them, they knew when I wanted to talk and when I needed time to myself, and they took me to the places I wanted to go.

So on this trip back, I was looking forward to rekindling the romance and after landing, I did – a Paddington to Old Street journey that delivered on all fronts (as usual). Yet as the fog lifted on a brisk London winter, so did temptation. This temptation’s name you ask? Temptation’s name was Uber.

There’s been much written previously about the Uber approach and how the company has built itself from the ground up. But from a brand perspective, there are some interesting local insights:

• Awareness of the Uber offering in London was a slow burner until the London cabbies protested on the streets back in the summer of 2014. The protest wasn’t actually against Uber – they were taking aim at TFL (Transport For London). But rather than raise awareness of their issue, they actually bought Uber into the public consciousness. From a brand perspective, London cabbies handed over a Marketing Manager’s dream budget in terms of PR and sign ups – an estimated 850% rise!
• It’s not so much the rise of Uber, but it’s more so about the changing nature of consumers living in a landscape of digital transformation. When I first moved to London in 2002, the ‘London A to Z’ was your sole bible. Now, all you need is a phone that essentially translates to the transportation industry as a GPS. The compelling selling point of The Knowledge holds less weight now – even my first cabbie moaned about the frequent hotel name changes which meant he couldn’t recall the hotel that I was staying at. While the taxi industry have been adopting apps such as Hailo and Maaxi, the ability to navigate by technology and not by ‘knowledge’ didn’t happen overnight.
• Credit where credit is due. I’ve always paid cash in Black Cabs – I think you can pay card but my perception is that there’s a huge surcharge. I’ve never paid cash in an Uber. The payment process within an Uber is brilliant: a fare estimate, a receipt straight afterwards delivered via email – it makes business travel a reality and a much cheaper reality at that.

So with this all in mind and the word of pub (end of night at pub conversations often included “I’ll just get an Uber”), I cheated on my beloved Black Cabs. The Uber App recognised my details from Australia and before you know it, I was in a clean car, sitting next to a driver with GPS, being delivered to the destination I wanted and all at a cheaper rate than what a Black Cab would ever offer. It felt good, so I did it again and to be honest, I’m going to continue to do so.

Not that I would ever claim to be representative of the London population, but I’m the problem Black Cabs, and in particular, Addison Lee, have in London. The old saying that Black Cabs are for tourists and mini-cabs for locals may apply, but the lines are being blurred. From a branding perspective, what does the Black Cab stand for these days? Because since Uber’s arrival, it’s simply a more expensive means of transport. I also can’t see Uber going backwards – they have the GPS that will protect them against this. So now, Black Cabs needs to quickly establish itself back in the minds and pockets of it’s core target – whoever that is?

Written by Paul