Just keep moving
[Re: Uber’s model was rife with flaws but the gig economy deserves saving, yesterday]
The piece in support of Uber is fair enough, but it ignores the fact that a lot of Uber traffic came from tempting people off of public transport.
In doing so, it added to the problem of climate change and congestion, and often of speeding and illegal parking. In that sense it has increased inefficiency in the city, not efficiency as you suppose.
We need to consider the environmental impact of the gig economy.
Outside city-centres (and to some extent in them), a huge proportion of the traffic on our streets between 6pm and 9pm is now cars working for Deliveroo, JustEats, Dominos and Ubereats.
I don’t know the 4-wheel to 2-wheel delivery ratio, but as a rider myself, I can say I meet few people and many drivers when I pick up food. A tonne of metal to carry a burger or a pizza? That is not a model of efficiency, it is just the opposite.
Ted Baxter
[Re: Social mobility in the square mile, yesterday]
It’s all well and good for the Lord Mayor of the City of London Corporation to say companies need to focus on social mobility. But to get into firms in the Square Mile, people need to be able to afford to live in the capital. For young people living outside of London, this barrier can be insurmountable.
Jackson Carter