Can Uber really be London's private driver?

High tech taxi company Uber are landing here, with their London launch tomorrow. They have previously been very succesful over the pond in the States, and are expanding in Europe too.

The idea is a simple but very effective one - register with the service online, and use your smartphone to get a high quality driven car to you as soon as possible. No cash is required because everything is run through the website, including tips for the drivers. The fleet is made up of black luxury vehicles, with journey makers greeted with magazines, water, and drivers who are very friendly and polite.

While there is no doubt the tax service offered itself is excellent, and Uber's specific model has worked very well in other places, London, with its inbuilt competition and strong public transport infrastrucure, may prove to be the comany's biggest challenge. They must differentiate, with speed and eas being their main selling point.

They will not break through if what happened to me today happens regularly.

I'm part of a dieing breed that is resolutely holding onto my Blackberry (and it's keyboard.) However, Uber doesn't have a native app for Blackberry, so users have to use the specially designed mobile site. Which is fine when it works. Today, the site wouldn't let me move on from rating my previous driver... 10 minutes later, having downloaded the iPhone app on my iPad, I was told the cab would be 25 minutes. Not very useful when you are told the company normally aims to have a car with you within 10 minutes. I ended up cancelling the car, jumping on the tube, and being very late. On my return journey, the driver couldn't find me for a couple minutes due to a seeming lack of compatability with Blackberry.

The prices Uber are charging are not cheap but are certainly not extorniate. They are charging Addison Lee prices for what is essentially a Chauffeur driven service, so you are getting what you pay for. They also don't hike their prices up after midnight. There is then huge potential in the corporate market, with business people moving themeselves and clients around quickly, in comfort, and at a reasonable price. Most of this market still use Blackberrys, and Uber most get blackberry compatability sorted to be truly succesful. I believe a native app is necessary.

The time the service worked best for me was when I was in a pub in Leceister Square - a car arrived in four minutes. Uber texts you when your car is dispatched and when it arrives, and because all the vehicles are black they are easy to identify. As a women, it's very reassuring to know that a safe service, that doesn't require me to go to a cashpoint in the dark before I can get home, exists.

Uber must make sure thought that they have the reach to maintain their very high standards across the city. It is essential that they avoid being a service that only works well in the West End.

That said, If I were Addision Lee I would be very nervous. If Uber can get a strong London user base, and expand the number of drivers they have, they could eat Addison Lee's breakfast.