The TFL Could Force Uber To Extinction With New 'Unfair' Regulations

And so it begins.

The war between TfL and Uber over the battleground of London has moved from discomfort to rage, with the app giant now asking its riders to sign a petition to stop it going out of business.

Writing to customers in response to new rules published by TfL yesterday, the company said that these rules would mean "an end to the Uber you know and love today", and that these clampdowns "made no sense".

This major change would be a mandatory five minute wait time for Uber customers, even if there's a car just around the corner - which would also spell an end for customers who get a kick out of seeing those tiny moving cars across the map. TfL is also keen to restrict the site’s carpooling service uberPOOL.

Further down the strongly worded email, entitled ‘Let TfL know riders come first’, Uber writes that disgruntled cabbies shouldn’t take umbrage with the flurry of taxi app alternatives but rather their own regulations:

"We understand that black cab drivers are feeling the pressure from services like Uber. But the answer is to level the playing field by reducing today’s burdensome black cab regulations – not to introduce rules that will be bad for riders, drivers and London."

Has Uber just attempted to pit its two enemies squarely against one another? At this point, with Transport for London's new rules threatening Uber's very existence, it would appear so.

As it's exploded across the world, Uber has subsequently felt the effect of regulations, public clampdowns and, in the case of France, even criminal charges and full scale rioting by aggrieved taxi drivers. With the battleground ever changing and volatile, losing business in a major hub like London would be a major blow.

Will you be signing the petition or do you think they've had too much freedom so far? Let us know below.