Passengers in some areas believe letting in Uber will solve the problem of taxi shortages. Those in areas already served by the ride-hailing app are warning them to be careful what they wish for.
There is a huge difference between rogue drivers operating illegally – such as private hire drivers picking up fares without bookings – and operators such as Uber who are making the most of changes to licensing laws in 2015 which allow PHV drivers to operate outside the area of their registration.
Either way, hackney and locally licensed PHV drivers are affected by out-of-towners taking their business.
Protest
Last month, taxi drivers at Gatwick Airport held a protest against the practice which they say is damaging their livelihoods.
Organised by the Unite union, the demonstration took place at the full meeting of Crawley Council after banners advertising Uber services to passengers were put up at the airport and parking bays were reserved for Uber drivers.
The union said: “Uber has an unfair advantage over Crawley’s private hire taxis because it can circumvent the local authority’s licensing laws, resulting in Uber cars registered in London entering the town and waiting for passengers. Private hire taxis, on the other hand, cannot pick up fares outside of their licensing areas unless they have been pre-booked.
“The situation has led to an influx of London-based Uber cars into Crawley which are then parking up to poach private hire car business. Uber’s growing encroachment into Crawley’s taxi sector is damaging livelihoods and undermining the local economy, which is heavily dependent on Gatwick.”
Petition
Taxi drivers in Bath have launched a petition calling for out-of-town drivers to be banned from operating in the area.
The Bath Echo reports that drivers who have had to pass the Bath knowledge test and paid the £582 cost of applying for a taxi licence from Bath & North East Somerset Council want action to stop drivers licensed by other councils are taking the work in the city.
A statement from a group of Bath and North East Somerset-licensed taxi drivers said: “The influx of licensed taxis from Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Swindon, and Wolverhampton into Bath is severely undermining the livelihoods of local drivers.
“We urge the council to take immediate action to ban these out-of-area taxis from operating within Bath. By doing so, the council would not only be supporting local drivers but also ensuring that the fees paid by Bath’s licensed taxi operators are reinvested into the local economy, ultimately benefiting the entire community.”
Legal issues
The Manchester Evening News reports that Blackpool Council is looking into how drivers who are not licensed to work in the town are operating.
The move follows a protest by cabbies in the resort which saw them block the road at the launch of a £23m tram line connecting the Promenade tramway to a new stop by Blackpool North train station last month.
Despite the demonstration against out-of-towners, Uber told LancsLive it is operating legally in Blackpool, with drivers dropping off fares and only picking up new passengers if they receive bookings while they are in the area.
But local drivers argue that Uber drivers were “bending rules such as utilising designated taxi ranks for picking up passengers”.
Another driver told LancsLive: “Ideally we want them out of Blackpool [Uber], but if they’ve got to be here then they need regulating. Nobody’s policing it.”
Uber told LancsLive that although none of its drivers are licensed by Blackpool, they are all “operating legally with licenses obtained from various parts of the UK”.
Review
A council spokesperson responded to the issue: “Taxi operators have alerted us to instances of Uber drivers operating in Blackpool and their concerns around this. The safety of our residents and visitors is always our priority.
“Uber is not licensed by Blackpool Council currently. We are seeking legal opinion in relation to this matter, as we are conscious that the legal framework around taxi legislation is outdated and requires review.
“This is not a situation that is unique to Blackpool. We are speaking to the Local Government Association as well as our neighbouring authorities to ensure we deal with this robustly.”
An Uber spokesperson stated: “Uber operates according to the high standards set across the industry and abides by the same regulations as all other private hire operators. We look to provide the best possible experience for passengers and engage closely with councils across the country. Uber also leads the industry in providing every driver a pension, holiday pay and sickness protection, which almost all local minicab firms do not.”
