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A threat to our licensed taxi drivers?
The transportation and network company - Uber is an online company, with its worldwide headquarters in San Francisco, California, USA.
The Uber smartphone application allows consumers with smartphones to submit a trip request which is then routed to the drivers signed up to the Uber driver application. These drivers use their own cars and are all licensed private hire drivers who should adhere to all regulations put in place by the licensing authority.
Under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, Wiltshire Council, as the local authority, has a legal responsibility to regulate all hackney carriage and private hire licensing. In law anyone who makes provision for the invitation or acceptance of bookings for a private hire vehicle must hold an operator’s licence. Private Hire Operator Licences are required for the base at which the private hire booking takes place.
As the bookings are taken via the Uber app it is not clear where the actual booking takes place. However Uber have advised that it is their intention to apply for a Private Hire Operators Licence in Wiltshire, in order to take private hire bookings across Wiltshire.
Records of these bookings will be made available to the council’s compliance officers on request.
Uber is currently operating in Bath and North East Somerset Council, Swindon Borough Council, Bristol City Council and Portsmouth City Council administrative areas along with other city locations throughout the United Kingdom and worldwide.
The Council’s Taxi Compliance team have engaged with BANES and Swindon BC regarding their involvement with Uber.
At Uber’s request council officers attended a meeting with Uber on 27 September 2016. At present no application has been received from Uber.