Stronger taxi rules needed says council
Taxi company ‘threat to safety of travelling public’
STRONGER REGULATIONS around taxi licensing and enforcement are needed, the region’s biggest authority has stressed as a row broke out over Uber cabs in the country’s capital.
The taxi firm, used by 3.5m people and 40,000 drivers in the city, has been refused a new license by Transport for London which said it was “not fit and proper” to operate, with Mayor Sadiq Khan insisting that companies must “play by the rules”.
As Uber vows to appeal the decision, backed by more than 140,000 people who have signed an online petition, authorities across the country have said they are keeping a “close eye” on the outcome of the dispute, with Leeds City Council calling for stricter regulations nationwide.
AUTHORITIES ACROSS the country are keeping a “close eye” on an emerging dispute over taxi cabs in the country’s capital after it emerged Uber London has been refused a new license to operate.
The taxi firm has vowed to appeal a decision by Transport for London (TfL) to refuse it a new license on the grounds of “public safety and security implications”.
Uber’s general manager in London Tom Elvidge claimed users of its app “will be astounded by this decision”, with a petition against the move now backed by more than 140,000 people.
“If this decision stands, it will put more than 40,000 licensed drivers out of work and deprive Londoners of a convenient and affordable form of transport,” he said. “To defend the livelihoods of all those drivers, and the consumer choice of millions of Londoners who use our app, we intend to immediately challenge this in the courts.”
The decision is the latest in a long line of controversies for the taxi firm, which has seen protests against it in Poland and Italy, and was for a time banned in Delhi before this decision was overturned.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he fully backed TfL’s decision.
“It would be wrong if TfL continued to license Uber if there is any way that this could pose a threat to Londoners’ safety and security,” he said. “Any operator of private hire services in London needs to play by the rules.”
Authorities across the country, including Brighton and Manchester, have now said they are keeping a close watch on the situation to see how it develops.
Uber enables users to book cars using their smartphones and is available in more than 40 towns and cities across the UK, including in York, Bradford, Leeds and Sheffield.
Concerns were raised in York last Christmas when it emerged Uber Britannia had received 72 complaints from members of the public within just first four months of operating in the city.
Documents put before councillors considering a renewal of its license in December showed almost all the complaints were about Uber cabs licensed elsewhere in the county, and were mainly about the number of out of town vehicles and allegations of drivers plying for hire.
All the complaints had been investigated, the papers revealed, with the vast majority deemed “unfounded” or with insufficient evidence provided.
York Council confirmed the renewed license is now valid until Christmas Eve, with Uber Britannia needing to submit its application again by the end of next month.
Bradford Council said around 500 drivers from the city are licensed to work for Uber.
“We will continue to monitor Uber’s licence to operate in the district, as we do with all operators and take action accordingly,” a spokesman for the authority said. In Leeds, where Uber Leeds is licensed to operate as a private hire company, there are around 900 licensed drivers and around 825 vehicles.
The city council has put in place some of the most challenging policies and conditions in UK, a spokesman said, with different rules here as to those in place in London.
But, he stressed, there was a concern over licensing nationwide and a need for stronger regulation.
“Passenger safety is our priority and LCC has raised its concern at the increase in numbers of ‘out of district’ private hire vehicles operating in Leeds, which includes Uber vehicles licensed by other councils and licensing authorities,” he said. “As such we are lobbying for a stronger national licensing and enforcement approach to this issue.”
We intend to immediately challenge this in the courts Tom Ilvidge, Uber’s general manager in London