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A South Ribble councillor has told residents they are safer in locally-licensed taxis than Ubers authorised by councils in other parts of the country.
It comes after an operation earlier this summer in which Lancashire Police stopped more than 200 private hire and Hackney vehicles across South Ribble and Preston during a single night of spot checks.
The force says three of those inspected were immediately suspended from operating because of faults found with their vehicles, while it also gave “numerous warnings” to drivers for bearing incorrect plates and stickers or not having visible identification.
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Cllr Jane Bell, chair of South Ribble Borough Council’s licensing and public safety committee, told a recent meeting of the full council that none of the vehicles or drivers who were reprimanded or taken off the road had been licensed by the district authority.
“They were all Uber taxis…licensed in Wolverhampton,” she said.
“So…please be very careful when you use an Uber – you may not be safe. You certainly won’t be as safe as in our taxis, because our policies are very strict – and stricter than a lot of other boroughs.”
The operation actively involved City of Wolverhampton Council, with Lancashire Police saying around 85 of the vehicles stopped were licensed in that local authority area – in spite of it being almost 100 miles away from Central Lancashire.
Since deregulation of the private hire trade in 2015, the necessary licences, plates and permissions can be obtained from any council a driver chooses – perhaps based on considerations such as the speed and cost of processing applications and any specific criteria that have to be met – no matter where they are based or where they will be trading. Wolverhampton Council has become a popular choice.
Neither South Ribble Borough Council nor Preston City Council currently licence Uber vehicles, which are classed as private hires.
In response to the issues raised by Cllr Bell, a spokesperson for Uber told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Uber operates according to the high standards set across the industry and abides by the same regulations as all other private hire operators.
“We engage closely with councils across the country and are happy to discuss any issues with them.”
The firm says every driver who uses the Uber app has been licensed by a local council.
Private hire drivers licensed in England and Wales can legally pick up and drop off passengers anywhere in the two nations, provided the driver, vehicle and operator all have all been issued licences by the same local authority.
Private hire vehicles cannot be hailed in the street and have to be booked in advance. Hackney carriages – the only ones permitted to bear the name ‘taxi’ – can only pick up passengers on spec in the area in which they are licensed. However, they can operate out-of-area if a journey has been pre-arranged.
Any local licensing conditions can only be enforced upon those vehicles licensed by the council in question – not on those lawfully operating in the patch but licensed elsewhere. However, minimum standards, governing the likes of the roadworthiness of a taxi or private hire car, apply nationwide.
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