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Fife taxi trade launches 'Uber accountability' website http://taxi-driver.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=42947	Page 1 of 1

Author:	StuartW [ Fri Oct 02, 2026 10:57 pm ]
Post subject:	Fife taxi trade launches 'Uber accountability' website
Ooo, this is interesting And another slew of articles, papers and documents to wade through. If anyone can be bothered... This is the official news release, and the link to the website below is at the bottom of the news release. But I wonder how Uber will react to this? Of course, they tend to just ignore adverse publicity. But this seems to be a bit more organised than the usual local opposition (or at least it's 'organised' in the online presence sense). (And the FAQs has caveats about possible false claims against Uber and correcting any factual errors etc. Of course, there's an endless slew of nonsense about Uber online, and has been for years. But they tend to just ignore it unless it's high profile stuff in the press or whatever.) But I wonder how they might react to some of this stuff...the authors of the site will have to be very wary about it all. You don't want to get on the wrong side of Uber if they're openly identifying themselves as the authors and organisers of this website ) But no surprises about who seem to be fronting this Fife taxi trade launches Uber accountability website following licensing controversy https://uberfife.com/news/press-releases/press-relase/ Fife taxi trade launches Uber accountability website following licensing controversy A volunteer-led campaign involving taxi and private-hire operators and drivers across Fife has launched UberFife.com to scrutinise Uber’s local operation and the effectiveness of its regulation. The launch follows Fife Council’s decision to grant Uber a booking office licence after 431 objections were ruled incompetent without their substantive grounds being heard. The application was subsequently approved under delegated powers. The website brings together licensing documents, freedom of information requests, press coverage and information for drivers and passengers. It also examines Uber’s impact on the local economy and highlights the contribution of Fife’s established taxi businesses to their communities. A confidential reporting form allows passengers, drivers and members of the public to submit concerns about journeys, conduct or suspected licensing breaches. Reports can be submitted anonymously and are checked before any decision on referral or publication. The campaign makes clear that an outside-area licence alone does not establish unlawful working. James Glen, co-owner of St Andrews Taxis and a member of the campaign, said: “Hundreds of people took the time to object, yet their concerns were never heard on their merits. The licence has been granted, but the questions about regulation and accountability remain. “This website gives Fife somewhere to gather evidence, examine what is happening and keep those questions in public view. We want drivers to understand the economics before signing up, passengers to make informed choices, and the authorities to enforce the rules properly. “We are open about our involvement in the taxi trade and our commercial interest. Readers can judge our arguments against the evidence we publish.” The campaign invites contributions from across Fife, including documented experiences, relevant records and examples of local taxi businesses supporting their communities. Website: https://uberfife.com Press enquiries: https://uberfife.com/contact/ ENDS Notes to editors: Uber Fife is run by volunteers from Fife’s taxi and private-hire trade. It is not affiliated with Uber, Fife Council or Police Scotland. Submitting information to the website does not constitute a formal complaint to an authority.

Author:	StuartW [ Fri Oct 02, 2026 10:58 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Fife taxi trade launches 'Uber accountability' website
Uber Fife wrote: Isn't Uber Fife just the taxi trade trying to stop competition? Uber Fife is opposed to Uber, but not to competition. Our argument is that anyone providing taxi or private-hire services in Fife should compete on a fair basis, meet the same regulatory standards and be properly accountable to the communities in which they operate. Had a quick look at the FAQs page, and as a kick off the first question confirms my suspicion that the name of the campaign and website is a bit of a clanger. I mean, a campaign to oppose Uber in Fife is called Uber Fife I mean, above it says "Uber Fife is opposed to Uber..." Of course, there may be a degree of artifice involved in calling it Uber, but I think a bit more clarity would be a better way to do it.

Author:	StuartW [ Fri Oct 02, 2026 11:04 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Fife taxi trade launches 'Uber accountability' website
And the FAQs contain the usual implication that Uber's cars and drivers aren't subject to the same licensing and regulation as the legacy trade Although there is a degree of honesty in the FAQs about vested interests or whatever, although the usual slightly contradictory stuff about competition etc. And that's based on the allusions about different regulatory standards etc, so to that extent there's more than a sniff of the false premise in play.

Author:	StuartW [ Fri Oct 02, 2026 11:15 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Fife taxi trade launches 'Uber accountability' website
Although to be fair there's a slew of information elsewhere on the website stating that Uber cars and drivers are licensed like any other cars and drivers. And will be badged and plated like us existing minions in Fife Quite informative, actually, and there's good stuff about cross-bordering etc. (Or not, as the case generally is in Scotland, at least in the Wolverhampton sense...) https://uberfife.com/regulation/

Author:	StuartW [ Fri Oct 02, 2026 11:17 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Fife taxi trade launches 'Uber accountability' website
But the stuff claims that Uber cars won't be metered, and will be PHVs only Which, to reiterate, is why they'll find Fife a tougher nut to crack than elsewhere - we're HC-dominated, not only on the ranks (obviously), but across the circuits as well. And the PHVs tend to have meters fitted. And which is why they've apparently managed to recruit zero cars in Dundee, apparently, and currently with a limited fleet in Aberdeen. Unless, of course, Uber somehow manage to modify their usual business model to accommodate metered cars, maybe - whether HC or PH. But I don't know anywhere else on the UK mainland where they've done that, so I suppose the odds are that it won't happen in Fife either. (On the other hand, Fife Council couldn't make it any easier to get a badge, so to that extent it would be more like Edinburgh and Glasgow, where they've built a significant market share. And to that extent unlike Dundee and Aberdeen, with the latter's notorious knowledge test for HCDs and PHDs not working in Uber's favour.)

Author:	Sussex [ Sun Oct 04, 2026 5:11 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Fife taxi trade launches 'Uber accountability' website
Uber wont give a monkeys about any of the stuff from the Uber Fife mob. (I mean how f***ing thick are they calling it that?) Most of the real Uber Fife's punters will already be Uber punters from elsewhere in the country, or for that matter the world. No doubt the existing trade will be looking on the app as to where the cars are, and who's driving them, but at the end of the day if drivers are earning good money out of it then they will remain real Uber Fife, if they don't then they will go elsewhere.

Author:	StuartW [ Sun Oct 04, 2026 7:33 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Fife taxi trade launches 'Uber accountability' website
Still wondering how they intend going about it all (By 'they' I mean Uber, not Uber Fife ) In terms of demand the St Andrews market is heaven sent for them - a huge student demographic, and an international demographic as well. And a huge golf and tourism demographic, too - and, again, a huge part of that is international. From the supply side, on the other hand, there are barely any PHVs around here. And I don't think there are any at all working without meters and doing day-to-day 'taxiing'. (As opposed to exclusively tours, airport transfers and golf work etc.) So there's certainly no ready made supply of cars and drivers ready to hop across to Uber from the legacy trade. The demand demographic is different at the other end of Fife. And there's more of a proper PHV sector, I think, at least in terms of cars working for 'taxi' circuits. But, again, with meters and running on the Fife Council HC tariff

Author:	Sussex [ Sun Oct 04, 2026 8:28 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Fife taxi trade launches 'Uber accountability' website
If Uber are serious in building up the Fife trade then they will open up their own knowledge school to encourage folks who aren’t currently involved with the local trade. They will also arrange finance for vehicles, and subsidies work until they have sufficient cars working.

Author:	StuartW [ Sun Oct 04, 2026 9:01 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Fife taxi trade launches 'Uber accountability' website
Quote: If Uber are serious in building up the Fife trade then they will open up their own knowledge school to encourage folks who aren’t currently involved with the local trade. Presumably by 'knowledge school' you don't mean that in the usual sense. Unless by 'knowledge' you mean filling in the new applicant forms

Author:	Sussex [ Sun Oct 04, 2026 10:23 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Fife taxi trade launches 'Uber accountability' website
Maybe an office that will see them through the application process, and assist in any medical/driving tests that need to be undertaken. I suspect if they are going down that route then adverts will soon be placed in local job centres.

Author:	StuartW [ Mon Oct 05, 2026 1:48 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Fife taxi trade launches 'Uber accountability' website
Anyway, their latest piece about the objections, signature stuff and the like is certainly forensic More questions for Fife Council over rejected Uber objections https://uberfife.com/news/more-question ... bjections/ New evidence is raising further questions about Fife Council's handling of public objections to Uber's booking office licence in Fife. At September's Regulation and Licensing Committee hearing, 431 objections were disregarded after Uber's solicitor argued that they had not been properly signed. Fife Council subsequently apologised, acknowledging that the issue had not been identified by officers before the hearing. But further questions have now emerged, including an apparent discrepancy in the number of objections submitted and written evidence that Fife Council's Head of Licensing had previously confirmed that a digital signature was acceptable. 635 objections, but only 431 considered East Fife Taxi Association's records show 635 template objections were submitted within the required period. Yet only 431 objections appeared in the process which ultimately came before the committee. That leaves an apparent discrepancy of 204 objections. This raises a separate issue from the dispute over signatures. Before considering whether an objection was technically competent, there is a more basic question: What happened to the other 204 objections? EFTA holds records relating to the submission of the template objections, and the discrepancy between the number recorded as submitted and the number subsequently put before the committee now requires explanation. “Happy to accept your digital signature” There is another important piece of evidence. One objector submitted an objection electronically and then specifically asked Fife Council to confirm that the email was acceptable because it had been digitally signed using the objector's name. On 11 February 2026, Fife Council's Head of Licensing, Tom Brown, replied: “Hi, happy to accept your digital signature.” The original correspondence identifies the objector, but UberFife has removed identifying information because it is not relevant to the issue. The objection itself concluded with the objector's typed name and included a postal address. That is significant because the EFTA template similarly required objectors to provide their name and address. It raises a straightforward question: If Fife Council's Head of Licensing expressly confirmed that this form of digital signature was acceptable, why were objections subsequently disregarded because they were not signed? The correspondence does not, on its own, determine the legal validity of every objection. It does, however, provide a contemporaneous written record of the advice being given by the Council department responsible for administering the process. What were Fife Council's rules for electronic objections? Schedule 1 of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 contains the statutory requirements governing objections to licence applications of this type. The legislation also makes specific provision for electronic communications. Paragraph 16A allows a licensing authority to determine that applications, objections and other documents may be submitted electronically and provides for how statutory signature requirements can be satisfied electronically. Information requests have now been submitted seeking Fife Council's paragraph 16A determination and the rules it established for electronic submissions and authentication. That should establish precisely what Fife Council had formally determined would constitute an acceptable electronic objection. There is a related question too: How was Uber's own licence application submitted and signed? The application itself is also subject to statutory requirements concerning writing and signature. If Uber's application was submitted electronically, the records should establish the procedure under which Fife Council accepted it. Were signed paper objections also submitted? There is a further issue. At least one objector has stated that, in addition to submitting an objection electronically, a signed paper copy was also sent to Fife Council. Records are now being sought to establish exactly what was received and when. Other objectors who sent or delivered signed copies should retain any evidence they have, including emails, postal receipts, copies of letters and correspondence with Licensing. How has Fife treated electronic objections in the past? The issue potentially extends beyond this particular Uber application. The objection requirements in Schedule 1 are used across a range of Civic Government licensing functions. Information requests are therefore also being made about Fife Council's historical treatment of electronically submitted objections. In particular, records are being sought of previous objections submitted electronically using typed names, email signatures or other forms of electronic authentication which Fife Council accepted as competent. That should help establish whether the approach taken to the Uber objections was consistent with the Council's previous licensing practice. Questions that remain unanswered The issue is no longer simply whether 431 objections contained handwritten signatures. Why do EFTA's records show 635 objections submitted within the required period when only 431 were subsequently dealt with? What happened to the apparent missing 204 objections? Had Fife Council formally determined to accept electronic objections under paragraph 16A? If so, what form of electronic signature or authentication had it specified? Why did the Head of Licensing expressly confirm that a digital signature was acceptable? Were other objectors given similar advice? Were any physically signed objections excluded from consideration? How had Fife Council treated similarly signed electronic objections in previous licensing cases? And how was Uber's own application submitted, signed and authenticated? These are factual questions which should be capable of being answered from the Council's own records. Information requests have been submitted seeking those records. UberFife will publish the responses and supporting documents as they become available.

Author:	StuartW [ Mon Oct 05, 2026 1:50 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Fife taxi trade launches 'Uber accountability' website
Quote: Fife Council's Head of Licensing, Tom Brown Since all this is very forensic, maybe worth pointing out that I don't think that's Tom Brown's actual job title. And it's maybe worth underling that, because the use of the capital letters 'Head of Licensing', rather than 'head of licensing' maybe suggests it's a formal job title rather than something broader and more informal. Anyway, I'm not precisely sure what his job title is, but in the council minutes he's usual described as 'Lead Officer, Miscellaneous Licensing'. And 'miscellaneous licensing' I think means that under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act (mainly taxis) rather than liquor licensing, which is usually largely separate Another thing is that they've used a photo of Councillor Tom Adams - who's the licensing convener - to illustrate the piece. And he's not mentioned therein, so looks like a minor clanger there. And possibly because the only person mentioned in the piece is also a 'Tom'. https://uberfife.com/uploads/2026/10/80 ... -1600.webp

Author:	Sussex [ Mon Oct 05, 2026 7:49 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Fife taxi trade launches 'Uber accountability' website
But what is the aim of all this kerfuffle? The council has repeatedly admitted they messed up, and have apologised for it. But those mistakes do not nullify Uber’s granted application. The councillors granted Uber their license and nothing is going to change that.

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