Taxi Driver Online

There are a couple of old threads related to this, I think, from maybe five or more years ago

But can't be bothered wading through all the old stuff to work out precisely what's going on...

But, I mean, thought this would be a pretty bog standard explanation about cross-border working, but...


Uber explains why its taxis can still operate in Swindon

https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/new ... e-swindon/

Uber has responded to concerns its taxi drivers are flouting licensing rules in Swindon.

Taxi operators and drivers require licences to trade for private hire and hackney carriages in the town.

The well-known private hire cab and food delivery firm did hold one of these in Swindon until 2018 - but did not renew it.

Despite this, it has frequently been possible to book an Uber to take passengers from somewhere in the town to another location.

Uber has responded to say that all of its drivers are licenced and it is operating within the rules.

The matter was first raised when Cllr Jim Robbins booked an Uber to pick him up from the council offices during a scrutiny meeting discussed the matter in 2019.

And more recently, former councillor Vinay Manro has spotted more occasions Ubers have been available.

He shared screenshots from the App showing that it was possible to book an Uber to and from a location in Swindon on April 13, April 15 and April 16 of this year.


Image: Swindon Advertiser

He said: "As former chair of Swindon council licensing I'm aware of the excellent work they carried out to stop unlicensed drivers operating, but Uber appears to have started up again. At the time of writing an Uber is 12 minutes away. We must do more to ensure the safety of passengers.

"Uber may well have their own vetting process but that does not negate the requirement to hold a licence in the relevant authorities they operate in."

A spokesperson for the council clarified that Uber does not have an operator's licence within the Swindon borough, but there are some circumstances that an Uber could operate in the town.

"An operator in Swindon can ‘sub-contract’ work to an operator in another authority’s area – such as Uber, allowing them to pick up a booking in Swindon," they said.

"For example, you book a taxi through Swoop or Veezu and an Uber turns up.

"This should account for a very few bookings through an operator though."

They added: "If there is a specific concern then if we are provided the details of the vehicle plate, date, time and location, we can then contact Uber about the vehicle.

"Whilst Uber can operate in our area through sub-contracting, we wouldn’t expect them to be dominating the existing private hire fleet, without an operator's licence."

An Uber spokesperson said: "Uber operates according to the high standards set across the industry and abides by the same regulations as all other private hire operators.

"Private hire drivers licensed in England and Wales can legally pick up and drop off passengers anywhere as long as the trip is pre-booked and the driver, vehicle, and operator all have all been issued licences by the same licensing authority.

"Every driver who uses our app has been licensed by a local council."

You can book a 'taxi' via Veezu and an Uber rolls up?

Could be wrong, but I doubt it, somehow


The make it sound like it's all about frequency and the like. But obviously that's nonsense. It's either legal or it isn't - it doesn't matter how often it happens


Again, what has 'dominance' or otherwise got to do with it? It's either legal or it isn't.

And, of course, the council's stuff about sub-contracting misses the point spectacularly, correct me if I'm wrong - as Uber themselves say in the final paragraph, as long as the triple-lock is in place they can pick up and drop anywhere, never mind the sub-contracting malarkey

However we all know that some, if not all UBER drivers who chose to work in an area where they are not licensed also hand out their own cards and phone numbers and accept bookings themselves or pick up off the street and none of those jobs are through UBER.

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The booking times shown indicate to me that not many Uber vehicles work in Swindon, and those showing are ones merely traveling through.

It is a shame that ex-chairs of licensing are unaware of taxi licensing laws, but he is not alone.

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