Blackpool vs Uber: The bitter row that brought traffic to a halt in a seaside town

It was meant to be a big day for Blackpool.

On Wednesday (June 12), the first trams rolled along the seaside resort's new £23m service, connecting the Promenade tramway to a new stop by Blackpool North train station.

But the town's taxi drivers had other ideas.

Traffic was brought to a standstill on Talbot Road, the way blocked by scores of cabs. Vehicles parked across the carriageway intermittently between 10am and 12pm, making it impossible for other drivers and public transport to pass.

It was the culmination of an ongoing row in the resort. Disgruntled cabbies are fed up with what they say is a flood of "unknown" drivers from companies such as Uber, arriving from other parts of the country.

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While the US company insisted to LancsLive its drivers were operating legally in Blackpool, drivers taking part in the protest were less than convinced. They said Uber drivers are operating without a licence and have been often seen swerving rules - such as using designated taxi ranks to pick up fares. As a result, they say this puts passengers at risk.

And when contacted by LancsLive, Blackpool Council seemed less convinced by Uber's claims. A spokesperson confirmed it is seeking legal advice regarding the operation of Uber vehicles in the town, and states the US tech giant is not currently licensed by the authority.

"I'm not saying they're all operating illegally because I believe if they're booked on the app then Uber can operate, but I do believe there's a lot that are operating illegally in the town," one driver said on Wednesday. "There's not one thing being done about it.

"If we step one thing out of line, we're jumped upon by the council. All these cabs from out of town are coming from Manchester, Liverpool, Knowsley. There was even a cab from Birmingham here the other week - they're coming from all over the place."

Over the past few years, there has been a significant increase in the number of taxis registered in cities such as Wolverhampton, but are operating in Lancashire. LancsLive sought to find the answer to this conundrum last year and we were told it was down to a change in the law in 2015 which meant vehicles licensed in different counties could operate elsewhere, with many taking advantage of cheaper and quicker registration in the Midlands city.

Another cabbie, who also wanted to remain anonymous, added: "To be honest, we've had enough. So this was the first of many and it will happen again.

"We stopped the traffic for about 40 minutes, the town centre came to a complete standstill. Something's got to be done. Ideally we want them out of Blackpool [Uber], but if they've got to be here then they need regulating. Nobody's policing it."

Uber states its drivers are operating legally with licenses obtained from different areas of the UK, but admit their licenses have not come from Blackpool. However, they are currently applying for licenses in several different cities across the UK, for example in Hull.

Last month, Chris Webb, who will again be Labour's candidate to be MP for Blackpool South, raised the issue as his first question in the House of Commons. He has also held a meeting with Uber, in which the firm said it is open to blocking its drivers from picking up in Blackpool taxi ranks

He said "unlicensed taxis" are "parking in local ranks illegally" and essentially, "taking fares from our hard-working, rule-abiding Blackpool taxi drivers".

On this issue, Uber states passengers are blocked from booking at these spots on the app, so no Uber driver should ever wait there. When LancsLive visited Blackpool North station for less than an hour on Wednesday afternoon, we spotted at least two Uber-branded cars parked and driving through the taxi ranks.

Another taxi driver told LancsLive the issue lies with Uber taking train passengers at stations, despite other taxi drivers paying an annual fee to operate and collect passengers in these parts of town. We were told drivers pay almost £700 a year to work and sit in ranks like Blackpool North train station.

A third driver told us he understands the competitive aspect of the trade, but believes it isn't a fair game.

"I understand they've got to do a job at the end of the day and if they've got a booking, they've got a booking," he said. "But they're coming in from all over.

"We can't compete with those fares. For instance, here it's a £10 charge to the Pleasure Beach, say for a family of six. That's not bad value really, it might be for a lot of people but it's cheaper than a bus or the tram, it's £2 each or whatever and they're doing it for a fiver!

"There's just so many of them and they're flooding the market." He added: "Some people would argue it's competitive business and it is, that's the world we live in.

"People want things fast and cheap and I understand that. But if they're coming in to work here, they should pay the same sort of regulations we do."

A council spokesperson said: "Taxi operators have alerted us to instances of Uber drivers operating in Blackpool and their concerns around this. The safety of our residents and visitors is always our priority.

"Uber is not licensed by Blackpool Council currently. We are seeking legal opinion in relation to this matter, as we are conscious that the legal framework around taxi legislation is outdated and requires review.

"This is not a situation that is unique to Blackpool. We are speaking to the Local Government Association as well as our neighbouring authorities to ensure we deal with this robustly."

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. We look to provide the best possible experience for passengers and engage closely with councils across the country. Uber also leads the industry in providing every driver a pension, holiday pay and sickness protection, which almost all local minicab firms do not."