Uber make bid to run taxi services in Plymouth
Taxi-app company Uber and its rival Smartzi want to start operating in Plymouth. Uber alone wants to run up to 160 cabs in the city and Plymouth City Council ’s taxi licensing committee will decide next week if the firms will be allowed to compete with existing taxi providers.
Both app-based ride companies have applied to the council for private hire vehicle operators’ licences so they can run services. Newly-published council documents set out what the committee is being asked to consider - which is whether directors of both companies are considered a fit and proper people to be granted a Private Hire Vehicle Operator’s Licence.
The councillors, who meet on November 21, will also have to decide the appropriate length of time a licence should be granted for, if they decide to issue one. It could be for up to five years. The committee will also have to look at whether any conditions should be imposed on any licence.
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Uber passengers use an app to connect to a driver who uses their own vehicle. They can pick up passengers for a journey which is pre-paid through the app.
Uber has operated across most major towns and cities in the UK for several years. The app tracks trips, has driver ratings and emergency support.
Earlier this year Uber Britannia Limited applied for a private hire vehicle operator licence for five years, with the intention of having 160 vehicles licensed per year.
The report says: “Officers recognise that if this application is granted it will potentially affect other private hire operators in the city – the committee is reminded that this is not a factor to be considered when deciding the application.”
Last year, Plymouth taxi drivers warned that a worsening shortage of cabbies was causing problems for the city’s hospitality sector. They said it was also potentially putting women at risk.
Cllr Sally Haydon, cabinet member for community safety, today said: “We all know that people who enjoy our great night life here in Plymouth repeatedly struggle to get home and this has been going on for the last few years. Something has to change if our clubs, bars and venues are to survive in the long term.
“We are also acutely aware that a decision to grant a private hire licence to these companies could have consequences for our existing trade, but the committee has to take a decision based on very clear legal guidelines. This will be a very interesting debate.”
The Private Hire Vehicle Operators licence holder is a contracting party with customers to supply a private hire vehicle and driver for a trip that must be pre-booked with that operator. The operator is responsible for keeping accurate records of bookings, drivers and vehicles used and ensuring that all conditions attached to the licence are complied with.
Various legislation and policies govern how taxis operate in the city and the report notes that both applicants comply with conditions. The council will not grant a private hire operator’s licence to any person for an address or base of operations outside the city area, but Uber Britannia now has a Plymouth office where it will have a base of operations.
The company’s staff will be able to access and print records from this office if required and there is a 24-hour compliance team available which can access digital records at any time located outside of Plymouth. The council may apply any additional conditions it thinks appropriate on the operator licence, if it is granted.
Uber was set up in the USA in 2009 and now operates in about 70 countries. It classifies its drivers as gig workers or independent contractors.
UK-based Smartzi calls itself an “ethical technology business”. It boasts of “better service, lower fares and happier drivers”.
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