http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/15144213.Taxi_firm_Uber_in_talks_with_the_council_about_coming_to_Bournemouth/
CONTROVERSIAL cab firm Uber has been in talks with council officials about coming to Bournemouth, the Daily Echo can reveal.
The San Francisco-based private hire service, which is based around a mobile phone app with a GPS map and cashless payment system, already operates in Southampton and Portsmouth.
Back in October the Echo reported rumours that the transport giant, which has been accused in some parts of the world of undercutting established taxi services with low prices and unlicensed drivers, was interested in the town.
Fred Jones of Uber said in a statement: “Our ambition is for Uber to be in every major town and city providing reliable, safe and affordable transportation for everyone.
“We’re currently in the early planning stages in Bournemouth, but are delighted that the app has been opened over 19,000 times in the town so far this year.”
Cllr David Kelsey said he had met with representatives from the firm to discuss the proposal.
“They said they were interested in coming to Bournemouth, and told us a bit about how their app works and how they operate, and how they come to be 15 per cent cheaper,” he said.
“We told them if they want to come here it will be treated the same as every other application. They will have to apply for an operator’s licence, even if it is online only.”
Cllr Andrew Morgan, vice-chairman of the town’s licensing board, confirmed this was the case.
“Some elements of the Bournemouth taxi trade are already quite forward with their own app,” he added.
Zaim Gharnoaut, a driver for United Taxis, said Uber could affect the trade of other taxi services, however hackney carriage drivers were more qualified and knew the local area better, he argued.
“There will always be people who will want to hail taxis from the road, especially the elderly who might not want to use an app to order a taxi.
“As a hackney carriage driver, I have a BTEC qualification and the ‘knowledge’, unlike Uber drivers. My car is also checked twice a year.”
Although the firm has not fully launched in Bournemouth, some Uber drivers have already been operating in the area.
An Uber spokesperson explained: "There may occasionally be a car in the area - for example, if they have just dropped someone off - which would be bookable by someone with the app open at that time. But we have not yet fully launched in the area, so the supply of cars would be limited at this stage."
A Bournemouth council spokesperson added they were "aware" people in Bournemouth were using the Uber app.
"Although the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 requires that all private hire drivers, vehicles and operators must be licensed separately, all three licences must be issued by the same licensing authority, however, this does not mean that operation must be in the area where the licence is issued. The recent Deregulation Act allowed operators who are licensed by different councils, to pass bookings to licensed operators outside of their areas."