Bath taxi drivers fear for livelihoods as Uber drivers flood the city at weekends
Unhappy taxi drivers at the pick-up point at the front of Bath Spa railway station
Bath cabbies are "hurting" at "hundreds" of drivers who come into the city and flood the market on weekends.
As well as taking their trade away, the drivers have said the additional cars are undermining the standards of the taxi industry in Bath.
Driver Paul Roles likened local authority-licensed taxi drivers to individual small businesses and said the extra cars can be traced back to Uber's emergence in the city.
"In pre-Uber days we would see the odd car bringing someone from Bristol or North Somerset," he said.
"On a Friday or Saturday now there's hundreds of them and it's the same cars coming in every weekend.
Cashless service Uber launched in its app in Bath last June, and since then thousands of customers have used it to take a taxi. The company said Bath has been "very exciting".
One of its commitments upon arrival was that Uber would use only drivers licensed by the local authority.
The company said at the time: "All drivers using the Uber app in Bath are licensed for private hire by Bath City Council (sic) and have undergone an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check - the same process black cab drivers, teachers and care workers go through."
When asked whether this pledge has been honoured and how many drivers they have in Bath, Uber said they don't reveal their number of drivers.
But a spokeswoman explained: "On licensing, only drivers who hold a private-hire license from Bath can register on the app through our Bath operating licence.
"Licensing works on a triple check system so the vehicle, individual and operator's licence must all be from the same council.
"That said, we hold a number of licences in councils around Bath where licensed drivers can also register with the Uber app and unlike taxis, private-hire drivers are not geographically restricted to their councils.
"With the app, drivers are independent and able to work where and when they want so it's possible (and entirely legal) for them to pick up or drop off trips outside in Bath."
Mr Roles said drivers from cities other than Bath will lack the local knowledge that cabbies are typically able to share with their passengers.
"What's the guy from Uber, who's from Cheshire, going to know? Mr Roles said.
"Is the rugby playing this week? No idea.
"What's on at the theatre? What's a good museum? No idea."
He was also critical of Uber's 'surge pricing' which Mr Roles said could impact on tourists and unsuspecting passengers.
He said: "They get tourists who don't know any different."
Surge pricing comes into effect when there is a higher demand for rides, to ensure that taxis are available quickly and reliably.
Mr Roles added: "We're small businesses. We're 400 small businesses that are hurting."
The Uber spokeswoman said: "With the Uber app, riders receive an email after each trip with their fare and route map so if they feel that there is an issue with the route they can easily contact our support team in-app who will review for a fare adjustment."
The company added in a statement: "Bath has been very exciting with thousands of riders using the app to travel across the city at the touch of a button.
"Every week, new users download the app to get them safely from A to B and we continue to see licensed drivers join the app to become their own boss - choosing where and when they want to drive."
Read more at
http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/bath-tax ... 2OdcTBx.99
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