As you may have seen in the last 24 hours, Uber has had its license revoked. At a hearing last night, the unanimous decision was made as members of the panel were not satisfied that Uber Britannia Ltd (UBL) were a ‘fit and proper person’ to hold an operators license. The panel heard all circumstances relating to the application for renewal and the factors which would benefit and prohibit the company from operating in the city. Uber will appeal, as they always do. Uber drivers who are licensed elsewhere will still be able to operate within the city. The council’s statement said “the panel have significant concerns about the company’s data breach and UBL’s lack of commitment to use only Brighton & Hove licensed drivers in the city. These formed the basis of the decision to not renew the licence.”
Somewhat shockingly, the panel revealed that out of the 62 cars in the Uber fleet in Brighton, none of them had wheelchair access. UBL promised wheelchair access vehicles (WAV) if the fleet rose to 100. Brighton & Hove have one of the strictest licensing policies in the country known as The Blue Book. Chairman of the licensing panel, Councillor Jackie O’Quinn said “In the original application in 2015, UBL gave a firm commitment to adhere to the standards set out in the Blue Book and only to use Brighton & Hove licensed drivers. We do not feel the spirit of this commitment has been kept to. In the panel’s view, large numbers of taxis operating in the city that do not meet our Blue Book standards puts the safety of residents and visitors at potential risk”.
We spoke to a local taxi driver, who wished to remain anonymous, what they thought of Uber and the decision made yesterday. He said “They have the license unfairly. I have to waste my time for six months to get my license. Every year when I go to renew it, they need my background, my license, my everything checked. They crucify me and then they will give me a license. Uber drivers only one week. They check my bank account, they know my background, they know everything! It’s not fair. It’s not fair. It doesn’t matter that their license is gone, they should get one the right way.”
Despite positive reviews from customers in the city, we do have a very functional and safe taxi system that runs in Brighton & Hove. You can pay by card, there’s no ‘surge’ if it’s raining in the afternoon, it’s supporting a local business and much like Uber, a lot of the taxis are tracked by their HQ you just can’t see it yourself. What do you think of the decision? Let us know.
