Additional reporting by Gemma Gradwell
Cabbies are said to be “fuming” and fearing for their livelihoods after Uber was granted licences in two Kent districts.
The app-based ride-hailing firm is already up and running in parts of the county but now adds Canterbury and Tunbridge Wells to the list of its operational areas.
Established taxi firms this week told KentOnline they are extremely concerned about the decisions to allow the company, saying it will muscle in and already undercut a struggling sector.
Uber is already operating in parts of Kent, including Medway and Thanet and has already been in place under its licence from Transport for London (TfL) in Dartford.
Dannar Abdullah runs Cab Direct Canterbury, which serves the city, Whitstable and Herne Bay and employs 70 drivers.
He says the majority of his workforce are scared about what the future holds.
Mr Abdullah said: “Everywhere Uber goes, it destroys the taxi industry. They will undercut us because that is what they do – they don’t have to abide by fares set by local authorities.
“We know now our business is going to go downhill over the next year – it is going to make things very hard.
“Already, we have drivers working 12 to 14 hours a day just to make minimum wage, so this will be worse for them – all the drivers are talking about it.”
Many of the firm’s drivers, he said, know their clients and can tailor their service to meet individuals’ needs – the elderly and those with learning difficulties, for example.
Canterbury City Council says under the terms of Uber’s licence, only drivers and vehicles registered with the council can be used on the app.
A spokesman for the authority said: “We can confirm the online taxi operator Uber has successfully applied for a licence to operate in the Canterbury district.
“If an operator meets all of the criteria set out in the law relating to how it must operate, the council must grant a licence, and that is what has happened in this instance.
“The firm can only use drivers and vehicles licensed by us and has to meet the same requirements including displaying a city council private hire plate.”
However, the licensing department at Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (TWBC) has come under fire after a councillor posted the Uber decision on social media before council bosses had informed taxi firms.
It has given Uber a one-year licence to operate in the borough.
A spokesman for the juggernaut private car hire app confirmed its licence has been granted and it soon plans to sign up drivers in the borough – covering Tunbridge Wells, Paddock Wood, Southborough and surrounding villages.
But for Clayton Berry, driver and proprietor of taxi firm Cleggy’s Taxi, he claimed local drivers were miffed by the councillor’s announcement on social media before TWBC’s senior licensing officer got in touch to tell cabbies officially.
“It got leaked on social media before the council had told us and now there’s an official complaint,” he said.
“Loads of cabbies are absolutely fuming.
“Something like this is major – it’s got to go through the proper channels.”
A TWBC spokesperson said: “Uber applied for a licence in the same way as any other operator.
“They went through the full licensing application process, which includes an assessment against the council’s policies, and were duly awarded their licence on July 17.”
The council did not address KentOnline’s questions about the way the decision had been announced.
Uber has faced opposition from established taxi, private hire and Hackney Carriage firms throughout the county in the past – claiming lower prices are undercutting licensed taxis and leading to unfair competition.
‘Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t work out cheaper – they’re very clever with how they do their marketing…’
In 2014, black cab drivers demonstrated in their vehicles throughout London in opposition to the introduction of Uber.
In December, TWBC increased the standard fares that taxis were allowed to charge, making it one of the most expensive places in Kent to get a cab.
Mr Berry continued: “Of course there are concerns – you’ll see drivers leaving their firms.”
He suggested the competition from Uber in places like Tunbridge Wells would slowly drive smaller taxi and private hire firms out of business.
“Uber cancels half the time if you’re in the countryside,” he said.
“You have goliaths and the small ones and the goliaths will win at the end of the day.
“Uber sometimes even goes way over the Hackney [standard] rate – they have price surges.
“Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t work out cheaper – they’re very clever with how they do their marketing.
“I feel sorry for their drivers, say you give them a £10 fare, the driver probably only gets about £4 of that, Uber takes the rest.”
Meanwhile, back in Canterbury, cab firm boss of 25 years Ian Brenchley says he has lost six drivers in the past two years and fears Uber’s arrival will accelerate that figure.
“Because it’s a private contract, the local authorities have no control over the pricing,” said Mr Brenchley, who runs Canterbury Taxis Ltd.
“Their business model is based on putting the existing licence holders out of business so they can scoop up all the work.
“We lost a driver this week, because they have seen the downturn in the market.”
When asked if he thought the business would fold, he said, “We are heading that way.”
However, Mr Brenchley says that businesses like his offer a centralised, more personal experience that Uber does not replicate.
He said: “You’re being picked up by somebody who doesn’t know the area and has no meaningful local knowledge and training.”
Taxi drivers in the city centre today said they are worried about the decision and its impact on their jobs.
Angelo, who has been a cab driver since the pandemic, said: “We’re struggling as it is, because the number of drivers has risen so much.
“And now with Uber coming in, that’s even more drivers.
“There are so many drivers in such a limited space, and this is our living. The more drivers allowed in the area, the more it eats into our living.”
He added: “It just makes me think, do I need to find another job? And I shouldn’t have to do that.”
Vishal Rai, who has worked as a cab driver for nine years, said: “We are getting fewer jobs than before, we are not earning our minimum. We have to wait longer.”
“Some of our colleagues have moved to Uber.
“I don’t want to go, because it is not good for Canterbury [licensed] drivers, who will get less money, and the money will go to the company not the council. We are losing on both sides.”
Uber did not confirm when exactly it will start offering services in Tunbridge Wells
However, the one-year licence period is common when Uber first starts working with a licensing authority.
Last month, the company received a five-year renewal of its licence to operate in York by the council there, after the expiry of its initial one-year period.
TWBC and Cllr Rob Wormington (Lib Dem), cabinet member for licensing and transport, have been contacted for comment.
