Uber ‘invaders’ are abusing the rules, say local cabbies

Taxi drivers in Cornwall have spoken out about an influx of Uber drivers ‘invading’ from other parts of the country and breaking licensing rules by parking on taxi ranks and plying for trade to make the most of the lucrative summer season.

An Uber driver was caught on camera swearing at a Cornwall-based taxi driver after he was questioned about operating from out of county and parking on a rank. The Uber driver said “nothing will happen” if the taxi driver reported him to Cornwall Council.

Others have spoken of Uber drivers undercutting local drivers then increasing their fares by an exorbitant amount once they’ve built up trade. We have seen screenshots of fares which are more than double what they would be if charged by a local taxi driver.

Local taxi drivers’ main concern is that Uber drivers – from as far away as Wolverhampton, Gloucester, Southampton and Bristol – are breaking licensing laws while in Cornwall by trading on taxi ranks and taking ‘flag-down’ passengers. They say the Uber drivers are sleeping in their cars and parking in laybys, loading bays and other locations where they can pick up trade.

Uber drivers must only pick up passengers who book and pay through the Uber app. Ubers operate using private hire licences, while traditional public taxis need to have a hackney licence.

Cornwall Council has no legal power to prevent drivers licensed in other areas operating in Cornwall.

A council spokesperson told us: “All taxi drivers in England and Wales are permitted to operate outside of the area in which they are licensed, but when doing so they cannot ply for trade or use taxi ranks.”

Private hire vehicles, such as Uber, are “not permitted to ply for trade or use taxi ranks at any time, regardless of where they are operating”. However, taxi drivers in Cornwall are saying that is exactly what is happening.

The summer invasion, particularly around the time of the Boardmasters festival earlier this month, has caused consternation among Cornwall-based taxi drivers.

We spoke to four people working in the taxi industry in Cornwall about their concerns.

Brett Bennett runs KXR Cars in Perranporth. He has shared video of abuse he faced from an Uber driver, who had travelled to Cornwall from elsewhere in the country, after he questioned him about operating on a taxi rank.

He said: “They are parking up near Perran Sands and sleeping all day. I’ve been abused. The council has asked for videos and pictures of these drivers doing what they’re doing. So I was taking pictures of their licence plates and he started swearing at me, sticking his fingers up, telling me to eff off. He told me ‘nothing will happen’ if I report him. They think they’re untouchable.

“Some of them are transporting customers and sleeping in their car. Where are they showering? Where are they going to the toilet? It makes you feel a little bit uneasy.”

He added: “Many complaints have been put to the council of Uber drivers being abusive, sleeping in their vehicle overnight and picking up on licensed taxi ranks. This is illegal but they have completely given no regard to any Cornish drivers this summer.”

Mr Bennett says local drivers are becoming victims of Uber’s dynamic pricing, meaning they can charge much lower than local rates and then increase the tariff massively.

“Some of the Uber drivers are charging £3 to go to Perran Sands – we can’t compete with that. The customer is paying £3 and Uber is subsidising the drivers whatever the price will be [around £11 usually],” he said.

“Then they’re also charging £47 when it’s busy to go from Perranporth to Perran Sands.

“We can’t compete with the prices. They see they can get an Uber for £2.30 and that’s a customer gone who you will never get back. I’ve promoted myself and got good relationships with the holiday parks and it’s just fallen apart because Uber are coming in and charging ridiculous prices.

“We’ve got fuel to pay, MOTs, tax, insurance, licensing – some of the drivers are paying up to £400 a year for a plate to sit on the rank and get nothing because Uber’s come down here swallowing up all the work. What the hell are we supposed to do?”

Like other drivers we spoke to, Mr Bennett says none of the drivers operating from outside Cornwall have any local knowledge.

“A lot of them don’t know the roads, don’t know the local areas, couldn’t tell you where to eat, where to go for a swim or anything like that.

“We don’t know how well checked they are, because they’re not from Cornwall. We know what we have to go through, with enhanced DBS and all that. We are scrutinised beyond belief.”

He added: “They go and park up, which they’re not allowed to do as a private hire. They’re meant to get a phone call from home, pick up, go back home. You see them in town, having a coffee, waiting. It’s touting for business. If I went to Newquay and did that, I’d be reported.

“They come from Gloucester and places like that – they’re not just dropping off down here, are they? I can’t rock up to Bristol airport and start working Bristol city centre. Is that what we’re going to start doing now?

What would he say to Cornwall Council?

“Regulate it – regulate the prices, regulate the meters, so they’re on a par with us. They can’t overcharge then or massively undercharge. They need to regulate it so that they can’t just rocket a price up to £40 just because it’s busy.

“The council could open Uber to hackney plates, which other counties do. Then we can all go on Uber and co-exist. If you want to go on Uber, you can. If you don’t, you don’t have to.”

Independent taxi driver Andrew Lehuray, who operates in Newquay and Truro, believes more pressure should be put on the Government to change the rules when it comes to Uber.

“Because of the way the legislation stands, we’re now getting invaders from outside coming in and taking all our work away. Until the Government sorts it out, the council can’t do anything about it apart from stepping up checks and making sure they stick religiously to the rules.

“For big events like Boardmasters, Uber are sending cars down here and that’s where the problem lies. They’re sleeping in the cars and God knows what else. They’re parking up in car parks, laybys, wherever.

“In Truro there’s a loading bay by the bus station, so they park there and there’s a taxi rank right in front of it.

“The only thing the council can do to try and discourage them is to increase the amount of checks they’re doing on the cars. They can take them off the road for a week [if they’re not roadworthy] and refer them back to their licensing council.

“So if the council upped the number of checks and kept an eye on some of the ranks, that would help.”

A Newquay taxi driver, who didn’t want to be named, sent us screenshots showing Uber tariffs in the town, which were hugely inflated.

One shows a fare for £71.94 for a journey which would normally be about £30, another with three choices of over £100 for a journey which would cost £35 and a job from Newquay town centre to Boardmasters’ green gate, which he said should cost no more than £20, but was £53.

He also showed us shots of several cars working for Uber which are plated from outside Cornwall, as well as images of Ubers on taxi ranks.

“It’s a disruptive business. They come into town, they undercut the operators that are here until they get market share and then they put the prices up,” he told us.

“Some of the prices given during Boardmasters were absolutely outrageous. How they work is that the fewer taxis that are available, the higher price they charge. There is no benefit to the people of Newquay in the long-run.

“It’s a cottage industry for us – it’s all local people who live and work locally. You don’t know whose car you’re getting into with an Uber. I struggle to say anything positive about them, but I do have an interest, don’t I?”

He added: “It’s in your face – they are pulling up on the rank. We had one last week, which was like a two-vehicle team, where one would get to the top of the rank and every time they got a job, they’d call in their oppo to pick them up, so everyone’s stuck in the queue behind.

“Of course, we’re all so bloody polite to say or do anything because we’re not used to this kind of thing.”

A van with LCD screens has been advertising Uber in the streets of Newquay recently, offering a £500 bonus if private hire drivers sign up with the company.

Jane Fisher, who works for 123 Taxis, which has operated in Newquay for over 30 years, spoke to us in a personal capacity and not on behalf of the company. She said there has been a lot of chat in the local taxi industry about the advertising.

“People have said that Cornwall Council haven’t been supportive, but I think they have because they were very clear from the outset that if Uber wanted to work in Cornwall they would have to tick all the boxes and be properly licensed – the vehicles and their drivers – which is basically what’s happened.”

However, she was also aware of Ubers parked on taxi ranks during Boardmasters and taking flag-downs. “All we could say to our drivers was, if it’s safe to do so, get some video evidence.”

“We see these companies pop up over the years; they’re all going to do marvellous things and cheaper, but they disappear because it’s not sustainable,” she added.

“They’ll raid during the summer, but even that’s not as easy as they think it’s going to be because of the traffic levels. It’s not easy – the taxi drivers of Newquay work hard to make a living.

Ms Fisher added that there is a community element which Uber lacks.

“It’s about continuity – people get used to their driver. If we haven’t heard from Mrs So-and-So for a couple of weeks, we’ll ring and check they’re okay or ring their GP if we know who it is. We take that aspect of community care very seriously.”

We raised the concerns with Cornwall Council. A spokesperson told us: “Cornwall Council has no legal power to prevent taxi drivers licensed in other areas operating in Cornwall. In addition, the council is legally obliged to grant a Private Hire Operator’s Licence if the applicant meets the criteria set out in the relevant legislation and policies.

“All taxi drivers in England and Wales are permitted to operate outside of the area in which they are licensed, but when doing so they cannot ply for trade or use taxi ranks.

“Private hire vehicles are not permitted to ply for trade or use taxi ranks at any time, regardless of where they are operating.

“If anyone has information regarding taxis from other areas or private hire vehicles using taxi ranks in Cornwall, we urge them to email [email protected]”

An Uber spokesperson told us: “We were pleased to be granted a licence to operate in Cornwall in May and follow the same high standards and regulations as all private hire operators.”

The company didn’t address the specific concerns relating to Uber drivers from outside Cornwall using taxi ranks and touting for trade.