Uber granted licence to operate in Aberdeen

Uber has been granted a licence to operate in Aberdeen.

The local authority's licencing board rubber-stamped the global taxi firm's application to start operations in the Granite City.

The decision comes after almost 500 citizens submitted letters of support for the popular service coming to Aberdeen.

Many shared stories of nightmare queues after nights out, difficulties securing a taxi after large events and concerns around women's safety.

26 objections were also received - three of these were submitted after the deadline had passed.

Those against the taxi service claimed it could impact on the existing local trade and wouldn't help fix the issue of a shortage of drivers.

The company - which already operates in Edinburgh and Glasgow - previously highlighted hundreds of Uber users have opened the app and attempted to book a taxi from Aberdeen but have been unable to do so.

It comes after plans to launch the service in the city in 2019 fell through.

Uber addresses concerns

At the meeting, Uber representatives addressed reoccurring themes within objection letters including saturating the Aberdeen market.

Matthew Frekelton, Uber's UK Head of Cities explained they will seek to onboard existing drivers based on competitive offerings.

If the demand to join Uber heightened, the firm would aim to grow the pool of drivers by attracting new workers to the trade.

Another concern was directed at Aberdeen's street-knowledge test - which all taxi drivers in the city currently have to pass in order to hold a licence.

Mr Freckelton explained that they would be begin by recruiting already licenced drivers, meaning the employees will already have the street-knowledge test.

In addition, he stated the company would be happy to work with the council to implement any desired training.

The absence of metres in Uber vehicles was also brought up, however it was explained all trips will display up-front pricing of the journey - meaning the customer will know the full price prior to booking.

When can I start using Uber in Aberdeen?

Last month, Mr Freckelton appeared on Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce's podcast, Chamber Talk, and revealed the firm are aiming to be operational within the city by the end of summer.

The chamber also conducted a poll which attracted 2,377 responses in 48 hours, with 93% backing the taxi firm coming to Aberdeen.

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