UBER UPDATE
UBER RIDES INTO CUMBRIA OFFERING NEW TRANSPORT OPTIONS FOR BARROW & ULVERSTON
Uber has officially launched in Barrow-in-Furness and Ulverston, marking its arrival in Cumbria, a region which had previously been reliant on traditional taxis and other local transport. Cumbria’s
rural landscape has
presented a challenge to the company’s expansion plans. A
limited service allowing users to book a local cab through the Uber app was introduced in Winder- mere and Kendal in 2021. The 2023 launch of “Appy Cabs” in Barrow-in-Furness, designed to address local taxi shortages, has highlighted the existing gap in the market.
However, the arrival of Uber has sparked mixed reactions. Suzanne Caldwell of Cumbria Chamber of Commerce
acknowledged the
complex implications: “The arrival of Uber was, I suppose, inevitable. “To be honest, I’m not sure whether it’s a good or a bad thing – there are a number of pros and cons.”
UBER LAUNCHES IN OXFORD AFTER COUNCIL SAID IT “FOUND NO REASON TO REFUSE APPLICATION”
Uber has been given a licence to operate in Oxford
and its
surrounding areas. The firm launched its service on 26 February after Oxford City Council said it “found no reason to refuse the application”. However some PH and taxi drivers in Oxford have said that Uber may struggle to succeed in the city. Sajad Khan, secretary of the City
of Oxford Licensed Taxicab Association, said that the company faced a “challenge” operating in Oxford. “Oxford is a small city and the work is dependent a lot on students,” he explained, “If students are away it gets very quiet.” He added: “Our trade is going through a bad patch since Covid. So at the moment the situation is
tough out there.” He said the move contradicted council strategies to
reduce
traffic and harmful emissions. “I’m not sure how this will help the council, more cars are going to be introduced to Oxford,” he said.
Uber claimed it had “well over 100” drivers, and expected that to increase in the coming weeks.
UBER INSTALLS GEOFENCE AROUND NUNEATON TOWN CENTRE TAXI RANK
Uber has installed a geofence around the Nuneaton town centre taxi rank, please see email from Uber to Nuneaton Council below: Good afternoon, I have received the below email from Uber who have confirmed they have arranged for geo-fencing in the attached area.
“Dear Ricky,
I hope this email finds you well. We
already applied our
geofencing technology on the official Hackney rank a few weeks ago. Apologies for not following up with an email to you.
36
We also remind all private hire drivers on a regular basis that they are not allowed on any taxi ranks. On the busy areas during night time: Often people assume vehicles would wait for their next dispatch while actually they are already dispatched and waiting for their customer(s). As long as there is no disruption to road traffic, we generally refrain from using a geofence in such cases. For safety reasons, people should be picked up exactly where they want to be, especially at night hours
and in areas of the night time economy.
Regards, Ricky Casserly Licensing Team Leader”
John Igoe, Director of MI Taxis, who has fought so hard to get this geofence in place
told PHTM:
“I am really pleased with this result but it is just the beginning. Uber drivers are still ranking up outside the nightclubs.. We need the geofence
area expanding in Nuneaton, the fight goes on!” MARCH 2025 PHTM
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