Uber back on the road following ban from Yorkshire city

Ride-hailing business Uber has secured a licence to operate private hire cars in York again, six-years after it was banned from operating in the city.

City of York Council’s licensing committee voted to approve the the firm’s bid to return to the city yesterday.

Members of the York City Taxi Association staged a protest against the license application outside the council’s offices ahead of the four-hour meeting.

Uber’s new licence includes conditions which prohibit its drivers from parking in hackney carriage spaces.

Despite not having a licence in York since 2017, Uber drivers from other areas have been allowed to operate legally in the city using licences obtained elsewhere.

An Uber representative said they believed the business “met the fit and proper test definition” with its latest license application.

They added the company wanted to provide opportunities for “local York drivers”, when asked if it would be them or drivers from further afield who would benefit from a licence being approved.

Uber had its licence renewal rejected by City of York Council back in December 2017, after complaints from local taxi drivers.

At the time, the council noted that there had been a “significant” data breach in 2016 which affected 57 million Uber users, which the company had failed to report to the authorities.

The council added there had also been a rise in complaints about Uber drivers in York, which indicated there were “management issues” within the business.