By Ivan Morris Poxton
Copyright grimsbytelegraph
Uber is looking to expand into North Lincolnshire. Council officers shared at a recent place scrutiny panel meeting that conversations were taking place with Uber over operating in the area. An Uber spokesperson has confirmed it is looking to get a licence and is in discussions with North Lincolnshire Council . Part of the council’s existing licence regime may be updated to help enable Uber to operate in the area. Currently, operators require a landline to be licensed with the local authority. This would be a barrier to Uber, if it remained in place. An Uber spokesperson said: “We see a lot of unmet demand in North Lincolnshire and a license will help us provide passengers with greater transport options across the area, help boost earning opportunities for local drivers, and support the regional economy. “There are specific local restrictions around the need for a landline phone and we’re keen to continue our discussions with the council, as we believe there is an opportunity to launch our app based service in the area.” The potential benefits for individuals to become Uber drivers include free sickness and injury protection, new parental payments and free access to Open University courses for them and their family. The Uber revelation came while councillors were informed about the local authority’s taxi licensing safeguarding measures . The council’s head of trading and standards, Richard Cropley, stated of Uber: “They’re looking to now set up within our area. “They’re looking to do it properly, they’re looking to licence their vehicles with us, under our scheme.” He mentioned the licensing landline requirement that would be a barrier for Uber. But that is something the council will look to update in future. He added, “I think it’s better to have them onside to reassure they’re licensed with us under our regime.” Did you know you can get all the latest Scunthorpe headlines sent straight to your inbox for free? All you have to do is click this link and we’ll update you on all the latest stories as they happen. One aspect raised at the meeting were drivers licensed in other council areas operating in North Lincolnshire. Cllr Tony Gosling (Labour – Kingsway with Lincoln Gardens) asked how many there were. He was told there is no estimate, as it is based purely on inspection observations. “We aren’t seeing a lot of it in our area at the moment, we do get them now Uber’s expanded.” “We’ve seen a few creep over the border that we’ve had to have a word with,” Mr Cropley added, referring to Doncaster, “because they’ve been looking waiting for a booking so we’ve kicked them over the border.” Being licensed in a particular authority means a taxi or private hire driver and the operator must be licensed in the same area. The vehicle must also be tested there, and bookings come from there only. Cllr Gosling asked about enforcement against drivers unlicensed in the local authority but licensed in another. “We would have to refer to them to enforce, I know that Wolverhampton are fairly active in that respect,” said Mr Cropley. The West Midlands local authority had carried out night-time inspections elsewhere in Yorkshire and Humberside. The City of Wolverhampton Council are known for issuing a particularly high number of taxi and private hire driver licences. It has an efficient online application process, though does require in-person training and assessment before licence approval. Councillors were also told that besides six monthly enhanced DBS checks of licensed taxi drivers, the council’s licensing department is signed up to the national NR3 intelligence database, on the National Anti-Fraud Network (NAFN). This helps flag drivers at the licence application stage who have been banned from other authorities, but do not have convictions that would show up in a DBS check. Do you feel safe where you live? You can have your say by completing the poll below or by clicking here .
