Uber has voiced strong criticism of Aberdeen City Council’s recent decision to temporarily relax taxi operating rules during major events, arguing that the move underscores a significant shortage of licensed drivers in the city.
The council’s licensing committee approved a measure allowing airport-licensed taxis to operate city-wide during the Tall Ships festival in July and the Offshore Europe conference in September. Typically, these taxis are restricted to airport pick-ups. The temporary change aims to address anticipated transportation demands during these high-profile events.
Matthew Freckelton, Uber’s Head of Cities, contends that this decision highlights the existing unmet demand for taxi services in Aberdeen. “This move from Aberdeen Council clearly shows that there is an unmet demand for taxis in the city,” he stated. “We know this from the 170,000 trip requests in our app since we launched.”
Uber, which initiated operations in Aberdeen in October 2024, reports that thousands of ride requests have gone unfulfilled due to a limited number of licensed drivers. Freckelton emphasised that even during regular weeks, the company observes sufficient passenger demand to support over 100 additional drivers in the city.
Supporting Uber’s perspective, Aberdeen businessman Bob Keiller, head of the Our Union Street initiative, has called for the council to eliminate the “street knowledge test” required for new taxi drivers. “The number of licensed drivers in Aberdeen has fallen by about half in the last 10 years,” Keiller noted. “We have far fewer taxis, proportionately, than either Edinburgh or Glasgow – we have about half the number we had 10 years ago and it is damaging our economy.”
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Despite these concerns, a recent Licensed Vehicle Surveys and Assessment report indicated “no significant unmet demand and no overprovision of private hire cars” in Aberdeen. However, the report did acknowledge limited availability during peak times, particularly on Saturday nights.
The temporary rule change will be in effect from 6 p.m. on Friday, July 18, to 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, July 22, during the Tall Ships festival, and from Tuesday, September 2, to Friday, September 5, for the Offshore Europe conference.
As Aberdeen prepares for these significant events, the debate over taxi service availability and regulatory requirements continues, with stakeholders like Uber and local business leaders advocating for reforms to address the city’s transportation challenges.
