COUNCIL chiefs are clamping down on UBER drivers in Stratford.
Stratford District Council’s licensing team launched a joint operation with the City of Wolverhampton’s Compliance Department following concerns raised by taxi drivers about UBER operators in the area.
In particular they were concerned about the increased number of UBERs in the town.
The joint inspection was carried out on the evening of Saturday July 15 in Stratford town centre, where 15 private hire vehicles licensed by the City of Wolverhampton Council were recorded.
Four were reported for re-inspection and two stopped and given appropriate advice about breaching Wolverhampton’s vehicle licence conditions.
SDC neighbourhood spokesperson Coun Lorraine Grocott said: “Public safety is of paramount importance, and this partnership working with other licensing authorities shows our commitment to ensure drivers and vehicles that are licensed maintain the highest standards.
“It’s not illegal for vehicles, licensed by other authorities to operate across our district and although the district council doesn’t license any UBERs operating in the district, they operate as private hire vehicles, which must be pre-booked via the vehicle’s operators with an agreed price. Failure to be pre-booked invalidates the driver’s insurance.”
Coun Grocott continued that only hackney carriage vehicles licenced by SDC could use the authorised taxi rank in Stratford town centre and they were also fitted with a taxi meter which calculates the appropriate fare at the beginning of the passenger’s journey.
She added: “Taxis are a vital service and are a huge support to the night-time economy. Stratford District Council’s standard of vehicle and driver is high and with a robust system of licensing and checks keeps it at the standard required by this authority.”
