Rideshare apps have turned our city into the wild west – it's making the roads more dangerous and destroying our trade

Scottish Sun

16-07-2025

They lifted the lid on some of the dangerous acts being caused by the situation
CALL FOR ACTION Rideshare apps have turned our city into the wild west – it's making the roads more dangerous and destroying our trade
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TAXI Drivers in Edinburgh have told how their streets have been turned into the 'wild west' by 'out of control' private hire numbers.
The capital's cabbies say they are being forced off the road as they struggle to compete with rideshare apps and a surging number of drivers working on them.
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Edinburgh taxi driver Keith Auld said the number of private hire cars on the road are making the city streets more dangerous
Credit: Michael Schofield
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Private hire driver Stewart Livingston wants the numbers brought down to stop bad working practices by rideshares
Credit: Michael Schofield
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Dozens of taxi drivers gathered to protest in Edinburgh
Credit: Michael Schofield
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Black cabs lined the Royal Mile last week
Credit: Michael Schofield
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Keith hands his petition to Edinburgh's Lord Provost
Credit: Michael Schofield
Thousands of private hire cars on apps like Uber and Bolt have taken to the roads in Edinburgh in recent years compared to just over 1,000 black cabs.
Dozens of cab drivers gathered outside the city chambers to demand action from Edinburgh Council.
They claim Edinburgh's streets have been taken over by private hires, with 3,002 drivers against 1,100 black cabs, which has hammered their trade.
Taxi driver Keith Auld, 44, presented the petition to Edinburgh's Lord Provost calling for a cap on the number and an overprovision survey to properly look into the problem.
He said: 'The petition was raised just out of pure experience in working day shift, night shift as a black cab taxi driver.
'I was seeing so many private hires loitering about the streets, competing for the same spoils as what I was doing.
'When I was driving along the road I would see private hire car after private hire car and then you see a black cab. And then I'd think to myself, sometimes it would be ten private hire cars.
'What's going on here? So after a few conversations and association meetings and union meetings, seeing all these different things, I thought we'd maybe try and investigate what the statistics were in terms of what we were competing against.
'Our pockets are getting hit, absolutely. Black cab trade and the private hires, we're working longer hours for the same money we were earning before, so the current trajectory is going to make it really, really hard to be in the trade for any longer.'
But their trade being decimated isn't the only fear these drivers have, they claim dangerous working practices in the private hire industry are putting the public at risk, with drivers working long hours and performing dangerous manoeuvres on the road.
Shocking moment passenger hurls herself out of moving Uber to avoid paying £1.40 fare
Keith added: 'We were just talking with some of the private hire representatives, they're saying that the practices engaged there are making it unsafe for the public because of the amount of hours guys are having to work.
'What we are seeing is, we're seeing guys making really bad manoeuvres, dangerous manoeuvres, questionable manoeuvres.
'We're seeing people being picked up out of the street illegally, unbooked jobs out of private hire cars, which again, you're breaching your licence conditions, it's against the law, but it seems to be prevalent in Edinburgh right now.
"You're seeing guys going up one-way roads, you're seeing guys going no right turns, you're just making really bad, unsafe driving decisions.'
And the concerns are shared by Edinburgh's private hire drivers who also want to see a cap on their own numbers.
Stewart Livingston, the Edinburgh convener of the Scottish Private Hire Association said some people are having to work up to 18 hours a day just to make a living because there are too many drivers on the road.
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The protest was held outside the city chambers
Credit: Michael Schofield
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David Horsburgh, Clerk for the Assoc of Hackney Carriage Drivers of the City of Edinburgh
Credit: Michael Schofield
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Taxi drivers say they cannot compete with the surge in trade
Credit: Michael Schofield
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They have called for more barriers to be brought in to be a private hire driver
Credit: Michael Schofield
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They also want an overprovision survey and a cap on numbers
Credit: Michael Schofield
The driver, 36, added that some people are having to sleep in their cars and a drop in standards is putting people in danger.
He said: 'So there's a lot of guys that are doing an extra two, three, four hours on their shift than they used to do to make the same amount of money, which is obviously due to there being increased competition. And that's a public safety risk and that's the approach that we've come at this from the whole time.
'You've got guys working, multi-apping, working on lots of different apps, working full hours on one, jumping on to the next afterwards, working 16, 17, 18 hour shifts, sleeping in their cars.
'If you've got drivers working 16, 17, 18 hour shifts, it's a public safety risk.'
What do the cabbies think?
OUR reporter spoke to some Edinburgh cab drivers at the protest to ask about their experience on the city's roads.
Greig Cockburn has been on the roads for around 20 years and reckons more barriers should be in place for people to become private hire drivers.
He said: "On an everyday basis we see a lot of activity from private hire. On the flip side we also see a lot of sedentary activity from private hire sitting at the side of the road.
"To be a private hire driver in Scotland is generally quite a low barrier to entry. And because of that low barrier to entry, the standards fall.
"With the excessive numbers of private hire, earnings are reduced and when earnings are reduced, standards fall.
"And that's why it's of crucial benefit, not just to both the taxi and private hire trade, but to the travelling public that these numbers come down so standards can be improved."
Taxi driver John Somerville added: "It's impacting us a lot, work wise we're having to work longer hours to try and make the money, our overheads are very expensive on these black cabs as we have to buy proper taxis as opposed to just using a normal car, so overall our overheads are going up and our money's going down.
"It's even been noticed that they're going the wrong way down one way streets, They're doing right turns where they're not allowed, they're going in bus lanes, they're basically pulling in front of people, speed along, the guys are in a hurry to get the job over and done with because they're getting paid so little by Uber."
Cabbie Joe Robbins has been driving his taxi for 28 years.
He said: "Over the last few years, we've seen less and less business. There's a lot of tourists but it doesn't translate into extra taxi journeys because the work is more diluted.
"We're looking at three times the number of private hire than what there is black cabs and it's just diluting the work incredibly. And what have you seen the impact on the taxi trade?
"We lose a lot of drivers because they can't make a living. There used to be 1,300 black cabs, now we're down to 1,102.
"With inflation and our overheads we're now just about making minimum wage."
He added that bad working practices have turned the city's streets into the 'wild west' and called for more barriers into their industry.
Stewart said: 'We've also asked for increased standards of barriers of entry into the trade. And we're asking for increased enforcement, because there's no enforcement officers out there. And it's the Wild West out there, there's all sorts of stuff going on.
'There's a lot going on in the private hire industry. Whether that can be from the bare minimum that you have a dress code. Those standards are dropping, every day you'll see that.
'You just need to sit at the airport for 10 minutes. Standard of vehicles, cleanliness of vehicles, showing your license badge when you're working.
'All these things, and going to as far extremes as dangerous and reckless driving. Working longer hours than you should be.'
"You're seeing guys going up one-way roads, you're seeing guys going no right turns, you're just making really bad, unsafe driving decisions."
Keith Auld
Adding to the calls for a cap, David Horsburgh, 52, the Edinburgh Clerk for the Edinburgh Association of Hackney Carriage Drivers said the number of private hires has 'exploded' and made it impossible for them to compete.
He said: 'The impact we're seeing is we get the same amount of work but there's more numbers bidding for those jobs. It has a lot of impact on not only ourselves but the Private Hire drivers because everybody's trying to get the same jobs and the constant increase in licence plates by the council is unsustainable.
'It's been a long time issue but it's just in the recent years. the numbers have exploded and it's just now that we've found our voice and it's enough, it's enough.
'It's not only the black cab trade, it's the Private Hire industry. They're also screaming out for a cap because they're feeling the effects of these numbers coming out.
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Greig Cockburn wants more standards in place for people driving private hire cars
Credit: Michael Schofield
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Joe Robbins said the taxis are barely keeping their heads above water because of the explosion in numbers
Credit: Michael Schofield
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John Somerville has witnessed dangerous driving on the road
Credit: Michael Schofield
'Guys are struggling to make their living. They've got to pay their dues to the companies they get their jobs from.
'Just like ourselves, we're finding our ranks drying up because people are using apps.
'It all comes down to one business and it's only one business that's benefitting from these numbers and that's a multi-corps who use the numbers to constantly cut their prices.'
Keith, David and Stewart met with council officials after handing over the petition and said their meeting was productive.
Councillor Neil Ross, Edinburgh Council's regulatory convener, said: 'We regularly review the number of PHCs in the city, most recently in January 2025.
'We have received a petition on this issue, and it will be addressed under the council's petition process.
'The council maintains regular contact with the relevant trade groups and will continue to listen to their broader feedback.'
'You've got guys working, multi-apping, working on lots of different apps, working full hours on one, jumping on to the next afterwards, working 16, 17, 18 hour shifts, sleeping in their cars."
Stewart Livingston
A spokesperson for Uber said: 'Private hire vehicles provide good earning opportunities for local drivers, give passengers greater transport options and support local businesses, in particular in the night time economy.
'All drivers have access to industry leading worker rights such as holiday pay and a pension, as well as formal representation through GMB Union. Passengers are able to count on a safe trip through a range of industry-leading safety features.'
And a spokesperson for Bolt added: "Black cabs, private hire vehicles, and all other modes of transport - including public transport - each play an important role in helping people in Edinburgh get around.
"Private hire vehicles aren't here to replace black cabs, but offer an additional option for passengers whilst creating even more flexible earning opportunities for local drivers.
"Drivers and passengers are at the heart of what we do, and we support a balanced system that works for everyone.
"We are the only operator that enables drivers to set their own minimum pricing per mile and also take advantage of dynamic pricing.
"All drivers also receive holiday pay and monetary supplements to ensure they earn at least the national living wage, alongside a pension. Feedback is important to us, and we continue to engage with local forums directly."