Latest news with #Freckelton
Press and Journal
29-05-2025
- Automotive
- Press and Journal
Uber boss slams council for having Aberdeen taxi rival 'representing the industry' in trade talks over Street Knowledge Test
An Uber boss has slammed the council after being shut out of talks on the industry's future – with an Aberdeen taxi rival 'representing the trade' in discussions over the city's shortages. The ride-hailing firm's head of cities, Matthew Freckelton, recently spoke out at a taxi industry conference over what he felt were major hurdles in the Granite City. He claimed that a recent survey on taxi shortages carried out by an independent firm was 'misleading', as he fumed that his firm was never told about it taking place. Mr Freckelton questioned how fair it is that he is represented by arguably his biggest opponent at trade meetings with the council. Russell McLeod, managing director of Rainbow City Taxis, serves as industry spokesman. It all comes amid Uber's fight to have the city's controversial street knowledge test scrapped – which they say hinders their chances of operating a thriving fleet in Aberdeen by challenging would-be-drivers with perplexing questions. During the Private Hire and Taxi Monthly Expo this month in Milton Keynes, Mr Freckelton took questions from the crowd during a Q&A session. One of those to grill the Uber boss was Aberdeen taxi driver Luke Hulse, who took issue with Uber lobbying to bin the knowledge test – which the firm blames for only having three drivers in the city. The contentious exam has a pass rate of 'between 15-30%, depending on the information that has come out'. Edinburgh and Glasgow do not have a street knowledge test. Uber say this proves it should be ditched. In response to Mr Hulse, Mr Freckelton said: 'We think that [the street knowledge test] is not in line with Scottish Government 'best practice' guidance. 'That states that, if you are to have a street knowledge test, it should not create unnecessary barriers to entry – which we think it does.' Mr Freckelton noted that he has had 'lots of new drivers come to our office' wanting to work for Uber, who are subsequently met with difficult hoops to jump through before they can get behind the wheel. 'How much more complicated is Aberdeen to navigate around compared to Edinburgh and Glasgow?' he pondered aloud to the audience. The Uber boss also hit out at a recent survey which found that there was 'no unmet demand' when it came to taxi drivers in Aberdeen. The independent Licensed Vehicle Surveys and Assessment (LVSA) body came to Aberdeen for a few days in November to look into the city's taxi issues. The probe focussed on whether Aberdeen has 'significant unmet demand' for taxis… In other words, whether people often struggle to get a cab home from the centre. Workers fixed cameras to lampposts at city ranks, watched and counted the amount of time customers had to wait before being picked up. They also asked various businesses, services and residents about their experiences. In the end, LVSA concluded that there is not a significant problem in Aberdeen. But the California-based firm totally disagree with the results. Responding to Mr Hulse's comments about the survey, Mr Freckelton stated sternly: 'You're wrong. Significantly wrong. 'I know from our own data that we have a significant amount of unmet demand.' The group's head of cities claims that in the run up to the survey, Uber 'were not told or consulted' about it. 'I have emails between the chair and deputy chair licensing expressing, almost begging, to be able to find a way to provide this data, and I was not furnished with this data,' he added. 'In our opinion, that was a misleading report.' Continuing, Mr Freckelton told the Expo crowd he has issues with how his firm is represented during talks between the industry and the local authority. Uber is currently prevented from attending trade group meetings with the council – as only one booking office licence holder is allowed to go. The current representative is Russell McLeod of Rainbow City Taxis – one of Uber's strongest opponents in Aberdeen. 'I have expressed the perfectly reasonable point of view that it is unreasonable for a competitor of mine to represent my interests in front of licensing officials and councillors,' Mr Freckelton said. 'Yes we want a good, strong working relationship with all our regulators and we had to engage legal counsel to express those views more firmly towards Aberdeen City Council. 'That is the relationship that we want with the council.' Speaking to The Press and Journal following Mr Freckelton's remarks, the Rainbow City Taxis boss was quick to give his version of events. He said that whilst he has 'never been against Uber' in Aberdeen, they should still have to 'play by the same rules as we do'. Mr McLeod said: 'It was an independent survey done by an independent company. Whether I agree with it or not, that is what they found. 'I definitely agree with the findings of the survey. The survey did not suit Uber's narrative, and that's the be all and end all. 'It didn't suit their argument, so therefore they want to diss it.' With regards to being the sole booking office representative, the taxi firm chief highlighted how there are still six others who fight for drivers in the group. Mr McLeod told The P&J: 'We've managed for I don't know how many years now [with one booking office representative]. 'ComCab don't have a representative there and never have, they seem to be quite happy that a booking office representative is there to look after their interests.' Aberdeen City Council was approached for comment.
Press and Journal
16-05-2025
- Business
- Press and Journal
Uber chief claims airport rule change shows Aberdeen needs more taxis - as shortage 'holds back the city'
Uber has hit out at plans allowing airport taxis to work in Aberdeen while the Tall Ships are here – saying it proves there aren't enough cabs on city streets. The council's licensing committee recently agreed to relax the rules around where vehicles can operate for certain spells. Drivers typically only allowed on airport runs will be allowed to work all over Aberdeen during the four-day Tall Ships festival in July and again for Offshore Europe in September. It follows concerns that city was heading into the tourist bonanza with a dearth of taxis available to ferry visitors around. Uber's head of cities, Matthew Freckelton, is now arguing that the change proves drastic action is needed to permanently increase the Aberdeen fleet. The firm has previously railed against would-be drivers having to pass a stringent 'street knowledge test' before getting a licence. Mr Freckelton claimed Uber 'had the data' to show there was a need for more cabs in the city. The ride-hailing platform launched in Aberdeen in October but thousands of trip requests have gone unanswered due to a shortage of licensed drivers. He said: 'This move from Aberdeen Council clearly shows that there is an unmet demand for taxis in the city. 'We know this from the 170,000 trip requests in our app since we launched. 'This huge unmet demand is holding back the city, especially when it comes to major events such as the Tall Ships Races.' The Uber boss added: 'In normal weeks however, Uber is already seeing enough passenger demand to add over 100 drivers in the city. 'This would help passengers get to where they want to safely, and boost the local economy.' Uber is understood to have only a 'single digit' handful of drivers in Aberdeen. However, a recent Licenced Vehicle Surveys and Assessment report stated there was 'no significant unmet demand and no overprovision of private hire cars'. But it did suggest there was limited availability, particularly on Saturday nights and peak times during the week. These results prompted Aberdeen businessman and head of Our Union Street Bob Keiller to share his thoughts on the situation. He claimed there was a shortage of taxis in the city and urged the council to drop the street knowledge test for drivers. Mr Keiller said: 'The number of licensed drivers in Aberdeen has fallen by about half in the last 10 years and we are about to see another step down in numbers when the LEZ exemption for taxis expires in June. 'We will be heading into the Tall Ships and Offshore Europe with fewer taxis than we have had for many years.' The temporary rule change will allow airport taxis work in Aberdeen during the Tall Ships festival from 6pm on Friday, July 18 to 11.59pm on Tuesday, July 22. They will be able to do the same for Offshore Europe from Tuesday 2 to Friday 5 September.
Press and Journal
07-05-2025
- Automotive
- Press and Journal
Why hasn't ride-hailing app Uber taken off in Aberdeen?
Uber claims it could add 100 more drivers in Aberdeen, but says the city's outdated licensing rules are stopping it from meeting demand. In the six months since its soft launch in October, the ride-hailing platform says it has logged more than 190,000 trip requests in Aberdeen. But a 'significant portion' of those have gone unanswered due to a shortage of licensed drivers. 'We have been able to service a certain number of those trips, but not as many as we would like,' admitted Matthew Freckelton, Uber's head of cities. 'We think we can easily support up to 100 new drivers on our platform. 'The main blocker is Aberdeen City Council's street knowledge test.' Uber declined to reveal how many drivers it has active in the city, citing commercial sensitivity. The Press and Journal understands the number is in single digits. Why hasn't Uber app taken off in Aberdeen? Uber says the main blocker to recruiting drivers is Aberdeen City Council's onerous street knowledge test. Mr Freckelton describes it as the most restrictive in Scotland, taking around six months to prepare for, with a fail rate of 85%. 'There are no street knowledge tests in Edinburgh and Glasgow,' he explained. 'We have asked the council whether Aberdeen is more complicated to navigate than Edinburgh and Glasgow? The question goes unanswered.' The Uber chief says the driver shortage is already hurting the night-time economy and making life more difficult for shift workers, including hospital and retail staff, who rely on late-night travel. Uber's first ride in Aberdeen with driver Matt Chyla and Alastair Gossip, outside Marischal College. Image: Isaac Buchan/DCT Media 'People are potentially having to walk home late at night in the dark. And that's not a safe situation.' Unlike traditional taxis which can be hailed on the street or wait at ranks, Uber operates as a private hire company. This means all trips must be pre-booked via the app, with sat-nav providing the route. Mr Freckelton says most Scottish councils have already scrapped street knowledge tests for private hire licensing, recognising that technology has changed the industry. Uber claims it was locked out of Aberdeen trade meetings But in Aberdeen, Uber says it's not just up against restrictive rules – it's also being shut out of key decision-making meetings by council. 'Aberdeen is the first city that we have been prevented from attending meetings,' he said. 'We are licensed by 90 councils and Aberdeen told me I wasn't allowed to attend the meetings.' The app-based firm claims the report into 'unmet demand' for taxis and private hire vehicles in Aberdeen was misleading. Image: Uber Though the council has since invited Uber to register its interest in attending future meetings, access remains at the discretion of the licensing committee. Disputed demand figures The tension ramped up further when a recent council-commissioned 'unmet demand' survey concluded there was no shortage of taxi and private hire availability in Aberdeen. Uber disagrees – strongly. 'We weren't even told the consultation was happening,' Mr Freckleton said. 'We have the data and we can demonstrate that there is significant unmet demand in Aberdeen. 'I've got 190,000 trip requests, most of that is unmet, that I cannot meet because I cannot get drivers licensed because of the street knowledge test. 'In our opinion, that was a misleading report.' An Aberdeen City Council spokesperson said Uber was made aware of its requirements for drivers to pass the knowledge test before it was granted a booking office license. 'The street knowledge test was recently the subject of a content review, and the most recent figure had the pass mark at 33% since the changes have been implemented,' he added. 'Uber and other applicants were advised that there were currently no vacancies on the taxi and private hire consultation group at the time of application. 'However, the makeup of the group is currently under review and spaces may become available. 'The legislation permits a topographical test and to date it has been the view of the licensing committee that the test remains appropriate.'
