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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.