‘’We must stop out-of-town Uber drivers in their tracks’’ says Blackpool taxi driver

A veteran Blackpool taxi driver says more could be done to keep out of town Uber drivers out of town and protect home-grown operators.

And he is calling for more support for a campaign being led by Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, which calls on the Government to act to protect local firms across the UK.

Neil Charnock, who has been running a licensed taxi in the resort for some 23 years, says he would not have a problem if Uber drivers were registered in Blackpool and subjected to the same requirements as others from the resort.

Blackpool Council has granted a licence to Uber, allowing them to operate in the area. The council granted the licence after Uber fulfilled the criteria for a private hire operator’s licence.

But Mr Charnock says the town is still flooded with drivers from areas across the North West who are not only taking trade from locals, but cannot be regulated or sanctioned in any way by Blackpool Council.

Mr Charnock, an unofficial spokesman for many Blackpool drivers, said: “It is particularly bad at weekends when they flock over here from other towns.

“I would say that some Blackpool drivers can lose out by up to 30 to 40 per cent on takings, severely diluting their income.

“That is a lot of money to lose and it just isn’t right, the way it’s being done.

“If these drivers cannot be regulated and checked in the same way as locals, you have a potential problem right there in terms of the way they operate, the rules they have to follow and public safety. We need to stop this.”

Mr Charnock was referencing a campaign set up by Andy Burnham and supported by Liverpool City Council.

Andy Burnham’s ‘Backing Our Taxis’ campaign aims to tackle the issue of ‘out-of-area’ licensing, in which where drivers gain licences from authorities with less strict requirements and operate in other areas.

In Greater Manchester, almost 50 per cent of private hire vehicles are licensed outside the local area, leaving local councils with limited ability to enforce standards and maintain the safety of the public.

Mayor Burnham wants to see changes to the English Devolution Bill to grant city-regions control over taxi licensing, aiming to enhance safety, vehicle standards, and driver accountability.

Although Blackpool is not classed as a city region, it is part of the new Lancashire Combined County Authority (LCCA), which means that Blackpool Council, along with Blackburn with Darwen Council and Lancashire County Council, will work together as a single, larger body.

Mr Charnock says the issue first arose following the deregulation of cross border hiring in 2015, which means that private hire drivers could travel into any town and ply their trade.

He says this has been exacerbated by the rise of Uber.

The taxi driver added: “I know Blackpool Council is not in a position to act directly or have powers to govern these out of town taxis.

“But local drivers whom it does license have a real problem and I would like to see the council show some support for the drivers who have served this town year in and year out.”

Blackpool Council was approached for a comment on Mr Burnhan’s campaign

After the council granted Uber a license last year, Coun Paula Burdess, cabinet member for community safety, street scene and neighbourhoods, gave a statement to full council saying the licence had been granted to Uber as there was nothing to “call into question the fitness and propriety of the applicant”.

She said: “In circumstances where these criteria are met we have a legal duty to issue the licence, which is exactly what has happened in this case.”

Uber previously told Blackpool South MP Chris Webb they were “open” to discussions about blocking drivers from picking up in local taxi ranks.