Bolton council set to issue Uber a one-of-a-kind operators licence to fit their business model

Ride-sharing giants Uber are being accused of gaining an unfair advantage after it has been revealed a unique licence could be issued to them to reflect it's different business model. The changes, which have not yet been set out in detail, would mean Uber will be the only private hire operator in Bolton to have different conditions on it, making it a one-of-a-kind tailored licence for the controversial app. According to a report in the Bolton News, senior councillor, Nick Peel is calling on the government to bring licensing rules into the 21st century, stating that the current regulations are not set up to deal with the business model used by app based services like Uber. 

But some private hire drivers have said that rules should not be adapted to meet the needs of the international company and have stressed their beliefs that larger companies within the borough were clearly being treated differently than smaller ones.

One driver has said: “It’s up to the company to adhere to the terms and conditions or go away.” 

A change to Uber’s operators licence would in effect create a two-tier private hire system which has been moulded around their business model rather than them making sure they operate within the boundaries of the existing regulations. 

Uber have said that they currently comply with all the requirements of their existing licence to operate in Bolton and are in regular contact with Bolton Council.

Image: Source; Flickr

Author; Mark Warner