Uber hand back their operators licence in Aberdeen

Aberdeen City Council has confirmed the American ride-sharing firm Uber have handed back the office booking licence they obtained in 2017.

According to reports, the controversial app has said it has no plans to operate in the Granite City.

The exact reason behind the licence hand-back is unclear, but a tourism lecturer at Aberdeen University said it could be because the taxi and private hire industry has really struggled in recent years.

Lecturer Andrew Martin said there has been less people coming to Aberdeen, making it hard for tourist-reliant industries to thrive.

As reported in the Press & Journal, Martin said: “I would reckon that the business case for Uber just wasn’t as strong as it might once have been.” It is understood that any driver wanting to join the Silicon Valley giant's platform, would have had to undergo the same training and tests as ordinary Aberdeen taxi drivers.

This is not the case in some other cities, causing speculation that it may have something to do with Uber's decision to no longer require an operators licence.