CROSS-BORDER WORKING: Drivers must not lose ’ability to earn flexibly’, says Uber UK boss
- Perry Richardson
- 8 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Uber’s UK General Manager has warned that private hire drivers “shouldn’t be bound by arbitrary restrictions that would come at the expense of drivers’ ability to earn flexibly”, as debate continues over cross-border working and national standards.
In an exclusive interview with TaxiPoint, Andrew Brem said the long-term solution to cross-border concerns lies in nationally applied standards rather than localised restrictions that could limit drivers’ ability to pick up passengers outside the authority that licensed them.
“Fundamentally I believe the right solution to any questions over cross-border travel is to create national standards that are rigorous, fair and applied right across the board, and I think the Government’s decision to introduce this through the Devolution Bill is a really welcome move,” Brem said.
Cross-border hiring has been a persistent issue within the taxi and private hire sector, particularly where operators accept bookings in one licensing district and dispatch drivers licensed elsewhere. Some local authorities and trade groups have pushed for tighter reciprocal agreements or ABBA-style frameworks to limit what they view as regulatory imbalances.
Andrew Brem says drivers must retain flexibility to earn and avoid unnecessary ‘dead leg’ journeys as Government prepares reforms through Devolution Bill
Brem indicated that while concerns around consistency and enforcement are legitimate, restricting drivers’ operational flexibility risks unintended consequences for both earnings and passenger access.
“People don’t think, let alone travel, within administrative boundaries,” he said. “If someone is travelling to the station or an airport just outside their local authority border, it’s only sensible that once the driver has dropped a passenger, that they are then able to collect someone from there for their next trip.”
He added: “Drivers shouldn’t be bound by arbitrary restrictions that would come at the expense of drivers’ ability to earn flexibly and the public’s ability to get home safely and affordably.”
For operators and licensed drivers, the debate carries operational and commercial implications. Restricting cross-border activity could increase empty return mileage, reduce vehicle utilisation rates and impact driver retention in areas where demand fluctuates across neighbouring districts.
Brem also framed the issue in environmental terms, highlighting the impact of so-called ‘dead leg’ journeys where drivers return without a fare. “There’s also a sustainability point here - nobody wants drivers having dead leg journeys that create unnecessary emissions and mean more cars on the road,” he said.
The Government’s proposed reforms through the Devolution Bill are expected to address regulatory consistency across England, although full details of how national standards would interact with existing local licensing powers have yet to be set out. The industry continues to closely monitor how any changes might affect operator models and enforcement frameworks.
For large national platforms such as Uber, a move towards uniform standards could reduce complexity across multiple licensing areas. For smaller operators, the impact may depend on how transitional arrangements and enforcement mechanisms are structured.
The cross-border issue remains one of the most contested topics within the licensed trade, balancing local authority oversight with the realities of passenger travel patterns and digital dispatch systems that operate across administrative lines. Brem’s comments signal that Uber will favour a national, standardised approach over additional localised restrictions as the policy debate develops.
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