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Uber faces crucial Fife licensing decision as councillors prepare for special hearing over 24-hour Rosyth booking office
Uber’s attempt to expand its licensed private hire operations in Fife will go before councillors today at a special licensing hearing in Rosyth.
Fife Council’s Regulation and Licensing Committee will consider an application by Uber Scot Limited for a booking office licence covering premises at Rosyth Business Centre.
The application was submitted on 23 January 2026 and seeks permission to operate the booking office 24 hours a day, seven days a week, according to information published by the local taxi trade association.
Fife Council has published an agenda and supporting papers for the special meeting, which is scheduled to begin at 9.30am. The committee is responsible for determining licence applications and conducting statutory hearings under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982.
Approval would provide Uber Scot Limited with the booking office licence covered by the application, but it would not automatically licence individual private hire drivers or vehicles, which remain subject to separate licensing requirements.
East Fife Taxi Association has lodged an objection and called on councillors to examine the proposed local management arrangements, the operational role of the Rosyth premises and how the business would be supervised.
The association claims the proposed day-to-day manager lives in York and argues that Uber’s corporate control and operating systems are centralised outside Fife. It has also questioned whether the Rosyth premises would operate as a substantive local base.
Those claims form part of the trade body’s case against the application and have not been established as findings by Fife Council. A campaign organised by East Fife Taxi Association attracted 639 signatures before closing in February.
Uber already facilitates passenger journeys in several Scottish markets, including Edinburgh and Glasgow. Its website also advertises ride availability in locations including Aberdeen and Dundee, meaning approval in Fife would extend an existing Scottish footprint.
