Keswick Taxi Operator Raises Concerns Over Out-of-Area Uber Drivers Staying in Town

A Keswick taxi operator has raised concerns about the growing number of out-of-area Uber and private hire vehicles working in and around the tourist town.

Andrew Morris, who has worked as a taxi driver in Keswick for 19 years and now runs Blencathra Taxis with his wife Lesley, has submitted a formal complaint to Cumberland Council.

Mr Morris says he has seen an increase in private hire vehicles carrying licence plates from areas including Wolverhampton, Blackburn and Manchester remaining in Keswick and the surrounding area.

He told the Keswick Reminder that at least six out-of-area vehicles had been parked around the town during one recent weekend and questioned whether all drivers and vehicles were operating in accordance with the relevant private hire rules.

The concerns centre partly on the impact on locally licensed taxi businesses, which Mr Morris says have invested in meeting local licensing requirements, vehicle inspections and other regulatory conditions.

However, the presence of an out-of-area licensed private hire vehicle in Keswick does not by itself mean that the driver is operating illegally.

Cumberland Council confirmed that private hire journeys must be booked in advance through a licensed private hire operator. Unlike hackney carriages, private hire vehicles cannot legally ply for hire, wait on taxi ranks for customers or pick up passengers without a pre-booking.

The council said drivers, vehicles and operators carrying out private hire work must hold the appropriate licences and comply with the conditions attached to them.

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Cumberland Council said it had received correspondence from local taxi operators regarding private hire activity in and around Keswick and understood the concerns being raised about its impact on the local licensed trade.

Because a formal complaint has been submitted, the authority said it would not comment on specific drivers, vehicles or companies while the matter is being considered through its established procedures.

Uber said it was pleased to have been granted a licence to operate in Keswick and that it follows the same high standards and regulations as other private hire operators.

The Keswick Reminder reports that Cumberland Council granted Uber a private hire operator licence in January for a five-year period.

The dispute also highlights the difference between taxis and private hire vehicles. A licensed hackney carriage can use an authorised taxi rank and, subject to the relevant licensing rules, be hailed in the street. Private hire vehicles must have a booking arranged through a licensed operator before carrying the passenger.

Mr Morris has also raised a separate local issue over taxi-rank capacity. He says the rank behind the Bank Tavern in Derwent Close has space for only three taxis and would like to see additional rank capacity provided in Keswick.

The council has not concluded that the out-of-area drivers referred to in the complaint have broken licensing rules. The matter remains a complaint from members of the local trade which the authority says it will consider through its normal procedures.

The wider issue of cross-border private hire working remains one of the most contentious subjects in the UK taxi trade, particularly where drivers licensed by one authority regularly carry out pre-booked work in another council area.

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