Uber has officially confirmed that it will no longer allow Scottish-licensed private hire drivers to operate outside their designated licensing authority areas — marking a significant shift in how cross-border work is handled north of the border.
This change, recently implemented, means drivers in Scotland who are offline and located outside their licensing area will be blocked from going online until they return to the area covered by their licence. In other words, if a driver has dropped off a fare in a different council area and logs out of the Uber app, they must physically return to their home licensing area before they can accept any new jobs.
This will affect Glasgow, Edinburgh, and all the other Scottish council-licensed drivers.
Additionally, if a driver is already online and then travels outside their licensing area, they can remain visible on the app — but Uber has confirmed it will not dispatch any trip requests to them until they re-enter their licensed boundary.
This is a sharp departure from Uber’s previous stance, which allowed Scottish-licensed drivers to stay online and continue accepting jobs even when working in other council areas. The move appears to bring Uber’s Scottish operations in line with recent regulatory guidance.
“These changes reflect the Taxi and Private Hire best practice guidance published by the Scottish Government,” the company stated, pointing drivers to the official documentation on licensing rules.
Industry Impact
The decision is expected to have a major impact on drivers who regularly rely on work from neighbouring towns or cities. For years, cross-border hiring was a controversial but common practice, with some drivers licensed in areas with lower fees or less strict rules but working full-time in busy city centres.
While this crackdown may be welcomed by those calling for a level playing field, others will likely see it as a blow to flexibility and earnings, especially for those who operate in rural or border areas.
This policy shift mirrors growing concerns among regulators and councils across the UK about out-of-area drivers undermining local taxi and private hire rules.
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