Wiltshire Council officers say a growing number of taxi drivers are registering and operating through Uber, with more vehicles changing from hackney-carriage licences to private-hire licences as a result.
An officer update due before Wiltshire Council’s Licensing Committee on Monday 14 September says Uber’s dynamic-pricing model is the principal reason for the movement. The report is an update for the committee and is not a policy decision.
The council says hackney carriages operating in their own licensing district must use the approved meter and cannot charge above the metered fare. Private-hire licensing is more compatible with app-based booking and dynamic fare arrangements, according to the Taxi Licensing Team.
Officers have also recorded a noticeable rise in applications for private-hire operator licences. As at August 2026, Wiltshire had 407 licensed private-hire vehicles and 402 hackney carriages, making 809 licensed vehicles in total.
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The authority reported 588 hackney-carriage or dual drivers and 140 private-hire-only drivers, a total of 728 licensed drivers. It had issued 147 private-hire operator licences.
Uber was granted a private-hire operator licence by Wiltshire earlier in 2026 and established a registered office in Chippenham. The council says drivers taking bookings through Uber’s local operation need both driver and vehicle licences issued by Wiltshire Council.
The licensing team has distributed an FAQ document to licensed drivers covering Uber operations and registration with the platform. The report was prepared by Dan Farr, the council’s Principal Compliance Officer, in August.
Between 1 May and 26 August, the licensing service recorded 614 booked vehicle-inspection appointments. Six per cent of booked appointments were missed and five per cent of inspected vehicles failed. The service is receiving an average of eight new driver applications each week.
Wiltshire is also working with BCP, Dorset and Somerset councils on a proposed common taxi-licensing policy framework. The Licensing Committee is due to receive the officer update at 10:30am on 14 September.
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