Uber in York: Uber officially lodges bid to return to York

The app-based ride hailing firm’s private hire operator’s licence lodged with York Council would see it operate 24 hours a day, every day with at least 91 vehicles.

Uber’s application stated it drivers were vetted and trips monitored and recorded to keep passengers safe and technology could be used to plan pick ups around traffic restrictions.

But a council report stated Uber’s bid in 2017 to renew its licence was refused over a significant data breach and 155 complaints made against its drivers in a year.

It comes as Uber’s latest application is set to go before the council’s Licensing and Regulatory Committee on June 11.

The council report stated the company has lodged a planning application to allow it to set up an office in Clifton Moor.

Uber also maintains a 24-hour helpline which councils can contact it on in the event of safeguarding concerns or issues with drivers.

The company’s ride hailing model allows passengers to book trips through an app which then connects them with a driver and fares are set before pick-up.

The firm is currently licensed by 61 local authorities, with an application approved to operate in Hull in February as part of its expansion into a number of UK cities.

A presentation from Uber lodged as part of its York application stated its apps safety features include an emergency button and checks on unusually long stops during journeys.

It added it used ‘geofences’ to automatically route drivers to set pick up points around York city centre which take recently-installed traffic barriers into account.

The council’s report stated although Uber drivers licensed outside of York can currently take jobs in the city, the granting of the application would allow company to recruit locally.

It added there were 31 Uber-related complaints out of the 104 made against ‘other taxis’ in the past year, similar in number to those made against other firms.

The report stated complaints were mainly about Uber drivers and not the company though they included ones about the standard of driving and the refusal to carry a guide dog.