Uber, the largest ride-hailing app globally, was granted a licence by Oxford City Council to begin operating in Oxford. Prior to this development, Uber had already established a presence in Oxford in August 2021, when it began connecting customers with local licensed taxi operators through the app’s ‘Local Cab’ feature, which was met with protests from local drivers.
This announcement has likewise been met with opposition from some local taxi operators and drivers, although there have been no demonstrations similar to those that took place upon Uber’s initial involvement in the Oxford taxi market.
The secretary of the City of Oxford Licensed Taxicab Association (COLTA), Sajad Khan, told the BBC about the challenges he believed Uber might face on entering the Oxford market, particularly the reliance on students, saying: “If students are away, it gets very quiet”. He added “Our trade is going through a bad patch since COVID. This includes people working from home, financial difficulties, [and] not many people coming off the train station – which is the main rank for us.”
An Uber spokesperson emphasised the potential benefits of Uber’s launch in the city, citing “new earning opportunities for local drivers”, giving people more choice and flexibility in transport, as well as boosting the local economy. They added: “Uber’s industry-leading safety features will give passengers the ability to book safe trips to wherever they want to go, in particular the city’s students and tourists.”
Oxford City Council said: “A new operator will give residents and visitors more options for moving around the city safely and conveniently.”
Khan also pointed out environmental concerns surrounding Uber’s operations in Oxford, stating that granting this licence contradicted Oxford City Council’s plans to reduce congestion and emissions: “I’m not sure how this will help the local authority…more cars are going to be introduced to Oxford.”
In response to such concerns, an Uber spokesperson said that Uber offered an “important” alternative to driving for customers and that the company was aware that Oxford was “heavily focused on congestion”. They added: “Uber has operated in London for many years, which is also focused on important issues such as congestion and Electric Vehicles (EVs), with London now Uber’s global leading city for EVs.”
This comes following Oxford City Council’s announcement for plans to expand the Zero Emissions Zone. In January, the Council voted against a motion to publish data on the air quality of proposed areas for the ZEZ’s expansion. Data from a Source Apportionment Study published after the meeting revealed that road transport was the largest contributor to nitrogen dioxide emissions, making up 32% of all releases.
