Uber Commences Operations in Aberdeen

Private hire company Uber has initiated its services in Aberdeen. The transport firm was granted a licence by Aberdeen City Council earlier this year. Uber had initially aimed for an August launch; however, an appeal lodged by the Unite union reportedly caused a delay in these plans. The appeal was subsequently retracted. According to Uber, as reported to BBC Scotland News, trips are now available for booking within the city. In a statement, Uber confirmed, “You can now book a trip in Aberdeen.” The company added, “The service will be fully rolling out to all users in the coming weeks.” It also noted, “There is no exact date to get to 100% of users as is usually the case for these sorts of things.” The specific count of available drivers has not been made public. Uber’s system facilitates connections between passengers and drivers through a mobile application that utilizes GPS technology to pinpoint nearby available vehicles. The company had previously received authorization to commence operations in Aberdeen in 2018 but subsequently relinquished its licence. Earlier this year, Uber submitted another application to operate in Aberdeen, which the council’s licensing committee approved in June. Prior to granting the application, the committee dismissed a request from a taxi trade delegation for increased examination of the application’s potential consequences. Uber currently conducts operations in both Edinburgh and Glasgow.