Aberdeen taxi drivers have been threatened with blacklisting if they sign up to work with Uber.
The global ride-hailing service has lodged plans to operate in Aberdeen, with bosses hoping to be up and running by the end of summer.
And now The P&J can reveal that a powerful, council-sanctioned group has been used to threaten those who might be tempted to jump ship.
The blacklisting row comes as Aberdeen tussles with a shortage of taxi drivers to clear the streets, with queues snaking up Union Street and Back Wynd often leaving customers exasperated.
Uber bosses say they’ll look to hire dozens of existing drivers to help with that problem.
We have seen a Whatsapp message declaring that the “big three” city firms would work together to ban any driver seeking work with the incoming rival.
But one senior industry figure denies this was ever the intention.
We reveal:
- Blacklisting threats for potential Uber drivers from an Aberdeen City Council body
- Concerns over a “monopoly” running the Aberdeen taxi trade
- Claims that “Joe Public would get over” taxi trade sinking Uber’s Aberdeen plans
- The he said, he said as trade bosses are at odds over the Uber blacklisting threat
- One whistleblower argues that working for Aberdeen taxi firms is “worse than Uber”
Support Uber and you’ll ‘NEVER’ drive with ‘big three’ again
In March, the Taxi and Private Hire Car Consultation Group (TPHCG) seemingly issued an edict making it clear drivers who supported the incomer would face consequences.
The group was established to give Aberdeen taxi firms and drivers a say.
Input from their meetings with city officials, including the licensing convener Gill Al-Samarai and vice-convener Steve Delaney, informs decisions on the trade taken by the licensing committee.
On Whatsapp in March, Luke Hulse – the voice of independent drivers on the TPHCG – passed on an ultimatum, he said from the “big three” taxi firms.
It came after a meeting of some of the group, which includes Rainbow City Taxis boss Russell McLeod and Aberdeen Taxis’ Chris Douglas.
Comcab’s Douglas Cowie is also understood to attend meetings, and is pushing for an official position in the body. But he wasn’t there in March.
It was independent driver delegate Luke Hulse who shared a threat of excommunication in the Whatsapp message, seen by The P&J.
He wrote: “If Uber does manage to get in, the big three companies said they’ll work together.
“As in, if any driver joined Uber they’d NEVER get to work for the three companies again.
“Which I totally agree with.”
Rainbow City Taxis boss: ‘A load of nonsense, I never said that’
Mr Hulse later told The P&J: “I stand by that message.”
But when asked to comment on that threat, Rainbow boss Mr McLeod, also the TPHCG rep for the taxi offices, wrote it off as “a load of nonsense”.
“Is that clear enough?” he asked.
“Luke said that. I never said that, Chris Douglas never said that, and Doug Cowie never said that.
“That message is not an accurate reflection of that meeting in March.”
Independent driver rep: ‘I stand by that message’
Either way, independent drivers we speak to see this as the latest flex of the TPHCG’s power, as they complain of the big three’s “monopoly” over the Aberdeen trade.
As well as their minuted meetings with licensing chiefs, the TPHCG is also understood to meet regularly for less formal discussions.
Drivers claim they have been “exiled” for speaking out against its members or their working conditions.
Uber’s appetite for Aberdeen is just the latest issue sending them on a one-way fare to taxiing Siberia…
‘Ostracised’ Aberdeen driver tried to blow the whistle on taxi ‘monopoly’
Independent driver Matt Chyla recently took his blacklisting concerns to the licensing committee.
There, he pleaded for an exemption to rules requiring him to have a wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV) so he could be free of the booking offices.
How does this work?
- In Aberdeen, the cars with yellow city licence plates are taxis.
- “Red plates” are the private hire cars, which can only take pre-booked fares and cannot pick passengers up on the street.
- If you want to drive a taxi, it needs to be wheelchair-accessible – though you can get past that requirement by medical exemption.
Matt hoped to drive his Mercedes saloon as a taxi, as private hire drivers have to get their work through booking offices.
It’s the red plate drivers Uber will likely snap up for its unmetered, prearranged fares, should the firm be allowed to launch in Aberdeen.
Matt had previously raised his concerns over the “monopoly” with the authority by letter, asking for protection as a whistleblower so he might still be able to work with the booking offices.
But he believes the correspondence was shared and “led to my name being dragged through the dirt”.
‘The Aberdeen taxi monopoly is stopping me’
He was unsuccessful in begging councillors for a way around his impasse.
But he told them: “It is clear in my case that the monopoly in Aberdeen are stopping me from operating through any of their offices due to my views and beliefs.
“This point combined with the fact that booking offices have made clear of their intentions to ostracise drivers who defect to Uber – should they begin to operate in Aberdeen – leaves me with no alternative.”
Matt owns other vehicles that would fit size requirements elsewhere to be wheelchair accessible. If they were approved, it would allow him yellow taxi plates and free him of the city booking offices.
“Everywhere but in Aberdeen,” he sighs. Here, he misses out by 18 millimetres.
Exiled taxi driver: ‘I have a knee upon my throat’
So now he’s leasing a wheelchair-accessible van to work independently.
Appearing before the licensing committee, Matt added: “It feels I have a knee upon my neck and I am being forced out of the trade and will no longer be allowed to operate.
“And [my confidential letter being shared] has incited certain prominent members within the community.
“It’s now crystal clear there’s systematic bullying and questionable conduct by managers of booking offices to unlawfully monopolise through lobbying groups [the TPHCG].
“Under the private hire rules, I must work exclusively through a booking office and as such I have been left with nowhere to go. Without work, I cannot make a living.
“If I am not given a lifeline, I will go bankrupt with no more chance of recovery.”
Uber: Can it offer hope to out of favour Aberdeen taxi drivers?
Matt and other self-employed private hire drivers, plying a trade in Aberdeen believe Uber offers hope.
They think it could offer some benefits, after the firm lost a high profile court case in 2021.
It now offers drivers paid holiday, sick pay, a pension and support through university courses.
Meanwhile in Aberdeen, the drivers argue they are not truly being afforded the rights of self-employment due to the booking offices.
They are not able to dictate when they work and are limited on how much holiday they can take.
Booking offices are also claimed to “punish” drivers for refusing certain fares, which they argue they should be entitled to do.
Self-employed drivers pay hundreds of pounds a week for the radio (which they use to speak to base and get fares) from the booking offices.
The framework in place in Aberdeen means drivers – self-employed or not – are only able to work for one booking office. And driving for Uber looks unlikely to be made an exception.
Matt tells us: “What I was really doing was asking the licensing committee to get TPHCG assurances that drivers will not be penalised for leaving a booking office for Uber.”
Working conditions in Aberdeen taxiing ‘way worse than Uber’
Drivers argue favouritism means they are often paying the same as others for less opportunity of work from the booking offices.
Some have even had their radios are switched off centrally for increasing lengths of time, simply for turning down a fare.
The ultimate threat, we’re told, is being marched into Rainbow City Taxis HQ to have the taxi radio removed from their vehicle.
“Everyone knows what happens at those meetings,” Matt says.
Michel Da Costa is another who claims he faced repercussions for speaking his mind.
He took Rainbow City Taxis to court to try and win better working conditions, inspired by the Uber case.
“We are self-employed,” he tells us. “But they dictate that you have to pay 48 weeks a year for your radio.
“You are entitled to only four weeks holiday. If you decide to take more, then you have to pay for them.
“That means drivers are not self employed. This is way worse than Uber.”
‘Everyone knows the monopoly abuses their position’
Michel’s legal case was dismissed, as his claim was lodged too late.
But he’s keen for the licensing authority to rethink the consultation group, and its power and influence.
He adds: “The big three hold a monopoly.
“They abuse their position. They have the leverage.
“Everybody knows but no one is willing to do anything about it.
“It has never been addressed.”
Frozen out – though taxi boss rubbishes claims
Michel shows us photos of his phone, with various messages of him being blocked from picking up work.
This, he claims, is retribution for challenging the bosses.
At one time, he says he was handed a bill for £1,500 for getting stuck at home in Mozambique.
“You will get locked out of the system for 10 minutes if you reject work,” he explains.
“If you complain, they block you for 24 hours. They have threatening techniques.
“If you keep complaining, they order you to get your radio removed.
“They want everyone on a short leash.”
Does Uber offer drivers freedom?
Private hire driver Mr Da Costa, who now gets work through Aberdeen Taxis, is actively considering driving for Uber.
Bosses at the incomer want to encourage drivers to work with them and a local firm – though city operators are far less keen.
Mr Da Costa tells us: “As a taxi driver, you’re not as free as you might think.
“We should have freedom and not feel that there is no way back with the other companies.
“I am not concerned about the repercussions. In any kind of work, people should be able to voice their views without fear.”
Uber’s drivers will have to be licensed by the city.
The company has revealed plans to attract a pool of around 50 drivers, already working in Aberdeen, in the coming months.
Previously Aberdeen City Council confirmed there will be no “special treatment” for the giant.
So any new Uber drivers will have to pass the same street knowledge test as they would to work for any other Granite City taxi firm.
Rainbow chief: ‘Nonsense, nonsense, absolute nonsense’
Rainbow City Taxis managing director Russell McLeod, and TPHCG licensed taxi office rep, said those claims were “absolute nonsense again”.
He added: “We tend not to do any of that. That must be some of the other two.
“But we do have a working practice that we expect drivers to adhere to.
“I have never heard of anyone here being switched off for 10 minutes. In fact, I know that’s never happened here.”
He confirmed that some “continually troublesome, for want of a better word” drivers would have their radios removed to protect the interests of Rainbow’s 350 drivers.
Taxi boss to the Aberdeen public: ‘You better watch what you wish for’
Having also described the threat of Uber-related exile as “nonsense”, Mr McLeod was asked if flitting drivers would instead be welcomed back with open arms.
“I never said that either…” he told us.
“Why are you and your colleagues all… everything is Uber just now? It’s just become monotonous.
“But hey ho, as I said last time – as long as Uber has to operate under the same criteria as the rest of us – that we’re all kicking the same ball – then it’s not a problem.
“The public, because of the press and some other organisations in Aberdeen, seem to think this is the answer to all our problems.
“So, how does the saying go? You better watch what you wish for.”
Mr McLeod highlighted a number of court cases Uber drivers have been involved in elsewhere.
But he conceded that Uber’s Aberdeen drivers would undergo the same checks as his own, at least for now.
He urged: “As long as that remains, that’s fine.”
‘No one cares about Aberdeen taxi drivers’
Mr McLeod and Mr Hulse both blast the suggestion that Uber will improve the trade in Aberdeen.
While it might make an impact on Saturday nights, independent driver Mr Hulse worries it will flood the market through the week, leaving all without enough work to sustain a living.
Mr McLeod raged:Â “The reality is the notion that people can’t get taxis is just, again, nonsense.
“Maybe that happens for four hours on Saturday nights, when people have to wait a bit longer.
“And yes, it wasn’t a great December weather-wise.
“But the reality is in December, there aren’t enough pubs… but they don’t go and open a load of Uber pubs.
“It just seems to be that local taxis are getting kicked from every angle at the moment.
“There’s 1,000 drivers in Aberdeen.
“All self-employed, all have families and mortgages. And no one is caring about them.”
Claims of Uber ‘bias’
Mr Hulse also pressed home that the Aberdeen taxi trade has it all “under control for six and a half days of the week”.
A recent survey that found 93% wanted Uber in town was “obviously Uber tainted and totally biased,” he added.
Mr Hulse continued: “It’s just peak demand.
“If you had any other business… if you had a restaurant with a queue outside the door, would you say that was an unsuccessful business?
“We don’t want to leave people waiting in the rain. We don’t want the citizens to dislike us.
“And the media isn’t helping. We want to do well. We do do well.
“There’s just a pressure point on a Saturday night, when the guys come out with the cameras ‘oh look at this, there’s 20 people waiting’.
“There was not 20 people waiting on Wednesday night.”
What about Aberdeen’s controversial street knowledge test?
Mr Hulse spent much of an hour on the phone with The P&J hitting out at any suggestion that the arduous street knowledge test should be scrapped.
Uber is looking to hire licensed private hire drivers, who will have passed the exam, at first.
Head of UK Cities at Uber, Matthew Freckelton told Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce he would push for industry reform in the city, should they get a licence.
The high-up was invited to speak with The P&J but is yet to respond.
Mr Hulse fears the licence application to trade in Aberdeen would be a first step, before Uber moves to scrap the test in the age of sat nav in your car and your pocket.
‘Joe Public will get over it’: Aberdeen taxi drivers urged to flood council with Uber objections
Along with threatening “NEVER” getting work from Aberdeen’s big three firms, Mr Hulse was in March urging colleagues to inundate the council with objections to Uber’s arrival.
The council held a public consultation on the plans for Uber to open a booking office in Aberdeen. It closed earlier this month.
The ride-hailing service previously backed out of Aberdeen, having successfully gained a licence in 2o18.
In the same Whatsapp messages in March, Mr Hulse added: “No objections were made last time. This time will be different!
“But once we have found reasonable grounds for objections, then I strongly recommend signing letters that I draft up, to send to [the council].
“Getting members of your family and non taxi driver friends to sign would also be amazing!
“But the TPHCG [has] to be seen to be acting.
“Joe Public might not forgive us… But they’ll get over it.
“However, taxi drivers will never forgive us.”
The P&J has heard voice notes Mr Hulse sent to Matt, suggesting the out-of-favour man may find a way back in if he were to join the fight.
“Why would I do that if I don’t believe in that?” Matt rages.
“It’s my right as a self-employed worker to decide who to work for.
“The consultation group effectively tried to bribe me into objecting to Uber.”
Unsympathetic ears at Aberdeen City Council: ‘This is not the place’
But on his day in front of the licensing committee, Matt left empty-handed.
His near bankruptcy, in part he says due to his persecution for backing Uber, did not convince councillors to give him yellow taxi plates for his Mercedes car.
And his accusations were quickly written off as irrelevant.
Vice licensing convener Steve Delaney told him: “This is not the place for it.
“This is not that we are dismissing your allegations, it’s that you should take your own independent legal advice on those issues.”
Council officials have already been tasked with reviewing “all aspects” of the TPHCG over summer.
Decisions on future members and the group’s remit will be taken in October.
An Aberdeen City Council spokeswoman told us: “We are unable to comment on the ongoing review of the TPHCG.
“An update will be provided in due course.”
Read more:
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