CROSS BORDER: Uber leads the way with over 16,000 Wolverhampton licensed private hire vehicles associated with its fleet

Image credit: DALL.E

Global ridehail firm Uber has recruited 62% of City of Wolverhampton Council’s licensed private hire vehicles onto its platform.

City of Wolverhampton Council, through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request received by the council on 19 December 2023, has revealed a comprehensive list of Private Hire Vehicle (PHV) companies and their fleet sizes. This data encompasses some of the UK's largest ridehail and PHV operators, totalling 26,656 licensed PHVs at the time of publication.

Leading the charge is ridehail behemoth Uber, with an eye-watering 16,790 PHVs licensed within the City of Wolverhampton. Bolt follows with 1,095 PHVs, while Go Carz rounds out the top three with 586 licensed vehicles. Other notable operators with more than 100 PHVs associated with their fleets include ABC Cars with 239, Albatross Cars (236), Boro Cars and Other (258), Delta (197), Drive (271), KMR Cars (208), Premier (209), Street Cars Manchester (248) and Take Me (155).

However, it's crucial to note that not all these PHVs operate within Wolverhampton. This discrepancy arises due to the contentious practice of cross-border hiring. Cross-border hiring permits PHVs licensed in one jurisdiction to operate in another. For example, a vehicle licensed in Wolverhampton can pick up passengers in other cities across the UK. This practice has sparked considerable debate and controversy.

Critics argue that cross-border hiring undermines local licensing authorities, leading to a lack of accountability and control. They claim it allows operators to circumvent stricter regulations imposed by other councils.

Supporters, however, assert that cross-border hiring increases flexibility and availability of services, benefiting passengers with more options and potentially lower prices.