‘Uber out!’ was the cry from Gatwick taxi drivers as Crawley councillors arrived for the annual meeting of the borough council.
More than 100 drivers and supporters gathered in a loud, good-natured gaggle outside the town hall on Friday (May 24). They were there to demand the council did more to enforce licensing laws against Uber, saying the firm was ‘destroying their livelihoods’.
Drivers reported that Uber cars registered in London were taking around half of the fares at Gatwick – twice the amount they used to take before starting to advertise at the airport.
And there were huge concerns for the livelihood of the local drivers. Don Barnes, Unite branch secretary, who works for Airport Cars, said Uber was not licensed to operate in Crawley. He added: “I work 12 hours a day, six days a week, and I’m doing three jobs a day. It’s affecting most of the drivers. People have got mouths to feed, they’ve got mortgages.”
Nick Venes, a licensed driver and Unite the Union representative, said the drivers were angry with the airport but also with the council, which serves as the licensing authority. He added: “The effect it’s having on Unite members is devastating.”
In 2020, 16 councillors signed a letter calling on Uber to ‘geofence’ Crawley out of its app as the firm ‘does not currently have the licence they need to safely operate in our area’.
The problems started in 2015 following changes to the law via the Deregulation Act. It used to be that drivers had to return to the area in which they were licensed between jobs. But now they do not have to live or operate in the local authority area that grants his or her licence.
A council spokesman said: “We are aware of the complaint and have been actively investigating. We anticipate producing findings in the near future.”
A London Gatwick spokesman added: “Airport Cars, London Gatwick’s official taxi partner, continue to operate from directly outside the terminals.
“Passengers who choose to use Uber or other private hire vehicles can do so from designated pick-up zones designed to reduce congestion on local roads and provide a smooth passenger experience.”
It was pointed out that the advertisement agreement was open to other companies, while the pick-up bays were not exclusive to Uber drivers.
