Taxi service Uber has been granted a licence to operate in Aberdeen.
The controversial service is already operating in Glasgow and Edinburgh, but this will be the furthest north the multinational firm has ventured in the UK.
Under the cashless service, patrons pay through a smartphone app and are given information on their driver, including the make of car, before pick-up.
But taxi drivers in the Granite City last night slammed the council’s decision to grant the licence, and warned it would hammer local firms at a time when the industry is already struggling.
Com Cabs driver, Jason Sutherland, said he was “absolutely gobsmacked” by the endorsement – insisting the city already had “more than enough” taxis. He added: “The whole point of being a cabbie is knowing where you are going, and these guys won’t have that. “I can understand people wanting things cheaper, but it will be a poorer service. “Things are already tough for the industry here and this will just make it worse.” Independent taxi driver, Brian Smith, said: “It feels like an uneven playing field.
“I wouldn’t mind Uber being granted a licence if the company was held to the same rules as we are, but they get to do things that we can’t.”
A spokesman for Uber insisted the move to Aberdeen would allow for more competition and choice, although no firm date for beginning operations has yet been set.
He added: “We’re really pleased about being granted a licence in Aberdeen.
“Uber has brought more choice and competition to cities across the UK, helping to raise service levels across the board.”
A council spokeswoman said: “Uber has been granted a licence under delegated powers.”
That means officers made the decision – due to a lack of objections – without the need for councillors to discuss the proposals.
SNP opposition group leader Stephen Flynn last night questioned the move given the controversy around Uber, and said taxi drivers in Aberdeen have already suffered a “tough couple of years” during the downturn.
Headquartered in San Francisco and operating in 633 cities worldwide, Uber was set up in 2009.
But the service has proved controversial and, in September, Transport for London denied Uber’s application to renew its private hire licence in the capital saying it was “not fit and proper”.
The transport body accused the company of ”a lack of corporate responsibility in relation to a number of issues which have potential public safety and security implications”.
The firm has appealed.