Calls for Uber taxi services to come to Cardiff are finally being heard as the company advertises for jobs in the city.
The Uber website, as of the end of October, shows that they are advertising for an operations manager in Cardiff. Does this indicate potential expansion of their business into the city of Cardiff and surrounding valleys area?
There have been many calls for the app-led taxi company to come to the capital city as difficulties with the existing taxi services have come to light. Just recently, Uber has launched in Leeds, Liverpool and Newcastle, cities around the same size as Cardiff.
Elliott Cantor, founder of campaign ‘Bring Uber to Cardiff’ said: “The move into Cardiff would be great. It’s a much cheaper service and it would create quite a few jobs for the area.”
Indications for a Cardiff launch have been seen as early as April 17th whereby a twitter handle was created under the alias @UberCardiff – however, their only tweet to this day simply states ‘Uber is coming’ with no further updates since then.
https://twitter.com/UberCardiff/status/589121752896253952
Uber spokeswoman, Sadé S said: “We are hoping to establish a presence in Cardiff in the near future. While we do not have a specific date in mind for the launch in Cardiff, keep an eye on the Uber website for more details.”
The launch of Uber Cardiff has been long awaited; campaigns urging them to operate in Cardiff have amassed hundreds of followers, especially recently in the wake of adversity towards existing Cardiff taxi firms for expensive fares and questionable behaviour of drivers. On Facebook, Cardiff residents have blasted taxi drivers for rejecting short fares, often leaving people to walk on their own in the dark.
“Uber is different because you can request it directly and track the driver and car,” Elliott Cantor adds. “It’s more controlled, the app platform is closely monitored and therefore safer.”