UBER has launched in Basingstoke allowing residents to book a hire car through an app.

The new service offers residents an alternative taxi provider in the town, following complaints that the current service is 'appalling'. 

READ MORE: Borough council working to resolve 'taxi problems' in Basingstoke

Now, residents can book an Uber car on their mobile phone through the company’s app following its launch in Basingstoke.

The app informs customers how far away an Uber car is from their location and the cost of the journey, with all money transactions carried out online prior to the journey.

When the Gazette tried to find an Uber on May 9, it said an Uber car was just five minutes away from our office and could take us to Basingstoke Railway Station for £4.01.

Alternatively, we could have booked an Uber X Priority with a faster pick-up time of three minutes, costing £7.

Uber launched in San Francisco in 2010 and since then the app has been used by passengers from more than 130 countries.

It first came to the UK in London in 2012, with more than a billion trips made across the country in the past 11 years. 

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council previously said it was working to “simplify and streamline” its application process for new taxi drivers in response to a “huge drop in demand” for licensed drivers during the pandemic.

It has issued more than 50 private hire and hackney carriage drivers licenses so far this year to individual drivers.

It also granted a new private hire operator licence after residents reported problems trying to book a taxi in the town. 

However, the council said this was not issued to Uber. 

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A spokesperson  for the council said: "Private hire operators have to be licensed by the council. These operators take bookings for their private hire drivers.

"However, we do not publish a list of operators, as some may be based at a home address and so this is subject to data protection.

"A new private hire operator licence has been granted to an individual recently, their business is run from home and the council cannot share their personal data.

"The council has not received any interest or an application from Uber for an operator’s licence in the borough. 

"Uber operates in some larger urban areas, such as Portsmouth and Southampton, and some of their drivers live in the borough."