THE MAJORITY of complaints made to City of York Council about taxi operator Uber came from their rivals, a Freedom of Information request has revealed.

Figures from the authority show 155 complaints have been made about Uber since December 21, 2016, and 83.2 per cent were made by “York taxi businesses”.

The operator was refused a new licence by councillors last month partly based on the number of complaints made against it.

A spokesman for Uber said: “These are really interesting figures since these complaints were one of the key reasons cited for last month’s licence decision.

“We would like to meet with City of York Council to discuss and address any concerns that remain. We want to continue providing more choice and competition for both consumers and licensed drivers in the city.”

A spokeswoman for the council said: “York Magistrates’ Court has confirmed to us that an appeal has been lodged by Uber Britannia Limited. The court has also set an initial hearing date of 30 January at 2pm when a timetable to submit evidence will be established ahead of a full hearing date.

“Uber’s operators licence in York will remain in place until the outcome of the appeal is known.”

Saf Din, chairman of the York Hackney Carriage Drivers’ Association, said he did not want to comment.