Liverpool council is “monitoring” the situation with app-based private hire firm Uber as it faces battles to operate in other major cities in the country.

Mayor Joe Anderson has criticised the firm for “putting profit before workers” and said he wants to clamp down on the number of drivers coming into Liverpool from far and wide.

It follows a landmark ruling by Transport for London in September which deemed Uber unfit to run a taxi service in the capital and refused to renew its license - citing the firm’s approach to reporting serious criminal offences and background checks on drivers.

Since then, Uber has faced difficulties in other major UK cities, with a ban in Sheffield being recently overturned followed by a decision by York City Council not to renew the firm’s license in the city.

Mayor Anderson has previously been critical of government deregulation laws which mean that private hire drivers - including many from Uber - can arrive in the city from elsewhere and pick up trade, without contributing to the economy.

Uber currently has four years left of its license with Liverpool, having signed a five-year-deal in 2016.

But Mayor Anderson hinted that he could look at ways to follow other cities in clamping down on Uber in the future.

Uber being used on an iPhone
Uber being used on an iPhone

He said: “We are going to look at and monitor what other cities are doing when it comes to Uber to see what we can learn from them.

“Allowing people to from other areas to our city without paying license fees is something we want to stop.

“The reality is that the framework of deregulation means they are allowed to do that.

“It is taking away business from the local drivers and not contributing.

“The Uber issue is something we are certainly looking into - they are a company that puts profits before its workforce.”

After the shock Transport for London decision in September, Uber defended its practices stating that its drivers go through the same “enhanced DBS background checks as black cab drivers” and arguing that its “pioneering technology has gone further to enhance safety with every trip tracked and recorded by GPS.”

Mayor Anderson has previously called for the creation of a city-region wide private hire license, with a specific local knowledge test for drivers.