Uber begins operating in Norwich

Uber said launching in Norwich would help support the economy and provide local drivers with new earning opportunities

Uber has started operating in Norwich, with the company saying its arrival in the city will "give passengers greater transport options".

The ride-hailing service has become popular around the world in recent years, but is only now making its debut in Norfolk.

Andrew Brem, Uber's UK country manager, said the firm would "provide new earning opportunities for local drivers, give passengers greater transport options and support the local economy".

However, Norwich's Black Cabs Association has aired concerns about the arrival of Uber, saying it could lead to existing taxi drivers getting less work.

Kierran Greaves said a benefit of having black cabs was people could just "jump in" instead of having to book one

Kierran Greaves, committee member of the taxi association, told the BBC that Uber's arrival was a "double-edged sword".

"It can be a good thing but it can be a bit of a bad thing," he said.

"It's good for customers and members of the public, so they can get different ride sharing apps and private hire."

However, he believed Norwich already had enough private hire vehicles.

"If you look down Prince of Wales [Road] or Castle Meadow or outside the theatre, there are always private hire vehicles parked around waiting for them to get jobs.

"It's only on the Friday or Saturday nights where people have trouble getting private hire vehicles."

Work opportunities

Mr Greaves believed it could lead to existing taxi drivers getting less work.

"With taxis you can flag them down, wave at us if we've got our lights on and you can jump in. But you can't do that with private hire.

"With Uber you have to book and wait, but if you see one of us you can just jump in to a black cab."

Uber said the "unmet demand" in Norwich would "offer excellent earning opportunities for local drivers, all of which will access industry leading worker rights such as holiday pay, free sickness and injury protection and a pension, as well as formal representation through GMB Union."

It claimed there were "thousands of users opening the app every week to try and book a trip".