Uber: US taxi app company wants to launch in Belfast

The taxi app firm Uber hopes to be operating in Belfast before the end of the year.

The US company already operates in more than 300 cities worldwide, including Dublin and London.

It has advertised for a general manager position in Belfast, but will also require an operating licence.

It said it had not fixed a date for beginning business in the city, but hoped it would be later this year.

Drivers are recruited locally.

The business model has proven controversial in several locations. Last year around 12,000 taxi drivers staged a protest in London.

They claimed the app, which is used to measure journeys, constituted ''an illegal meter''.

Customers then use an app that pinpoints their location and alerts drivers to a pick-up request.

A company spokesperson said: "Uber's ambition is to be in every major city in the UK - this of course includes Belfast.

"Whilst we are now looking for a general manager in Belfast, this is not an indication of our launch timeline."