Using Uber? Know what you’re signing up for.

When you book with a local taxi company, much of that spending remains within the local economy through drivers, wages, vehicle maintenance, fuel, local suppliers and community support.

Uber operates differently. Part of the passenger fare ultimately funds the platform through Uber's service fee. Uber itself describes this as the difference between what the passenger pays and what the driver earns, excluding certain items.

Uber Scot Limited's 2024 accounts recorded a nil current corporation tax charge. That does not mean Uber paid no taxes of any kind, but it is an important distinction when considering where money spent on local transport ultimately goes.

Consider: When you spend locally, how much of your fare stays local?

Not necessarily.

University of Oxford researchers analysed more than 1.5 million UK Uber trips. Following the introduction of Uber's dynamic pricing system, they found passengers paid more per trip while drivers' inflation-adjusted hourly earnings declined.

Uber's median share of fares increased from around 25% to 29%, and on some journeys Uber took more than half the value of the fare.

Uber uses dynamic pricing rather than a fixed Fife Council fare scale for its unmetered private-hire journeys.

Uber confirms that fares can change according to factors including demand, journey time, distance and traffic. When demand exceeds the number of available drivers, surge pricing can increase the passenger's fare.

Using an app-based transport service creates considerably more data than simply telling a taxi company where you want to go.

Uber's services use information including pickup and destination, journey information and location data to operate the service.

That can build a detailed record of your travel over time: where you were collected, where you travelled and when.

Uber's privacy systems permit personalisation and advertising based on information associated with use of its services, subject to its privacy settings and applicable law.

There is also relevant history. In 2018, the UK Information Commissioner's Office fined Uber £385,000 over a 2016 cyberattack in which personal data relating to around 2.7 million UK customers was accessed and downloaded.

Fife’s local taxi businesses do more than generate local employment. Across the Kingdom, operators support sports teams, charities, community groups, local events and good causes, often through sponsorship, donations or practical help.

Uber operates as a global platform. It does not have the same established record of direct, grassroots community support across Fife that local taxi businesses have built through years of operating here.

When you choose a local taxi company, your fare has a greater opportunity to stay within Fife and support the people, businesses and communities around you.