A high-stakes battle over the future of Aberdeen’s taxi landscape has moved to the public arena, as city councillors greenlighted a consultation that could scrap the controversial "street knowledge test" for taxi drivers. Under current rules anyone seeking a licence as a taxi or private hire driver in the city has to sit the test.

Some claim it is outdated and it has been seen as a barrier for Uber operating in the city.

Taxi operators say no change is needed as the current system is working, with more than 100 new drivers joining in the past year.

The consultation will ask whether the test should remain for both taxi and private hire drivers, an amended test for private hire applicants is introduced or the test is removed for only private hire applicants.

The decision to hold the consultation, made during a packed licensing committee meeting on Wednesday, January 21, comes despite fierce opposition from local taxi chiefs who warned that deregulation will trigger a "race to the bottom" and allow global giants like Uber to dismantle local competition.

The gallery was filled with approximately two dozen drivers who applauded Chris Douglas, head of Aberdeen Taxis, as he delivered a stinging rebuke of the proposed reforms. Mr. Douglas argued that removing the mandatory geographical test would erode service quality and eventually hand the keys of the city to "wealthy operators."

"History shows us that deregulation does not increase competition in the long term," Douglas warned. "Large firms with deeper pockets undercut smaller operators... Is that not the very definition of a monopoly?"

Local operators contend that the move does nothing to solve the city's most visible issue: long queues at taxi ranks. Since private hire cars are legally barred from picking up at ranks, Douglas argued that flooding the streets with new drivers would not help those waiting for a lift home in the city centre.

Conversely, business groups and lobbyists have labelled the test a "huge, outdated and unnecessary barrier" in an era dominated by GPS and satellite navigation. Uber, which has long advocated for the change to bolster its driver numbers, welcomed the opportunity for the public to weigh in.

An Uber spokeswoman stated: "Aberdeen has a long-standing and well-documented shortage of private hire cars... This is an important step toward improving transport reliability for the city."

While the consultation will cover various policies - including vehicle age limits and merging the city centre taxi zone and the airport zone, which will allow city drivers to join the rank at the airport - the knowledge test remains the lightning rod for tension.

Russell McLeod, managing director of Rainbow City Taxis, expressed scepticism about the democratic process, accusing councillors of being "bullied and harangued" into the review. "If this is going to be determined by a popularity vote based on myths, then we already know what the outcome will be," McLeod said.

Council officials have stressed that the consultation, which will run through February and March, is part of a routine review and that no final decisions have been made. A definitive ruling on the future of the knowledge test is expected in May.

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