SOUTHAMPTON cabbies are demanding civic chiefs follow in the footsteps of London transport bosses and drive taxi firm Uber out of the city.

Taxi drivers say the city council should refuse to renew the US company’s private hire operator’s licence in Southampton.

It comes after Transport for London (TfL) agreed to strip the hailing app service of its taxi licence last Friday amid concerns for the safety of passengers

Leading the call for action is Perry McMillan, chairman of the Southampton cab section of Unite, who said: “People who get into cabs in Southampton need to know they are safe.

“We’ve done a lot of work over the years to get the standards we have now, with the white branded taxis, cameras in the car and two yearly MOTs as a requirement.

“None of that applies for drivers from out of town.”

Southampton Hackney Association chairman Ian Hall backed an Uber ban.

He said: “There are about 200 Uber cars in Southampton and about 40 are registered with Southampton City Council.

“The rest are registered outside the city, from London, the New Forest and Portsmouth, even Liverpool and Wolverhampton.

“And the licensing authority in Southampton has no jurisdiction over them at all.”

Mr Hall said the out-of-city Ubers did not carry the same siugnage required by those licensed in Southampton nor did they have on-board CCTV as Southampton Hackey cabs are required to.

“I would like the 90 cars registered in London off the streets of Southampton, he said. “I also want the council to revoke the private hire operator’s license in Southampton.”

Uber says 3.5 million Londoners rely on its mobile phone app for “a safe, reliable and affordable ride”. It added that around 40,000 drivers depended on the hailing service for their livelihood.

The American company also set up a petition, which received the backing of 500,000 people in 24 hours - the fastest growing Change.org petition so far this year.

An Uber spokesperson said: “Across the UK, millions of people use our app to get from A to B and thousands of licensed drivers rely on Uber to make a living.

“We plan to appeal the decision in London and can continue operating while we await the outcome of our appeal.”

Responding to the decision, a Southampton City Council spokesperson said: “We accept there are similarities on the operating model, but it must be acknowledged that in London Uber operates under different legislation and conditions to Southampton.

“We will continue to monitor all of the operators in the city, and take action where appropriate. “

“As the legal argument unfolds in London we will continue to assess whether any matter raised materially affects the position in Southampton.”

Asked the council’s position on TfL registered drivers operating in Southampton, the spokesperson added: “The TfL drivers will not be able work after 30 September 2017 unless Uber appeal the decision, which we expect, in which case they can continue until the appeal is resolved, this is likely to take some months.

“However, some drivers may find alternative authorities to obtain their licences.

“Southampton City Council continue to press for legislative reform for the taxi trades and work with other licensing authorities to maintain standards.”