Hailing a taxi on-street in Wiltshire may become rarer as private hire numbers overtake hackney carriages after Uber’s arrival.
A report for Wiltshire Council’s Licensing Committee says Uber was licensed in the county at the start of 2026 after cabbie numbers fell following the pandemic. Cab numbers dropped by about a fifth from the start of Covid to last year, with a net loss of 79 taxi drivers in 2025.
Shift to private hire
As of August there were 407 private hire vehicle licences and 402 hackney carriage licences. Licensing officers say more drivers are registering through Uber and moving from hackney to private hire licences, mainly because Uber’s dynamic pricing is not available on metered hackneys within the district.
Private hire operator applications have also risen. The report expects Wiltshire to look more like other areas where private hire outnumbers hackneys.
Between 1 May and 26 August, 614 vehicle inspection appointments were booked; 6% were no-shows and 5% failed, including one six-month inspection presented with three bald tyres. Mandatory safeguarding training has been cut from every five years to every three.