Welcome to the Uber in Kent website where we will answer some common myths and questions about Uber.

“Can I book a Uber in advance?”

Unfortunately not, Uber Reserve is not currently available in Kent. You have to request an Uber when required. However, there are plenty of Uber drivers working from 4am onwards so why pre-book the evening before with a local firm only for the car to turn up late (or not at all) because the staff working the day before have taken too many customer bookings for that time in the morning for the amount of cars that are out?

“Are Uber drivers allowed to work in my area? I have been told by other taxi drivers that they are working illegally in this area”

Yes – Uber drivers are licensed to work throughout Kent and Uber are not working illegally in Kent.  Hackney and private hire drivers in certain areas will say this for their own gain to confuse and discourage customers from using Uber. Be assured that if Uber was working illegally in Kent we could not work here in the first place.

“I’ve read Uber drivers are not subject to the same standards and checks as the other private hire drivers working on local firms and Uber drivers are unregulated drivers from other areas”

WRONG! Uber drivers ARE those ‘other drivers’ – in the UK Uber drivers are licensed by the local councils (or in London by TFL), the same as the drivers on the local firms and are subject to a minimum of

DBS check

Knowledge test

Medical examination

Right to work in the UK check

HMRC Tax check

Depending on the licensing council there are other checks and tests to do such as safeguarding tests, ambassador course etc.

In fact 99% of the Uber drivers in Kent are private hire drivers that have moved across from the local privare hire firms, the other 1% are new private hire drivers who have had to go through the same checks and tests as the established drivers. However, in some other parts of the world it is true that Uber drivers are not regulated as they are in the UK, such as certain states in the USA.

Uber does offer safety advantages the other local firms cannot offer such as –

A picture of your driver and their vehicle on your rider app along with the vehicle registration and type/colour so you can easily see your designated driver and vehicle for your journey.

Security PIN verification – if you select this option the journey cannot proceed unless the driver gives you the correct PIN to ensure you are in the correct car; Some drivers have this feature set up on their accounts to ensure they have the correct customer so if a driver asks you for a PIN (it will be a 4 digit number highlighted in blue on your rider app) before the journey can proceed, that’s why.

You can also set this up for yourself – touch the Account icon on the bottom right of the Uber app, select ‘Safety’, the select ‘Verify your trip’ and use the toggle switch on ‘Use PIN to verify trips’ to activate it, that way you will never get into the wrong vehicle. I would highly recommend this for your own safety as you pay upfront for your Uber.

Share trip status option – You can share your live location and trip details with a friend or family member from your phone contacts to check your progress. Again touch the account icon, then ‘Safety’ then ‘Safety preferences’ then ‘Share trip status’ then choose a contact – that contact can then track your journey live.

Photo Verification- the Uber system will regularly ask the driver for a live selfie to confirm it is the correct driver using the system; Any attempt to take a picture of a photograph of a driver (pretending to be the correct driver so someone else can use the drivers account) results in that drivers account being suspended instantly then subsequently terminated as drivers in other areas have found out to their cost! 

Restricted driving hours – Uber drivers are restricted to 10 hours driving a day, once that limit it reached the driver is automatically logged off the Uber system for 6 hours to get some rest. On local firms there are no such restrictions and drivers on those firms can drive for 15 or 18 hours (or more) a day if they want to.

Furthermore contrary to popular belief drivers licensed by Wolverhampton City Council cannot work Uber in Kent or Southern England; Uber uses a Geofence (GPS fencing) and no Wolverhampton licensed driver can log onto the Uber system further south of Milton Keynes. There are Wolverhampton licensed cars working in Kent but they are working on local firms who have an operators licence with Wolverhampton City Council. 

“How many passengers can a Uber carry?”

Uber X = 4 passengers

Uber XL = 6 passengers

It is important to remember that toddlers and babies are counted as a passenger; If you book an Uber X and there are 2 adults and 3 babies the driver cannot take you as their insurance will be invalidated in the result of a crash – in other words you will get NO compensation if there is an accident! There are some Uber XL vehicles that are licensed by the local councils for up to 8 people but it’s pot luck if one of those turns up, you cannot prebook 7 or 8 seaters on Uber at the moment in Kent.

“Does Uber take pets?”

Yes there are a drivers on Uber that take pets – select Uber Pet when choosing a ride. Please keep your dog on the floor as remember other customers have to sit on the seats afterwards and will not appreciate pet hairs stuck to their clothes.

“I have been picked up by Uber drivers with signs for other local private hire companies on their vehicles such as  Thanet Cars/Central Cars”

This is within Thanet District Council licensing rules –  Private Hire drivers are self employed and allowed to work for more than one company and Uber has no problem with drivers working for other firms.

“I have been picked up by Uber drivers whose vehicles have no signs on them stating which company they work for.”

Again this is down to the licensing authority – vehicles licensed by Canterbury City Council do not require operator signs on their vehicles, only the licensing plate on the rear of the vehicle.

“Can I pay by for my trip with cash?”

Yes, you can pay for your Uber ride with cash but very few Uber drivers have opted in to this so you will have to wait until a cash driver is available.

“Can I book a Uber in advance?”

Unfortunately not, Uber Reserve is not currently available in Kent. You have to request an Uber when required. However, there are plenty of Uber drivers working from 4am onwards so why pre-book the evening before with a local firm only for the car to turn up late because the staff working the day before have taken too many bookings for that time in the morning for the amount of cars that are out?

“Why is Uber sometimes more expensive than the local firms”

Uber uses dynamic pricing which varies due to demand and the amount of drivers available.  However, Uber is usually cheaper than the local firms from Midnight until 5am. You are free to check the price on the Uber app and compare it to the local firms at the time.

Above all enjoy your journey with Uber and have a good 2026 🙂