A STRING of local cab firms hoping to give transport giant Uber a run for its money have received a set-back in a long-running dispute with Bradford Council.

Bradford-based businessman Zabeer Hussain wants to give four cab firms a unified brand, with similar logos on the cars at Wrose Village, Eccleshill Premier Shipley Central and Manningham's Roadwise Central.

Under an investment plan worth around £120,000, Mr Hussain had wanted to bring in a unified branding theme - already trialled at one firm - alongside new smartphone apps.

But Bradford Council claims this could leave customers confused and have refused to sanction the new-look door stickers, known as decals.

Now Leeds City Council appears to have sided with Bradford Council over the matter.

Leeds had been brought in to peer-review the whole of Bradford's hackney carriage and private hire licensing service.

Its report, published earlier this month, said the peer-review came at a time when Bradford Council had clashed with cab firms “looking to innovate”.

It said: “The Private Hire industry is a rapidly evolving business with the introduction of new ICT-based business processes and the entrance of major operators such as Uber.

“Some private hire operators are looking to innovate in response and have recently questioned some of the practices and operation of the current CBMDC (City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council) service. A recent example would be the application of policies with regard to decals and vehicle advertising.”

But the report says that the job of the Bradford Council's licensing team is to keep the travelling public safe, not to “service the business needs of the trade”.

It says: “Some small parts of the trade do appear to thrive on conflict and it can seem that whatever an authority does, parts of the trade will never be satisfied.

“It’s important to remember that a licensing authority is in place to protect the travelling public and regulate the hackney carriage and private hire trade so it is the safest environment possible.

“Authorities need to accept that the trade may not be satisfied with a policy it has recently introduced, but as long as the authority is satisfied the policy is in the best interests of safety of the travelling public then it has made the right decision.

“A licensing authority needs to engage properly with the trade in a meaningful and productive manner, but it is not there to service the business needs of the trade, and clearly the restrictions some of the trade feel licensing authorities are placing upon them have not restricted the business opportunities of Uber or other high-profile national operators.”

A spokesman for the four cab firms said they were disappointed by the report, adding that that their fight to introduce a unified look would go on.

He said he saw no reason why their proposed shared branding would pose any risk to the safety of the travelling public.

And he said the firms had taken the matter to the Local Government Ombudsman, with the Ombudsman's findings expected shortly.