Taxi app giant Uber has been granted a license to operate in Plymouth.

The company will be able to employ 160 drivers in the city following license approval from Plymouth City Council on Thursday.

The boss of a Plymouth taxi company said the introduction of Uber would be “seriously damaging” to existing businesses.

The city council said Plymouth needed more taxis and some people in the town welcomed the decision.

Ben Wildman left the Royal Navy four years ago to start Easy Cars where he now has 38 drivers.

He said Uber’s move to Plymouth could be “devastating” for his family business, which he runs with his brother and parents.

Mr Wildman said: “If they are taking customers and taking drivers, there are fine margins in running a taxi business. If you lose a few drivers it can be seriously detrimental to the business.”

He said there had been a shortage of taxi drivers in Plymouth since Covid, but that was no longer the case since Plymouth City Council scrapped a knowledge test in January.

Some students in the city welcomed the decision to allow Uber in Plymouth.

Sophie Haider said it was what people from other parts of the country expected.

She said: “It’s like a safer way to get home, which I think is quite practical.

“We don’t really use taxis anymore so that’s what people are used to.”

Fellow student Yanna Lapworth said: “After a club, especially if we’re a group, just to get an Uber home.”