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Taxi app Uber is to launch in Newcastle only days after The Chronicle revealed the tech firm had its sights on the city.

Passengers will be able to summon a cab with their smartphone from 4pm on Friday afternoon - with bosses at the multi-billion dollar company offering customers their first journey for free.

Tom Elvidge, Uber’s general manager for Yorkshire and the North East, said: “Uber has been embraced by riders and drivers in every city it has opened in, and we’re sure Newcastle will be no different.”

The firm is launching in Newcastle with it’s cheapest service, UberX, which has already been introduced in London, Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham and Wakefield.

And Mr Elvidge claimed fares for the four seat “Prius or Passat-type” taxis will be “five to 10% below the competition” with a journey from Newcastle Station to Newcastle Airport costing around £12.80, and Newcastle University to the Quayside £4.30.

He also said the firm’s arrival would create jobs in the city, though the total number at its Collingwood Street office would depend on how successful the service proves.

“We want to be part of this city and it is important to us to understand how it moves and what is important to both passengers and drivers,” he said. “And to do that we have to be here.

“We have had positions available and we are still recruiting, but the total number of staff will depend on how it takes off - but to give you an idea, our office in London has around 60 people in total.”

Even before Uber’s launch on Tyneside, the company says it has seen its app downloaded over 30,000 times in the Newcastle area in the last six months.

And its plan for success is to first and foremost try and target the city’s younger adults.

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Mr Elvidge said: “Newcastle has an enormous student and young professional population, and we’ve seen in other cities that our early adopters are in those demographics.

“Everyone gets their first ride for free up to a value of £15, so we hope people will try it.”

UberX - like all Uber services - involves a passenger downloading the app to their smart phone, which then uses GPS enabled maps to locate them, and they can request a nearby taxi with the press of a button.

The app then provides the taxi driver’s photo, name and car registration and users can watch the taxi approaching via a moving symbol on the map.

All Uber drivers in the UK have passed an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service - formerly known as a CRB - check, are licensed by Newcastle City Council and are fully insured as private hire drivers, the company said.

Passengers then travel to their destination, but do not have to pay the driver - the fare is taken automatically via a credit or debit card connected to a customer’s Uber account.

Mr Elvidge said he believed the system is safer for both passengers and drivers.

“For drivers it means they don’t have to have lots of cash in their cars - and in Leeds we’ve had drivers who now don’t carry any cash at all,” he said.

“It’s also more convenient for passengers as we all know those situations where you only have £5 in your pocket and know it’s a £10 fare, and so have to stop at a cash point.

“We’re really looking forward to providing a first-class Uber service in the North East.”