Cabbies attempting to register to work with Uber have been told they must wait until December.

Several cab drivers said they had attempted to log on to join Uber after Blackburn with Darwen Council granted the company a licence. But they were told the system was still not in place to accept drivers.

The council granted a licence to Uber on November 12. Until then it was common to see private hire vehicles working for the app-based ride-ordering service operating in a different borough to the one they are licensed in.

Uber is the largest ride-sharing company worldwide with more than 150 million monthly active users and six million active drivers and couriers.

In order to drive on the Uber app, drivers need a private-hire licence from a council Uber is licensed by. All UK private-hire drivers need a licence from a licensing authority such as a council.

Following the announcement drivers had attempted to register with the app.

A driver said he initially got a message saying, ‘We do not have a licence to operate in your council at this time.’

A further message to drivers reads: “Uber has recently been granted a private hire operator license for Blackburn. We are working hard to get the relevant tools in place to begin on-boarding drivers.

“Please note that this may take some time.

“Our latest information is that we won’t be able to start on-boarding until beginning of December at the earliest.

“We realise this may be a disappointment to you and we apologise for the inconvenience. We will update you if this changes.

“We will contact all Blackburn licensed drivers when we have more information.”

The announcement that Uber had been granted a licence came despite fears it could have a major effect on local licensed cab and private hire drivers working for taxi firms within the borough.

Drivers in Blackpool had spoken out when Uber was granted a licence in the seaside resort.

Recently, the BBC reported that drivers were believed to be charging as little as 36p for a two-mile trip. Uber had responded and said it was normal practice to offer discounts to passengers for their first few journeys in one of the company's new towns.

There were also concerns that ‘surge pricing’ at busier times would be a lot higher than the prices charged by local firms.

The council confirmed last week the licensing service had recently received an application for an operator's licence for private hire vehicles from Uber.

Uber was approached for comment.