Transport For London (TFL) has issued a notice to confirm that is will not renew Uber’s licence to operate in London. Uber had tendered a request for renewal for the operational license which is due to expire on the 30th of September.
According to TFL, in the notice, “Uber London Limited is not fit and proper to hold a private hire operator licence”. It adds that “TFL considers that Uber’s approach and conduct demonstrate a lack of corporate responsibility in relation to a number of issues which have potential public safety and security implications.
See the notice tweeted by TFL early this morning
https://twitter.com/TfL/status/911168235189489669
Uber has 21 days to appeal the move, and if it does so can continue to operate as normal until the challenge is finished.
Tom Elvidge, Uber’s general manager for London, responded saying: “3.5 million Londoners who use our app, and more than 40,000 licensed drivers who rely on Uber to make a living, will be astounded by this decision.
“By wanting to ban our app from the capital Transport for London and the Mayor have caved in to a small number of people who want to restrict consumer choice. If this decision stands, it will put more than 40,000 licensed drivers out of work and deprive Londoners of a convenient and affordable form of transport.
“To defend the livelihoods of all those drivers, and the consumer choice of millions of Londoners who use our app, we intend to immediately challenge this in the courts.”
“Drivers who use Uber are licensed by Transport for London and have been through the same enhanced DBS background checks as black cab drivers. Our pioneering technology has gone further to enhance safety with every trip tracked and recorded by GPS.
“We have always followed TfL rules on reporting serious incidents and have a dedicated team who work closely with the Metropolitan Police. As we have already told TfL, an independent review has found that ‘greyball’ has never been used or considered in the UK for the purposes cited by TfL.
“Uber operates in more than 600 cities around the world, including more than 40 towns and cities here in the UK. This ban would show the world that, far from being open, London is closed to innovative companies who bring choice to consumers.”
The Telegraph reports that London mayor Sadiq Khan fully supported TFL’s decision saying; “I fully support TfL’s decision – it would be wrong if TfL continued to license Uber if there is any way that this could pose a threat to Londoners’ safety and security.”
Earlier in the month, Uber rival, Taxify, was ordered to stop operations in London after only three days of operation because of licensing issues.
