Uber loses private hire licence for London

Ride-hailing app Uber has been denied the renewal of its private hire licence by Transport for London.

It means that the organisation will not be able to operate in the capital after its licence expires on September 30.

In a statement, Transport for London (TfL) said it “has concluded that Uber London is not fit and proper to hold a private hire operator licence”.

It added: “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.”

Uber was chastised on four points in particular, including its approach to reporting serious criminal offences, and how it obtains medical certificates and enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks.

TfL also questioned the ride-hailing app’s explanation for using software called Greyball, which it said could be used to block regulatory bodies or law enforcement outfits from gaining full access to the app.

Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, said: “Providing an innovative service must not be at the expense of customer safety and security.

“Any operator of private hire services in London needs to play by the rules.”

Tom Elvidge, Uber’s general manager for London, issued an immediate response, saying: “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.”

London Assembly member Andrew Boff said: “This is a hugely damaging decision by Sadiq Khan that will effectively put 40,000 people out of work at the click of a finger.

“The Mayor consistently tells us London is open, but in shutting down the operations of an innovative market leader like Uber he has caused immense reputational damage to our city as a global business hub.

“With 3.5million registered users – almost half the city’s adult population – Uber has shown to be providing a hugely beneficial service to Londoners.

“Sadiq Khan has ignored their needs and instead believed the smears and propaganda propagated by Uber’s rivals.”

TfL said that Uber had 21 days to appeal against the decision.