UK Edition
Uber boss condemns 'just wrong' London licence revocation
Uber has condemned Transport for London’s decision not to renew its licence in the capital, with bosses labelling the verdict “extraordinary and wrong”.
It was the second time in two years that the taxi-hailing company lost its licence due to concerns that it had put “passenger safety and security at risk”.
Uber faces a battle to keep operating in London – its biggest market outside the US. The company’s 45,000 drivers will stay on the roads while it appeals.
Chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi said that while Uber should be “held to a high bar”, the ruling was “just wrong” after two years of making changes to its operations in London.
TfL said there were breaches of driver identity rules affecting at least 14,000 trips in late 2018 and early this year, such as drivers uploading fake photographs or swapping accounts. In one case, a banned driver continued to take passengers using a fake account.
Jamie Heywood, Uber’s regional general manager, said technical fixes meant such violations could not happen again. “The gap was closed. We stopped drivers implicated from taking new trips then did full audits of all drivers in London,” he told Bloomberg TV.
The company was also introducing a new facial matching process to prevent fraud and improve checks on drivers.
London First chief executive Jasmine Whitbread said the decision was “a blow for millions of Londoners and visitors who rely on Uber”, adding: “TfL rightly acknowledges Uber has made positive strides over the last year.”
Matthew Fell, at the CBI, said Uber’s popularity showed that passengers valued it: “We’d encourage both sides to continue the dialogue to determine what changes are required in order that Uber’s customers can continue to enjoy the service in the long term.”
The IWGB union also criticised the regulator’s decision, warning it would “come as a hammer blow” to its drivers – many of whom could face unemployment or debt from lease payments.
London mayor Sadiq Khan, who is the chairman of TfL, said the decision “may be unpopular with Uber users” but insisted that their safety was the “paramount concern”.
Helen Chapman, of TfL, said: “While we recognise Uber has made improvements, it is unacceptable that Uber has allowed passengers to get into minicabs with drivers who are potentially unlicensed and uninsured.”
Uber shares fell 1.5pc in New York yesterday.