Uber stopped from operating in London - The - The Washington Post

Henry Nicholls Reuters A photo illustration shows the Uber app and a bus in London, Britain, June 25, 2018.

LONDON — London’s transport authorities on Monday announced they will not renew Uber’s license to operate in the British capital after thousands of trips were made with someone other than the booked driver.

In a statement, Transport for London (TfL) said that there were “several breaches that placed passengers and their safety at risk.”

Uber’s license expires at midnight on Monday. The company said that it will appeal the decision, and it can continue to operate until a final decision is made.

This is the second time in two years that transport authorities have rejected the ride-hailing app’s bid to renew its operating license in London, one of its largest European markets.

The ride-sharing app, which employs tens of thousands of drivers, is hugely popular with users in London — and unpopular with London’s iconic black cabbies.

Uber said it will appeal the decision and that, for it’s 3.5 million users in London and 45,000 drivers, it will be business as usual during that time. “We have fundamentally changed our business over the last 2 years, setting the standard for safety in the industry. TfL’s decision on our London licence is wrong and we will appeal,” the corporation tweeted.

In September 2017, TfL first dropped the bombshell that it was not going to renew Uber’s license amid safety concerns. The company successfully appealed that decision and was granted an extension.

TfL said that the company had made a number of improvements over the past year but said that one of the key issues was a change to Uber’s system that “allowed unauthorised drivers to upload their photos to other Uber driver accounts.” They said that this allowed at least 14,000 trips where passengers were picked up by someone other than the booked driver.

Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, said in a statement: “I know this decision may be unpopular with Uber users but their safety is the paramount concern.”

“Regulations are there to keep Londoners safe, and fully complying with TfL’s strict standards is essential if private hire operators want a license to operate in London,” he said.

Read more

Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMizAFodHRwczovL3d3dy53YXNoaW5ndG9ucG9zdC5jb20vd29ybGQvdWJlcnMtb3BlcmF0aW5nLWxpY2Vuc2UtaW4tbG9uZG9uLW5vdC1yZW5ld2VkLWluLWxhdGVzdC10dXNzbGUtYmV0d2Vlbi10aGUtY2l0eS1hbmQtdGhlLXJpZGUtaGFpbGluZy1zZXJ2aWNlLzIwMTkvMTEvMjUvMGIzMDI0MDAtMGY3My0xMWVhLTkyNGMtYjM0ZDA5YmJjOTQ4X3N0b3J5Lmh0bWzSAQA?oc=5

2019-11-25 11:37:00Z
52780445636409