Photo: rte.ie
Uber has suffered another defeat in the ride-share London market, with the Transport for London (TfL), which regulates taxi and private hire services, ruling that it is not “fit and proper” to be granted a new private hire operator license. In other words, Uber got denied in London, big time.
Uber’s legal turmoils seemed to lessen last year, when it was granted a temporary, 15-month license with a very significant caveat: it would have to meet a strict set of conditions for TfL to consider granting it a permanent license.
In September this year, as the 15 months were up, Uber got a 2-month reprieve, so it could work on meeting those strict conditions. According to TfL, while serious progress has been made, it’s not enough. Uber will not be granted a new license in London.
In a press release, TfL highlights the issues that Uber was not able to solve and the refer to passenger safety. One of these “breaches” allowed unauthorized driver to upload their photos to other Uber drivers’ accounts and pick up passengers as if they were verified Uber drivers. TfL says around 14,000 trips have been made with these “fake” drivers. Another allowed drivers whose account had been suspended or dismissed to set up new accounts and continue operating.
Both issues compromised passengers’ safety and, while Uber has been working on putting an end to these breaches, TfL is not certain it will be able to prevent them in the future. So, for the time being, it’s ruling Uber is unfit to operate in London.
“Safety is our absolute top priority,” Helen Chapman, Director of Licensing, Regulation and Charging at TfL, says. “While we recognize Uber has made improvements, it is unacceptable that Uber has allowed passengers to get into minicabs with drivers who are potentially unlicensed and uninsured. It is clearly concerning that these issues arose, but it is also concerning that we cannot be confident that similar issues won't happen again in future.”
For the time being, though, Uber will continue to operate in the British capital. It will be able to do so until all methods of appeal are exhausted. If Uber does appeal the TfL decision, it will have to prove in court that it is able to prevent this type of breaches, and will be able to apply for a license if the magistrate rules in its favor.
In September this year, as the 15 months were up, Uber got a 2-month reprieve, so it could work on meeting those strict conditions. According to TfL, while serious progress has been made, it’s not enough. Uber will not be granted a new license in London.
In a press release, TfL highlights the issues that Uber was not able to solve and the refer to passenger safety. One of these “breaches” allowed unauthorized driver to upload their photos to other Uber drivers’ accounts and pick up passengers as if they were verified Uber drivers. TfL says around 14,000 trips have been made with these “fake” drivers. Another allowed drivers whose account had been suspended or dismissed to set up new accounts and continue operating.
Both issues compromised passengers’ safety and, while Uber has been working on putting an end to these breaches, TfL is not certain it will be able to prevent them in the future. So, for the time being, it’s ruling Uber is unfit to operate in London.
“Safety is our absolute top priority,” Helen Chapman, Director of Licensing, Regulation and Charging at TfL, says. “While we recognize Uber has made improvements, it is unacceptable that Uber has allowed passengers to get into minicabs with drivers who are potentially unlicensed and uninsured. It is clearly concerning that these issues arose, but it is also concerning that we cannot be confident that similar issues won't happen again in future.”
For the time being, though, Uber will continue to operate in the British capital. It will be able to do so until all methods of appeal are exhausted. If Uber does appeal the TfL decision, it will have to prove in court that it is able to prevent this type of breaches, and will be able to apply for a license if the magistrate rules in its favor.
Google News