Uber loses London licence

Uber has lost its London licence after the city’s transport authority identified a “pattern of failures”, with Uber intending to appeal the decision.

Transport for London (TfL) says it won’t renew the ride-hailing company’s licence at the end of a two-month probationary extension granted in September.

Uber was told then it had to address issues with checks on drivers, insurance and safety, but has failed to satisfy TfL, The Guardian

reports.

TfL learned more than 14,000 trips were taken with drivers who had faked their identity on the firm’s app.

It says a “pattern of failures” by Uber included several breaches that placed passengers and their safety at risk.

“Despite addressing some of these issues, TfL does not have confidence that similar issues will not reoccur in the future, which has led it to conclude that the company is not fit and proper at this time.” TfL says.

Uber cars won’t be gone from London immediately, as Uber can continue to operate pending an appeal outcome.

When TfL first rejected Uber’s licence renewal, in September 2017, Uber gained a 15-month licence to continue.

Uber say it has since introduced technical fixes and plans to bring in facial recognition technology.