Uber London Ltd - Licence not renewed

Today (Friday 22^nd September 2017) Transport for London (TfL) has informed Uber London Limited that it will not be issued with a private hire operator licence after expiry of its current licence on 30 September. 

Uber London Limited was licenced as a Private Hire (PH) Operator in 2012. On 26 May TfL granted a 4-month PH Operator Licence whilst it concluded its consideration of a five year licence. This licence expires on 30 September.

TfL has concluded that Uber London Limited is not fit and proper to hold a private hire operator licence.

TfL stated in  their public statement on the decision, 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. These included:

• Its approach to reporting serious criminal offences.
• Its approach to how medical certificates are obtained.
• Its approach to how Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks are obtained.
• Its approach to explaining the use of Greyball in London - software that could be used to block regulatory bodies from gaining full access to the app and prevent officials from undertaking regulatory or law enforcement duties.

The Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998 includes provision to appeal a licensing decision within 21 days of it being communicated to the applicant. Uber London Limited can continue to operate until any appeal processes have been exhausted.

A statement by Uber states that it currently has 3.5 million Londoners that are using the app and more than 40,000 licensed drivers who rely on Uber to make a living.

We anticipate an appeal will follow, we shall keep you updated.