London Mayor Sadiq Khan has admitted that Uber could be able to operate freely in London for years despite Transport for London refusing to renew the taxi service’s licence in September.
TfL said at the time that it did not deem Uber to be “fit and proper” to run a taxi service in the capital, citing a string of safety concerns. Uber appealed against the decision two weeks later.
When asked how long the appeals process could last at Mayor’s question time on Thursday, Mr Khan said: “My understanding is that it could go on for a number of years.”
The company can continue to operate until the appeals process is exhausted. The fact that Mr Khan understands that process could go on longer than his own term as Mayor will raise questions over whether the ban was ever intended to be effective. Around 3.5 million passengers and 40,000 drivers use Uber app in London.
When choosing not to renew Uber’s operating licence, TfL said that the company’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”.
TfL said that its concerns relate to Uber’s approach to reporting serious criminal offences and to how medical certificates are obtained, among other things.
Uber said it was “astounded” by the decision. Uber’s new chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi met TfL commissioner Mike Brown in October to try to repair the company’s relationship with the regulator. Both sides described the talks as “constructive”.
The privately owned company, founded just over eight years ago, has been under severe fire from a growing army of critics in the UK, claiming that it unfairly skews competition and that it has not done enough to crack down on incidents of violence involving drivers.
A spokesperson for the company said on Thursday: “Uber continues to have constructive discussions with TfL in order to try to reach a resolution, even though we have filed our appeal.”
