London Mayor Sadiq Khan has implied that he is not prepared to meet with Uber, after Transport for London last week announced that it was stripping the ride-sharing service of its licence to operate in the city.
He said that TfL, of which he is the chairman, is always happy to talk to private ride hire operators, but that it’s improper for politicians to interfere in something that is a “quasi-judicial matter.”
"What you can't do is have a situation where unfair pressure is brought on a quasi-judicial body," he told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme.
“London should be a place for new technology. London should be a place where new companies set up, but you’ve got to play by the rules,” he said.
“If you play by the rules, you’re welcome in London, if you don’t, don’t be surprised if TfL takes issue.”
On Friday, TfL said that it had decided that Uber "is not fit and proper to hold a private hire operator licence".
It said that it considers 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”.
Uber said it was “astounded” by the decision and would immediately challenge it in the courts. Tom Elvidge, general manager of the company in London, launched an online petition to challenge TfL’s decision which, by Monday, had already garnered in excess of 730,000 virtual signatures.
Separately on Monday, Uber's head of cities for the UK, Fred Jones, told Radio 4 that the Silicon Valley-based company wants to "sit down with Transport for London" to discuss their decision “as soon as possible" and "find out what they want us to do, and move forward as soon as possible”.
"It would be helpful to find out what their concerns are," Mr Jones said.
Uber’s current licence expires on 30 September. It has just under three weeks to appeal the decision, during which time it can continue to operate.
An estimated 3.5 million people use Uber in London and if the decision stands, it could put more than 40,000 licensed drivers out of work.
