Uber’s appeal against Transport for London’s shock decision back in September not to renew its licence in the city will not be heard until spring 2018.
Both sides of the dispute appeared before Westminster Magistrates' Court on Monday, for a case management hearing. Chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnot said that a hearing as to whether the GMB union and the Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association could become interested parties in the case would take place on Tuesday and Wednesday next week. A full appeal hearing on the case, though, would not be happen until either May or June next year. An exact date is yet to be set.
TfL on 22 September announced its decision to scrap Uber’s operating licence in London, sparking a fierce battle between the company, unions, politicians, rival services and loyal customers.
The transport authority at the time accused the Silicon Valley giant of lacking corporate responsibility in relation to issues around public safety and security.
In October, Uber chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi met with TfL and apologised to Londoners for some of the companies practices in the past. Both sides described those talks as constructive but details of progress in negotiations have been sparse ever since.
Uber employs around 40,000 drivers in London, servicing an estimated 3.5 million people, which makes the capital one of its most important international markets, but it has been under severe fire from a growing army of UK critics in recent over the past year.
Some have claimed that the privately-owned company unfairly skews competition, while other have accused it of not doing enough to crack down on incidents of violence involving drivers.
Beyond London, Uber’s licence was recently also suspended in Sheffield after the company reportedly failed to respond to official requests about its management.
In Brighton its licence was renewed in early November, but only for a period of six months.
In London, Uber can continue servicing its London passengers until the appeals process is exhausted, which some experts have said could take several years.
In a statement on Monday, a spokesperson for Uber said that the company had filed the appeal “so that we can continue serving millions of riders and tens of thousands of drivers in London”.
The spokesperson added that discussions with TfL around resolving the issue were still “constructive”.
“As our new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has said, we are determined to make things right.”
