Uber faces shutting down in London as bid for new licence is rejected – and has two months left to get new deal
UBER'S bid to renew its private hire operating licence in London has been rejected – and now risks being shut down in the capital.
Transport for London has given the ride-sharing taxi app a two-month extension to its current licence – which expires on Wednesday night.
This is the second time in two years that TfL has rejected Uber's request for a full operating licence.
Uber has failed to meet TfL demands to become a "fit and proper" firm, and is only eligible for a brief extension.
TfL said Uber failed to report criminal allegations made against drivers to the police, and will remain on probation.
"Uber London Ltd has been granted a two-month private hire operator licence to allow for scrutiny of additional information that we are requesting ahead of consideration of any potential further licensing application," said a TfL spokesperson.
Uber's first five-year licence period came to an end in September 2017.
It was then granted a 15-month provisional licence, due to concerns over passenger safety.
Now a further two months have been granted at the last minute, just over 24 hours before the licence was due to expire.
This decision was backed by London mayor Sadiq Khan.
"Sadiq has been crystal clear that in London it doesn’t matter how powerful and how big you are, you must play by the rules," Khan's spokesperson said.
This new licence comes with fresh conditions to improve passenger safety.
Uber will be forced to improve ride-sharing, insurance and checks on driver documentation.
And the taxi app will continue to be required to produce an "independently verified" assurance report every six months.
TfL also requires four weeks' notice of changes to its operational model.
And criminal complains from passengers must be reported to the Metropolitan police.
In a statement given to The Sun, Uber's Jamie Heywood said: "We will continue to work closely with TfL and provide any additional requested information.
"Over the past two years, we’ve launched a range of new safety features in the app, introduced better protections for drivers and our Clean Air Plan is helping to tackle air pollution.
"We will keep listening, learning and improving to provide the best service while being a trusted partner to London."
New Uber safety features revealed
Here are some of the new Uber safety features added since TfL's landmark probation ruling in September 2017...
- A dedicated Safety Toolkit in the Uber app means that riders and drivers can easily access important features to keep them safe and prevent incidents
- Trusted Contacts: Designate up to five friends and family members to be prompted to follow your journey with live trip details
- Emergency assistance: Connect directly with emergency services through the app. The app will show your real-time location and vehicle information
- Address anonymisation: In addition to rider and driver mobile numbers, rider’s specific pick-up and drop-off addresses are now concealed
- In-app safety centre for drivers: Uber’s one-stop shop for safety resources includes tips, insurance protections and community guidelines
- Check Your Ride alerts help make sure riders are getting into the correct licensed vehicle
- Cycle lane alerts notify riders to check for cyclists before opening the door near a cycle path
- Uber's 24/7 support centre is staffed by 300 specially trained agents dedicated to improving the safety of drivers and riders.
- Limits to driver hours mean that a licensed driver can only spend 10 hours en route to, and on-trip with, a passenger before they are required to log out
Without an extension or deal, Uber would have been forced to stop operating in the capital from Wednesday night.
Now Uber will have two months to get a full deal, or acquire a fresh extension.
If not, Uber will have to cease operations in London until TfL is satisfied that the firm has cleaned up its act.
Critics say Uber's efforts are too little, too late however.
"Granting Uber a two-month temporary licence clearly shows that the firm have failed their probation and are still a huge threat to public safety," said Steve McNamara, of the Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association.
"Over the last 15 months Uber was supposed to change its operations for the better, but the firm has continued to shirk its responsibilities.
"The granting of the shortest operator’s licence ever shows the mayor doesn’t trust Uber, and neither should Londoners.
"It’s time the mayor pulled the plug on Uber’s immoral operation for good."
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