Uber has lost its licence to operate in London following the regulator highlighted safety and security breaches to the firm’s passengers.
The company had initially lost its licence in London in September of 2017, but was able to continue operations in the Capital due to an appeal.
Now, Transport For London (TFL) has claimed Uber is not “fit and proper at this time” after identifying a “pattern of failures” within the company’s operations.
Uber has 21 days to appeal the decision which will enable the ride service hailing company to continue operating during the process.
The director of licensing, regulation and charging at TFL – Helen Chapman – said: “As the regulator of private hire services in London we are required to make a decision today on whether Uber is fit and proper to hold a licence. Safety is our absolute top priority.
“While we recognise Uber has made improvements, it is unacceptable that Uber has allowed passengers to get into minicabs with drivers who are potentially unlicensed and uninsured.
Chapman added: “If they choose to appeal, Uber will have the opportunity to publicly demonstrate to a magistrate whether it has put in place sufficient measures to ensure potential safety risks to passengers are eliminated.
“If they do appeal, Uber can continue to operate and we will closely scrutinise the company to ensure the management has robust controls in place to ensure safety is not compromised during any changes to the app.”
Jamie Heywood, Uber’s regional general manager for northern and Eastern Europe, has also responded to the decision. Heywood said: “TfL’s decision not to renew Uber’s licence in London is extraordinary and wrong, and we will appeal.
“We have fundamentally changed our business over the last two years and are setting the standard on safety. TfL found us to be a fit and proper operator just two months ago, and we continue to go above and beyond.
“On behalf of the 3.5 million riders and 45,000 licensed drivers who depend on Uber in London, we will continue to operate as normal and will do everything we can to work with TfL to resolve this situation.”