Uber court ruling: can Uber continue in London after court case appeal?
Following a four-day hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court earlier this month, Uber found out whether they could continue operating in London today.
There was a strong possibility that the popular vehicle hire and taxi ordering app would be prohibited from operating in the capital, one of its largest markets, following TfL’s (Transport for London) rejection of their licence back in November 2019.
The company has been allowed to operate throughout the appeal process, but today’s decision could’ve changed everything.
What has been decided about Uber’s future? Has Uber been banned in London?
What was the Uber court ruling?
After today’s court ruling, Uber wins the right to continue operating throughout London.
Deputy chief magistrate Tan Ikram has ruled the company should be granted a new licence for the capital.
He declared that it was a ‘fit and proper’ company but did recognise there had been ‘historical failures’ and the company had a ‘track-record of regulation breaches.’
However, the judge said Uber had made efforts to address failings and had improved standards.
What was the Uber court case appeal about?
The ‘historical failures’ alluded to by the judge refers to the ‘several breaches that placed passengers and their safety at risk’ which prompted TfL to deny their application last year.
TfL found a change to Uber’s systems had allowed unauthorised people to upload their photographs to legitimate driver accounts, enabling them to pick up passengers.
Westminster Magistrates Court heard that 24 drivers shared their accounts with 20 others which led to 14,788 rides.
Uber’s 45,000 drivers in London have been allowed to continue operating in London until the appeal process is completed.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said TfL was ‘absolutely right’ not to renew Uber’s licence last year but acknowledged the company had ‘made improvements’.
Despite their winning today, Khan added: ‘I can assure Londoners that TfL will continue to closely monitor Uber and will not hesitate to take swift action should they fail to meet the strict standards required to protect passengers.’
Uber’s regional general manager for Northern and Eastern Europe, Jamie Heywood said: ‘This decision is a recognition of Uber’s commitment to safety and we will continue to work constructively with TfL.’
MORE: Uber to ask passengers to send ‘face mask selfies’ before getting picked up
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