Uber loses licence to operate in London (fast food, legal, accuse)

[Brave New World]

It's been on the cards for a while, with poor vetting of drivers, drivers working longer hours than legal limits, not reporting sexual assaults and numerous other problems.

Transport for London (TfL have now concluded the ride-hailing app firm is not fit and proper to hold a London private hire operator licence.

Originally Posted by BBC

Throughout its short, tempestuous life, Uber has clashed with regulators around the world - and more often than not it has come out on top.

Its tactic has often been to arrive in a city, break a few rules, and then apologise when it's rapped over the knuckles. Some regulators have backed down, others have run the company out of town.

In London, despite protests from angry taxi drivers, the company has had a relatively easy ride until now.

But a wave of bad publicity about its corporate culture, its lax attitude to checks on its drivers and its treatment of this freelance army seems to have spurred TfL into action.

Make no mistake, Uber will use every legal avenue to fight this ban. It will argue that consumers, in the shape of the millions of mainly young Londoners who rely on its service, will be seriously let down if it can no longer operate.

But the courts will have to balance that with the serious concerns about public safety raised by Transport for London (TfL).

Uber London loses licence to operate - BBC News

Uber stripped of London licence due to lack of corporate responsibility - Guardian

Uber failing to report sex attacks by drivers, says Met police - Guardian

Uber drivers accused of 32 rapes and sex attacks on London passengers over the past year | The Independent

Fears over ‘excessive and unsafe’ 65-hour weeks for Uber cab drivers - Telegraph

[pknopp]

I'm not quite grasping why it's a governments problem if I want to take the guy down the street across town and he pays me for that.

I'm not sure why it's the governments problem if it takes me all day driving him around.

[phma]

This is outrageous !!!
How is any respectable terrorist supposed to get around London planting bombs on the cheep ?

[Brave New World]

Originally Posted by pknopp

I'm not quite grasping why it's a governments problem if I want to take the guy down the street across town and he pays me for that.

I'm not sure why it's the governments problem if it takes me all day driving him around.

It's down to the Mayors Office and Transport for London (TfL) rather than the Central Government, it's local authorities, councils and Mayors offices who licence taxi companies so they can legally operate. They do so using evidence provided to them from the police and transport authorities.

[Frank DeForrest]

Yeah if service is that poor and the company disreputable, the consumers will put them out. Smells like the cabbies paid off the right politicians to have their market protected.

[Pilot1]

Originally Posted by Frank DeForrest

Yeah if service is that poor and the company disreputable, the consumers will put them out. Smells like the cabbies paid off the right politicians to have their market protected.

That was my thought as well. I have a call later today with my partners in London, so I will ask them. I use Uber a lot there and elsewhere.

[pknopp]

Originally Posted by Brave New World

It's down to the Mayors Office and Transport for London (TfL) rather than the Central Government, it's local authorities, councils and Mayors offices who licence taxi companies so they can legally operate. They do so using evidence provided to them from the police and transport authorities.

Why do I need a license to drive the people in my neighborhood around?

[rstevens62]

Ive never quite understood why Uber was so popular, it seems to me, this service was already here, in the form of cab companies, seems like they are just re-inventing the wheel to some degree, and if a cab company wanted more business, whats stopping the drivers from just becoming Uber drivers themselves?

I just heard recently Uber started delivering things like fast food to people, but again, many cab companies have already been doing this for years, maybe people just didnt know they would, IDK?

[Brave New World]

Originally Posted by pknopp

Why do I need a license to drive the people in my neighborhood around?

Taxis are licenced and regulated in cities across the world, it's not unique to London ny any means.

Uber has a tendency to ignore regulators and I think in this case Transport for London and the Police just had enough.

[elan]

"Uber loses licence to operate in London"

We use Uber quite a bit, never had a problem. Actually, I can't imagine life without it now. Too bad London had issues with it.