London transport authorities said Friday they would not renew
Uber's licence to operate in the city when it expires, due to public
safety concerns, although the US-based ride-hailing app has said it will
appeal.
Transport for London said the conduct of Uber,
which has around 40,000 drivers and 3.5 million customers in the
British capital, had raised concerns.
"TfL has
concluded that Uber London Limited is not fit and proper to hold a
private hire operator licence," it said in a statement.
It
said Uber's "approach and conduct demonstrate a lack of corporate
responsibility in relation to a number of issues which have potential
public safety and security implications".
The licence
expires on September 30 but Uber has 21 days to appeal the decision, and
can continue to operate until the process has been exhausted.
London
joins other cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai and Cape Town in not
granting a licence and the decision adds to woes for Uber's new boss
Dara Khosrowshahi following a string of controversies.
The
company hit back saying the decision would "show the world that, far
from being open, London is closed to innovative companies.
"By wanting to ban our app from the capital, Transport for
London and the mayor have caved in to a small number of people who want
to restrict consumer choice," the company said in a statement.
TfL
highlighted the company's approach to reporting serious criminal
offences and to obtaining criminal record checks for drivers as factors
in its decision.
The company came under scrutiny in
Britain after it emerged that dozens of rape and sexual assault claims
had been made against their drivers and when one of their drivers used
his vehicle in a recent terror attack on Buckingham Palace.
It
also questioned the process through which drivers obtain their medical
certificates and the practice of "greyballing", when the company uses a
fake version of its app to fool regulators in cities in which it is
banned.
'No place in London'
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he fully supported the decision.
"I
want London to be at the forefront of innovation and new technology and
to be a natural home for exciting new companies that help Londoners by
providing a better and more affordable service," he said.
"However,
all companies in London must play by the rules and adhere to the high
standards we expect — particularly when it comes to the safety of
customers.
London's traditional "black cab" drivers have long campaigned against the service, and welcomed Friday's decision.
Licensed
Taxi Drivers' Association said: "The Mayor has made the right call not
to relicense Uber," said Steve McNamara, general secretary of the
Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association.
"We expect Uber
will again embark on a spurious legal challenge against the Mayor and
TfL, and we will urge the court to uphold this decision. This immoral
company has no place on London's streets."
The
Sun newspaper reported last year that 32 sexual assault claims were
made against Uber drivers in 2015/16, more than a fifth of all claims
against taxi drivers filed to British police forces.
Reaction on social media was sharply divided.
"YAHOOOOO! PEOPLE POWER! BOOM! WE DELETED UBER! WELL DONE ALL!" wrote Twitter user and campaigner Leigh Miller.
But
@MattYoung called the decision "a poor substitute for properly
enforcing existing wage legislation, working conditions, licence
conditions on safety".
Around 2,000 people had signed a
petition promoted by the company to reverse the decision and "defend
the livelihoods of 40,000 drivers".
Uber, which
operates in hundreds of cities and more than 80 countries, last month
announced that it hired former Expedia boss Khosrowshahi as its new
chief executive in an attempt to steer the ride-sharing service away
from the string of controversies it has faced in the past year.
Dents
to Uber's image include a visit by executives to a South Korean
escort-karaoke bar, an attempt to dig up dirt on journalists covering
the company, and the mishandling of medical records from a woman raped
in India after hailing an Uber ride.
No comments :
Post a Comment