Uber's London license hangs in the balance on expiry day

[snoop1130]

Uber's London license hangs in the balance on expiry day

By Costas Pitas

 

FILE PHOTO: A screen displays the company logo for Uber Technologies Inc. on the day of it's IPO at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., May 10, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

 

LONDON (Reuters) - London’s transport regulator said on Monday it has yet to decide on whether to renew Uber’s (UBER.N) operating license in the city after a media report said the taxi app would lose its right to take rides in Britain’s capital.

 

LBC radio reported on Monday, the day the Silicon Valley firm’s license expires in London, that Uber will not receive a new license in one of its most important markets, citing several unnamed sources.

 

A spokesman Transport for London said no decision has been made. Uber declined to comment.

 

Uber and TfL have been engaged in a long-running battle since the authority rejected a renewal request in 2017, citing shortcomings it said it found in the firm’s approach to reporting serious criminal offences and driver background checks, prompting legal action.

 

A judge in 2018 then granted Uber (UBER.N) a probationary 15-month license, after the Silicon Valley-based company had made several changes to its business model.

 

In September, TfL gave Uber just a two-month extension, far short of the maximum possible five years, and imposed further conditions covering ride-sharing, appropriate insurance and driver document checks.

 

Ahead of the latest decision, Uber said it would introduce measures such as a discrimination button enabling drivers and riders to report abuse, enhanced safety training for drivers and a direct connection to the emergency services.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-11-25

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

[sunnyboy2018]

It has lost its license due to the impersonation of drivers

[3NUMBAS]

black cabbys can go on over charging then and spend more time in pattaya for 6 months a year

[kingdong]

Uber have told tfl they are going to carry on operating while waiting for the appeal,they should never been given a license in the first place.there's been thousands of trips made where the driver wasn,t licensed o.r insured.

[webfact]

'Unfit' Uber loses London license over safety failures

By Costas Pitas

 

The Uber logo is displayed on a mobile phone in this picture illustration taken November 25, 2019. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/Illustration

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Uber <UBER.N> was stripped of its license to carry paying passengers in London on Monday for the second time in just over two years, pending an appeal, over a "pattern of failures" on safety and security.

 

Unauthorized drivers were able to upload their photos to others' accounts so that, on at least 14,000 trips, a driver other than the advertised one picked up passengers, the regulator Transport for London (TfL) said.

 

The ride-hailing firm immediately said it would appeal. The process is likely to include court action and could drag on for months, allowing Uber's roughly 45,000 drivers in London, one of its most important markets, to keep taking rides despite its license expiring on Monday.

 

TfL said it had "identified a pattern of failures by the company including several breaches that placed passengers and their safety at risk", and that some journeys had been uninsured.

 

"TfL does not have confidence that similar issues will not reoccur in the future, which has led it to conclude that the company is not fit and proper at this time."

 

Uber, whose app-based ordering and demand-sensitive pricing have disrupted operators in many cities worldwide including drivers of London's "black cabs", said its systems were robust and that it would also introduce a new facial matching process.

 

"Over the last two years we have fundamentally changed how we operate in London," tweeted CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, who took over weeks before Uber first lost its London license in 2017.

 

"We have come very far — and we will keep going, for the millions of drivers and riders who rely on us."

 

Uber's shares fell by nearly 4% at the open in New York before largely recovering.

 

The Silicon Valley company has run into regulatory barriers and a backlash in several markets, forcing it to withdraw completely from places such as Copenhagen and Hungary.

 

In London, black cab drivers who see Uber as a threat to their hard-won livelihoods have blocked streets in protest, arguing they are being unfairly undercut by an inferior service.

 

LONG-RUNNING BATTLE

The more than 22,000 "cabbies" are required to memorize the thousands of streets and landmarks within a six-mile radius of central London and pass a legendary test known as 'The Knowledge' in order to be licensed to pick up passengers on the street.

 

A requirement since 1865, the process can be costly and takes on average three to four years to complete. Drivers for Uber and others such as Kapten and Bolt, helped nowadays by satellite navigation apps, face no such stipulation.

 

Despite the criticism it has faced, Uber is popular among many people for its convenient, cost-effective model.

 

"Obviously it's going to be a big blow for a lot of people who find Uber so much more efficient and cheaper than taxis," said Londoner Rodney Brody.

 

But the company and TfL have been at odds since the authority rejected a renewal request in 2017, faulting Uber's approach to reporting serious criminal offences and driver background checks, before a judge granted a probationary 15-month license in 2018.

 

The roughly $50-billion firm, which went public in May but is not yet profitable, has implemented a series of changes including 24/7 telephone support and the proactive reporting of serious incidents to London police to assuage concerns.

 

In September, TfL granted a two-month extension, far short of the maximum five years, and imposed further conditions.

 

Ahead of the latest decision, Uber said it would improve drivers' safety training and provide a direct connection to emergency services.

 

Monday's decision comes around two weeks before a national election and less than six months before Londoners decide whether to re-elect Mayor Sadiq Khan, who is also chairman of TfL and a member of the opposition Labour party.

 

"I know this decision may be unpopular with Uber users, but their safety is the paramount concern," Khan said on Monday.

Uber was first licensed in London in 2012, when the current prime minister, the Conservative Boris Johnson, was mayor.

 

Shaun Bailey, the Conservative seeking to replace Khan, said that "London's reputation as a world-class city that is open for business has taken a hammer blow".

 

(Editing by Andrew MacAskill, Kate Holton and Kevin Liffey)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-11-26

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

[stevenl]

The Knowledge has no value anymore with navigation systems.

[Scot123]

So the brown envelope was not big enough for Khan. 

[gimo]

12 hours ago, stevenl said:

The Knowledge has no value anymore with navigation systems.

       Not correct . Uber drivers  drive dangerously because they're looking at the screen so often ,when they should be looking at the road . Also the nav systems often take the wrong route and or go straight into traffic jams . No such problems with taxi drivers .

[gimo]

22 hours ago, 3NUMBAS said:

black cabbys can go on over charging then and spend more time in pattaya for 6 months a year

    And Uber drivers won't be able to keep on overcharging on public holidays and outside popular venues , and so will spend less time in Pattaya 

[kingdong]

On 11/25/2019 at 1:41 PM, 3NUMBAS said:

black cabbys can go on over charging then and spend more time in pattaya for 6 months a year

You pay what's on the meter in a black cab  ,every time  the sun go  s behind the clouds uber triples their fares and call it surge charging.

Edited November 26, 2019 by kingdong

[Baerboxer]

This is about passenger safety. Allowing Uber to operate, after their license has expired and a renewal is refused on passenger safety grounds, whilst pending a court action, is ludicrous.

 

If it's a serious passenger safety issue, which it seems to be, they must be stopped now; before it's too late and someone is murdered, robbed and/or raped.

 

Come on Khan, get a grip and do your job.

[ivor bigun]

All those illegal immigrants who have now lost their jobs ,can you imagine the outcry if it had been a Tory council that Banned Uber?LOL

[kingdong]

ubers had 7 years to get its act together and comply with existing legislation and hasn,t done so,they,'re obviously not fit to run a company where public safety should be the main concern.

Edited November 27, 2019 by Scott
OP edited out

[elliss]

 

 Out of my depth on this one , no comment .

  I live in thailand , code name Alien ...