Uber granted London licence for just two months

Transport for London (TfL) has issued Uber London with just a two-month private hire operator licence. The ride-hailing company’s previous 15-month licence – awarded by a court on appeal after TfL originally decided not to grant one - expires tonight (25 September). Two years ago, TfL declared that Uber was not ‘fit and proper’ to hold a licence – before the court intervened. At the time, Uber chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi admitted the company was ‘far from perfect’. TfL now says it will be req
September 25, 2019 Read time: 2 mins
1466 Transport for London (TfL) has issued Uber London with just a two-month private hire operator licence.


The ride-hailing company’s previous 15-month licence – awarded by a %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external court false https://www.itsinternational.com/categories/utc/news/uber-granted-15-month-trial-to-operate-in-london/?__utma=90924956.1869851934.1534854633.1569326723.1569330357.635&amp;__utmb=90924956.12.9.1569332147858&amp;__utmc=90924956&amp;__utmx=-&amp;__utmz=90924956.1564666132.552.12.utmcsr=Adestra|utmccn=(not%20set)|utmcmd=email&amp;__utmv=-&amp;__utmk=30922423 false false%> on appeal after TfL originally decided not to grant one - expires tonight (25 September).

Two years ago, TfL declared that Uber was not ‘fit and proper’ to hold a licence – before the court intervened. At the time, Uber chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi admitted the company was ‘far from perfect’.

TfL now says it will be requesting additional information from Uber “to help inform any future licensing decision” and insists its original decision not to give Uber a licence “led to the app-based firm improving its culture and governance”.

“Uber London Limited has been granted a two-month private hire operator licence to allow for scrutiny of additional information that we are requesting ahead of consideration of any potential further licensing application,” says a TfL spokesperson.

The two-month licence comes with new conditions “to ensure passenger safety”, TfL says. “These new conditions cover ride-sharing, appropriate insurance and driver document checks by Uber.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Qualcomm violated antitrust laws, says US district judge
    May 23, 2019
    Qualcomm has been accused of supressing competition from smartphone chip rivals by threatening to cut off supplies and extract licensing fees. US District Judge Lucy Koh has ordered the company to renegotiate licensing agreements at reasonable prices. Qualcomm, a key player in the ITS industry - particularly in the nascent area of 5G technology - refutes the ruling. “We strongly disagree with the judge’s conclusions, her interpretation of the facts and her application of the law,” said Don Rosenberg
    Read More
  • Uber suspends Barcelona service after new regulations introduced
    February 5, 2019
    Taxi-hailing giant Uber is suspending its service in the Spanish city of Barcelona. The move comes after new regulations were passed by local authorities, according to Reuters. The company started its UberX service in the city last year. But from now on, passengers using ride-hailing services will have to wait at least 15 minutes after booking a ride before they can be picked up – thus negating one of the key selling points of companies such as Uber. Speed and convenience – as well as cost – are w
    Read More
  • Bird enables reports of poorly parked and damaged e-scooters
    November 15, 2018
    Bird is to roll out an app feature which allows people to report poorly parked or damaged electric scooters to the company. It is an attempt to solve one of the biggest bugbears surrounding the deployment of scooters and dockless bikes – the issue of what happens when users abandon or abuse the vehicles. Bird says the app’s new ‘community mode’ will improve parking and safety in the cities where it operates, such as Portland and Salt Lake City. The company will use reports to reposition poorly parked e-
    Read More
  • Uber IPO ‘could be valued at $120 billion’
    October 17, 2018
    Uber could be valued as high as $120 billion if the ride-hailing company goes public, as expected, in 2019 – despite being permanently in the red. Major US banks Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley have made valuation proposals to Uber, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal this week. This means the initial public offering (IPO) could be one of the largest in history – and Uber has yet to record a full-year profit. If the figure is correct, it would mean that Uber is worth more than three of the
    Read More

Highlighted Content