Skip to main content

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.”

Related Content

  • November 30, 2018
    Hurricane preparedness and crash reduction projects among inaugural NOCoE award winners
    A project to avert transport chaos in hurricane season and a programme which led to a huge reduction in road crashes were among the big winners in a new US awards scheme. The US National Operations Center of Excellence (NOCoE)’s inaugural Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSMO) Awards were open to cities, counties, metropolitan or rural planning organisations, state departments of transportation (DoTs) and private companies.
  • April 16, 2019
    Karhoo among winners of European Startup Gold Prize
    Ride-hailing platform Karhoo was selected as one of the Gold Prize winners for the European Startup Prize for mobility in a ceremony at the European Parliament in Brussels. Other Gold Prize winners are: Geovelo for its software platform for cyclists, Shotl (mobility platform for public transport operators), Twaice (predictive battery analytics software) and Einride (all-electric autonomous vehicle services). Karhoo was chosen among the 50 finalists by a jury of mobility influencers and thought leade
  • March 6, 2017
    Uber loses London court battle
    Taxi app Uber has lost a court battle to stop Transport for London (TfL) from imposing strict new English reading and writing standards on private hire drivers, according to Reuters. The company took legal action in August after TfL said that drivers should have to prove their ability to communicate in English, including to a standard of reading and writing which Uber said was too high. On Friday, a High Court judge rejected Uber's claim. "TfL are entitled to require private hire drivers to demonstra
  • August 15, 2019
    Detroit introduces unified bus payment system
    Detroit authorities have launched a ticketing scheme to encourage bus ridership – a new venture which dovetails with existing initiatives to improve mobility, Ben Spencer reports The Detroit Department of Transportation (DDoT) has partnered with the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) to launch a unified payment system – called Dart - for the US region’s buses. Detroit’s mayor Mike Duggan says: “Dart will bring our two systems closer together with seamless transfers and more f