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
March 6, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Taxi app 8336 Uber has lost a court battle to stop 1466 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 demonstrate English language compliance," Judge John Mitting said.

In the High Court, Uber had cited Tfl data that the language rules could mean about 33,000 private hire drivers out of a total of 110,000 operating in London would fail to renew licences over the next few years.

TfL's new rules are partly a response to protests from drivers of London's famous black cabs, who are concerned that Uber's over 30,000 drivers are undermining their business model by not meeting the same standards.

Uber did manage to overturn two other TfL proposals for drivers to have permanent private hire insurance and that it should operate a 24/7 call centre.

The decision is the latest setback for Uber in London after a tribunal ruled in October it should treat two drivers as workers and pay them the minimum wage and holiday pay. Uber is seeking to appeal the ruling.

Related Content

  • February 3, 2012
    Does enforcement merit a place in the EU's ITS action Plan?
    Colin Wilson, IBI Group, looks at the implications for enforcement of the European Commission's new Action Plan for the Deployment of ITS in Europe
    Read More
  • October 28, 2015
    When caring about sharing is good business for US automakers
    Although car-sharing and ride-sharing could drastically reduce car sales, David Crawford finds some US automakers are keen to participate in the sharing economy. Growing consumer interest in car- and ride-sharing, as opposed to outright ownership, and ride-sharer Uber’s recently stated intention to make its brand competitive with ownership on cost, are making the major US automotive manufacturers think seriously about their future sales prospects. Some have already begun exploring ways of entering the field
    Read More
  • January 12, 2016
    Driver with 51 penalty points still allowed to drive
    Three drivers with more than 40 points on their driving licences are still allowed on the road, according to a Freedom of Information request to the DVLA by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM). The enquiry also found that 13 people in Britain currently have 28 or more points on their driving licence, the worst of those amassing 51 points. In addition, the numbers of drivers with 12 or more points has gone up by nine per cent in just seven months between March and October 2015 – from 6,884 to 7,517.
    Read More
  • May 6, 2015
    The delicate issue of pursuing toll evaders
    Toll evaders create major problems for tolling companies – of which lost revenue is only one. Open road tolling maximises roadway capacity but non-payers create enforcement problems Toll road operators are increasingly employing open road or free-flow electronic tolling to minimise travel times.
    Read More

Highlighted Content