Uber has been stripped of its licence to operate in London after failing to stop unlicensed and uninsured drivers picking up thousands of passengers. Transport for London (TfL) found that at least 14,000 trips were made with drivers who were different to the ones shown on the app.
Transport for London has stripped Uber of its licence to operate in London.
TfL ruled the ride-hailing app does not meet the “fit and proper” requirements for private hire operators and so is not extending its licence beyond midnight tonight.
A spokesman for the transport body said “several breaches that placed passengers and their safety at risk” were identified.
Uber said the decision was “extraordinary and wrong” and vowed to appeal. It will be allowed to continue operating in the months before a court hearing.
TfL said it was compelled to act after uncovering a “pattern of failures by the company, including several breaches that placed passengers and their safety at risk”. TOP ARTICLES1/5READ MOREAndrew Scott interview: ‘To be a greatactor, you need a highly developed sense of humour’
Inspectors discovered that at least 14,000 journeys were undertaken by drivers using another Uber account by exploiting “vulnerabilities” in the company’s app.
At least 43 drivers were found to have uploaded their photos onto another Uber driver account, meaning that all the journeys were uninsured.
TfL also found that at least six drivers who had been suspended or dismissed by Uber had been able to create new accounts to continue working. TfL said this “compromised passenger safety and security”.
The loophole that enabled drivers to swap photos has been closed but TfL is said to be concerned the app is not watertight and was “comparatively easily manipulated”.
The scale of Uber’s operation and number of updates to the app have created concerns about future breaches of security.
Uber has 21 days to lodge an appeal.
It is the latest development in a two-year battle between TfL and the company over its operation in the capital.
TfL had refused to give Uber a five year licence in September 2017 due to safety and security concerns. But in June 2018 a judge granted it a 15-month licence.
In September this year TfL gave the company a two-month extension to its licence.READ MOREComment: Another shot across the bows for Uber
Helen Chapman, director of licensing, regulation and charging at TfL, said: “While we recognise Uber has made improvements, it is unacceptable that Uber has allowed passengers to get into minicabs with drivers who are potentially unlicensed and uninsured.
“It is clearly concerning that these issues arose, but it is also concerning that we cannot be confident that similar issues won’t happen again in future.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “At this stage TfL can’t be confident that Uber has the robust processes in place to prevent another serious safety breach in the future.
“I know this decision may be unpopular with Uber users but their safety is the paramount concern.”
Of the 43 drivers found to have swapped photos, 41 were licensed Uber drivers. But TfL said the act of switching identities made the drivers “not fit and proper persons”.
Uber said today it had audited every driver in London in the past two months and would shortly introduce a “facial matching” system.
Responding to TfL’s decision Jamie Heywood, Regional General Manager for Northern & Eastern Europe, said: “TfL’s decision not to renew Uber’s licence in London is extraordinary and wrong, and we will appeal.
“On behalf of the 3.5 million riders and 45,000 licensed drivers who depend on Uber in London, we will continue to operate as normal and will do everything we can to work with TfL to resolve this situation.”
Uber has been stripped of its licence to operate in London after failing to stop unlicensed and uninsured drivers picking up thousands of passengers. Transport for London (TfL) found that at least 14,000 trips were made with drivers who were different to the ones shown on the app.
This was due to a system change which allows unauthorised drivers to upload their photographs to legitimate Uber driver accounts, the transport body said. At least one driver picking up fares had previously had their licence revoked, it emerged Monday. The company now has 21 days to mount an appeal and can continue to operate during that time; it will have to convince a court it is ‘fit and proper’ by the time of the appeal. The move could end up seeing the app’s 45,000 drivers looking for other ways to make money, and thousands of customers searching for alternative apps.
Unions meanwhile have welcomed the move as a strike back at the ‘gig economy’.
Announcing the decision, TfL’s director of licensing Helen Chapman said: ‘As the regulator of private hire services in London we are required to make a decision today on whether Uber is fit and proper to hold a licence. ‘Safety is our absolute top priority. While we recognise Uber has made improvements, it is unacceptable that Uber has allowed passengers to get into minicabs with drivers who are potentially unlicensed and uninsured. It is clearly concerning that these issues arose, but it is also concerning that we cannot be confident that similar issues won’t happen again in future.’
Tfl said it had identified ‘several breaches that placed passengers and their safety at risk’ and ‘does not have confidence that similar issues will not reoccur in the future’.
It comes two years after TfL first tried to pull the plug on the firm’s operations in London, following a number of crimes committed by drivers. The move sparked a mixed reaction among Londoners, with some saying they rely on the app to get them places cheaply. Others were less sympathetic with the firm, saying they were shocked at the security risks. The firm’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi raged on Twitter: ‘We understand we’re held to a high bar, as we should be. But this TfL decision is just wrong. ‘Over the last two years we have fundamentally changed how we operate in London. We have come very far – and we will keep going, for the millions of drivers and riders who rely on us.’ Responding, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said in a statement: I know this decision may be unpopular with Uber users but their safety is the paramount concern. Regulations are there to keep Londoners safe, and fully complying with TfL’s strict standards is essential if private hire operators want a licence to operate in London.’
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