Uber has put on probation in London by Westminster Magistrates’ Court who decided that it is to only receive a 15-month operating licence to with conditions that TfL will thoroughly monitor and enforce.
As well and its minicab service, Uber has been developing delivery services in London such as UberEATS.
Since it launched in London in 2012, the number of drivers using the Uber app has risen from 300 to 48,000.
However, its “gig economy” business model has come under fire from a number of quarters and in September last year Transport for London turned down its application to renew its Private Vehicle Hire Operator’s Licence for a further five years.
Uber launched an appeal which was decided on 26th June.
In her judgement, chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnot said that by 25th June, the list of issues had narrowed greatly and the parties provided a list of agreed conditions that could be attached by this court to a licence if one was granted. ULL [Uber] had changed a number of its working practices and its governance and Transport for London took a neutral stance as to whether the licence should be granted by the court.
The judgement said: “I have considered the evidence and submissions in the case. I have given particular weight to the conditions that have been agreed between the parties. Taking into account the new governance arrangements, I find that while ULL was not a fit and proper person at the time of the Decision Letter and in the months that followed, it has provided evidence to this court that it is now a fit and proper person within the meaning of the Act. I grant a licence to ULL.”
London mayor Sadiq Khan said: “After years of operating poorly in London, Uber has now accepted that TfL’s action in refusing to renew their licence was totally justified. Today our stance has been vindicated by the court.
“Uber has been put on probation – their 15 month licence has a clear set of conditions that TfL will thoroughly monitor and enforce.”
