Uber has been granted a new licence to operate in London with a 15-month probationary period in which it will be thoroughly monitored by authorities.
The American ride-hailing service was deemed “fit and proper” by a judge, who believed sufficient changes were made following accusations last year that the company failed to report serious crimes and properly vet its drivers.
Transport for London (TfL) refrained from issuing Uber a new licence in September on these grounds, although the company, which employs 45,000 drivers in the UK capital, has been allowed to continue operating in the city during an appeal process.
Uber has since introduced a telephone support service that runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and it has demonstrated a proactive approach to reporting serious incidents to police. There has also been a small shake-up in the firm’s British management.
Uber’s changes came after the arrival of current CEO Dara Khosrowshahi in August 2017; he pledged to “make things right” in London.
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I believe everyone must play by the same rules, no matter how big or powerful they are.
"Uber has been put on probation – its 15-month licence has a clear set of conditions that TfL will thoroughly monitor and enforce.”
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Experience of Uber
I’ve used Uber a couple of times near Gatwick, and more extensively in Edinburgh. It was a eye opener in terms of service and cost.
Easy to book on a app, cashless transaction, price known ahead of the journey, tracking of the car as it is enroute to you with car and driver details. Ability to review service and driver after.
I appreciate there may be murkier sides to it, but speed, cost, service, and ease of use is a huge step up vs traditional taxi firms. It’ll be interesting to see how these long established taxi firms react. Can’t wait for it to come to Aberdeen where taxis are very costly, and have generally terrible service.