BlackManLiveFromLondon
New God
Uber just lost its licence in London
Transport for London’s shock decision to scrap Uber’s operating licence sparked a fierce debate on Friday as unions, politicians and rival services – hailing the move as a “historic” victory – clashed with the Silicon Valley giant, which in turn decried it as a sign that the capital is closed to innovation.
In a damning statement, the transport authority said that its regulation of London's sprawling taxi and private hire market is designed to ensure passenger safety. Uber, it determined, "is not fit and proper to hold a private hire operator licence".
It said that it considers the company’s approach and conduct “demonstrate a lack of corporate responsibility in relation to a number of issues which have potential public safety and security implications”.
Uber said it was “astounded” by the decision and would immediately challenge it in the courts.
“By wanting to ban our app from the capital Transport for London and the Mayor have caved in to a small number of people who want to restrict consumer choice,” said Tom Elvidge, general manager of the company in London.
If the decision stands, it could put put more than 40,000 licensed drivers out of work. He said it would “deprive Londoners of a convenient and affordable form of transport”.
An estimated 3.5 million people use Uber in London.
Mr Elvidge insisted that drivers who use Uber are licensed by TfL and have been through the same background checks as black cab drivers.
TfL said that its concerns relate to Uber’s approach to reporting serious criminal offences and to how medical certificates are obtained, among other things.
But Mr Elvidge said that the company had always followed TfL rules on reporting serious incidents and has a dedicated team working closely with the Metropolitan Police.
Friday’s decision, he added, will "show the world that, far from being open, London is closed to innovative companies who bring choice to consumers.”
Uber operates in more than 600 cities around the world, including more than 40 towns and cities here in the UK. Its current licence expires on 30 September. It has 21 days to appeal the decision from Friday, during which time it can continue to operate.
The privately-owned company, founded just over eight years ago, has been under severe fire from a growing army of critics in the UK, claiming that it unfairly skews competition and that it has not done enough to crack down on incidents of violence involving drivers.
As such, unions, employment lawyers and worker’s rights advocates applauded TfL’s decision.
@BocaRear @Kitsch @MikeyC
Looks like we're gonna have to be more cautious of which girl we bring back to the ends cant tell a girl to catch Uber home anymore shes gonna have to stay till sunrise
Transport for London’s shock decision to scrap Uber’s operating licence sparked a fierce debate on Friday as unions, politicians and rival services – hailing the move as a “historic” victory – clashed with the Silicon Valley giant, which in turn decried it as a sign that the capital is closed to innovation.
In a damning statement, the transport authority said that its regulation of London's sprawling taxi and private hire market is designed to ensure passenger safety. Uber, it determined, "is not fit and proper to hold a private hire operator licence".
It said that it considers the company’s approach and conduct “demonstrate a lack of corporate responsibility in relation to a number of issues which have potential public safety and security implications”.
Uber said it was “astounded” by the decision and would immediately challenge it in the courts.
“By wanting to ban our app from the capital Transport for London and the Mayor have caved in to a small number of people who want to restrict consumer choice,” said Tom Elvidge, general manager of the company in London.
If the decision stands, it could put put more than 40,000 licensed drivers out of work. He said it would “deprive Londoners of a convenient and affordable form of transport”.
An estimated 3.5 million people use Uber in London.
Mr Elvidge insisted that drivers who use Uber are licensed by TfL and have been through the same background checks as black cab drivers.
TfL said that its concerns relate to Uber’s approach to reporting serious criminal offences and to how medical certificates are obtained, among other things.
But Mr Elvidge said that the company had always followed TfL rules on reporting serious incidents and has a dedicated team working closely with the Metropolitan Police.
Friday’s decision, he added, will "show the world that, far from being open, London is closed to innovative companies who bring choice to consumers.”
Uber operates in more than 600 cities around the world, including more than 40 towns and cities here in the UK. Its current licence expires on 30 September. It has 21 days to appeal the decision from Friday, during which time it can continue to operate.
The privately-owned company, founded just over eight years ago, has been under severe fire from a growing army of critics in the UK, claiming that it unfairly skews competition and that it has not done enough to crack down on incidents of violence involving drivers.
As such, unions, employment lawyers and worker’s rights advocates applauded TfL’s decision.
@BocaRear @Kitsch @MikeyC Looks like we're gonna have to be more cautious of which girl we bring back to the ends
cant tell a girl to catch Uber home anymore shes gonna have to stay till sunrise 
word to jay z forreal. Bp1 a true classic
