Transport for London, which regulates and controls the British capital city’s subways, buses, and taxis, said today that it won’t be renewing Uber’s license to operate in the city at the end of September. The company will have 21 days to appeal the decision, according to The New York Times. Uber can still operate during the appeal.
There are around 40,000 Uber drivers serving millions of customers in London, making it Uber’s biggest market in Europe. In a statement posted on Twitter, Transport for London said that it had concluded that Uber was “not fit and proper” to hold a license, citing a number of issues, including its approach to reporting serious crimes and Greyball.
In comments to Times, Tom Elvidge, Uber’s London general manager, blamed the decision on London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who, he said, “caved in to a small number of people who want to restrict consumer choice.”
More from Elvidge in the NYT:
“Our pioneering technology has gone further to enhance safety with every trip tracked and recorded by GPS,” he said, adding that the company “have a dedicated team who work closely with the Metropolitan Police.”
He added that Greyball “has never been used or considered in the U.K. for the purposes cited by TfL,” or Transport for London.
[...]
“This ban would show the world that, far from being open, London is closed to innovative companies who bring choice to consumers,” Mr. Elvidge said.
Maybe! I’m guessing, though, that Uber’s comeuppance may only just be beginning.