Uber has been granted a 30-month license to operate in London, putting an end to a protracted legal struggle with municipal officials over whether the ride-hailing service was “fit and proper.”
What’s New?
“Uber has been given a two-and-a-half-year London private hire vehicle operator’s license,” a representative for Transport for London said in a statement Saturday.
The decision brings an end to a years-long feud with the agency, which twice cancelled Uber’s London license — once in 2017 and again in 2019. The company’s ability to keep passengers secure was a source of concern for authorities. After a court battle, Uber was granted an 18-month London authorization.
What’s More?
Over the years, Uber has tried to up the ante, introducing additional safety features to its platform and signing a contract with the GMB union in the United Kingdom to fully recognize the labor organization for its private hire drivers.
Last year, the company reclassified all of its UK drivers as employees after the country’s top court ruled that a group of drivers should be treated as employees rather than independent contractors, allowing them to benefit from employment protections such as a minimum wage, holiday pay, and pensions.
Digging In More Details
In a statement, Jamie Heywood, Uber’s regional general manager for Northern and Eastern Europe, stated, “TfL properly holds our industry to the greatest regulatory and safety standards, and we are thrilled to have met their high bar.”
The decision removes a major source of uncertainty for Uber in the United Kingdom — London is the firm’s largest European market — and comes as the company grapples with rising inflation as a result of a labor shortage and rising energy prices. In November, Uber increased its London fares by 10%.
