 decision not to renews its license in the capital. The hearing will be held at Westminster magistrates court and is expected to last for several days.){kind=link}
Uber has begun making its appeal case against Transport for London’s (TFL) decision not to renews its license in the capital.
The hearing will be held at Westminster magistrates court and is expected to last for several days.
Last September, the taxi app had their license revoked by TFL amid concerns that the company had demonstrated a lack of “corporate responsibility”.
In particular, TFL held issue with the company’s failure to report serious criminal offences, obtain medical certificates and the lack of background checks on drivers.
Uber has since affirmed that it has made significant changes to address these safety concerns.
The company now report any offences directly to the police as opposed to Transport for London.
Alongside additional measures, Uber is also only seeking a new license for only 18 months, compared to the five years it sought back last September.
This is thought to be recognition from the firm that they remain on probation, providing they meet the conditions specified by TFL.
Justin Bowden, national secretary at GMB, the union for taxi drivers, said of the case: “Uber lost its licence in London because it refused to play by London’s rules, particularly on the crucial issue of passenger safety, and it won’t get it back until it accepts that an ‘Uber’s way, or no way’ attitude to safety and its drivers will not prevail.”
He added: “Uber’s licence will not be returned by legal action, but by genuine contrition and real change, which can only come about from engagement with Transport for London as the licensing authority and drivers’ representatives like GMB.”
Last year the firm was hit by a series of controversies, including an extensive data hack, a case regarding driver employment rights, and most recently, an Uber self-autonomous vehicle killed a woman in Arizona.
The company have since agreed upon a settlement with the woman’s family.
“Some incredibly sad news out of Arizona. We’re thinking of the victim’s family as we work with local law enforcement to understand what happened,” tweeted Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber’s new CEO about the incident.
Uber had been testing autonomous vehicles across various states in the US, however after the accident, the company have halted all trials to assess risks.