Uber banned in London with Medway and Dartford also affected by TfL licence decision

By: Matt Leclere mleclere@thekmgroup.co.uk

Published: 11:38, 25 November 2019

Updated: 09:53, 26 November 2019

Uber will be banned from towns in Kent after the ride hailing firm's licence was scrapped.

Transport for London (TfL) today announced it will not renew Uber's licence in the capital - with the company currently operating in Medway, Gravesend, Canterbury and Dartford under its licence in London.

KMTV speak to taxi drivers about the Uber ban

Taxi drivers in the county have complained Uber was illegal and Medway Council has been preparing a legal case to take Uber to the High Court.

Reacting to the announcement today, they said they were "over the moon" at the decision.

mpu1

TfL is the regulator of all taxi and private hire services in London and says Uber is "not fit and proper" citing several breaches which put passengers at risk.

Unauthorised drivers were able to upload photos to other drivers' accounts meaning they could collect passengers as though they were the booked driver.

This happened on at least 14,000 trips which TfL says put passengers' safety and security at risk because all the journeys were uninsured.

"It is unacceptable that Uber has allowed passengers to get into minicabs with drivers who are potentially unlicensed and uninsured,..."TfL's Helen Chapman

Some trips were also taken with unlicensed drivers.

Dismissed and suspended drivers were also able to create new accounts to carry passengers.

Additional security has been installed by Uber to ensure further breaches do not take place but TfL says it has major concerns with them being "easily manipulated" in the first place.

Many vehicles were also found to not have the proper insurance in place.

mpu2

Transport bosses say although some of the issues have been addressed, they said they were not confident "similar issues will not reoccur in the future".

Some trips were also taken with unlicensed drivers.

A council-funded legal investigation found Uber could have a case to answer in court about its operation in Medway under the TfL licence.

Medway Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association (MLTDA) challenged whether this was lawful.

TfL says despite the app-driven taxi firm making a "number of positive changes and improvements" there was "a pattern of failures by the company".

The concerns prompted TfL to launch an independent assessment which found Uber does not have a "robust system" to protect passenger safety.

Uber says it will be appealing the decision and now has 21 days to lodge papers.

In a statement to customers, the firm said: "We think this decision is wrong and we will appeal. You and the 3.5 million riders who rely on Uber in London can continue to use the app as normal.

"Over the last two years we have fundamentally changed our business, and TfL found us to be a fit and proper operator just two months ago.

"We remain 100% committed to your safety."

But TfL says it will continue to scrutinise and ensure 20 conditions are met after a two-month licence extension granted in September.

Medway Licensed Taxi Drivers Association and the Labour councillors celebrated the council proceeding with action against Uber. Picture: @CllrDanMcD

Helen Chapman, Director of Licensing, Regulation and Charging at TfL, said: “As the regulator of private hire services in London we are required to make a decision today on whether Uber is fit and proper to hold a licence. Safety is our absolute top priority.

"While we recognise Uber has made improvements, it is unacceptable that Uber has allowed passengers to get into minicabs with drivers who are potentially unlicensed and uninsured.

"It is clearly concerning that these issues arose, but it is also concerning that we cannot be confident that similar issues won’t happen again in future. If they choose to appeal, Uber will have the opportunity to publicly demonstrate to a magistrate whether it has put in place sufficient measures to ensure potential safety risks to passengers are eliminated.

"If they do appeal, Uber can continue to operate and we will closely scrutinise the company to ensure the management has robust controls in place to ensure safety is not compromised during any changes to the app."

Head to our politics page for expert analysis and all the latest news from your politicians and councils.

Keep up-to-date with developments on transport and stories that will impact how you travel