Uber’s chief executive has confirmed that the firm will appeal against Transport for London’s (TfL) decision not to renew its licence to operate in the capital but admitted that it has made mistakes.
In an open letter, Dara Khosrowshahi said: ‘While Uber has revolutionised the way people move in cities around the world, it's equally true that we've got things wrong along the way.
‘On behalf of everyone at Uber globally, I apologise for the mistakes we've made.’
He added: ‘We will appeal this decision on behalf of millions of Londoners, but we do so with the knowledge that we must also change.’
London mayor Sadiq Khan, said: 'I welcome the apology from Dara Khosrowshahi, the Uber CEO. Obviously I am pleased that he has acknowledged the issues that Uber faces in London.
'Even though there is a legal process in place, I have asked TfL to make themselves available to meet with him.'
TfL said on Friday (22 September) that it had concluded Uber London Limited ‘is not fit and proper to hold a private hire operator licence’ and informed it that it will not be issued with a new licence after expiry of its current licence on 30 September.
It said it considers that Uber's approach and conduct demonstrate a lack of corporate responsibility in relation to a number of issues that have potential public safety and security implications. These include:
- Its approach to reporting serious criminal offences
- Its approach to how medical certificates are obtained
- Its approach to how Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks are obtained
- Its approach to explaining the use of Greyball in London - software that could be used to block regulatory bodies from gaining full access to the app and prevent officials from undertaking regulatory or law enforcement duties.
Uber has 21 days to appeal (from Friday) and can continue to operate until any appeal processes have been exhausted.
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