London: Cab-hailing app Uber on Friday lost its licence to operate in London after the state transport regulator refused to renew the same.
In what comes as a huge blow to the cab-aggregator, the regulatory body Transport for London (TfL) said Uber “is not fit and proper to hold a private hire operator licence”.
Uber’s licence to operate in the city expires on September 30 and the company had appealed for renewal of the same.
TfL said “Uber's approach and conduct demonstrate a lack of corporate responsibility in relation to a number of issues which have potential public safety and security implications”.
TfL's regulations, that are made to ensure passenger safety must be met by private hire operators.
Uber, which claims to cater to 3.5 million users in London and around 40,000 drivers operating said it will appeal to keep licence to operate in the city.
According to the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998, an entity whose licence is revoked by TfL can appeal the decision within 21 days of it being communicated.
The ride-hailing giant has been under fire from many in London in the recent months. According to a report by TechCrunch, earlier in September, a group of lawmakers wrote to TfL asking it to revoke the company's license by citing that the company is not a “fit and proper operator”.
This follows after several accusations against Uber, ranging from cases of not reporting sexual assault by drivers to not respecting drivers' rights.
Uber has been lodged in deep crisis following a string of scandals involving accusations of sexual assault and bullying against founder and former CEO Travis Kalanick. The app has also been forced out of countries like Denmark and Hungary.
