After being driven away, Uber wants to return to London

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Uber hopes to convince a U.K. court to overturn a 2017 decision by London’s transport regulator to withdraw its license to operate in the city. The appeal was being heard beginning today, June 25, in Westminster Magistrates Court, according to TechCrunch.

Last September, Transport for London (TfL) rejected Uber’s application to renew its license on the grounds that the company is “not fit and proper to hold a private hire operator license.”

As TechCrunch explains,

TfL criticized the company’s approach and conduct, saying it demonstrated “a lack of corporate responsibility in relation to a number of issues which have potential public safety and security implications” — including how it reported serious criminal offenses, and explanations it gave for its use of proprietary software (called Greyball) which it had developed internally to try to prevent officials from undertaking regulatory or law enforcement duties.

Uber has been allowed to continue working in the city pending its appeal.

The court will decide whether Uber is fit and proper to hold an operator license at the time of the hearing. Operational changes Uber has made since then will be taken into consideration.

TechCrunch explains,

TfL criticized the company’s approach and conduct, saying it demonstrated “a lack of corporate responsibility in relation to a number of issues which have potential public safety and security implications” — including how it reported serious criminal offenses, and explanations it gave for its use of proprietary software (called Greyball) which it had developed internally to try to prevent officials from undertaking regulatory or law enforcement duties.

For its part, Uber notes,

Our new global CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi,  is establishing a new culture and direction for the company from the top, while in the UK we’ve brought in three experienced independent directors to help us stay on the right track. If there are times when we fall short, we are committed to being open, taking responsibility for the problem, and fixing it.

Would you like to see Uber stay in London? 

For more Uber news, see: 

• If you’re willing to wait, Uber is testing a new feature that will charge you less for trips
• You can no longer book an Uber through Google Maps
• Uber might use artificial intelligence to know when you’re drunk