London regulator will defend decision not to renew Uber's license in court: mayor

LONDON: London Mayor Sadiq Khan said on Thursday that the city’s transport regulator will defend its decision in court not to renew the license of Uber to operate in the British capital.

Uber has until Friday to submit its appeal and can continue to operate until the appeal process has been exhausted, which could take several months. “The courts now will consider the appeal from Uber and of course TfL (Transport for London) will defend the decision they made,” Khan said during a monthly question time session.

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TfL shocked Uber last month by deeming it unfit to run a taxi service and refusing to renew its license, citing the firm’s approach to reporting serious criminal offences and background checks on drivers.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi met TfL Commissioner Mike Brown on Oct 3 for discussions both sides described as “constructive.” Khan said he did not have talks with the Silicon Valley firm’s boss.

Khan, a center-left politician from the opposition Labour party, has repeatedly criticized Uber’s leadership in Britain, previously saying that instead of hiring “an army of PR experts and an army of lawyers” it needed to address the issues raised by TfL.

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But Khan, who is also chairman of TfL, contrasted that with Khosrowshahi, who apologized for the firm’s mistakes in an open letter to Londoners last week.