TfL has refused to renew Uber’s licence to operate in London

In just over a week’s time, Uber will no longer be allowed to run cabs in London. That’s the verdict handed down by TfL today: it’s declined to renew the cab operator’s licence in this city.

After temporarily extending Uber’s licence earlier this year, the transport body announced today that the company has not been deemed ‘fit and proper to hold a private hire operator licence’. TfL cites what it sees as four main issues, including Uber’s ‘approach to reporting serious criminal offences’.Mayor Sadiq Khan said of the decision: ‘Providing an innovative service must not be at the expense of customer safety and security.’

Uber intends to appeal the decision, with a spokesman saying that ‘Transport for London and the Mayor have caved in to a small number of people who want to restrict consumer choice.’ The company can continue to operate during the appeal process, but the 3.5 million Londoners who use Uber and the company’s 40,000 London drivers face an uncertain future. Watch this space.

In other transport news, there’s a tube and rail mega-strike on the cards for next month.