‘No intention’ to review Uber in Nottingham after company loses London licence

Uber=Nottingham
Ride hailing company Uber has held a private operator licence in Nottingham since 2015. Photo: Mark Warner

Nottingham City Council says it has no intention of reviewing Uber’s licence in Nottingham after the ride-hailing company lost its right to operate in London.

Transport for London (TfL) decided the firm was not “fit and proper” to hold a private hire operator licence in the capital.

Uber says it will appeal the decision.

Nottingham City Council confirmed the news is unlikely to have any influence on the company’s presence in the city, while saying it will assess the TfL ruling. Uber was granted a private hire licence in Nottingham in July 2015.

A City Council spokesman said: “Uber licences are considered on their own merits by different licensing authorities around the country and a decision by one is not binding on another. Uber’s operator licence in Nottingham met our robust policy at the time of their application.

“We will of course bear in mind the concerns of TfL and assess whether these impact Nottingham in any way, but at present we have no intention to review Uber’s licence early. We don’t rely on operators to flag issues, we maintain oversight and carry out robust checks, to ensure that people using any taxi in Nottingham are safe.”

Uber’s licence in London expires on September 30 – next Saturday – but it can continue to operate while the appeal is heard, TfL says.

In a statement the company said: “By wanting to ban our app from the capital, Transport for London and the Mayor have given in to a small number of people who want to restrict consumer choice.

“If this decision stands, it will put more than 40,000 licensed drivers out of work and deprive millions of Londoners of a convenient and affordable form of transport.”

Uber is based around an app downloaded onto smartphones which customers can drivers from. Pricing is often based on demand at the time of the journey, rather than set fees.

Uber published its response on a petition website, where its ‘Save Your Uber in London’ campaign had gained 9,452 signatures of a 10,000 target in its first two hours.

TfL said it had decided 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”.

It also said assessors were concerned about its “approach to how Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks are obtained”.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “I fully support TfL’s decision – it would be wrong if TfL continued to license Uber if there is any way that this could pose a threat to Londoners’ safety and security.”