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Uber secures 30-month London taxi license
Following a years-long dispute with the city’s transit regulator, Uber has earned a 30-month license to continue operating in London.
Igor Bonifacic03.26.2022
Uber to face UK tribunal over 'racially discriminatory' facial recognition systems
Uber drivers in the UK are suing the ride-hailing company over its real-time biometric identification checks.
Steve Dent10.06.2021
Uber can continue operating in London after winning court appeal
Uber has won the right to continue operating in London. The ride-hailing company was contesting a decision made by Transport for London (TfL) in November last year. The regulator believed that Uber wasn’t “fit and proper” and had shown “a pattern of failures” since entering the city in May 2012.
Nick Summers09.28.2020
Apple's tap-and-go Express payments come to London public transport
Paying for daily necessities using your phone might feel like the future, but the reality can sometimes be slower as mobile payments require authentication that can take time to approve. To combat this issue, Apple has brought its Express feature to London, making it far quicker and easier to use Apple Pay on services like the Tube.
Georgina Torbet12.02.2019
London Underground will track everyone's Tube trip via WiFi
Transport for London, the UK capital's transit authority, will start collecting data on how people move around the Underground system by tracking phones and other connected devices using its extensive WiFi network. The agency's systems will depersonalize the data automatically and won't pick up any browsing or historical information from the devices. The data should offer sturdier details on how people move around the Tube system and even within stations, which will help the agency with long-term planning and providing effective updates to travelers.
Kris Holt05.22.2019
Uber brings 24/7 phone support to the UK
The whole point of Uber is to make getting from A to B as easy and convenient as possible, but when things go awry (which can include anything from confusing cleaning fees to allegations of harassment) getting in touch with an actual human on Uber's side has been a herculean challenge. Until now. From today, Uber in the UK is launching a 24/7 helpline, available to both passengers and drivers.
Rachel England09.25.2018
Uber can legally operate in London after court ruling
Uber just regained the London taxi license it lost in September -- with strings attached. A court has ruled that the ridesharing company can operate in the capital city, but only on a 15-month license and while meeting regulator Transport for London's terms. It'll have to undergo independently verified audits, report major safety complaints, train drivers on ridesharing safety and provide notice of any data breaches.
Jon Fingas06.26.2018
Uber hopes to win back London with a 24/7 helpline
When Transport for London (TfL) refused to renew Uber's operating license last September, issues with safety were among the primary reasons for the regulator's decision. Specifically, TfL wasn't enamored with how Uber reported serious offenses and conducted driver backgrounds checks, showing a lack of corporate responsibility. Since then, Uber's been keen to win TfL over, recently imposing limits on how long drivers can work without taking a break -- forced downtime of a similar nature has just been implemented for US drivers, too. Today, Uber has announced another raft of changes intended to make its service safer and curry favor with London's transport regulator.
Jamie Rigg02.16.2018
London may force Uber to introduce women-only UberPools
Out of the blue, Transport for London (TfL) has issued a "policy statement" on ride-sharing services in the capital. Most of it isn't new — the bulk of the six-page document recaps older policy announcements, such as the controversial English language test for Uber drivers — but there is one idea that hasn't been communicated before. "Operators should provide mechanisms to allow passengers to choose who they share vehicles with (e.g. women-only vehicles) and establishing how passengers might be able to decide on this before accepting a ride." That would affect UberPool and similar services that offer discounts if you share a ride with a stranger.
Nick Summers02.15.2018
Uber forcing UK drivers to take breaks in the name of safety
In an effort to stop UK drivers working excessive hours, Uber's going to start forcing them to rest up after pulling a decent shift. A new policy coming into effect next week mandates a driver must take a continuous six-hour break after racking up 10 hours of cruising either with a passenger in the back, or en route to pick one up. And these aren't just guidelines. Uber will stop drivers logging into the app if they don't take the necessary downtime, with a 10-hour counter resetting every time six hours or more are spent off the clock.
Jamie Rigg01.16.2018
Uber joins public transport group to win back city trust
Uber's devil-may-care attitude to, uh, pretty much everything has managed to put noses out of joint all across the globe. Its new CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, is hoping to build some bridges that Travis Kalanick burned by making peace with local transport providers. Consequently, the outfit is signing up with the International Association of Public Transport, an advocacy industry group for public transport providers. Its membership includes Transport for London, which recently revoked Uber's license to operate in the city.
Daniel Cooper12.04.2017
London buses to be powered by coffee grounds
As part of ongoing efforts to reduce pollution in the capital, London's buses are set to utilise a new source of fuel: coffee grounds. Thanks to a collaboration between Bio-Bean, Shell and Argent Energy, double deckers will be filled with a B20 biofuel created by blending oil extracted from coffee waste with diesel. So far, they've produced enough to power one London bus for a year, but as Londoners drink 20 million cups of coffee a day, it could provide enough oil to power a third of Transport for London's entire network.
Matt Brian11.20.2017
New-look Boris bikes start hitting London's street
With all the newfangled, dockless cycle-hire schemes popping up in London, TfL couldn't have chosen a better time to give Boris bikes -- officially called Santander Cycles -- a makeover. The transport authority announced that redesigned Boris bikes have begun hitting the capital's streets today, with thousands more to follow this first batch over the next few years. The new model has smaller wheels for faster acceleration, improved brakes, a tweaked frame and fork design for better handling, a comfier gel seat and harder-wearing tyres. Blaze -- the company that created the laser projection light now present on all existing Boris bikes -- has also been involved in the design.
Jamie Rigg10.30.2017
Uber formally appeals the loss of its London licence
In what should come as no surprise to anyone, Uber has today appealed Transport for London's decision to deny the ride-hailing company a renewed private hire licence. Uber's licence actually expired on September 30th, but it had until today (21 days later) to challenge TfL's verdict. Uber has filed its appeal with Westminster Magistrates' Court, and can continue to operate as normal in London while the legal business plays out, which is expected to take several months.
Jamie Rigg10.13.2017
Uber’s app will stop UK drivers working excessive hours
Earlier today, executives from Uber, Deliveroo and courier company Hermes addressed the UK government's Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee, which is investigating how it might be possible to balance the flexible "gig economy" working model with fair pay and appropriate benefits. While discussing employment practices, Uber's Andrew Byrne was quizzed on passenger safety, at which point he revealed the ride-sharing company is testing a system that automatically logs off drivers deemed to be working excessive hours.
Jamie Rigg10.10.2017
Uber loses Europe chief amid London license denial
Uber's lead for Northern Europe, Jo Bertram, is leaving the company. The move comes less than two weeks after London's transport regulator, TfL, announced its decision to revoke Uber's private hire operator licence in the city. Should the decision be upheld, the company will be unable to operate in one of its largest and most lucrative European markets. Uber has filed an appeal and can operate while the appeal process is ongoing. Still, it's a setback for a company that has already changed its CEO this year and is struggling to recover from a long line of PR and corporate blunders.
Nick Summers10.02.2017
Uber is ready to cut a deal to get its London license back
Uber may have lost its London taxi license with no small amount of drama, but it's already willing to make concessions. The ridesharing outfit's city manager Tom Elvidge tells the Sunday Times that he would "like to know what [Uber] can do" to "get this right." He's willing to make tradeoffs to get business back, in other words. That's a sharp contrast to Elvidge's tone on Friday, when he denounced the move and was promising an immediate legal response. And importantly, it sounds like officials might be willing to give Uber a break.
Jon Fingas09.24.2017
Uber just lost its London taxi license
In a surprise announcement today, Transport for London (TfL) has confirmed that it will not reissue Uber's private hire licence within the city. In a statement, the regulator said that the company's operations were not "fit and proper" and that has just a week (until September 30th) until its licence runs out. Uber will appeal the decision, which will allow its drivers to stay on the road until a final ruling is passed.
Matt Brian09.22.2017
Taxify halts operations following Transport for London investigation
When you're a ride-hailing company, a lot can happen in a week. Just three days after it brought its private hire app to London, Taxify has suspended all rides as it seeks to clarify its standing with the capital's transport authority. Transport for London (TfL) confirmed yesterday that it was "urgently investigating" the Uber rival because it isn't a "licensed private hire operator" and was performing its services without the necessary clearance.
Matt Brian09.08.2017
Uber rival Taxify is being investigated by Transport for London
Unlike other world cities, London is a pretty supportive place when it comes to transport innovation. Transport for London (TfL) has attempted to keep the peace as traditional taxi companies battle it out with private hire challengers like Uber, imposing new rules that ensure service levels remain high no matter what vehicle members of the public choose to ride in. Earlier this week, Uber's London division found itself in new company thanks to Taxify, a private hire firm that has already made waves across Europe. It promised lower fares and higher payments for drivers, but its arrival has been marred by controversy. City A.M reports that TfL is now "urgently investigating" Taxify because it isn't a "licensed private hire operator" and could be operating in London without the necessary clearance.
Matt Brian09.07.2017