Uber LOSES its London licence: TfL punishes app for failing to stop thousands of unauthorised and uninsured drivers picking up passengers - but the move will leave 45,000 drivers out of work and hit millions of customers

Customers hit back at authorities in London today after Uber was stripped of its licence to operate in the capital over its failure to stop unlicensed and uninsured drivers.

Transport for London (TfL) revoked the cab-hailing app's right to work in London after finding that at least 14,000 trips were made with drivers who were different to the ones shown on the app.

A change in the company's systems allowed unauthorised drivers to upload their photographs to legitimate Uber driver accounts, the transport body said. At least one driver picking up fares had previously had their licence revoked.

The company now has 21 days to mount an appeal and can continue to operate during that time. It will have to convince a court it is 'fit and proper' by the time of the appeal.

Customers have hit back at the move, saying they can't afford black cabs and should be allowed to make their own decisions about how they travel.

One cab passenger accused the city of 'going backwards' while others pointed out the service is available in scores of other locations worldwide.

Announcing the bombshell decision, TfL's director of licensing Helen Chapman said today: 'As the regulator of private hire services in London we are required to make a decision today on whether Uber is fit and proper to hold a licence.

'Safety is our absolute top priority. While we recognise Uber has made improvements, it is unacceptable that Uber has allowed passengers to get into minicabs with drivers who are potentially unlicensed and uninsured.

'It is clearly concerning that these issues arose, but it is also concerning that we cannot be confident that similar issues won't happen again in future.'

Tfl said it had identified 'several breaches that placed passengers and their safety at risk' and 'does not have confidence that similar issues will not reoccur in the future'.

The move could end up seeing the app's 45,000 drivers looking for other ways to make money, and thousands of customers searching for alternative apps. Unions meanwhile have welcomed the move as a strike back at the 'gig economy'. 

It comes two years after Transport for London first tried to pull the plug on the firm's operations in London, following a number of crimes committed by drivers.

The move sparked a mixed reaction among Londoners, with some saying they rely on the app to get them places cheaply.

Others were less sympathetic with the firm, saying they were shocked at the security risks.  

But others insisted they have never had a problem with the app and were worried about the cost of black cabs

Some Londoners went online to back the move, saying they were shocked at safety breaches

The firm's CEO Dara Khosrowshahi raged on Twitter: 'We understand we're held to a high bar, as we should be. But this TfL decision is just wrong. 

'Over the last 2 years we have fundamentally changed how we operate in London. We have come very far — and we will keep going, for the millions of drivers and riders who rely on us.' 

Shares in Uber were down almost 6% in pre-market trading in New York.

Responding, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said in a statement: 'I know this decision may be unpopular with Uber users but their safety is the paramount concern.

'Regulations are there to keep Londoners safe, and fully complying with TfL's strict standards is essential if private hire operators want a licence to operate in London.' 

Unite, Britain's biggest trade union, welcomed the announcement and called for a level-playing field to allow traditional taxi services to compete.

'There remains fundamental problems in the way the company operates, particularly issues around passenger safety,' said Unite official Jim Kelly.

'Uber's DNA is about driving down standards and creating a race to the bottom which is not in the best interests of professional drivers or customers.'

But, the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain - which represents gig economy workers - criticised TfL's decision.

'The mayor's decision to once again deny Uber a license will come as a hammer blow to its 50,000 drivers working under precarious conditions,' said James Farrar, chair of the union's United Private Hire Drivers branch.

'We are asking for an urgent meeting with the mayor to discuss what mitigation plan can now be put in place to protect Uber drivers.'

In September, Uber's right to operate in the capital was extended by just two months after Transport for London (TfL) refused to grant a full five-year licence.

Uber was granted a 15-month licence by a judge in June 2018 after it appealed against a TfL decision not to renew its licence over safety and security concerns. The ride-hailing app's existing licence was due to expire at 11.59pm today.

The reasons previously given for revoking the licence cited by TfL included: the company's approach to reporting serious criminal offences, how drivers' medical certificates were obtained, how criminal record checks were carried out and its use of technology which allegedly helped it evade law enforcement officials.

Uber says a range of new safety features have been introduced to its app in the past two years.

Uber's regional general manager for northern and eastern Europe Jamie Heywood said today: 'TfL's decision not to renew Uber's licence in London is extraordinary and wrong, and we will appeal.

'We have fundamentally changed our business over the last two years and are setting the standard on safety. TfL found us to be a fit and proper operator just two months ago, and we continue to go above and beyond.

'On behalf of the 3.5 million riders and 45,000 licensed drivers who depend on Uber in London, we will continue to operate as normal and will do everything we can to work with TfL to resolve this situation.'

Earlier this month, it launched a system which automatically checks on the well-being of drivers and passengers when a journey is interrupted by a long stop.

It also unveiled a discrimination reporting button on its app, and collaborated with the AA to produce a safety video to educate drivers on topics such as reading the road, speed, space management and how to drop off and pick up passengers safely.

There are around 45,000 Uber drivers in London.