Uber takes U-turn in strategy to restore its London license

LONDON (AFP) – Uber claimed Monday to have mended its ways as the ride-hailing app started its appeal against being stripped of its license operate in London.

Uber agreed that the city's transport authority was right to block its renewal last September -- but said it had since undergone ''wholesale change'' in response, and the decision should therefore be overturned.

Transport for London (TfL) had decided against approving the US taxi-hailing app's license citing several safety concerns.

Uber's appeal is being heard at Westminster Magistrates Court in London, and a decision could come as early as Tuesday.

''We accept TfL's decision in September was the right decision on the evidence at the time,'' Uber's lawyer Tom de la Mare told the court.

''That acceptance has led to wholesale change in the way we conduct our business.''

The company has about 40,000 drivers and 3.5 million customers in the British capital.

TfL's concerns included how Uber obtained drivers' medical certificates and how criminal record checks were carried out.

Uber has said it has made significant reforms such as proactively reporting serious incidents to the police and insuring that all drivers are licensed by TfL.

Judge Emma Arbuthnot, England's chief magistrate, will rule on whether Uber is now eligible for a license, without basing her judgment on the merits of TfL's decision in September.