Uber service in spotlight
COUNCIL TO LOOK AT LONDON DECISION
COUNCIL bosses say they will consider Uber’s future in Newcastle after the taxi app service was refused a new licence to operate in London.
It was announced on Monday that Uber’s application for a new London operating licence was rejected due to alleged repeated safety failures.
Transport for London (TfL) claim that a change to the app allowed unauthorised people to upload their photographs to legitimate driver accounts –resulting in 14,000 fraudulent trips which put passenger safety “at risk”.
Uber called the decision “extraordinary and wrong” and pledged to continue operating in London while it launched an appeal.
The service arrived in Newcastle in 2015, and the number of taxi drivers in the city has soared since. The firm said earlier this year that it was “proud of the positive impact we have had in Newcastle”.
City council officials say they will now examine the TfL decision on Uber, which is currently licensed to operate in Newcastle until 2021, and defended their vetting procedures for taxi drivers.
A spokesperson for Newcastle City Council said: “We will consider the rationale behind the reasons for the refusal to renew the private hire operator licence of Uber by Transport for London.
“Applications are submitted in person to the Licensing Authority and thereafter vetting procedures are completed and applications determined and processed in direct consultation with the Disclosure & Barring Service and external agencies.
“Enhanced certification, bespoke medical forms and photographic identification must all be presented by the prospective licensee to Council Offices. Safeguarding awareness training and one-to-one applicant knowledge assessment must also be satisfactorily completed with Officers of the Council.
“Safeguarding and proactive enforcement are fundamental to ensuring licensees are, and remain, fit and proper to hold licences and we further this through our established partnerships with Northumbria Police and other enforcement bodies to ensure the travelling public have confidence when using private hire operations licensed by Newcastle City Council.”
TfL first refused to renew Uber’s licence in 2017 amid safety concerns, but the firm was later handed a 15-month licence by a judge after an appeal. On Monday, TfL said it was “unacceptable that Uber has allowed passengers to get into minicabs with drivers who are potentially unlicensed and uninsured”.
Another failure allowed Uber drivers who were dismissed or suspended to create a new account with the firm and continue carrying passengers.
Uber said: “We have fundamentally changed our business over the last two years, setting the standard for safety in the industry. TfL’s decision on our London licence is wrong and we will appeal. Uber will continue to operate as normal.”
We will consider the rationale behind the reasons for the refusal
Newcastle City Council