Uber loses licence in London
Visitor numbers grow over holiday fest
LONDON transport authorities said on Friday that they would not renew Uber’s licence to operate in the city when it expires, due to public safety concerns, although the US-based ride-hailing app has said it will appeal.
Transport for London said the conduct of Uber, which has around 40,000 drivers and 3.5 million customers in the British capital, had raised concerns.
“TfL has concluded that Uber London Limited is not fit and proper to hold a private hire operator licence,” it said in a statement.
It said that 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”.
The licence expires on September 30 but Uber has 21 days to appeal the decision, and can continue to operate until the process has been exhausted.
London joins other cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai and Cape Town in not granting a licence and the decision adds to woes for Uber’s new boss Dara Khosrowshahi following a string of controversies.
The company hit back saying the decision would “show the world that, far from being open, London is closed to innovative companies.
“By wanting to ban our app from the capital, Transport for London and the mayor have caved in to a small number of people who want to restrict consumer choice,” the company said in a statement.
More than 600,000 people had by yesterday signed a petition to reverse the decision and “defend the livelihoods of 40,000 drivers”.
TfL highlighted the com- pany’s approach to reporting serious criminal offences and to obtaining criminal record checks for drivers as factors in its decision.
The company came under scrutiny in Britain after it emerged that dozens of rape and sexual assault claims had been made against their drivers and when one of their drivers used his vehicle in a recent terror attack on Buckingham Palace.
It also questioned the process through which drivers obtain their medical certificates and the practice of “greyballing”, when the company uses a fake version of its app to fool regulators in cities in which it is banned.
‘No place in London’
Mayor of London
Sadiq Khan said that he fully supported the decision.
“I want London to be at the forefront of innovation and new technology and to be a natural home for exciting new companies that help Londoners by providing a better and more affordable service,” he said.
“However, all companies in London must play by the rules and adhere to the high standards we expect – particularly when it comes to the safety of customers.”
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn on Saturday backed Khan, telling Sky News authorities had done the “right thing”.
US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said that the decision was “not very justified”, while acknowledging that the Uber issue is not one he is responsible for. “It looks pretty obvious that they’re becoming discriminated against because they’re worried our companies are so much stronger than the ones in Europe itself,” Ross said on CNBC.
London’s traditional “black cab” drivers have long campaigned against the service, and welcomed Friday’s decision.
Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association said: “The Mayor has made the right call not to relicense Uber,” said Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association.
“We expect Uber will again embark on a spurious legal challenge against the mayor and TfL, and we will urge the court to uphold this decision. This immoral company has no place on London’s streets.”
The Sun newspaper reported last year that 32 sexual assault claims were made against Uber drivers in 2015/16, more than a fifth of all claims against taxi drivers filed to British police forces.
Uber, which operates in hundreds of cities and more than 80 countries, last month announced that it hired former Expedia boss Khosrowshahi as its new chief executive in an attempt to steer the ridesharing service away from the string of controversies it has faced in the past year.
Dents to Uber’s image include a visit by executives to a South Korean escort-karaoke bar, an attempt to dig up dirt on journalists covering the company, and the mishandling of medical records from a woman raped in India after hailing an Uber ride. TOURISM numbers swelled by nearly 16 percent during this year’s Pchum Ben festival, according to the Ministry of Tourism, with officials crediting efforts to improve tourism infrastructure and the quality of services for the higher volume of both domestic and foreign tourists.
In a posting on its Facebook page on Friday, the ministry said hotel and port records showed a total of just over 1 million tourists in the Kingdom d u r i n g t h e t h r e e - day holiday, a 15.7 percent increase compared to last year’s festival. Domestic tourists made up the bulk of this figure t otall i ng 1,010,000, while foreign tourists numbered about 40,000.
According to the ministry, Siem Reap played host to more visitors during the Pchum Ben festival than any other city in Cambodia. The nor ther n city welcomed over 143,000 tourists during the three-day period, with i t s year-onyear domestic and foreign tourist numbers increasing by 5 percent and 3.5 percent, respectively.
However, Sihanoukville also saw a significant increase in tourism traffic, with 92,000 predominantly domestic tourists visiting the coastal city – a 15.2 percent increase compared to last year’s Pchum Ben festival.
Taing Socheat Kroesna, director of Preah Sihanouk province’s Tourism Department, attributed this year’s increased tourism traffic in Sihanoukville to better infrastructure and improved services.
“An influx of tourists i s always expected during the festival as many people enjoy relaxing on beach during their holiday,” she said.
“The amount of tourists in Sihanoukville has grown and will continue to grow because the city is trying to provide more tourist facilities and better services [for its visitors].”
Chhay Sivlin, president of the Cambodian Association of Travel Agents, welcomed news of increased tourist numbers during the holiday, but said Cambodian cities must overcome a number of serious challenges if they are to reach their full potential.
“The slow collection of rubbish, shortage of personnel, and spikes in food and accommodation prices are challenges for the tourism sector,” she said. “The government should take swift action in order to control the quality of tourism.”