UBER MAY BE FORCED TO LEAVE LONDON!

Transport for London, the governing transit body may change as the Greater London metro area has decided to not renew Uber's private-hire license, which will expire on September 30. Without a private-hire license, Uber will be illegally driving passengers around. 

In a press release Transport for London outlined the reasoning behind its decision, saying it “concluded that Uber London Limited is not fit and proper to hold a private hire operator licence.” It cited several reasons, including Uber’s procedure for reporting serious crimes, how it performs background checks on potential drivers, and Uber’s “Greyball” program, a tool that is designed to identify and deceive government officials and regulators. (Uber admits to using the program, though it says it never used it in London.)

“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,” says London's mayor Sadig Khan in a statement to the press. “Providing an innovative service must not be at the expense of customer safety and security.”

Uber did not keep quiet, firing back in its own statement. “3.5 million Londoners who use our app, and more than 40,000 licensed drivers who rely on Uber to make a living, will be astounded by this decision,” said Tom Elvidge, Uber’s general manager in London. “By wanting to ban our app from the capital Transport for London and the Mayor have caved into a small number of people who want to restrict consumer choice.”

Uber will have 21 days to appeal the decision in the court and will be allowed to continue to operate in the city until the appeals process is complete.