When will Uber stop operating in London and will Uber Eats still exist?

25 November 2019, 11:28 | Updated: 25 November 2019, 11:30

It was announced today that Uber has been stripped of its license to operate in the capital, but what will happen to Uber Eats?

Uber has been stripped of its license to operate in London, it was announced today.

Transport For London (TfL) has claimed that the car-hire company does not meet the 'fit and proper' standards for a private hire company.

It said that "several breaches that placed passengers and their safety at risk" were identified in the investigation.

When will Uber cease to operate in London?

Uber's license runs out at 11:59PM tonight, but the company has said that the decision is "extraordinary and wrong" and that it would be appealing. Therefore, it will be allowed to operate pending the appeal.

Will Uber Eats continue to operate?

It is not yet known what the fate of Uber Eats is, but, as they don't carry passengers, it is thought by some that they will be unaffected by the ban.

Why did Uber lose its license?

TfL refused to give the company a five-year license back in 2017 over concerns about safety, and it was granted a 15-month license in September 2018. In September of this year, it Uber was granted a two month extension.

Helen Chapman, director of licensing, regulation and charging at TfL, said: “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.

"If they choose to appeal, Uber will have the opportunity to publicly demonstrate to a magistrate whether it has put in place sufficient measures to ensure potential safety risks to passengers are eliminated. If they do appeal, Uber can continue to operate and we will closely scrutinise the company to ensure the management has robust controls in place to ensure safety is not compromised during any changes to the app.”

What have Uber said about the decision?

Jamie Heywood, Regional General Manager for Northern & Eastern Europe, said: “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.”