Uber was stripped of its license to carry paying passengers in London on Monday for the second time in just over two years, pending an appeal, over a “pattern of failures” on safety and security.
Unauthorized drivers were able to upload their photos to others’ accounts so that, on at least 14,000 trips, a driver other than the advertised one picked up passengers, the regulator Transport for London (TFL) said.
The ride-hailing firm immediately said it would appeal. The process is likely to include court action and could drag on for months, allowing Uber’s roughly 45,000 drivers in London, one of its most important markets, to keep taking rides despite its license expiring on Monday.
Unauthorized drivers were able to upload their photos to others’ accounts so that, on at least 14,000 trips, a driver other than the advertised one picked up passengers, the regulator Transport for London (TFL) said.
Uber, whose app-based ordering and demand-sensitive pricing have disrupted operators in many cities worldwide including drivers of London’s “black cabs”, said its systems were robust and that it would also introduce a new facial matching process.
Uber’s shares fell by nearly 4% at the open in New York before largely recovering.
The Silicon Valley Company has run into regulatory barriers and a backlash in several markets, forcing it to withdraw completely from places such as Copenhagen and Hungary.
In London, black cab drivers who see Uber as a threat to their hard-won livelihoods have blocked streets in protest, arguing they are being unfairly undercut by an inferior service.
