Theresa May weighed into the row over the decision by Transport for London (TfL) not to renew Uber's license to operate as a taxi service in the city, saying she felt the ban was disproportionate. May made her comments in an interview with the BBC ahead of the annual Conservative Party conference.
"Yes there are safety concerns and issues for Uber to address, but what I want to see is a level playing field between the private firms and our wonderful London taxis, our black cabs, our great national institution," May said.
"I want to see a level playing field. I think a blanket ban is disproportionate."
May went on to say that London mayor Sadiq Khan had put 40,000 jobs at risk, and disrupted the lives of an estimated 3.5 million Uber users, with the stroke of a pen. Khan, who is a member of the Labour party and chairs the TfL, had backed the decision not to renew the license over safety fears. The TfL finds that Uber is unfit to run a taxi service in the city.
While Uber's current license expires on Saturday, September 30, it can continue to operate in the city while its appeal is underway, a process which could take months to complete.
In the meantime, Uber is working with London police to improve its reporting of incidents and said it will work the TfL to regain its operating license.
Source: BBC
Written by: James Delahunty @ 28 Sep 2017 20:19
