The British court is ready to rule on Uber

Emma Arbuthnot,

The judge in the case said on Monday that she's aiming to announce her decision when the arguments are over, which could be as early as Tuesday, with a complete written judgment to follow later.

Ms. Arbuthnot hears Uber's appeal of the September decision of London's highest transport regulator to deny the company a new car license due to a "lack of social responsibility" ". and the courts on the operation of its application.

London is one of the largest markets in Uber. The company had 48,000 drivers registered in the city in February, and 3.6 million people in London used its app to order rides during a 12-week period earlier this year, according to a file published on Monday. Uber was allowed to continue operating while waiting for his call.

The case is a test of Uber 's annual effort to prove that he no longer deserves his reputation as scofflaw.

Uber said in his court filing that he "fully accepts that the [regulators’] The decision was justified. Senior managers defined new procedures for reporting crimes to the police and emphasized

Dara Khosrowshahi,

The new general manager of Uber, to change the company culture of Uber.

Uber's attorney, Thomas De La Mare, said the company had undergone "a change of business that is growing very quickly towards a growing business". He added that it would be an "extreme conclusion to say that an organization was not capable of reform".

Martin Chamberlain, the lawyer for Transport for London, the regulator, said the agency was taking a "neutral but skeptical" stance on Uber's change claim.

One of the most controversial issues at Monday's hearing was whether Uber had gone far enough in the cleaning house. Ms. Arbuthnot repeatedly asked if Uber was still employing people who were staff members at times when the company now admits that it is giving misleading or false answers to questions from the authorities.

Uber pointed to the departure of former Northern Europe director Jo Bertram as well as another senior official. But Tom Elvidge, now managing director of Uber for the UK and Ireland, said the remaining rulers from the time the license was lost were still employed, "albeit in different positions ".

Uber has asked the court to issue a new car-service license that covers only 18 months because "a probationary period providing for an in-depth review and a reassessment is appropriate," the company's filing says.

But Ms Arbuthnot suggested Monday that even an 18-month license could be "too long" and invited further discussions on the subject.

Write to Sam Schechner at [email protected]