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Nine months after his license was refused, Uber was allowed to continue operating in London – a critical market for the ride-hailing giant.
A British court on Tuesday ruled that the controversial company was "in good shape" to hold a 15-month probationary license to operate. But Uber is committed to making changes, including providing training to drivers and notification authorities when a driver is removed from the platform.
Transport for London, the city's regulator, has decided to revoke Uber's private rental license last fall citing concerns about the safety related to the background checks of the drivers of the city. the company. London Mayor Sadiq Khan supported the ban.
Desipiting the ban, Uber continued to operate in London during a call process that lasted nearly a year. Uber has 45,000 drivers and 3.6 million runners in the city.
Since the decision of last year, Uber has taken a more conciliatory approach under a new leadership. "We will continue to work with TfL to address their concerns and gain their trust, while providing the best possible service to our customers," said Tom Elvidge, Uber CEO in Britain on Tuesday.
"Regardless of the power and size, you must abide by the rules," Khan said in a statement posted on Twitter.
Uber officials have been engaged in a prolonged effort to redefine the image of the company in recent months. This effort is led by Uber CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, the soft-spoken leader who took over the business in August. Khosrowshahi apologized for the company's previous misdeeds, including in London, where he issued a letter in the Evening Standard in September promising to "do things right."
"While Uber has revolutionized the way people move in cities around the world, it's also true that we have problems along the way," wrote Khosrowshahi. "On behalf of everyone at Uber in the world, I apologize for the mistakes we have made."
[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/innovations/wp/2018/04/19/for-his-latest-magic-trick-ubers-new-ceo-will-turn-critics-into-customers/?utm_term=.e0f14660b9a6]
Nine months later, Khosroshahi's apology appears to have borne fruit, Judge Emma Arbuthnot claiming that Uber and the regulator could "test the new arrangements".
Harsha Prabath Kumara, a 34-year-old Uber driver from Sri Lanka, said the court "has made the right decision."
"That's what we also wanted, to keep the pilots and provide the best service," he said.
Kumara said that he disagreed with the mayor's push to fire Uber's license. He stated that all drivers were licensed by Transport for London, the transportation company, and that they met all the requirements.
He said that Uber is safe for customers because all the details – of the car, road, driver, passenger – are saved and stored.
During the months when it was in court, Kumara and most Uber drivers remained on the roads and there was no reported decline in the number of drivers and rides.
"I kept driving, no change," he said.
He said Uber is popular in part because the city's public transit system is often overwhelmed by busy stations closed at rush hour when they are overcrowded.
In addition, a heatwave in London this week has slowed down many rail and metro lines because the tracks are expanding in heat and train engineers have to slow down, which leads to backups.
"Customers will be happy to hear this news," Kumara said, adding that its appeal is the lower price compared to the city's traditional black taxis and the ease of ordering a ride on an app. "That's what they wanted, people like Uber."
Correction: An initial version of this story stated that Uber would return to London after a nine-month hiatus. While TfL was filing against Uber, the company was still operating in London while drivers and riders were waiting for the results of an appeal process.
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