"The Mayor is absolutely right on Uber" says City Halls digital chief
Theo Blackwell, City Halls digital chief told the Evening Standard he was “up for" innovative new ideas but insisted that there is a need for “proper caveats” so that the technology was used for the greater good of Londoners. Mr Blackwell, who admitted using Uber in the past added “All that we do will be driven by the needs of Londoners and not by the needs of someone with a product.” He went on to defend Transport For London's decision to deny Uber a new license which was also backed by the Mayor, Sadiq Khan "The Mayor is absolutely right on Uber. There are rules. And not all rules are there to be disrupted,” Many have suggested the decision to revoke Uber's licence was an attack on innovation. Mr Blackwell said “London has 50 tech clusters, life sciences, fintech, loads of start-ups. Tell them that London is not open for innovation, it's not down to the outcome of the licencing process with one company or another - we have a huge tech sector which is innovating right now.” Uber is appealing TFL's decision. The hearing is due to take place mid-December.