Uber “changes” focus to operator taking the booking rather than the driver

Ride hailing firm Uber have announced that “changes” are to be made in London which suggests Uber are now taking the booking rather than the driver.

This latest tweak to the service comes as the private hire operator looks to meet regulations set by Transport for London before the impending court appeal surrounding their refused renewed operators licence in the capital. 

Previously, the regulator has expressed concerns that each Uber booking is being accepted by the driver rather than the operator. Something completely against longstanding regulations set. 

In a statement made today an Uber spokesperson said:

“We’re making some changes to our app today which you may notice when booking a trip with Uber in London. The changes are aimed at making sure that passengers always know who has accepted their booking and who their driver is licensed by. “From today, we will make it clearer to riders in London – once they have requested a car through our app – that Uber London has accepted their booking as the private hire operator. “All bookings through our app in London and surrounding areas (such as at airports like Heathrow) will be accepted by Uber London, which means that only drivers licensed by Transport for London can carry out those trips. “And when we send riders the booking confirmation we will let them know that TfL has licensed their driver, alongside information such as their name, photo, private hire licence number and car registration. “We’re also making a change which means that if a rider doesn’t show up within eight minutes of their driver arriving, Uber will assume the rider no longer wants a car and automatically cancel the booking. In these circumstances a cancellation fee of £6 will be charged. Of course if the rider still wants a car they can simply request one through the app and make a fresh booking.”