LTDA give evidence to police in relation to claims that ex-Uber General Manager “misled” the High Co

The Licensed Taxi Drivers Association have today submitted evidence to police officers in relation to an allegation that Uber’s ex-employee, Jo Bertram had ‘misled’ a High Court hearing. 

The interview with the Metropolitan Police Homicide and Serious Crime Command was conducted in front of the LTDA’s legal representatives and centred around an allegation that false information had been given by Uber’s then regional general manager for Northern Europe Jo Bertram.

The alleged false information was claimed to have been given during a High Court ruling involving the classification of Uber’s ‘meter’ back in 2015.

Lord Justice Ouseley ruled that the ride-hailing app was not to be classified as a taximeter and that the app should be ruled legal in the capital.  

Had Uber lost the case brought forward by the regulator Transport for London the firm would have had no choice but to change its service as only licensed taxis are able to use taximeters. The LTDA first made a complaint in September 2017 when Uber lost its operators licence in London.  

According to an LTDA spokesperson “It became clear from Helen Chapman’s statement over TfL’s refusal to licence Uber that TfL thought Jo Bertram either did not know how Uber’s app worked or misled the court in the meter case.” The Metropolitan Police have waited until now, after Uber’s recent successful licensing appeal decision, to interview LTDA General Secretary Steve McNamara. Steve McNamara said “During the police interview officers requested copies of evidence from the meter case, the record of Judge Arbuthnot comments and a statement from me laying it all out. LTDA solicitors were present during my interview.” The LTDA General Secretary added “The next step is that Police submit preliminaries to CPS to see if there is prima facie case and to get the go ahead to carry on.”