Let’s see if Uber change their ‘brash’ and ‘aggressive’ tone in court says London Mayor

The London Mayor has described the ride-hailing firm as ‘brash' and ‘aggressive’ in their tone, since they were rejected a new operator's licence in the capital.

During an interview with Bloomberg, London Mayor Sadiq Khan added that he hoped the minicab firm would change their stance to one that is more apologetic, once the expected court appeal starts.

Khan told Bloomberg: “Two weeks ago when TfL turned them down, they were quite brash, quite aggressive... We’ll see when they go to the courts whether they change their tone.”

These comments come in stark contrast to the reaction experienced the last time Uber lost their operator's licence in 2017. Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber’s then newly appointed CEO, quickly flew to London to negotiate with London’s regulators.

In an open statement in 2017, Khosrowshahi said: “On behalf of everyone at Uber globally, I apologise for the mistakes we’ve made.”

He went on to say: “You have my commitment that we will work with London to make things right and keep this great global city moving safely.”

Statement from Dara Khosrowshahi in 2017

Two years later, Uber lost their operator's licence for a second time on the grounds of safety. Dara Khosrowshahi took to social media and said in a short message: “We understand we’re held to a high bar, as we should be.

“But this TfL decision is just wrong. Over the last 2 years we have fundamentally changed how we operate in London.

“We have come very far — and we will keep going, for the millions of drivers and riders who rely on us.”

Transport for London (TfL) chose not to grant Uber a new private hire operator’s licence on Monday 25 November. The regulators said it had identified a pattern of failures by the company, including several breaches that placed passengers and their safety at risk.

TfL went on to say in a statement to the press: “Despite addressing some of these issues, TfL does not have confidence that similar issues will not reoccur in the future, which has led it to conclude that the company is not fit and proper at this time.”

Image credit (Header): Greater London Authority