London Assembly Transport Committee Chair presses Uber for answers amid scrutiny of TfL’s private hire strategy

Image credit: Greater London Authority

Elly Baker, Chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee, has written to Uber’s UK General Manager seeking detailed responses on issues raised during the Committee’s investigation into Transport for London’s (TfL) Taxi and Private Hire Action Plan 2025.

The Committee is reviewing whether the Action Plan properly addresses challenges within the taxi and private hire sectors, and how TfL plans to deliver on its commitments. In her letter dated 19 June, Baker outlines that Uber had been invited to contribute during the Committee session on 17 June, but did not attend. She used the letter to press for transparency from the platform on a series of concerns voiced by trade unions and driver representatives.

Key topics highlighted include Uber’s use of algorithmic pricing, the proportion of fares retained by the platform, and how driver de-prioritisation functions when jobs are declined. Baker also questions how the company ensures compliance with national minimum wage obligations and maintains driver safety, especially around extended working hours and the use of Trip Radar while driving.

These questions follow mounting concerns from private hire drivers over opaque fare structures and the potential for exploitation under app-based systems. Several trade bodies have argued that TfL’s Action Plan fails to adequately protect drivers or adapt to evolving platform-based working models.

The Committee has already heard formal submissions from the Licensed Private Hire Car Association, FREENOW and the United Cabbies Group, each of which criticised aspects of the Action Plan and called for more direct involvement in policy-making.

The Committee expects a response from Uber addressing each of the specific concerns raised, with the aim of feeding this into its ongoing scrutiny of how TfL intends to support the future of taxi and private hire services across the capital.

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