Uber's licence to operate in Birmingham has been renewed, it has been revealed.

The city's council had said renewal was "likely" after questions were raised over its future, because the ride-hailing app firm has not been granted a new licence to operate in London.

Transport for London (TfL) told Uber in November it had made the decision after repeated safety failures.

Uber's general manager said she was "delighted" at the council's decision in Birmingham.

TfL rejected Uber's application after it found a change to its systems allowed unauthorised people to upload their photographs to legitimate driver accounts, enabling them to pick up passengers.

This resulted in 43 drivers making at least 14,000 uninsured trips and some of these drivers were unlicensed, TfL said.

One had received a police caution for distributing indecent images of children, it added.

Uber is appealing against the decision and is allowed to continue operating in London until that process is complete.

Latest news from the West Midlands
It has operated in Birmingham since 2015.

Following Birmingham City Council's decision, Melinda Roylett, UK and Ireland general manager, said: "There is nothing more important than the safety of the riders and drivers who use the Uber app, and we know that when it comes to safety, our work is never done."

A Birmingham City Council spokesman said: "We can confirm we have issued a 12-month licence."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-51445360
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LONDON

Indian ride-hailing app Ola has launched in London, where Uber faces the threat of being banned, as it aims to topple the Silicon Valley giant as market leader in the U.K. capital.

The company, which shares tech investing juggernaut SoftBank as an investor with Uber, rolls out its taxi-booking service in the city on Monday. The firm’s app is similar in many ways to Uber’s but has a few safety-focused features it says make it stand out.

For instance, when a passenger gets into a car, they have to give a unique four-digit code before the driver can start the trip. It also comes packed with an artificial intelligence-powered system called Guardian, which picks up on deviations in route patterns and gets Ola to check with the driver or customer that “nothing untoward” is happening.

“We aspire to be the market leader in London,” Simon Smith, Ola’s head of international, told CNBC in an interview. “We believe that, with our proposition around quality and safety, offering a great experience not only for customers but drivers as well, there is no reason why we can’t be market leader in this market.”


https://www.cnbc.com
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WAKEFIELD

Proposed strike action by a group of taxi drivers, which was due to take place throughout this week, has been called off.
A cohort of drivers calling themselves Wakefield United had planned to stay at home between 7pm and 9am every night this week, after falling out with the local council over a number of licensing rules.

The move threatened to cause disruption for parents who rely on taxis to get their children to school, and for Wakefield's night-time economy.

But taxi driver Wajid Ali, who was leading the proposed strike, said he'd postponed action after he was offered a meeting with council leader Denise Jeffery and the leader of the Conservative opposition.

Among drivers' grievances is a recent council ruling for all private hire vehicles to have licensing stickers on the front and back of their cars.

They've also opposed a policy designed to encourage cabbies to buy electric vehicles, which they say are too expensive and contradict other rules banning taxis from having tinted windows.

But Mr Ali said: "Despite trying to discuss matters with the licensing department to no avail earlier (last) week, there has been some developments in talks with councillors who are proposing to help in the matter.

"I have a meeting arranged with the leader of the council, Denise Jeffery, the leader of the Conservative Party, Councillor Ahmed, and other senior delegates.

"Therefore in view of this, the proposed strikes have been postponed until further notice."

It's understood no date has yet been arranged for the meetings.

Some drivers did stay at home last Monday in protest at council policy, but this week's proposed action had been expected to cause more problems for the travelling public.

The Wakefield and District Private Hire and Hackney Carriage Association, which represents a large number of local cabbies, had distanced themselves from the strike, however.

https://www.wakefieldexpress.co.uk
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