The Uber London Model is not Lawful... By Gerald Gouriet QC

TfL has finally released the full reasons for its refusal to renew Uber’s London licence.

In a letter to Uber dated 22 September, which the regulator had not made public until yesterday (19 December), TfL sets out in detail how Uber had misled it, and also misled the High Court, as to the order in which bookings are accepted through the Uber APP. TfL say that Uber’s answers to questions were “materially false and misleading”.

In the same letter, TfL express the view that the current Uber model does not comply with the 1998 Act and is unlawful.

In September 2017 TfL announced that it had not renewed Uber London’s licence: but the full reasons were not made public. When the LTDA asked to see those reasons TfL replied that the LTDA “was not entitled to them”.

The LTDA made an application to participate in Uber’s appeal to the magistrates’ court: its application was strenuously opposed by Uber. At a hearing on 19 December the Senior District Judge allowed the LTDA’s application and gave it permission to participate in Uber’s appeal.

TfL’s 22 September letter was released on the afternoon before that hearing, as a direct result of the LTDA’s written submissions to the Court.

Gerald Gouriet QC