Uber has been stripped of its operating license in London after city authorities found that 14,000 users were sent different drivers to the one shown on the app. It won’t be banned in the city immediately—the company has 21 days to appeal the decision, and then the case is likely to head to the courts. However, city regulator Transport for London (TfL) ruled that the car-ride app was not “fit and proper” to operate as a license holder, saying in a statement: “While we recognize Uber has made improvements, it is unacceptable that Uber has allowed passengers to get into minicabs with drivers who are potentially unlicensed and uninsured.” Around 45,000 drivers work for Uber in London, and all of their jobs would be at risk if Uber is banned from the city. TfL claims unauthorized drivers were able to upload their photos to other Uber driver accounts, allowing them to pick up passengers as though they were the booked driver. All of those journeys were uninsured, and some took place with unlicensed drivers, one of which had previously had their license revoked by TfL.
