Fears were today raised that regulators around the world would follow the lead of London and crackdown on Uber after the city banned the tax-hailing app.
Transport for London (TfL) accused Uber of failing to report serious crimes, said it was unhappy with the way medical and criminal checks were obtained and said its software prevented regulators accessing the app.
The San Francisco-based company, worth $70billion, makes 10million trips per day worldwide and has carried more than 5billion passengers in over 630 cities across 81 countries since 2009.
Uber, worth $70billion, makes 10million trips per day worldwide and has carried more than 5billion passengers in over 630 cities across 81 countries since 2009.
But the app has been forced to quit several countries including Denmark and Hungary and faced regulatory battles in multiple US states.
The decision by regulators in London today to strip the firm of its license may now encourage other cities to launch their own crackdown.
Austin, Texas, allowed Uber back into the city in May after a year-long battle over government regulations.
The company had pulled operations from the city in May 2016 after being told to fingerprint and background check all current and prospective drivers.
Uber is still banned in Alaska, where it disputed over whether drivers were independent contractors or registered taxi drivers.
Protests, regulations and lawsuits have emerged around the world in connection to Uber operations, in countries including Australia, France, China and Taiwan.
Globally, Uber has endured a tumultuous few months after a string of scandals involving allegations of sexism and bullying at the company
CEO and co-founder Travis Kalanick stood down amid allegations that the ride-sharing firm had failed to adequately handle sexual harassment and gender discrimination complaints
Globally, Uber has endured a tumultuous few months after a string of scandals involving allegations of sexism and bullying at the company, leading to investor pressure which forced out former CEO and co-founder Travis Kalanick.
The company recently fired 20 employees after a report by former US Attorney General Eric Holder found rampant misbehavior and urged Uber to clean things up.
Kalanick stood down amid allegations that the ride-sharing firm had failed to adequately handle sexual harassment and gender discrimination complaints.
And while Uber concedes that this year’s missteps have slowed its growth, it says ridership is still rising because customers value the service.
It’s in the midst of self-proclaimed ‘180 days of change’ in an effort to alter a culture that fostered rapid growth but also encouraged bad behavior.
Last month, the company hired Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi as its top executive.
It’s also hired thousands of people to better distribute the workload and started serving its free dinners 90 minutes earlier at its San Francisco headquarters so workers don’t stay as late.
As for its drivers, the company recently matched competitor Lyft by letting riders tip through its app.