Save Your Uber petition against TfL decision not to renew licence tops 500,000

More than half a million people have signed a petition calling on Transport for London to reverse its decision to stop Uber operating in the capital.

Save Your Uber in London was started by the taxi-hailing company on the Change.org website after Friday’s announcement by TfL that it would not renew its licence when it ends on 30 September.

The burgeoning number of signatures makes it the fastest growing petition in the UK this year.

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Kajal Odedra, UK director at Change.org said: "The speed with which this grew shows how powerful online campaigning can be.

"In just 24 hours we’ve seen hundreds of thousands of people start and sign petitions on either side of the Uber/TfL debate.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan backed the TfL decision but in a new statement, he said anger "should be directed at Uber".

He said: "I know that Uber has become a popular service for many Londoners – but it would be wrong for TfL to licence Uber if there was any way this could pose a threat to Londoners’ safety or security.

"As Mayor of London I welcome innovative new companies that help Londoners by providing a better and more affordable service – but providing an innovative service is not an excuse for not following the rules.

"All companies in London must play by the rules and adhere to the high standards we expect – particularly when it comes to the safety of customers.

"I have every sympathy with Uber drivers and customers affected by this decision but their anger really should be directed at Uber. They have let down their drivers and customers by failing, in the view of TfL, to act as a fit and proper operator.

"I suspect it will take some time before this situation with Uber fully plays out.

"In the meantime, I will continue my work to help support innovative businesses in London and to create a vibrant and safe taxi and private hire market."

Fred Jones, Uber’s UK head of cities, told the BBC: "I think people realise that this decision by the Mayor and Transport for London is actually because they have caved to pressure from a small number of individuals and groups that want to protect the status quo and reduce consumer choice and competition from London.

"We are a very large operator in London, we’ve been operating in London for five and half years and are regulated by TfL.

"Obviously during that period TfL have regularly audited us. They’ve carried out the largest audit in their history and we passed with flying colours.

"The last time they audited us to check we were playing by the rules, they found that there were zero errors in our process.

"This was one of the strange things around the TfL notice yesterday is they are the ones who do all of the checks and license the drivers.

"They are the ones that decide whether an individual is fit and proper to transport members of the public around the capital.

"When a driver signs up to the app, we make sure they’ve got all the correct paperwork from Transport for London but we don’t do background checks ourselves."

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn backed TfL and said it had looked at the firm and "expressed very serious concerns".

Speaking before his party’s conference in Brighton, he said: "TfL are there to protect all of us and I think they are doing the right thing.

"Obviously people need to be able to travel, obviously they want to be able to access cabs.

"Those cabs must be safe, must be regulated and must be available for all."

(c) Sky News 2017: Save Your Uber petition against TfL decision not to renew licence tops 500,000