Transport for London, the British capital’s transport regulator, refused to renew Uber’s private hire licence on Friday.

Uber currently holds a licence to operate in the city, but it will expire on 30 September. TfL holds private hire regulators to high standards in order to ensure passenger safety, and without a licence, companies are not allowed to operate.

“TfL has concluded that Uber London Limited is not fit and proper to hold a private hire operator licence,” said the regulator in a statement. The company’s “approach and conduct demonstrate a lack of corporate responsibility in relation to a number of issues which have potential public safety and security implications” means its licence will not be renewed, it said.

TfL listed its reasons for not renewing the licence as follows:

• Uber’s approach to reporting serious criminal offences.
• Uber’s approach to how medical certificates are obtained.
• Uber’s approach to how Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks are obtained.
• Uber’s approach to explaining the use of Greyball in London – software that could be used to block regulatory bodies from gaining full access to the app and prevent officials from undertaking regulatory or law enforcement duties.

Uber has 21 days to appeal the decision and can continue to operate throughout the appeals process. The company plans to immediately appeal the decision in the courts, it said in an emailed statement.

“3.5 million Londoners who use our app, and more than 40,000 licensed drivers who rely on Uber to make a living, will be astounded by this decision,” said Tom Elvidge, Uber’s general manager in London. 

“By wanting to ban our app from the capital Transport for London and the Mayor have caved in to a small number of people who want to restrict consumer choice. If this decision stands, it will put more than 40,000 licensed drivers out of work and deprive Londoners of a convenient and affordable form of transport.”

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan tweeted in support of TfL’s decision.

This story is developing and is being updated…