Uber refused London licence – but it can continue to operate for now

Why is Uber's licence not being renewed?

TfL says that it has identified a "pattern of failures" by Uber, including several breaches that placed passengers' safety at risk.

It says it does not have confidence that similar issues will not reoccur and has concluded that the company is not "fit and proper" at this time.

TfL says one key issue was that a change to Uber's systems allowed unauthorised drivers to upload their photos to other Uber driver accounts. It says this allowed them to pick up passengers as though they were the booked driver, which occurred in at least 14,000 trips – putting passenger safety and security at risk.

It adds that another failure allowed dismissed or suspended drivers to create an Uber account and carry passengers, again compromising passenger safety and security.

What does Uber say?

Jamie Heywood, Uber's regional general manager for northern and eastern Europe, said: "TfL's decision not to renew Uber's licence in London is extraordinary and wrong, and we will appeal.

"We have fundamentally changed our business over the last two years and are setting the standard on safety. TfL found us to be a fit and proper operator just two months ago, and we continue to go above and beyond.

"On behalf of the 3.5 million riders and 45,000 licensed drivers who depend on Uber in London, we will continue to operate as normal and will do everything we can to work with TfL to resolve this situation."