#Uber allowed to keep operating in London after court battle

A British judge on Monday allowed Uber to keep operating in London by granting the ride-hailing giant an 18-month taxi license in one of its largest markets.

The Westminster Magistrates’ Court handed Uber a key victory in its legal battle with local regulatory agency Transport for London, which refused to renew Uber’s operating license in November.

Judge Tanweer Ikram sided with Uber in its appeal of that decision, saying the California-based company was “fit and proper” to hold a license despite its “historical failings.” He ruled that Uber had taken significant steps to address the safety issues regulators raised.

Uber “does not have a perfect record but it has been an improving picture,” Ikram wrote in his decision. “The test as to whether [Uber] are a ‘fit and proper person’ does not require perfection.”

Uber’s new license to operate in the city comes with several conditions that the company and Transport for London suggested to the court together. The length of the license was decided in a hearing after Monday’s decision, Uber said.

Uber’s New York-listed stock price jumped about 3.9 percent in premarket trading to $35.80 as of 7:21 a.m. on news of the ruling, which the company praised as a recognition of its “commitment to safety.”

“There is nothing more important than the safety of the people who use the Uber app as we work together to keep London moving,” Jamie Heywood, Uber’s regional general manager for the northern and eastern Europe, said in a statement, adding that the company “will continue to work constructively” with Transport for London.

But London’s transit regulators say they’ll be watching Uber to make sure it sticks to the terms of the license.

“This 18 month license with a number of conditions allows us to closely monitor Uber’s adherence to the regulations and to swiftly take action if they fail to meet the required standards,” a Transport for London spokesperson said in a statement.

Agency officials in November alleged that unauthorized Uber drivers were able to upload their own photos to other drivers’ accounts, allowing them to pick up passengers posing as the real driver on at least 14,000 trips.

Ikram praised Uber’s efforts to crack down on the problem, which included several manual reviews of documents and training staff to evaluate those records. Those steps appeared to put Uber “at the forefront of tackling an industry-wide challenge,” he wrote.

The decision marked Uber’s second successful appeal of Transport for London’s attempt to strip its operating license. A judge granted the company a 15-month license in 2018 after regulators refused to renew its initial license in 2017.