Should Londoners choose if they want to use Uber?

Uber has vowed to appeal after Transport for London said it will not be issued with a new licence and was “not fit and proper” to operate in the capital.

TfL said it took the decision on the grounds of “public safety and security implications”.

But Uber, which is used by 3.5 million people and 40,000 drivers in London, hit back, saying it would appeal and claim the move “would show the world that, far from being open, London is closed to innovative companies”.

Uber enables users to book cars using their smartphones and is available in more than 40 towns and cities across the UK.

Some 3.5 million passengers and 40,000 drivers use the app in London, but there had been growing speculation it could be banned in the city.

Uber’s general manager in London Tom Elvidge claimed users of its app “will be astounded by this decision”.

He said: “By wanting to ban our app from the capital, Transport for London and the mayor have caved into 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.

“To defend the livelihoods of all those drivers, and the consumer choice of millions of Londoners who use our app, we intend to immediately challenge this in the courts.”

More than 700,000 people have signed a petition calling for Transport for London to reverse its decision to strip Uber of its licence in the capital, which the company’s chief executive suggested could delay the rollout of electric vehicles and wheelchair-accessible transport.

What are your views? Do you agree with the TfL ban or do you think that Londoners should be able to choose for themselves?