Just a few weeks after Dara Khosrowshahi inherited an already scandal-ridden company, Uber’s new CEO was thrust into a regulatory gauntlet with London lawmakers. The agency that oversaw the ride-hail and taxi industries had chosen not to renew Uber’s license to operate, effectively instating a ban on the company in the city.
Uber 2.0 won a big battle in London. Now it has to prove that it’s committed to doing the right thing.
A court has granted Uber a 15-month probationary license to operate in London.
Uber
Fast-forward to today, about 10 months into Khosrowshahi’s tenure as CEO, and the new Uber he built has won the right to continue to operate in London — at least for 15 months. The logic: It was the old, win-at-all costs company that London banned, and it’s the new, friendly, do-the-right-thing company that Uber is purporting to be that a court has granted a license.
Uber 2.0 scored a big win in its biggest market in Europe, but now it has to prove that it will maintain its commitment to being the refurbished company it’s pitching itself as — not just to London but also to the public in all the markets it operates in.
The London court has crafted its license to ensure just that. As a condition of its 15-month probational license, Uber will be audited every six months.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan warned that the city would be watching Uber very closely.
“No matter how big or strong you are, you must play by the rules,” Khan tweeted after the decision.
The 15-month probational license was already a concession for Uber — originally the company sought a five-year license.
Now, every six months, Uber will also be held accountable to its commitment to do things like proactively reporting serious incidents that happened on the Uber platform to police — which the company says it has already begun to do.
Uber will be producing an assurance report every six months, and it will be reviewed independently by a third party — though it hasn’t been determined who that party will be.
If it fails to meet the city’s requirements, the company could be forced to relitigate its ability to operate in London and tarnish the image of a refurbished company it has worked so hard to cultivate.
“We will continue to work with TfL to address their concerns and earn their trust, while providing the best possible service for our customers,” Uber’s general manager for the U.K. and Ireland, Tom Elvidge, said in a statement.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
