# The Sharp Knives are out...Uber has its licence suspended in Sheffield



## Hugh G (Sep 22, 2016)

*Uber has its licence suspended in Sheffield *

Taxi-hailing firm will be allowed to continue operating while it appeals decision which it says is down to an administrative error 

















Sheffield said Uber had failed to respond to requests for information about its management. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters


Frances Perraudin @fperraudin
Friday 8 December 2017 04.58 AEDT
First published on Friday 8 December 2017 04.18 AEDT

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/dec/07/uber-licence-suspended-sheffield

Sheffield city council has suspended Uber's licence in what the company has insisted is an "administrative error".

The ride-hailing company can still operate in the city until 18 December and, if it appeals the council's decision, can operate after that date until the appeal is heard. Uber has said it will appeal so it can "continue to serve people in Sheffield".

The dispute surrounds the company's failure to change the name on the licence from that of the former UK boss Jo Bertram, who left Uber in October. Bertram announced her departure after Transport for London (TfL) stripped Uber of its licence to operate in the UK capital in September.

Sheffield city council has said the law does not allow for a licence to be transferred to a different name. However, Uber argues that it has not had any difficulty doing so with other local authorities.

A Sheffield city council spokesperson said: "Uber's licence was suspended last Friday (29 November) after the current licence holder failed to respond to requests, made by our licensing team, about the management of Uber." Uber applied for a new licence, with a different named individual, on 18 October, which the council said it was processing.

A spokesperson for Uber said the company had informed Sheffield city council on 5 October that they would need to change the name on the licence as the named individual would soon be leaving the company.

"The council told us they couldn't change the name on the licence, as most other councils have done, and that we would instead have to apply for a new one," they said in a statement.

"While we are in regular contact with the council, we did not receive the correspondence the council refers to as they sent the letters to an incorrect address. We hope this administrative error can be quickly resolved so we can continue serving tens of thousands of riders and drivers in Sheffield."

Lee Parkinson of the GMB union said the move by the local authority was "yet another blow for Uber and more proof their exploitative business model does not pay".

"When will Uber admit it has to change its ways and put the safety of its drivers and the public before profits?" he said.

Mick Rix, the union's national officer for the hackney and private-hire taxi trade, said he suspected that other considerations had played a part in the local authority's decision to suspend the licence, and called on Sheffield council to be "more transparent" about what they were.

"Local authorities do not make decisions like this lightly because companies like Uber, which is valued at £70bn, will just throw money at the problem and take everybody to court," he said. "There's pressure on local services, so politicians have to decide between keeping a library open or fighting a court case."

He added: "How can such a wealthy, global, mini-cab operator such as Uber be so stupid as to overlook a key demand of its licensing requirements?"

Sheffield council's decision is the latest blow in a bad year for Uber in the UK. In October, the Central London employment tribunal ruled that Uber drivers were not self-employed, and were entitled to basic workers' rights including holiday pay, a guaranteed minimum wage and an entitlement to breaks. The ruling came a month after TfL decided not to renew the company's licence to operate in London.


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## Who is John Galt? (Sep 28, 2016)

.
"Uber applied for a new licence, with a different named individual, *on 18 October, which the council said it was processing.*"

LOL. It looks like Über is getting some of its own medicine.
We'll get around to it, when we damn well feel like it.

.


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## Jack Malarkey (Jan 11, 2016)

It does seem strange that the councils place so much emphasis on a named individual. This would seem more appropriate for a small pub or perhaps a hackney cab company during the reign of Queen Victoria.


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## Icecool (Feb 8, 2016)

Hugh G said:


> *Uber has its licence suspended in Sheffield *
> 
> Taxi-hailing firm will be allowed to continue operating while it appeals decision which it says is down to an administrative error
> 
> ...


Sorry cabbies but uber is not going anywhere . No big deals ! uber can always just reapply for The licence. I wonder why people always get excite each time Uber get their licence suspended or terminated .


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## UberDriverAU (Nov 4, 2015)

I'm waiting for the day when Uber is "deactivated" somewhere without any right of appeal. Wouldn't that be justice to many.


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## Jack Malarkey (Jan 11, 2016)

UberDriverAU said:


> I'm waiting for the day when Uber is "deactivated" somewhere without any right of appeal. Wouldn't that be justice to many.


And without its having being advised of the nature of complaints against it (on the grounds of privacy).


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## pajala (Apr 24, 2016)

Nothing to see here will be re issued in due cause but the ongoing appeal with Transport London is the main concern for Uber lose that and bye bye England


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## Icecool (Feb 8, 2016)

pajala said:


> Nothing to see here will be re issued in due cause but the ongoing appeal with Transport London is the main concern for Uber lose that and bye bye England


I don't think uber will lose the appeal . It the government just want to put up a show for the taxi to see and make them think they are doing something about uber .


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## MyRedUber (Dec 28, 2015)

The government isn't going to kill something that's so popular with voters.


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## everythingsuber (Sep 29, 2015)

MyRedUber said:


> The government isn't going to kill something that's so popular with voters.


The overwhelming majority of Londoners don't use Uber. They have no electoral clout at all. One of the current Mayors policy promises when elected was to get rid of Uber.


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## Icecool (Feb 8, 2016)

everythingsuber said:


> The overwhelming majority of Londoners don't use Uber. They have no electoral clout at all. One of the current Mayors policy promises when elected was to get rid of Uber.


London has 3.5 million uber user that almost halved the population .if the current want to get rid of uber it is like getting rid of himself as a mayor. 800,000 petitions had been signed already by uber users


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## everythingsuber (Sep 29, 2015)

Icecool said:


> London has 3.5 million uber user that almost halved the population .if the current want to get rid of uber it is like getting rid of himself as a mayor. 800,000 petitions had been signed already by uber users


And thousands of people received thank you emails for signing the petition. The problem being they don't sign it. Currently Sadiq Khan is riding higher than he has ever been on option polls. Uber is cooked in London.


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## Icecool (Feb 8, 2016)

everythingsuber said:


> And thousands of people received thank you emails for signing the petition. The problem being they don't sign it. Currently Sadiq Khan is riding higher than he has ever been on option polls. Uber is cooked in London.


So your saying people prefer to use a taxi than an Uber . But the fact is they sign . He maybe popular now but we know how close the election is . Anyways it's only an option poll not real data it's manupulated by the media . When the America election was on they said Hillary was wining but at the end Shen lost badly . Even a few thousands can make a difference. The government come and go . Uber can apply again later with the new government if they fail this time .


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## mach7 (Oct 30, 2017)

Just on London as everythingsuber said the Mayor is anti-uber. Mayor Khan's administration is very left leaning/anti-capatalist and therefore anti-Uber. The taxis in London are a closed shop union and their union has clout with the metropolitan (left leaning) government. Same goes for Sheffield.

London unfortunately is lost to a bunch of socialists.

You might also remember Mayor Khan saying that 'terrorism was just a part of living in a big city'. Yeh that guy.

The English Courts might be a little more accommodating to Uber considering how one sided the local governments are in England.


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