Uber Stays on London Streets Until at Least April on Appeal

Uber’s London fate won’t be decided until mid-way through 2018 after a judge said that she will schedule an appeal hearing in either April or June, meaning the company can operate in its busiest European market until then, according to Bloomberg.

Judge Emma Arbuthnot proposed two starting dates, April 30 or June 25, for the five-day trial at a short hearing in London Monday. “Everyone wants to get on with it,“ Arbuthnot said. There will be another pre-trial hearing starting Dec. 19 to consider applications from the GMB trade union and a taxi drivers’ group to become involved with the case.

The rulings will have important implications for Uber’s business. London is the company’s largest market outside the U.S., and a loss of its license or change to its labor rules could hurt attempts by the company, which is losing billions of dollars a year, to become profitable. "We filed our appeal so that we can continue serving millions of riders and tens of thousands of drivers in London," an Uber spokesperson said. "However, we continue having constructive discussions with Transport for London in order to resolve this.

Transport for London’s decision to ban Uber on safety and regulatory concerns sent a clear message to technology companies that government agencies are starting to find their teeth in balancing the interests of the so-called gig economy’s new business models against workers’ rights and more traditional operators.

The Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association, which represents about 12,000 traditional black-cab drivers, is applying to get involved in the case because it believes Uber’s business model forces drivers to unlawfully “ply for hire.“ Uber’s court papers say that it wants the court to dismiss the GMB and LTDA applications to join the case. The papers say there is “no statutory jurisdiction“ for them to be added.

In addition to the TfL challenge, Uber has lost at two separate courts in a high profile suit challenging the way it treats workers. Uber also has had its operating license suspended in Sheffield, the fourth-largest city in England.