Following several years of lawsuits, Uber Technologies Inc. has had a win and can now legally provide services in London, the capital of the United Kingdom, at least for the next 18 months.

The drama involving Uber versus the city of London goes back several years. Uber first had its license to operate in London suspended in September 2017 on the grounds that it was not a “fit and proper” car hiring service. The ruling against Uber came from Transport for London, the city’s transport operating arm that famously runs London’s “tube” trains controlled by the city council.

After a successful earlier appeal, Uber once again had its license to operate in London canceled in 2019 on the same grounds. The ruling, an extension of the initial 2017 ruling, saw Transport for London claim that Uber has a “pattern of failures” that has “placed passenger safety and security at risk.”

Chief among the claims is that Uber’s systems allow unauthorized drivers to upload their photos to other Uber driver accounts, enabling them to impersonate approved drivers putting safety at risk, something that allegedly occurred more than 14,000 times.

The latter is relevant in terms of Uber’s legal win, since Judge Tan Ikram in the Westminster Magistrates’ Court found that he had “sufficient confidence” Uber “no longer poses a risk to public safety.”

“Despite their historical failings, I find (Uber), now, to be a fit and proper person to hold a London PHV (private hire vehicle) operator’s licence,” Ikram said in his ruling.

It’s a big win for Uber but it only gives it an 18-month reprieve.

Photo: automobileitalia/ Flickr