Uber boss Khosrowshahi met with TfL commissioner to discuss London ban
Uber’s chief executive met privately with TfL’s boss in recent days amid a brewing legal battle over the US ride-sharing firm’s future in the capital.
Dara Khosrowshahi met TfL commissioner Mike Brown to discuss the dispute, Sky News reported.
The meeting, which had not been disclosed, happened while Khosrowshahi was on his way to Davos in Switzerland for the World Economic Forum which started today.
It came two months after TfL banned Uber in London for the second time stating that a “pattern of failures” left passengers at risk.
TfL said unlicensed operators had uploaded photos on other people’s Uber accounts, leading to at least 14,000 trips involving these fraudulent drivers.
Another issue the regulator raised was banned drivers making new accounts and continuing to pick up passengers, further “compromising passenger safety,” TfL said at the time.
Uber launched an appeal against the decision last month. Its UK general manager Jamie Heywood said the decision was “extraordinary and wrong” and said Uber was “setting the standard on safety”.
The appeal is set to be heard during the first half of this year.
A TfL spokesperson said: “The CEO of Uber met with the TfL commissioner while he was in Europe for a number of meetings.”
An Uber spokesperson declined to comment on the meeting between Khosrowshahi and Brown, but said: “We are appealing TfL’s decision
“Safety is our top priority which is why we have robust systems and processes in place.
“We are working closely with TfL to address their concerns and requests, as we have since 2017.
“When it comes to safety on our platform our work is never done and we will keep listening, learning and improving.”