Dear Mike
Now you've been shown the evidence, that UberBV have been (and still are) operating in London without an operators Licence, why have you not ordered them to cease operating with immediate effect?
Was this not your reaction when you found Taxify operating without a Licence in their name?
What makes UberBV different to Taxify?
After all Mike, you said you wanted it to go on record that you had nothing to do with the initial licensing of Uber!!!
Perhaps you would also like to be seen by your actions as having nothing to do with the UberBV cover up?
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Cliff Llewellyn centre with glasses.
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Over the past 10 days, thanks to Tim Fenton's 'Zelo Street' blog, it's become clear that UberBV has been operating in London since 2012, as a Private Hire operator, through a smart phone instant hail app, without holding a TfL Private Hire operators licence.
We now know this to be fact!
We also have evidence that TfL knew this was the case as long ago as 2013.
CLIFF LLEWELYN INFORMED:-
SIWAN HAYWARD, SIMON BUGGEY AND SONIA ALLMAN IN DECEMBER 2013.
According to Tim Fenton, Cliff Llewellyn wrote to Uber London boss Jo Bertram in December 2013 and listed compliance issues that, “require your urgent attention”. These allegedly included:
Clarification of the legal entity between Uber BV and Uber London Limited.
Which company will be making the provision, acceptance and the undertaking of PHV bookings, once Point (1) has been addressed?
Review of the Uber website to reflect the London legislation.
The charging of a fare using a Time x Distance device which is in contravention of the 1998 Act
Review of your sub-contraing processes to reflect that all bookings go through the sub-contactor and not directly to the driver.
Tim Fenton said Mr Llewellyn’s deadline for Uber to take action, December 23 2013, came and went without any compliance issues being addressed, even though his report concluded: “If they (Uber) fail to comply within a reasonable time period, then enforcement action is the only option.”
What happened next?
According to Tim Fenton: “Uber by-passed Cliff Llewellyn, went to the Foreign Office, who went to Downing Street, who roped in the Department for Trade, who appear to have put the arm on TfL’s top brass to let Uber carry on anyway”.
TfL and Uber have yet to comment on the allegations.
Tim Fenton's latest revelation carries a report regarding John Mason's presentation which confirms TFL's light touch approach to licensing regulations... favouring Uber's London operation:
In Tim's article, he posts slides of the presentation
“TfL Approach to Apps”, where John Mason restates “A light touch regulatory approach”, and ends with “Let the quality of product and service provided to passengers dictate market”.
More emails showing involvement by John Mason
See Tims latest Zelo Street Post: Click Here
To this day, TfL have said and done nothing with the evidence they've had all along!
Even though they knew, all Uber's Journeys were initially booked and dispatched directly to drivers, by the unlicensed UberBV, they pushed regulation and public safety aside and allowed this modus operandi to continue regardless.
The facts are now out in the open, posted on numerous Taxi and PH sites and publications. Virtually everyone in our trades know what's been going on:-
EVERY JOURNEY ON THE UBER LONDON PLATFORM PASSED AND PRESENT, HAS BEEN ILLEGALLY DISPATCHED WITH TFL'S BLESSING.
Not only that, TfL have the evidence that it's the drivers who accept the bookings, direct in vehicle in contravention of the PH Vehicles Act 1998.
So Mike, why as Commisioner of TfL have you not acted immediately, on the information given to you?
Why are TfL continuing to cover up the facts in Uber's favour?
Just incase you missed Tim's earlier posts see them by Clicking Here