Categories
Tech

Uber tries leading with humility in London

Uber is hoping that humility will help in its push to continue operating in London.

The company told members Parliament on Tuesday that it is acting to address concerns over its conduct cited by Transport for London, the city’s transportation agency, which in September revoked Uber’s license to operate because of safety concerns.

“The company accepts that in lots of places it has had the wrong attitude and needs to change,” Andrew Byrne, Uber’s head of public policy, told the House of Commons’ Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee.

The San Francisco-based company is expected to appeal the revocation by Friday, a filing that will permit Uber to continue to do business in London, where an estimated 3.5 million people use the ride-hailing service.

Nearly 855,000 people have signed a petition that asks Mayor Sadiq Khan to reverse the decision, citing Uber’s ridership in London and the roughly 40,000 drivers who would be out of work were Uber to cease operations there.

Khan said last week that an apology by Uber’s chief executive marked a shift in the company’s stance that suggests the parties can resolve their differences without a court battle.

“I always think that the way to respond to differences is constructively, amicably around the table, rather than through litigation,” the mayor told LBC talk radio.