Uber withdraws appeal over refusal by York committee to renew licence
Ride-hailing business Uber Britannia has withdrawn an appeal over the decision of the gambling, licensing and regulatory committee at City of York Council not to renew its private hire operator’s licence.
The committee took the decision by majority in December last year, citing concerns about a data breach that was under investigation and the number of complaints received.
Uber appealed to the Magistrates’ Court but has now withdrawn.
An Uber spokesperson said: “Following recent changes we’ve made in the UK, as well as numerous licence renewals in cities including Sheffield and Cambridge, we have decided to withdraw our appeal in York. Rather than take up valuable court time and costs we intend to apply afresh for a new licence in the near future.”
The York Hackney Carriage Drivers Association and the York Private Hire Association had applied to participate in the appeal. These applications were due to be heard by the Chief Magistrate on 20 March.
According to Gerald Gouriet QC of Francis Taylor Building, who was instructed by the two associations on the appeal, they would have sought to allege UBL’s non-compliance with the Act (section 62(1)(a)) and the undermining of the principle of local licensing (section 62(1)(d)).
