Desperate Uber Begs London Regulators To Meet After Getting Banned

Even as Uber is currently dealing with its legal battle with Waymo, internal strife and a severely damaged image, the cab-hailing firm recently added a London operation ban on its list of troubles. Regulators in the UK city recently decided to take away the company’s license to operate in the metropolis and now a desperate Uber is begging for a meeting.

It is never a good sign when city regulators are refusing to meet with a company and that’s exactly what is happening with Uber and London’s top public transit body, Forbes reports. The Transport for London group is basically responsible for overseeing all modes of public transport in the city, which happens to include the ride-hailing company. Uber’s fate is in the hands of its leaders.

Unfortunately, as Uber’s London GM, Tom Elvidge notes in an email to The Wall Street Journal, they have not been able to convince anyone at the top of London’s regulatory body to meet with them. The company would basically like to have a discussion as to why its license was revoked and what it could do to change that. This is not going to happen if no regulator is willing to meet.

Just to show how desperate things are getting for Uber, newly-appointed CEO Dara Khosrowshahi is employing the rather unusual tactic of begging. In a recent Tweet, the new head of the troubled firm is making some really public pleas.

“Dear London: we r far from perfect but we have 40k licensed drivers and 3.5mm Londoners depending on us. Pls work w/us to make things right,” the Tweet reads.

While this development is a tragedy for Uber, many of its critics see it as karmic justice. The derision largely stems from former CEO Travis Kalanick’s tactics, where he basically ignored or circumvented regulations in practically every city Uber operated. Now, the chickens are simply coming home to roost.