TAXI drivers in Thurrock have welcomed news that Uber has been stripped of its licence to operate in London over safety breaches.

Transport for London has confirmed the decision and said the company had not been granted a new licence to operate in the capital after 'several breaches that placed passengers and their safety at risk' were identified.

It added it 'does not have confidence that similar issues will not reoccur in the future, which has led it to conclude that the company is not fit and proper at this time'.

Drivers and taxi firms in Thurrock have been campaigning for Uber to be banned from operating in the borough, but the fact they have a licence elsewhere has hindered that argument.

At the forefront of the campaign has been Thurrock Taxi Drivers Association. A statement from the Association today (Monday, 25 November) says: "We welcome the news that TfL have decided to strip Uber of their London operators licence.

"We have been battling for over a year to highlight the illegalities of their practice particularly encroaching into Thurrock without an operators license to work in the area.

"Uber have been using their London license to work in over 40 boroughs outside of London and TfLs decision today confirms that Uber are not a "fit and proper" operator and that operating unlawfully catches up to operators of all sizes eventually.

"It has been found that TfL investigation showed that over 14,000 trips had been done with drivers who uploaded pictures to their account for which they were not registered to drive.

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"With this news it will hopefully protect the livelihoods of Taxi firms, their drivers in all areas like Thurrock, Brentwood and Basildon."