Taxi aggregator Ola's working permit has been denied by London's public vehicle authority over supposed breaks in traveler security standards.
TfL on Monday said it found different security issues with Ola's activities, remembering inability to prevent unlicensed drivers from working for the streets. Ola's permit in London was expected for restoration on 3 October.
The Bengaluru-based taxi aggregator dispatched its London activities in February with more than 25,000 drivers enlisted on its foundation. London was the 28th city in the UK where Ola worked after dispatches in Birmingham, Bristol and Liverpool.
“Our duty as a regulator is to ensure passenger safety. Through our investigations, we discovered that flaws in Ola’s operating model have led to the use of unlicensed drivers and vehicles in more than 1,000 passenger trips, which may have put passenger safety at risk,” Helen Chapman, director of licensing, regulation and charging said.
Ola said it will advance against the boycott. The organization has 21 days to do as such.
“If they do appeal, Ola can continue to operate, and drivers can continue to undertake bookings. We will closely scrutinize the company to ensure passengers’ safety is not compromised,” Chapman added.
Opponent Uber's permit for London was reestablished by a court seven days prior, just about 10 months after it was repudiated because of security concerns raised by TfL last December.
“At Ola, our core principle is to work closely, collaboratively and transparently with regulators such as TfL. We have been working with TfL during the review period and have sought to provide assurances and address the issues raised in an open and transparent manner.
“Ola will take the opportunity to appeal this decision, and in doing so, our riders and drivers can rest assured that we will continue to operate as normal, providing safe and reliable mobility for London,” Marc Rozendal, managing director, Ola UK, said in an emailed response.
An individual acquainted with Ola's UK activities said the taxi aggregator had been working intimately with TfL in front of the arranged recharging of its permit on 3 October. The individual said TfL, as a standard practice, leads different security checks.
“In the course of this process, TfL has asked for further reassurances, primarily around the technical operation of our databases. The decision accords us the opportunity to appeal, which we will exercise, so our operations will continue as usual,” the person added.
Controller Transport for London (TfL) on Monday said it found different security issues with Ola's activities, remembering the inability to prevent unlicensed drivers from working for the streets. Ola's permit in London was expected for restoration on 3 October.
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