Following the surprise decision by Transport for London (TfL) to suspend Uber’s private hire licence in London, the ride-sharing app’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has apologised for ‘mistakes’ it has made.
In an open letter to the public, Khosrowshahi said: “While Uber has revolutionised the way people move in cities around the world, it’s equally true that we’ve got things wrong along the way. On behalf of everyone at Uber globally, I apologise for the mistakes we’ve made.”
The statement comes after London Mayor Sadiq Khan claimed Uber had put “unfair pressure” on TfL following its announcement last Friday (September 22). Khosrowshahi said in the letter that the company would still appeal the decision “with the knowledge that we must also change”.
A petition set up to assist Uber in its appeal has been signed by more than 730,000 people, urging TfL to reconsider the company’s licence.
Fred Jones, a senior executive at Uber’s UK branch, told BBC Radio 4’s Today that the firm is keen to sit down with TfL officials for talks and said Uber is “not clear” on the issues raised by TfL when it announced that it would not renew its licence.
According to the BBC, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who is also chairman of TfL, has called on the regulatory body to "make themselves available to meet with" Khosrowshahi, welcoming the CEO's apology.