Uber eyes Square Mile move despite London licence ban
Uber is eyeing offices space in the Square Mile as it looks to expand in the capital despite Transport for London’s decision last week to not renew its licence.
The ride-hailing app is reportedly looking for a bigger European headquarters after the lease on its Aldgate office expires, and is mulling options at 60 London Wall and 155 Bishopsgate.
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Uber is searching for a new base almost three times the size of its current office in east London, despite the threat to its operating licence in the capital.
Uber is reportedly seeking a five-year lease break on its new headquarters in the capital.
“It isn’t because they are worried about their licence, it is because they don’t want any obstacles to getting even bigger,” a source told the Sunday Telegraph.
TfL banned Uber from London after discovering a “pattern of failures”, including uninsured and unlicensed drivers being able to pick up passengers.
A spokesperson for TfL said: “A pattern of failures placed passenger safety and security at risk meaning TfL cannot renew the licence.”
However, Uber’s UK general manager Jamie Heywood branded the decision “extraordinary and wrong”.
Read more: Why did Uber lose its London licence and what happens now?
The tech giant, which was previously banned by TfL in 2017, plans to appeal the ban and is able to operate in London while the process is ongoing.
An Uber spokeswoman told the paper: “We are committed to London and the UK, and our search for a new office continues.”