Uber wins right to take TfL to court over rules

The company has successfully applied for judicial review of certain regulations put forward in TfL’s licensing proposals for private hire drivers – currently set to take effect on October 1.

A judicial review was granted for rules that would force thousands of its drivers to pass an English language test before being able to work in the UK capital.

Tom Elvidge, general manager at Uber, said: ‘We’re pleased the judge has decided this case deserves a hearing. TfL’s plans threaten the livelihoods of thousands of drivers in London, while also stifling tech companies like Uber.’

TfL’s new rules would require private hire drivers from non-English speaking countries to meet a B1 level of English in speaking, listening, reading and writing.

Uber said it supports spoken English skills, but claims the exam goes beyond requirements for British citizenship and rules governing public sector workers.

Uber launched in Portsmouth in November and so far more than 25,000 people have downloaded the app, which has more than 1,000 drivers.