Ride-hailing firm Uber has had its commercial license reinstated in Sheffield after it was suspended last month.
Uber disputed the suspension, saying it was purely an “administrative error” after the former license holder left the company in October. Uber applied to have the license transferred to a different name, but Sheffield city council said the law does not allow for a license to be transferred.
A Sheffield city council spokesperson said: “Uber’s licence was suspended last Friday (29 November) after the current licence holder failed to respond to requests, made by our licensing team, about the management of Uber.”
Uber argued that Sheffield was the only council it had dealt with that had rules surrounding the transfer of a licence.
“While we are in regular contact with the council, we did not receive the correspondence the council refers to as they sent the letters to an incorrect address. We hope this administrative error can be quickly resolved so we can continue serving tens of thousands of riders and drivers in Sheffield,” it said.
The licence has now been reinstated following “productive discussions” with Uber, said Sheffield city council.
Uber’s licence has now been suspended in three cities across the UK. In September, Transport for London banned Uber from operating taxis in the capital after it failed to meet the regulator’s demands. And this month, York made the decision to suspend its licence after local taxi drivers complained the city had become “overwhelmed” with Uber drivers.
York said Uber’s recent data breach, which is estimated to have leaked more than 57 million customers’ personal details, was a factor in its decision making.