Uber’s UK Head Departs

In Uber news, the ride-hailing service’s U.K. head has stepped down just as the company is gearing up to meet with London’s transport regulator and have its license in the city renewed.

According to a report in Reuters, citing an email seen by the news agency, Jo Bertram, Uber’s Northern European manager, announced she will exit the company in the next few weeks. The executive said Uber needed a new executive to handle the developments in the U.K.

“Given some of our current challenges, I’m also convinced that now is the right time to have a change of face, and to hand over to someone who will be here for the long haul and take us into the next phase,” Bertram said in the email, according to Reuters. “While I would like to have announced my move in smoother circumstances, I’m proud of the team we’ve built here and am very confident in their abilities to lead the business into the next chapter.”

Bertram is stepping down as Uber’s new CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, is preparing to meet with Transport for London (TfL) commissioner Mike Brown on Tuesday (Oct. 3) to have the company’s license renewed. The license expired at the end of September, but Uber’s drivers, which tally at approximately 40,000 in the city of London, can take passengers as Uber appeals. Such an appeal may take several months, Reuters reported. The company has until Oct. 13 to issue an appeal. That appeal will then be reviewed by a judge.

Last month, TfL chose not to renew the license, arguing that Uber’s conduct represented a risk to public safety. 

“Uber’s approach and conduct demonstrate a lack of corporate responsibility in relation to a number of issues which have potential public safety and security implications,” the TfL said, according to Reuters.