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Uber can continue operating in the capital until at least May or June next year as a hearing into whether the firm's licence will be renewed will not be held until the spring.

Londoners can still use the popular ride-hailing service until the firm's appeal against Transport for London's decision not to renew its licence is concluded.

Parties for both sides appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Monday for a case management hearing.

Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot set Tuesday and Wednesday next week for a hearing over whether union GMB and the Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association can become interested parties in the case.

But the full appeal hearing is not expected to take place until either May or June next year, with the exact date still to be set.

TfL refused to renew the firm's licence in September on the grounds of "public safety and security implications" relating to issues including the reporting of serious criminal offences.

Head of public policy Andrew Byrne has said the ride-hailing firm accepted it had shown "the wrong attitude" on a number of issues and was ready to change.

Uber’s chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi offered an apology for "mistakes" in an open letter and met TfL for talks.

​TfL is also concerned about how drivers' medical certificates are obtained, how criminal record checks are carried out, and its use of technology which allegedly helps it to evade law enforcement officials.

The app enables users to book cars using their smartphones and is available in more than 40 towns and cities across the UK.

Some 3.5 million passengers and 40,000 drivers use the service in London, according to Uber.

An Uber spokesman told the Standard: "We filed our appeal so that we can continue serving millions of riders and tens of thousands of drivers in London.

"However, we continue having constructive discussions with Transport for London in order to resolve this.

"As our new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has said, we are determined to make things right."

Additional reporting by Press Association