Minicab customers said Uber should be regulated not banned and hit out at London Mayor Sadiq Khan after the company was stripped of its licence to operate in London over its failure to stop unlicensed and uninsured drivers.

Transport for London (TfL) revoked the cab-hailing app's right to work in London after finding that at least 14,000 trips were made with drivers who were different to the ones shown on the app.

A change in the company's systems allowed unauthorised drivers to upload their photographs to legitimate Uber driver accounts, the transport body said. At least one driver picking up fares had previously had their licence revoked.

The company now has 21 days to mount an appeal and can continue to operate during that time. It will have to convince a court it is 'fit and proper' by the time of the appeal.

The move prompted fury among Uber's customers who slammed Mr Khan, saying they couldn't afford black cabs and should be allowed to make their own decisions about how they travel.

The fallout from the decision even impacted the ride hailing company's share price, which opened three percent down from Friday's close on the New York Stock Exchange on Monday.

On the streets of central London this afternoon, many customers who spoke to MailOnline were left unimpressed.

Uber has been stripped of the right to operate in London amid ongoing concerns over safety

Moow Mokhtar, 56, black cab driver from Harrow, north London, said that Uber had been 'bad for business'

TfL found unauthorised drivers had been uploading their photos to legitimate drivers' profiles

Avril Lunt, pictured left, welcomed the news and said she likes to support local taxis. Simon Thompson, pictured right, said he uses Uber all the time and 'it would be a travesty if they couldn't operate

Moow Mokhtar, 56, black cab driver from Harrow, north London: said 'I don't know if it will happen. It's happened several times before.

'They will take it to court and the same thing will happen - they will confirm the licence again for three or four years.

'To be honest, I read the news and thought it was all bull****. We won't get them to move from the road.

'Uber has been bad for business. I come all the way from Harrow and I only get a £5 job. I make only £150 for a 12 hour day since Uber came along.'

Visitor Simon Thompson, 48, told MailOnline said: 'I use Uber all the time and think it's brilliant, so it would be a travesty if they couldn't operate.

'It's going to be a very bad thing because it's better than any taxi. The only person who loses out here is the consumer. They need regulating but not to be stopped

Said Said, 25, from Tottenham, said: 'It's bad because I use Uber all the time. 'It's good for black cabs, but convenience for consumers is going to be way down.

'There were a lot of uninsured drivers with Uber so they have a point, but they fixed that problem. Something will just replace it if it goes.'

Customer Connor Fogel, left, said he relies on Uber to get back to south-east London and Said Said, right, said he uses the service all the time

Uber is also banned in a number of other countries or regions or countries such as Hungary or Barcelona, in Spain

Black cab driver Justin Hawthorne thinks Uber will appeal, win, and it will be 'business as usual'

Adam Powell, 27, a black cab driver of Watford, Herts, said: 'Nothing is going to come of it, I think. 'It will go to court and I think they will get their licence back - I don't trust it.'

And customer Connor Fogel, 25, of Penge, south east London, said: 'They said they were going to finish Uber about two years ago.

Timeline of Uber's woes July 2012: The Silicon Valley giants launch its operation in London just before the capital hosts the Olympic Games. June 2014: Thousands of taxi drivers bring the city to a standstill in protest at what they regard as Uber's lack of regulation. July 2016: A group of drivers take the tech giants to employment tribunal, claiming they should be officially recognised as workers at the company, and that they are not self=employed. It is one of a number of cases brought against so-called 'gig economy' employers at the time. October 2016: The UK employment tribunal court ruled that workers are not self-employed and should be paid the minimum wage. Uber appealed. September 2017: The Silicon Valley company's licence application was surprisingly rejected in September 2017, TfL described it as not a 'fit and proper firm,' citing issues with patient safety. June 2018: Uber was granted a 15-month licence by a judge after it appealed against a TfL decision not to renew its licence over safety concerns. December 2018: A judge dismisses Uber's appeal against the employment tribunal ruling. September 2019: Transport for London only grant the company a two-month licence, believed to be shortest ever issued by the transport body. November 2019: Transport for London (TfL) revoked the cab-hailing app's right to work in London after finding that at least 14,000 trips were made with drivers who were different to the ones shown on the app. Advertisement

'It's going to be annoying - transport links to Penge aren't great and I work very late so if I don't get the late train home I usually rely on Uber. 'I can't remember a time without it.'

Lee Morgan, 50, a cab driver from Notting Hill said: 'The same thing happened last time and they, of course, won the appeal which I presume will happen this time. They will promise things and not deliver what they promised.

'It's a public listed company and there is no way they're going to refuse the licence with Sadiq Khan coming up for re-election.

'Really and truly, if Uber goes it will be good for congestion.

'Everyone is trying to make a living but their are too many of them. If they are going to make it a level playing field they should put a cap on the number.'

Another black cab driver, Justin Hawthorne, 48, from St Albans, said: 'It will be the same as last time. They know they are breaking all the rules and when they lost their licence they say it's outrageous but then they say 'you are right, we're going to change.'

'They will have an appeal, they will win, and it will be business as usual.'

Meanwhile, other Londoners supported the decision, saying the cabs need to be made safer and claiming the firm exploited its drivers.

Avril Lunt, 27, from Bristol, said: 'I think it's a good thing because Uber is putting so many of the local cabs out of business. 'I never use Uber myself because I like to support the local taxis.'

Announcing the bombshell decision this morning, TfL's director of licensing Helen Chapman said today: 'As the regulator of private hire services in London we are required to make a decision today on whether Uber is fit and proper to hold a licence.

'Safety is our absolute top priority. While we recognise Uber has made improvements, it is unacceptable that Uber has allowed passengers to get into minicabs with drivers who are potentially unlicensed and uninsured.

Customers have hit out at London Mayor Sadiq Khan after the ride sharing app lost its licence. Mr Khan backed the decision, saying: 'Regulations are there to keep Londoners safe'

Lee Morgan, 50, a cab driver from Notting Hill, said if Uber were to go it would be good for the city

Where is Uber banned? Uber is still able to operate in London if it launches an appeal against its revoked licence. But the ride hailing service is unable to work in a number of other countries and regions. It is not allowed in the Northern Territory of Australia, Hungary and Bulgaria due to taxi regulations. It can't operate in Barcelona, Spain, and Oregon (except Portland), in the US, due to competition and transport laws. And is Alaska the tech company isn't allowed to function due to a contracting dispute . Advertisement

'It is clearly concerning that these issues arose, but it is also concerning that we cannot be confident that similar issues won't happen again in future.'

Tfl said it had identified 'several breaches that placed passengers and their safety at risk' and 'does not have confidence that similar issues will not reoccur in the future'.

The move could end up seeing the app's 45,000 drivers looking for other ways to make money, and thousands of customers searching for alternative apps. Unions meanwhile have welcomed the move as a strike back at the 'gig economy'.

It comes two years after Transport for London first tried to pull the plug on the firm's operations in London, following a number of crimes committed by drivers.

The move sparked a mixed reaction among Londoners, with some saying they rely on the app to get them places cheaply.

Others were less sympathetic with the firm, saying they were shocked at the security risks.

But others insisted they have never had a problem with the app and were worried about the cost of black cabs

Some Londoners went online to back the move, saying they were shocked at safety breaches

Uber driver says move would have big impact on hundreds of workers Uber driver Abdurzak Hadi, 42, says today's decision creates more uncertainty for people like him. He has been a minicab driver for around a decade, supporting his wife and children, but switched to Uber six years ago when most of his passengers starting using the app. Uber driver Abdurzak Hadi He told MailOnline: 'I'm not exactly a huge fan of Uber, but 80% of jobs have gone to them. Every driver is working for them now. 'I don't think they'll shut it down, it's too powerful, but if they do, they'll be a period where the market crashes, before people move to another app and it stabilises. 'I will be affected, I will have no work for some time, but I don't believe it will happen. It's just a political stunt by the mayor of London and TfL.' Advertisement

The firm's CEO Dara Khosrowshahi raged on Twitter: 'We understand we're held to a high bar, as we should be. But this TfL decision is just wrong.

'Over the last 2 years we have fundamentally changed how we operate in London. We have come very far — and we will keep going, for the millions of drivers and riders who rely on us.'

Shares in Uber were down almost 6% in pre-market trading in New York.

Responding, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said in a statement: 'I know this decision may be unpopular with Uber users but their safety is the paramount concern.

'Regulations are there to keep Londoners safe, and fully complying with TfL's strict standards is essential if private hire operators want a licence to operate in London.'

Unite, Britain's biggest trade union, welcomed the announcement and called for a level-playing field to allow traditional taxi services to compete.

'There remains fundamental problems in the way the company operates, particularly issues around passenger safety,' said Unite official Jim Kelly.

'Uber's DNA is about driving down standards and creating a race to the bottom which is not in the best interests of professional drivers or customers.'

But, the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain - which represents gig economy workers - criticised TfL's decision.

'The mayor's decision to once again deny Uber a license will come as a hammer blow to its 50,000 drivers working under precarious conditions,' said James Farrar, chair of the union's United Private Hire Drivers branch.

'We are asking for an urgent meeting with the mayor to discuss what mitigation plan can now be put in place to protect Uber drivers.'

But Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi insisted the company has 'come very far' and the decision was 'just wrong'

Why did TfL revoke Uber's licence? Transport for London said today that Uber is not a 'fit and proper' operator because: Changes to Uber's systems allowed unauthorised drivers to upload their photos to other Uber driver accounts. This allowed them to pick up passengers in at least 14,000 trips.

Another failure allowed dismissed or suspended drivers to create an Uber account and carry passengers.

Tfl said Uber's systems had been 'comparatively easily manipulated'.

TfL prosecuted Uber earlier this year for causing and permitting the use of vehicles without the correct hire or reward insurance in place. Advertisement

In September, Uber's right to operate in the capital was extended by just two months after Transport for London (TfL) refused to grant a full five-year licence.

Uber was granted a 15-month licence by a judge in June 2018 after it appealed against a TfL decision not to renew its licence over safety and security concerns. The ride-hailing app's existing licence was due to expire at 11.59pm today.

The reasons previously given for revoking the licence cited by TfL included: the company's approach to reporting serious criminal offences, how drivers' medical certificates were obtained, how criminal record checks were carried out and its use of technology which allegedly helped it evade law enforcement officials.

Uber says a range of new safety features have been introduced to its app in the past two years.

Uber's regional general manager for northern and eastern Europe Jamie Heywood said today: 'TfL's decision not to renew Uber's licence in London is extraordinary and wrong, and we will appeal.

'We have fundamentally changed our business over the last two years and are setting the standard on safety. TfL found us to be a fit and proper operator just two months ago, and we continue to go above and beyond.

'On behalf of the 3.5 million riders and 45,000 licensed drivers who depend on Uber in London, we will continue to operate as normal and will do everything we can to work with TfL to resolve this situation.'

Transport for London has raised concerns about the safety of passengers

Earlier this month, it launched a system which automatically checks on the well-being of drivers and passengers when a journey is interrupted by a long stop.

It also unveiled a discrimination reporting button on its app, and collaborated with the AA to produce a safety video to educate drivers on topics such as reading the road, speed, space management and how to drop off and pick up passengers safely.

There are around 45,000 Uber drivers in London.

What are the Uber alternatives? Bolt Bolt, formerly known as Taxify, was founded by 19-year-old Markus Villig in 2013 in Estonia – where Skype also started. Bolt allows users to order taxis from their mobile phone, much like Uber, but it is particularly popular in Africa and Eastern Europe. It reportedly has over 30,000 drivers on its books, with rides start with a £2.50 base fee, plus £1.25 per mile and £0.15 per minute. Kapten Kapten was initially described as 'France's version of Uber' after setting up in Paris, Lyon and the French Riviera. But has now moved to London. It launched in the British capital in May. According to its website, rides start at £5, with an additional £1.50 per mile and £1.15 per minute. The app trumpets its loyalty scheme which allows free rides to users who repeatedly book cabs through it. Xooox Xoox is another ride-hailing service whic launched in the UK in May, claiming it put taxi drivers 'back in control of their own livelihoods'. The app shows a range of available taxis and minicabs, allowing customers to compare different firms. Speaking on its launch, boss Darren Tenney said: 'For too long, drivers have had two options – find their own fares without the help of technology, or be enslaved to an algorithm that dictates when they work and for how much. xooox changes this forever; from now on, drivers are in charge of the tech, not the other way around.' Kabbee Kabbee is a price comparison and booking service for minicabs in London, drawing on 70 fleets in the capital. All drivers are licensed and minicab fleets with poor ratings get struck off from the service. It insists it is a cheaper service than rivals and specialises in airport runs. Wheely Wheely, which was founded in 2012 by Swiss-Russian entrepreneur Anton Chirkunov, aims itself at the executive end of the market It partners with around 4,500 in Russia, Paris and London and insists it has much higher entry criteria than UberEXEC. The firm insists its fleet 'comprises new luxury and executive cars without tacky ads or roof lights'. Its business rate cars start at £6, then increase by 50p per minute and £1.60 per mile. Advertisement

Uber shares plummet by three percent, marking a $1billion loss, after Tfl decision

Uber shares opened three percent down from Friday's close on the New York Stock Exchange on Monday after the ride-sharing app lost its license to operate in London over passenger safety fears.

The company's share price dropped from $29.56 (£22.91) at Friday's close to $28.23 (£21.88) in pre-market trading as the fallout from the London decision spread.

They recovered slightly to open at $28.77 (£22.3) at 9.30am. It shaves $1billion (£770million) off the company's valuation.

Uber's share price plummeted this morning following the decision, but has since stabilised

It was worth $50.42billion (£39billion) on Friday before the Transport for London decision. On Monday morning, that figure was $49billion (£37.9billion).

At their highest in June this year, shares traded for $47.08 (£36.48).

The London decision is the latest in a string which has rattled shareholders and cast the company's future into uncertainty.

Dara Khosrowshahi, who took over from Travis Kalanick as CEO in August, tweeted on Monday morning: 'We understand we're held to a high bar, as we should be. But this TfL decision is just wrong.

Dara Khosrowshahi (right) took over from Travis Kalanick (left) as CEO in August

Experts warned on Monday how the London decision would likely 'unnerve' investors.

'It sends a worrying signal to the market about the regulatory overhang the company faces – if London goes this way there is a risk that other cities could follow.

'London is one of five cities that combined account for about a quarter of revenues – so it's a big deal in terms of raw revenues.

'The problem Uber faces is that there is no shortage of competition to step in, so once gone it could be forgotten pretty quickly,' Neil Wilson, chief markets analyst at Markets.com, said.

After a disastrous year involving complaints about company culture and lawsuits from rival Silicon Valley giants alleging copyright infringement, CEO Travis Kalanick resigned in June.

His departure boosted the company's share price to an all-time high, but challenges came in August when the company reported a $5billion loss from the second quarter of the year.