The taxi firm’s application to continue operating in Birmingham had been stuck in limbo as the city council awaited an appeal decision following Uber’s London licence ban.

Uber’s licence to operate in Birmingham expired on 31 January 2020 and it had applied to the city council for a five-year extension.

A spokesperson from Birmingham City Council confirmed it had renewed the licence for a 12- month period.

Melinda Roylett, Uber general manager for the UK and Ireland, said: “We are delighted that Birmingham City Council has renewed Uber’s licence to operate in the city.”

In November, Uber was stripped of its licence to operate in the capital with Transport for London (TfL) branding the firm ‘unfit’ as it revealed it had risked passenger safety.

TfL found that Uber’s systems allowed unauthorised drivers to upload their photos to other Uber driver accounts which meant they could pick up passengers seemingly as the booked driver.

Around 14,000 trips were made in this way. All the journeys were uninsured and some customers rode with unlicensed drivers. One driver previously had their licence revoked.

Dismissed or suspended drivers were also able to create an Uber account to take on bookings, which compromised passenger safety and security, TfL said.

Uber is currently appealing this decision but the process can take months.

While the appeal is underway, Uber can continue to operate as normal in London.