THE licence for controversial travel app will be retained in York, despite being revoked in London.

Transport for London announced on Friday it would not issue a new licence to Uber, and said the organisation was "not fit and proper" to operate in the city, stating it had taken the decision on the grounds of "public safety and security implications".

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said companies must "adhere to the high standards we expect - particularly when it comes to the safety of customers", and "providing an innovative service must not be at the expense of customer safety and security."

He said: ""I fully support TfL's decision - it would be wrong if TfL continued to license Uber if there is any way that this could pose a threat to Londoners' safety and security."

The Uber app enables users to book cars using their smartphones and is available in 40 cities across the UK, and its presence in York has led to allegations of illegal operations and drivers travelling to the city from around the county to take fares from local Hackney Carriage and private hire drivers.

The company said it would appeal the decision, and its 40,000 drivers in the capital would be able to continue operating until further decisions had been made

Saf Din, chair of the York Hackney Carriage Association, will be joining his fellow drivers in a demonstration at York Railway station on Monday morning.

He said: "We are very pleased that TfL have taken many, many complaints in consideration to not renew Uber's license, and I sincerely hope City of York Council and other councils do exactly that."

Matt Boxall, head of public protection at the council, said Friday's announcement would not affect the authority's decision on the licence currently held by Uber, but the committee would consider any evidence submitted to the council before the next licensing hearing.

He said: "Uber’s operator’s licence in York was granted by a committee of council leaders for 12 months on December 21, 2016, and is valid until Christmas Eve. They would need to submit an application for renewal by the end of October for consideration by the Gambling, Licensing and Regulatory Committee."

Uber's general manager in London, Tom Elvidge, said app users would be "astounded by this decision", and TfL had "caved in to a small number of people who want to restrict consumer choice".

He said: "If this decision stands, it will put more than 40,000 licensed drivers out of work and deprive Londoners of a convenient and affordable form of transport.

"To defend the livelihoods of all those drivers, and the consumer choice of millions of Londoners who use our app, we intend to immediately challenge this in the courts."