Meanwhile, an online petition in support of keeping Uber drivers on London's streets has garnered almost 800,000 signatures, putting the city's mayor, Sadiq Khan, in a tight spot with his constituents.

In an open letter published in the Standard newspaper, Khosrowshahi said, “While Uber has revolutionized the way people move in cities around the world, it’s equally true that we’ve got things wrong along the way.

The ubiquitous car service has experienced explosive growth in sprawling London, where an estimated 40,000 Uber drivers prowl the streets waiting for hails from the 3.5 million residents who have downloaded the app.

Transport for London, the governing authority for taxis and private-car hires, said it rejected Uber's application to renew its license because “Uber’s approach and conduct demonstrate a lack of corporate responsibility,” including not reporting serious criminal offenses by its drivers to police, failure to conduct thorough background checks and issues with how it obtains medical certificates for the drivers.

He was also seen as reckless — in part based on “accusations of sexism that compound years of indications that an unchecked, hyper-alpha culture made Uber an uncomfortable place for many women to work,” USA Today reported .