A chief magistrate is to decide on the fate of whether Uber can continue operating in London after a controversial decision by Sadiq Khan to refuse it a licence.

The ride-hailing app has operated in London since 2012 but has come under increasing scrutiny over its corporate practices.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan announced in September 2017 that Uber's application to extend its licence with TfL was denied over issues with 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.

The fate of Uber in London will be decided by a Chief Magistrate at Westminster Magistrates' Court

It is now up to a chief magistrate at Westminster Magistrates' Court to decide on the fate of the multi-billion dollar tech giant in a trial starting on Monday (June 25).

The trial is expected to last several days and will look at whether Uber is "fit and proper" to hold an operator licence in London now, rather than whether TfL's decision was correct in September.

While the decision not to renew its licence was made in September, Uber has been able to operate as normal while undergoing the legal appeals process. If Uber is not satisfied with the findings of the magistrates' court it can continue to operate as it takes its appeals through the higher courts of law.

Uber says it has made many changes to its app to address the concerns TfL raised in September

Uber says it has made significant reforms to its business in recent months, including changes to its leadership such as the appointment of three independent non-executive directors to its UK boards, proactively reporting serious incidents to the Metropolitan Police rather than placing the onus on drivers and passengers and altering the app so users are told that Uber has accepted their booking and their driver is licenced by TfL.

Uber say there are 3.6 million people in London who "regularly use" their ride hailing app, just shy of half of London's entire population. It also has 45,000 drivers across the city.

The business, which started in San Francisco, is now operating in more than 40 towns and cities in the UK.