Uber Loses New York Chief John Mohrer, In Wake Of "Accounting Error"

Uber Technologies Inc. is losing the manager of its New York operations, one of its largest markets, a week after the company admitted it had Shortchanged drivers by tens of millions of dollars over 2½ years. 

Josh Mohrer, general manager of New York, said Tuesday that he is leaving to become a managing director of Tusk Ventures.

In a blog post, Mr. Mohrer said he would help make investment decisions at Tusk and support their other investments.

Uber said it had no comment about Mr. Mohrer, who joined Uber in 2012 who couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

Last week, Uber said it had mistakenly underpaid New York drivers since late 2014, an accounting error that will likely cost it tens of millions of dollars. The company said it would refund the money plus interest, which comes to an average of about $900 per driver. It didn’t say how the error occurred or who was responsible.

Mr. Mohrer’s team has tussled with New York regulators over the years, including more recently over a proposed regulation that would require Uber to issue ridership data to the city to help with traffic snarls. Uber is fighting the initiative, citing privacy concerns. He also helped with Uber’s push to get regulatory authority, recently granted, to expand to upstate New York.

Mr. Mohrer, in late 2014, showed a reporter a secret technological tool that allowed employees to track vehicles or customers. After which New York’s attorney general opened an investigation into the company’s privacy practices and the tool, which Uber called “God View.” 

Uber settled with the state attorney general’s office in 2016, vowing to keep its users’ personal information private and paying a $20,000 fine. The company has since said it is limiting that use of that tool to certain employees.

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Is There Any Point In Daily Flash Demos? #Ubergate #Chumocracy ..... by Dave Davies.

GOSH Have Listened To Your Complaints And Changed Their WedPage .... By Jim Thomas.

First of all, Taxi Leaks on behalf on the London Taxi Trade, would like to thank GOSH for seeing sense and changing the passage on their website that half upset Taxi drivers who have supported the Hospital's staff and patients for very many years.

We would also like to congratulate every driver who made their feelings public on social media, about the way the trade had been snubbed by Great Ormond Street hospital's website. 

This just goes to show what ordinary drivers can achieve when they act together, "Stronger Together". 

This was a clear and total victory for the ordinary rank and file driver who tweeted, posted on FaceBook, emailed and in certain cases, took the time to make phone calls.

We hope now we can now continue with the great relationship the trade has with the Hospital and Trust. 

Below is the revised paragraphs on the GOSH website today.

Taxis and minicabs.

If you have mobility impairments and have trouble using public transport, you may be able to get subsidised taxi and minicab travel in London. The two schemes are called Taxicard and Capital Call. Please see this link for more information: http://ift.tt/2rRHIqE

London's traditional taxis (black cabs) can be booked in advance, hailed on the street, or picked up from designated taxi ranks. Black Cabs are also disabled friendly as they have access ramps to wheelchairs and will be willing to help those with disabilities. Please see this link for more information: http://ift.tt/2pAik4p 

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Great Ormond Street Hospital, Turn Their Back On The Trade That's Supported Them For Many Years... By Jm Thomas.

TOTALLY SHOCKED

This is the thanks we get for all the years of fundraising support and free rides given to staff and patients.

GOSH, advising patients to travel to and from the hospital in a Prius.

The Taxi trade and its driver charities have never courted publicity for the funds they raise, the unpaid work they do, out of respect for the children and their parents, as many of the children are terminal ... we just get on and do it, because we care. 

The many years of fund raising, trips to the sea side, trips to Disney Land, the vast amounts raised to help with special needs projects. 

We have never sort praise or kudos, but this is the thank's we now get from the trustees of GOSH, telling patients they should only use hybrid or Electric minicabs.  

This is an total insult not only to our trade but also to the army of people on the periphery, helping the trade charities, who have done such great work on behalf of the friends of the GOSH Trust for many years 

GOSH need to reconsider this advertisement and remove immediately. 

You Want Cleaner Air...Then a Lobby Camden Council:

If the trust wants cleaner air in the area, then they should be lobbying Camden council who have introduced a controversial traffic system that has bought the surrounding area to gridlock most of for the day. Camden need to return the traffic system back to how it was before.

Its this new system which is causing the congestion, adding enormously to the polluted air quality around the hospital and GOSH should be putting pressure on the Council to revert the scheme and alleviate the problem.

Editorial Comment : 

Many drivers are taking to social media saying that they will no longer be extending their services free of charge or at discounted rates to staff and patients. 

Taxi Leaks would like to point out that this insult has been made by the hospital trust and not the patients.

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Addison Lee Could Be Making Paddington Or Clerkenwell Their New Home

Private hire company, Addison Lee, looking for new headquarters in either Paddington or Clerkenwell.

Minicab company Addison Lee, is rumoured to be hunting for a major new headquarter site in the capital.

The London minicab firm, which has stopped trading from its Granby Terrace property has instructed James Andrew International to sniff out opportunities for a 20,000 sq ft HQ according to Property Week.

With their current lease due to expire on its Euston head office at 35-37 William Road, the minicab business is believed to be hunting for a new base in Paddington or Clerkenwell.

Founded 1975 in a London back street, the company grew to become the capital’s  largest private hire company, but has now been overshadowed by smartphone app Uber.

The business still operates a fleet of over 4,000 vehicles in central London but is allegedly struggling to keep up with competition from the Uber onslaught.

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Taxi Leaks Exclusive : Uber Mayor Trafiq Khanage Doesn't Want Labour To Win The Election ... By Dave Davies

What Do PH Companies Have To Do To Get Their Operators Licence Revoked ??? ... By Jim Thomas.

Uber have never complied with all licensing regulation (no land line for pre-bookings or customer queries), from when they were first licensed, up until the present day. They have on multiple occasions operated operated from premises with no planning permission, with no Licence variation from TfL..... yet they've kept their operators licence. 

NSL are also complicit in the biased corruption of TfL. 

Below photographed today at 1am, is an Uber Prius sporting a roof sign, totally illegal in London. 

This is ultimate proof that NSL/TfL are knowingly licensing Uber vehicles to work in other licensing areas outside London. 

What does a PH company have to do to get their operators licence revoked ??? 

In the past, under the watchful eye and directorship of John Mason, a West London PH operator paid SGS officials for PH roundels without having to present vehicles for inspection, when caught by police, they kept their operator licence. As far as we know, all charges were dropped. 

More recently, Addison Lee's CEO told drivers to break the law and drive in bus lanes, the company refused to remove unauthorised livery during the rugby World Cup even though official complaints were filed against them....and they still kept their operator licence. 

TfL's bias towards private hire is legionary, they have a long history of bending (and in some cases changing) the rules to allow the chosen few certain privileges.

Back in 2012, RD2.com were issued with 18 new five year licence variations (satellite office)  by LTPH, even though they did not meet the requirement of being in business as a stand alone Private Hire operator/provider for the minimum period of one year. In fact they were issued with all licenses just 2 days after they registered as a company.

Taxi Leaks complained to TfL who then lied on three occasions about the circumstances of the licenses, then refused to answer any further communications. 

In February 2013, after months of rumours about a possible fraud being carried out at the Palestra building, Taxi Leaks published an article, based on information received from a highly respected member of the RMT Taxi Branch. 

The Post received much attention from TfLTPH stakeholders who asked director of TfLTPH John Mason, "if there's no truth in the article, why it hadn't been removed?

John Mason then contacted the editorial staff of the blog by means of a series of emails from himself and Abbey Ameen, with threats of legal action from TfLs legal department. 

In an email from his legal team Mason claimed;
"No arrest has been made of any individual at Palestra. There has been no “breach of security” and the allegation of fraud, where an individual has been dismissed from TfL and is subject to Police action is not true."

He also said:-
"None of this is true and they should “put up” or shut up” when making such allegations in print. Surely this is slander?"
Yes, he actually said 'Slander'.

Not only did we put up, we proved the arrest of a corrupt staff member took place.

A Taxi Leaks article announced that on the 17th of April 2013, Brazilian national and ex member of staff at Palestra, Marcos Gurgel was found guilty of fraudulently obtaining £249 from Taxi Driver Stanley Marut. The article was backed up by an email from Mr Marut explaining in detail what happened in court.

Not another word was heard from Mason or TfL's legal team and subsequently, Mason was removed from his position at LTPH. 

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