Uber Co-Founder Travis Kalanick Said To Plan Sale Of 29% Of Stake

UBER’S LATEST LICENSING DEFEAT “A WAKE-UP CALL” SAYS UNION

Imminent expiry of Uber’s licence in York, is the latest in a year of blows to San Francisco transport giant in UK cities following landmark legal defeat over drivers’ rights. Contributor Mick Rix, National Officer for Transport – GMB.

GMB, the drivers’ union, has called on transport giant Uber as it faced yet another blow, with its private hire operator’s licence expired in the City of York on 23/12/17. Uber’s private hire operator’s licence expired following a City Council decision to refuse the transport giant a new licence, in the wake of complaints it received – and concerns about the company’s data breach.

The company had been granted a private hire operator’s licence in the City of York in December 2016 to run until midnight tomorrow. But the City of York council’s gambling, licensing and regulatory committee refused Uber a renewed licence to operate on Tuesday 12 December 2017. Uber was given 21 days to appeal the decision. The company can continue operating until the deadline on 7 January 2018 – 21 days after it received the official notification of the committee’s decision, or lodge an appeal.

It is set to be the latest blow to the multi-billion pound San Francisco giant, coming after the European Court of Justice this week rejected Uber’s claim that it is not a transport company, despite the company’s repeated insistence. Contesting Uber’s claim that it was not a transport company had formed a crucial part of GMB’s landmark October 2016 employment tribunal victory over Uber – with the tribunal rejecting the company’s claims.

In a monumental victory for GMB, the 2016 employment tribunal ruled that Uber drivers are workers and are therefore entitled to the minimum wage, holiday and sick pay. However, the company has continually refused to accept the verdict, even despite an employment appeal tribunal last month rejecting an attempt by Uber to have the decision reversed. The original ruling in GMB’s favour was upheld.

Since GMB’s employment tribunal victory in 2016, the beleaguered company has faced licencing battles in UK cities including London, Swansea and Sheffield. The suspension of Uber’s licence in Sheffield was lifted a few weeks ago.  A new application made by Uber to operate private hire cars in Sheffield is being considered and a decision will be made in early 2018.

GMB was this week granted permission to participate as an interested party in Uber’s appeal against the decision by Transport for London (TfL) not to renew its licence in London, which is expected to be heard in summer 2018. This week’s European Court of Justice ruling added further support to GMB’s longstanding argument that Uber is a transport company.

Mick Rix, GMB National Officer for Transport said: This latest blow should be a new year wake up call for Uber. It can no longer behave like it’s on another planet. How many times does Uber have to lose before it gets the message? “As we enter the new year, 2018 should be the time for this company to really turn over a new leaf and accept reality – that Uber is a transport company, that it’s drivers are workers with rights, and that it must comply with a level playing field of licensing to protect the safety of the public and the welfare of all drivers.

“Uber has been in denial for far too long. The company is fighting a losing battle, wasting time and money protesting against the decisions that have repeatedly gone against it. Uber should instead be getting round the table and setting out how it will change its ways.”

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Fake Uber App Hijacks Your Password And Covers Its Tracks

A new imposter app for Android pops up a screen that resembles a user’s Uber login screen in order to steal their username and password, before automatically spawning the real Uber app so the user won’t realize anything’s amiss.

The security firm Symantec, which discovered the fake Uber app, says it’s a variant of a type of malware it calls Android.Fakeapp. Earlier versions have impersonated other popular apps.

The creators of this version”got creative,” Symantec’s researchers details were captured, with the use of a deep link, which lets one app link into inner screens in other apps. The fake user interface “pops up on the user’s device screen in regular intervals until the user gets tricked into entering their Uber ID (typically the registered phone number) and password.” After a user presses “Next” and the credentials are stolen, the user is sent to the ride request screen on their legitimate Uber app, where they would expect to be after logging in, the company says.

Last month, security firm Avast similarly reported malware that could impersonate common Android apps like the Google Play Store and Chrome, along with thousands of different banking apps, in order to steal credentials.

Symantec advises smartphone users to only install apps from trusted sources, monitor which permissions apps are requesting, and use mobile security tools to keep their phones safe. Uber for Android has been installed between 100 million and 500 million times from the Google Play Store, according to statistics from the site. Of course, some of those Android users were part of a breach involving roughly 57 million accounts that the company disclosed late last year.

Source : Glodaladvisors.biz

TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT : 

Many users in the Tech world are alleging that this is a double scam, put up to take the heat off Uber's massive data breach of 57 million accounts.

Uber became embroiled in scandal when it was revealed that they had paid off the hackers and we're trying to keep the data breach quiet. 

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Toronto : Uber driver in Durham Region charged with sexual assault

Just three days into the new year and an Uber driver in Durham Region, charged with sexual assault

An Uber driver is facing a sexual assault charge after a customer said she was touched inappropriately in Courtice.

Durham Region police said they were called to a home near Prestonvale Road and Bloor Street at around 4 a.m. for a report of a sexual assault.

A 24-year-old woman called an Uber to pick her up from a Whitby restaurant, police said. Once they reached her home, the driver allegedly touched the woman inappropriately. 

Uber driver Rahmanuddin Safi, 30, of Whitby, has been charged with sexual assault. 

Anyone with information is asked to contact Durham police investigators or Crime Stoppers.

Source : The Star 

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Campaign for Air Pollution Public Inquiry PRESS RELEASE www.cappi.org.uk ... By Dave Davies

TO BE, OR NOT TO BE .... SHOULD WE PROTEST IN JANUARY?

The ITA have called a number of protests later this month, against TFL's decision to allow an unlicensed Private Hire eHailng app to carry on working with the public, after refusing to relicense the compan who they consider to be not fit and proper. 

The article below was first published on the Dads Defending Daughters website on Monday 1st of January 2018. 

Let’s not forget Uber are still operating as they have been for the past five or so years. In that sense, what has changed?

Despite the following, TfL have allowed Uber to continue to operate under appeal:
• Uber's approach to reporting serious criminal offences including a rise in sexual assaults & rapes.
• Uber's approach to how medical certificates are obtained.
• Uber's approach to how Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks are obtained.
• Uber's approach to explaining the use of Greyball in London - software that could be used to block regulatory bodies from gaining full access to the app and prevent officials from undertaking regulatory or law enforcement duties.
• An increase in road traffic accidents.
• VAT avoidance allowing 'Uber' the ability to directly undercut taxi drivers regulated fare*

*Orthodox licensing looked at the licensable activity and didn't concern itself with the financial background; R v Warrington Crown Court, ex p CC of Cheshire:
http://ift.tt/2CgYzVT

However, the climate has changed and now all sorts of criminality is taken into account; see para 11.27 of the s.182 Guidance:
http://ift.tt/2CgYzVT

And see Hanif v East Lindsey:
http://ift.tt/2CL8Vye

(a) Why should Taxi drivers have to fund a VAT case against 'Uber' when TfL have the legal tools to ensure Uber pay their correct taxes?

(b) If TfL decided that 'Uber' was not a 'fit & proper' company on public safety grounds they had the power to revoke Uber's license without allowing them to operate while under appeal on public safety grounds [s 17(2) 1998 PH act].

(c) Was TfL's decision not to renew Uber's license a financial decision or a public safety decision?
Given the fact point (b) granted TfL an immediate right to revoke Uber’s license on public safety grounds, we believe that the Mayor took the option not to protect the public, but instead to protect TFL financially – If the Mayor had revoked Uber’s license on public safety grounds and not allowed them to operate while under appeal, TfL would be exposed to a financial claim for any losses should Uber have won the appeal.

(d) So ask yourself, does TfL really want a legal battle with Uber?

(e) If the answer to (d) is Yes, then why didn't TfL revoke Uber’'s license and protect the public while the appeal process was carried out?

(f) TfL instructed Deloitte to undertake a review of Uber's 'booking process'; they claim that the driver accepts the booking before the operator. If TfL believe this to be the case, why are they still allowing them to operate illegally?

(g) Uber’s T&C's claim that the driver is contracted to Uber BV, the customer pays their fare to Uber BV, the customer’s receipt is provided by Uber BV.

If TfL/Deloitte are correct it'd suggest that the booking investigation would confirm (1) the customer makes the request to; (2) the unlicensed Uber BV, who  are making the provision for the invitation of the booking (3) the driver accepts the booking (4) Uber London do nothing, and just record the booking after the driver has accepted.

(h) If we are not going to peacefully protest over this illegal process, what happens when we are steamrollered byTaxify, Lyft or any other Private Hire tech company who want to break the rules and operate here. After all, Taxify have already admitted the driver accepts the job before the operator.

Editor's note:

Will this email to Mike Brown, ever receive a reply?

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Tax Man No Longer Taking Credit Cards After January 13 2018.

You should be receiving a letter from HMRC with your taxi bill, saying no credit card payments will be taken from January 13

Hundreds of thousands of taxpayers, including over stretched Taxi Drivers, hoping to defer the pain of their annual tax bill by paying on plastic will be hit by an HM Revenue & Customs ban on personal credit card payments which comes into force from January 13. 

The ban is a response to new rules that mean HMRC will no longer be able to pass on the bank charges for processing credit card payments. 

Especially ironic for London Taxi drivers who have been forced to accept this type of payment for over a year, plus told they must absorb the transaction costs. We had no choice, to quote our largest Org's General Secretary..."It was a done deal".  

The timing is likely to cause difficulties for some of the 11m Britons trying to complete their annual tax return, as it comes just before the January 31 deadline for settling 2016-17 tax liabilities.

HMRC have sent out written warnings with tax bills this month stating: 

“From 13 January 2018 HMRC will no longer accept payment by personal credit card. Debit cards and corporate credit cards continue to be accepted.”

Taxpayers are advised to settle their bills using direct debit, online or telephone banking services provided by their bank. 

Observers said the ban might surprise some taxpayers, especially the self-employed like London's Taxi drivers, who often pay by credit card in order to spread the cost of a large bill. 

We've had an extremely lean few years ago d are expected to pay our tax up front. Man drivers won't have this kind of ready cash laying around and will have to resort to loans of one kind or another.

“I know that I will not be able to pay my tax bill in cash — and why should I?” complained Brian Barrett, an accountant from Chipping Norton who said he only received a letter outlining the ban in mid-December. 

“Pulling the payment rug out from beneath me at such short notice should simply not happen. I understand that the legislation banning card payments may have been around for many months — why has HMRC not given people more time to plan their payments?”

James Daley, managing director of Fairer Finance, a research group that campaigned to have card charges outlawed, said the outcome was “never the point of the campaign”. He said the decision amounted to “penny pinching” by HMRC and would cause problems for taxpayers. It just goes to show the truth in the old saying 'Be careful what you wish for, it might just come true'.

“More people are self-employed these days. Tax bills can be quite large and some people need to put them on credit cards,” he said.

Jordan Marshall, policy development manager of IPSE, a professional body for freelancers, said: “This change has not been well-publicised by HMRC. Banning credit card payments just before the self-assessment deadline is likely to create problems for both freelancers and the tax authorities. 

HMRC said that, as a public funded body, it was unable to absorb the cost of personal credit card fees because this would ultimately mean charging the fees back to customers through the public purse. Funny how those in authority expect Taxi drivers to absorb credit and transaction charges!

When HMRC introduced the ability to pay by credit card in 2008, there were fears it would encourage people not to put money aside to pay for tax. It has become a popular option, especially after credit card payment charges levied by HMRC were cut to around 0.4 per cent in April 2016. 

Taxpayers who want to use credit cards are being urged to file their returns and pay their tax bills before 13 January. After that, the options open to those currently reliant on credit cards to fund their tax payments include taking out a personal loan. 

Alternatively they could use money transfer credit cards to borrow money and transfer it to their bank accounts. They might also be able to negotiate “time to pay” with HMRC. 

Taxpayers are also, no longer able to pay by cash or cheque at the Post Office, after the Post Office Transcash service ended on 15 December 2017. The ICAEW, the accountancy body, said the move followed the expiry of the contract with Santander which allowed this method of payment. 

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