More Than 100 Uber Driver Have Been Accused Of Sexual Assault In Last 4 Years

More than 100 Uber drivers have been accused of sexually assaulting or abusing their passengers in the past four years, shocking investigation reveals

More than 100 Uber drivers have been accused of sexually assaulting or abusing their passengers in the past four years.

The drivers were arrested, are wanted by police, or have been named in civil suits relating to the incidents, a CNN investigation has found.

At least 31 drivers have been convicted for crimes ranging from forcible touching and false imprisonment to rape, and dozens of criminal and civil cases are pending.

An investigation has found that 103 drivers have been accused of sexually assaulting or verbally abusing passengers 

Last year Uber driver John David Sanchez was sentenced to 80 years in prison after pleading guilty to 34 charges including rape and sodomy of an unconscious person.

Sanchez was initially arrested about a month after a woman told police she was raped by Sanchez in February of 2016.

he was fired by Uber but investigators later found a number of other women said they were also sexually assaulted by him in 2007, 2011 and 2013, but had not reported the attacks.

CNN found that that Sanchez is just one of at least 103 Uber drivers in the U.S. who have been accused of sexually assaulting or abusing their passengers in the past four years.

The network said its analysis came from a review of police reports, federal court records and county court databases for 20 major U.S. cities.

Five drivers across various states told CNN they were not provided any kind of sexual harassment or assault training.

In a statement, Uber said: 'These stories are horrific and our hearts go out to the victims.

Uber driver John David Sanchez was sentenced to 80 years in prison after pleading guilty to 34 charges including rape and sodomy of an unconscious person

'We worked with CNN to understand their findings and determined that Uber did 2.4 billion trips in the U.S. in that same period.

'But even one incident on our platform is too many which is why safety is Uber's top priority for 2018 and beyond.

'We recently strengthened our safety approach with new features including an emergency button, driver screening improvements, and the addition of the former Secretary of Homeland Security to head up Uber's Safety Advisory Board.

'This is just a start and we are committed to doing even more

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More Good News As It Looks like the gig is up for Uber in California

The California Supreme Court has issued a decision with major implications for Uber, the gig economy, and the question of worker classification more broadly. 

In Dynamex Operations West, Inc., the court holds – for purposes of California wage orders (which govern minimum wages, maximum hours, and meal and rest breaks) – that the appropriate test for determining whether a worker is an independent contractor is the so-called ABC test. 

Under that test, a hiring entity that wants to classify workers as independent contractors has the burden of establishing each of the following three things:

(A) that the worker is free from control and direction of the hirer in connection with the performance of the work, both under the contract for the performance of such work and in fact;

(B) that the worker performs work that is outside the usual course of the hiring entity’s business; and

(C) that the worker is customarily engaged in an independently established trade, occupation, or business of the same nature as the work performed for the hiring entity.

All three factors are difficult for a firm like Uber to establish (my view is that they lose on all three), but the second prong ought to be impossible for Uber to satisfy. Meeting prong (B) requires Uber to prove that its drivers are performing work outside the usual course of Uber’s business. Since Uber’s business is all about providing transportation services to passengers, driving people is in the usual course of Uber’s business. Indeed, the only way Uber can win on prong (B) is to convince a judge that it is not in the transportation business, but is instead a technology company. Uber has been making this argument, but the appropriate response to it has already been offered. The U.K Uber tribunal, for example, called the idea “faintly ridiculous.” Judge Chen deemed it “fatally flawed.” As Chen put it:

Uber is no more a “technology company” than Yellow Cab is a “technology company” because it uses CB radios to dispatch taxi cabs, John Deere is a “technology company” because it uses computers and robots to manufacture lawn mowers, or Domino Sugar is a “technology company” because it uses modern irrigation techniques to grow its sugar cane. Indeed, very few (if any) firms are not technology companies if one focuses solely on how they create or distribute their products. If, however, the focus is on the substance of what the firm actually does (e.g., sells cab rides, lawn mowers, or sugar), it is clear that Uber is most certainly a transportation company.

Being a transportation company, Uber will fail to satisfy prong (B). 

That means under the California Supreme Court’s test, Uber drivers are employees

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BREAKING NEWS : Uber's Brighton Licence Turned Down a By Council

Following the hearing on Monday 23 April, Brighton & Hove City Council’s licensing panel has decided against renewing Uber Britannia Ltd’s Private Hire Operator Licence in the city.

The unanimous decision was taken as the members of the panel were not satisfied that UBL are a ‘fit and proper person’ to hold an operator’s licence under the terms of Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 and the council’s licensing objectives.

The panel considered all circumstances relating to the application and the factors operating in Brighton & Hove. This included a number of issues raised by those objecting to the application, which they found to carry very little or no evidential weight.

However, the panel did have significant concerns about the company’s data breach and UBL’s lack of commitment to use only Brighton & Hove licensed drivers in the city. These formed the basis of the decision to not renew the licence.

Chair of the licensing panel, Councillor Jackie O’Quinn, said: “When making Hackney Carriage and Private Hire operator licensing decisions, our priority is the safety of residents and visitors and, due to the data breach and the lack of commitment to using drivers licensed here, we were not satisfied that UBL are a fit and proper person to hold an operator’s licence in the city.

“All Brighton & Hove private hire and Hackney Carriage drivers in the city operate under the same licences and guidelines contained in the Blue Book and undergo the same background checks, whichever company they drive for. In the original application in 2015, UBL gave a firm commitment to adhere to the standards set out in the Blue Book and only to use Brighton & Hove licensed drivers. We do not feel the spirit of this commitment has been kept to. In the panel’s view, large numbers of taxis operating in the city that do not meet our Blue Book standards puts the safety of residents and visitors at potential risk.

“We recognise there are strong feelings on this issue and would like to thank all those who took the time to make submissions to the hearing.”

The hearing was held in public to make the process as open and transparent as possible. As well as representatives from Uber, the panel heard views for and against renewing the licence from interested parties, including residents and the local taxi trade.

If Uber decide to appeal against the decision, their drivers licensed with Brighton & Hove can continue to operate in the city while the appeal is heard. Any appeal must be made to the Magistrates Court in Edward Street, Brighton within 21 days of notification of this decision

TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT FROM KENNY ETHERIDGE.

Remember all those who scoffed at us going down to support the Brighton Hackney drivers?

How we proved that a London driver can work the App in Brighton. That the App has no idea until after the job is accepted.

WELL DONE TO ALL THOSE BRIGHTON DRIVERS WHO MADE US WELCOME 

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Breaking News Uber’s Brighton Licence Turned Down By Council

Following the hearing on Monday 23 April, Brighton & Hove City Council’s licensing panel has decided against renewing Uber Britannia Ltd’s Private Hire Operator Licence in the city.

The unanimous decision was taken as the members of the panel were not satisfied that UBL are a ‘fit and proper person’ to hold an operator’s licence under the terms of Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 and the council’s licensing objectives.

The panel considered all circumstances relating to the application and the factors operating in Brighton & Hove. This included a number of issues raised by those objecting to the application, which they found to carry very little or no evidential weight.

However, the panel did have significant concerns about the company’s data breach and UBL’s lack of commitment to use only Brighton & Hove licensed drivers in the city. These formed the basis of the decision to not renew the licence.

Chair of the licensing panel, Councillor Jackie O’Quinn, said: “When making Hackney Carriage and Private Hire operator licensing decisions, our priority is the safety of residents and visitors and, due to the data breach and the lack of commitment to using drivers licensed here, we were not satisfied that UBL are a fit and proper person to hold an operator’s licence in the city.

“All Brighton & Hove private hire and Hackney Carriage drivers in the city operate under the same licences and guidelines contained in the Blue Book and undergo the same background checks, whichever company they drive for. In the original application in 2015, UBL gave a firm commitment to adhere to the standards set out in the Blue Book and only to use Brighton & Hove licensed drivers. We do not feel the spirit of this commitment has been kept to. In the panel’s view, large numbers of taxis operating in the city that do not meet our Blue Book standards puts the safety of residents and visitors at potential risk.

“We recognise there are strong feelings on this issue and would like to thank all those who took the time to make submissions to the hearing.”

For more details on the decision, view or download the Uber Britannia Ltd licensing application decision letter 1 May 2018 (PDF 451KB).

The hearing was held in public to make the process as open and transparent as possible. As well as representatives from Uber, the panel heard views for and against renewing the licence from interested parties, including residents and the local taxi trade.

If Uber decide to appeal against the decision, their drivers licensed with Brighton & Hove can continue to operate in the city while the appeal is heard. Any appeal must be made to the Magistrates Court in Edward Street, Brighton within 21 days of notification of this decision.

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WhatsApp’s Founder Jan Koum Quits Facebook, Following Differences Over Privacy.

When Facebook paid $19bn for WhatsApp in 2014, it seemed like an astonishing price for a messaging app that had very little revenue. Four years later, it now has more than a billion users, but still barely makes a cent.

Much of that might be down to Jan Koum, WhatsApp’s founder and, until yesterday, its boss, who has always sought to keep the app independent. Koum announced last night that he was leaving Facebook to collect rare Porsches and play ultimate frisbee.

It has to be one of the better Silicon Valley leaving notes; the question now is what happens to WhatsApp

ENCRYPTED DEPARTURE

Koum did not elaborate on why he was leaving WhatsApp, but the Washington Post reports that his departure is down to clashes with Facebook management over the parent company's apparent attempts to use personal data and weaken encryption.

WhatsApp’s founder, who grew up in Communist Ukraine, has always been a staunch privacy supporter and occasionally a critic of advertising-supported social media, and it seems possible that his philosophy differed from Mark Zuckerberg’s.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR WHATSAPP?

Since buying WhatsApp, Facebook has struggled with the question how to make money from it. An initiative to have businesses pay to communicate through the service has often been mulled, but so far struggled to take off.

Meanwhile the app’s encryption has often been criticised by politicians and police, who say it makes it more difficult to catch criminals. Interestingly, Koum’s departure comes as Russia and Iran both crack down on encrypted app Telegram.

As Facebook itself faces growing political scrutiny, could the company be tempted to weaken WhatsApp’s encryption as a potential bargaining chip

Source : Telegraph.

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Glasgow Taxis boss hits out at city council after Uber licence green light

Chairman of Glasgow Taxis Stephen Flynn poses for a photograph at the Glasgow Taxis offices Picture: Jamie Simpson

A TAXI boss has claimed the city council is harming one of Glasgow's most important businesses.

In a raft of criticisms, Glasgow Taxis chairman Stephen Flynn said the council is:

*handing out too many licences

*causing pollution in the city centre despite a policy to make Glasgow greener

*over-stretching its Taxi Enforcement Team

*Failing residents with too few ranks in the city and

*Should suspend granting licences while a city-wide survey of provision is underway.

Mr Flynn spoke out following Glasgow City Council's licensing committee awarding a new booking office licence to private hire app firm Uber.

As told in the Evening Times earlier this month, union Unite said it is considering reporting the council to the ombudsman over the decision.

Glasgow Taxis, Unite and the Greater Glasgow Private Hire Association all claim Uber's bookings will go through an office in Holland and not its Buchanan Street premises.

Uber strongly denies this.

Having a booking office in the city that directly deals with customers' bookings is one of the conditions of being granted a licence.

Mr Flynn said Glasgow Taxis has been in the city for more than five decades - but he worries for the firm's future in the face of council actions.

He said: "We try our best to help the city and sometimes we feel let down.

"As a company our first instinct is to make sure the people of Glasgow are safe and can travel in the safest way possible.

"I am worried about the where the taxi trade will go in the next 10 years because of council decisions being made now.

"The only people who suffer are the people of Glasgow."

Mr Flynn points to his company's ethos of corporate social responsibility, citing the annual taxi trip to Troon for additional needs children and support for the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice.

Glasgow Taxis also pays £58,000 each year towards the NightZone in Glasgow City Centre, manned ranks helping people get home from nights out.

Glasgow City Council has commissioned a survey looking at unmet demand in the city.

Mr Flynn added: "The council wants less vehicles in the city centre for environmental reasons and yet it gave out another 1000 licences last year.

"There could be another 500 licences given out between now and the unmet demand survey.

"And what will happen if the results of the survey show the city is at saturation point? It can't ask for licences back.

"The city is at saturation point.

"It's not about competition, it's about following the rules and regulations."

A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said the council works closely with the taxi trade and "understands a number of their concerns."

However, he added: “All decisions in relation to the taxi and private hire car trade are made entirely in accordance with the rules that govern the Licensing and Regulatory Committee, as set out in the Civic Government Scotland Act.

“We have initiated an independent assessment of whether demand for taxis and private hire cars is unmet by the current provision of drivers and vehicles in the city.

"It would be wrong and unlawful of the council to prejudge the findings of that independent assessment."

He said the Taxi Enforcement Team is meeting its current targets and carried out 8000 roadside inspections and deals with 1000 complaints from the public.

The spokesman added: "The council wants the city centre to be used by cleaner and fewer vehicles and has updated its vehicle standards to allow the use of suitable low emission and electric vehicles for the taxi and private hire car trade.

“We are in regular dialogue with the taxi trade about the provision of taxi ranks in the city and adjust their location as circumstances demand."

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Uber In Westminster Magistrate Court For Case Management Hearing.

Uber has sought to “repair and reform” its business as it faces being banned from London, a court has heard.

The firm was told last year that it would not have its licence renewed in the capital by Transport for London because of public safety concerns.

It is due to appeal against the decision at a full hearing in the summer.

During a case management hearing today at Westminster magistrates’ court, Philip Kolvin QC, representing the cab-hailing app, said lessons had been learned from extensive criticism by TfL.

He said operational changes have allowed the list of issues to be discussed in the appeal to reduce from 25 to 11.

Senior District Judge Emma Arbuthnot, however, asked if the changes were just a "smokescreen."

"They were villains then, I’m exaggerating for effect, but now they’ve transformed themselves," Arbuthnot said. 

She said if there were still examples of Uber operating in an unlawful way, "then I want to know about it."

TfL accepted changes had been made but felt “it is really for the court to decide whether, in light of the changes made, Uber is fit and proper”, according to a statement read by Mr Kolvin. 

He said: "TfL served a 21-page letter ... it was a most thorough document and the issues included not just what Uber did but how it did it, and underpinning those issues was a critique of Uber's approach.

"The reaction of Uber to that letter has been one of repair and reform.

"It has accepted a large number of those criticisms made by TfL. It admits it has failed in many respects. It has apologised.

"It has made changes to the way it operates - it has changed its leadership, its directors."

The operational changes made by Uber reduce the list of issues to be discussed in the appeal from 25 to 11, he said.

He continued: "Making these cultural changes has put a huge burden on Uber, but we also recognise that it has put a huge burden on TfL and I would like to publicly acknowledge that."

Uber has also altered its app, so a user is now told that the booking has been accepted by them before they are linked with a driver.

Chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnot said behaviour of Uber in the past was “pretty abysmal.”

The Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association (LTDA), which has been allowed to participate in the appeal, made an application to extend the list of issues.

The GMB union was also supposed to be involved in the proceedings but has since sadly been withdrawn following reassurances about health and safety from Uber. This will not go down well with the GMB's Licensed Taxi branch members who were expecting full support of the Union.

TfL has a number of concerns about Uber, including its approach to reporting serious criminal offences, how drivers’ medical certificates are obtained, how criminal record checks are carried out, and its use of technology which allegedly helps it to evade law enforcement officials

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