Union and taxi drivers' group can participate in Uber's London appeal

TfL, Using the same lawyer who lost the meter case against Uber

LONDON (Reuters) - A British trade union and a taxi drivers’ trade body can take part in Uber’s appeal case against the decision by London’s transport regulator to strip the taxi app of its operating licence, a judge ruled on Tuesday. 

The GMB Union and the London Taxi Drivers’ Association (LTDA), which represents the city’s black cab drivers, had asked to be “interested parties”, meaning they would be given access to documents and could make submissions. 

However some of their access may be restricted due to commercial sensitivities and the judge at a preliminary hearing at Westminster Magistrates Court on Tuesday said she couldn’t take a final decision on the LTDA’s role just yet. Regulator Transport for London (TfL) refused to grant Uber a new licence in September, citing its approach to reporting serious criminal offences and background checks on drivers. 

The substance of Uber’s appeal is due to be heard over five days from June 25 with a preliminary hearing due to take place before then in April to discuss further administrative matters.The Silicon Valley firm, which has faced bans, restrictions and protests around the world as it disrupts traditional rivals, can continue to operate until the appeals process is exhausted, which could take several years. 

At Tuesday’s hearing, TfL also said it had “one or two” issues regarding the accuracy of details provided by Uber.“The decision letter says, well, there are one or two issues about the extent to which the information given to TfL was correct,” TfL lawyer Martin Chamberlain told the court. “That is one of the points that the decision is based on."

After Uber was stripped of its operating licence, the firm’s boss Dara Khosrowshahi met TfL’s Commissioner Mike Brown and promised to make things right in the British city, its most important European market.

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As QC Philip Kolvin Tells Cambridge Council Uber Is Safe, Another Uber Driver In Old Bailey Charged With Rape

A passenger allegedly woke up to find an Uber driver assaulting her in a taxi

Najamulhassan Qureshi, 35, allegedly put his hand up the skirt of a woman, 22

A court heard the alleged victim initially thought the man was her boyfriend. Qureshi denies assault by penetration and trial at the Old Bailey continues

A passenger woke up in the back of a taxi to find an Uber driver kissing her neck and putting his hand up her skirt, a court heard. 

Najamulhassan Qureshi, 35, allegedly climbed into the back seat with the 22-year-old woman and assaulted her. 

When she came too, she first thought it was her boyfriend and asked him ‘What are you doing, baby?’ and ‘Why are you speaking in an Asian accent?’, it is claimed. 

The alleged victim eventually realised what was happening and managed to escape from the car parked near her home in the Isle of Dogs in east London.

A passenger woke up in the back of a taxi to find an Uber driver kissing her neck and putting his hand up her skirt, a court heard today.

Qureshi later denied sexually assaulting the woman and claimed that she got ‘very angry’ when he sneezed on her mobile phone.

The Old Bailey heard the woman had enjoyed a night out drinking cocktails with her boyfriend in Islington, north London, on January 22 this year.

They ended up going to a late-night diner and appeared to be ‘somewhat intoxicated’, jurors were told.

She decided not to go back to her boyfriend’s home because he was staying with his parents that night and booked an Uber to her home at around midnight.

Prosecutor David Povall said: ‘There is no dispute that the Uber that arrived was a black Ford driven by Mr Qureshi.

‘She got into the back of the car and very quickly fell asleep.

‘It was some time later that she became aware there was somebody next to her kissing her neck and his hand was under her skirt.

‘She was confused. Her first thought was that person was her boyfriend and she responded by saying "What are you doing"”

Najamulhassan Qureshi, 35, allegedly climbed into the back seat with the 22-year-old woman and assaulted her, the Old Bailey heard

‘When she heard the response in an Asian accent it took her some time to work out what was happening.’

Once she had got out of the car she realised it was parked close to her home and ran to the front door.

The alleged victim called police and gave a statement the next day.

When Qureshi was questioned by police he told officers that she alternated between abusing him and trying to climb into the front seat during the journey.

He claimed that when he arrived at the destination she wanted to hug him and refused to be taken inside.

‘He said she dropped her phone and he picked it up and sneezed. She called him a motherf***er and she got very angry,’ said Mr Povall.

‘He said he had not got into the back seat and he did not sexually assault her.’

Qureshi, of Hounslow, west London, denies assault by penetration.

The trial continues

Source : MailOnLine.

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As Cambridge Council Decide To Relicense Uber, News Breaks Of Another Uber Murder.

British Embassy worker in Beirut was raped 'at least twice' before being murdered, investigators say an Uber driver who has been to prison several times 'admits strangling her and ditching her body in a dumpster' How on earth was this man licensed to drive for Uber???

A 35-year-old Uber driver identified as Tarek Hesso has admitted to murdering Rebecca Dykes, who was abducted after leaving a party in the the Lebanese Capital on Friday, investigators said.

Police arrested Hesso, who has previously served several prison sentences, in a 3am raid on Monday.

According to Lebanon's NNA agency he has admitted picking the 30-year-old diplomat up in his taxi, attempting to rape her and then strangling her before ditching her body in a dumpster by the roadside. 

Rebecca Dykes, a UK diplomat who worked at the British embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, has been found dead 

Rebecca Dykes was said to have been at a leaving party at the Demo nightclub in Beirut before she went missing

The body of the 30-year-old former public schoolgirl was found by a motorway on Saturday evening several miles from the nightspot where she was last seen alive.

Miss Dykes' family have been left 'devastated' by her death.

A police official said today that the suspect was traced through security cameras that showed his car driving from Beirut to the area where Dykes' body was found, just north of the Lebanese capital.

'He was detained at his apartment,' the official said, adding that the suspect is a Lebanese citizen. 

'He was detained at his apartment,' the official said. He added that once the plate number of the vehicle was traced through security cameras, the suspect, who is a Lebanese citizen, was identified.   

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said the suspect is an Uber driver who picked up the woman from Beirut's Gemayze neighborhood, known for its restaurants and pubs, then drove to a nearby neighborhood where she lived but did not drop her off there.

Instead, the suspect drove the car to the site where Dykes' body was later found. NNA said the man tried to sexually assault her, then strangled her with a rope. The police have not confirmed those details.

Earlier, a forensics official told The Associated Press that the woman was strangled with a rope.

Lebanese police have launched an investigation following the discovery on Saturday evening.

One security source said the diplomat was found with 'a piece of string around her neck'.

Another official involved in the investigation said: 'Our first impression is that it's not politically motivated.'

He said her body was found 'on the side of the Emile Lahoud road', east of central Beirut.

London police complained in April that Uber was either not disclosing, or taking too long to report, serious crimes including sexual assaults and this put the public at risk. The firm's boss has promised to make things right in the British capital.

And globally, the app has suffered a series of scandals in 2017 as a stream of executives left amid controversies involving allegations of sexual harassment and issues surrounding data privacy and business practices.

 

The Foreign Office advises against all travel to several areas in Lebanon, including southern suburbs of Beirut, and all but essential travel to most other areas of the country.

Terror attacks are deemed 'very likely' in the country, and protests in Beirut are common following the US announcement on the status of Jerusalem.   

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: 'Following the death of a British woman in Beirut, we are providing support to the family. We remain in close contact with local authorities. Our thoughts are with the family at this difficult time.'

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Uber Are To Be Relicensed For Five Years In Cambridge ....Shape Of Things To Come ?

Full report of Cambridge City Council Licensing decision regarding Uber

Uber's licence will expire later this month, prompting Cambridge City Council to decide today if the ride sharing service will be allowed to continue operating in the city.

The city council’s Taxi Licensing Committee took a hard look today (December 18) at whether to renew the private hire operator’s licence held by Uber Britannia Limited.

Uber Britannia Limited was first issued with a Private Hire Operator’s Licence on December 21, 2015 for one year.

Due to Uber not having traded under the initial licence for a whole year, the subsequent renewal application was treated as a new application. The licence was issued on December 21, 2016 for a period of one year.

From all accounts this has all the appearance of a kangaroo court.

Is this what we can expect in Londons case against the relicensing of Uber in the capital.

No evidence" Uber is a risk to public safety

Philip Kolvin QC representing Uber says there is “no evidence in the 200,000 rides or more” taken in Cambridge that Uber is a risk to public safety. He says the empirical evidence is just not there.

He says Uber does not engage in “predatory” pricing, but notes that they are a new company looking to get into a competitive market.

Sexual assault: "Heaven forfend"

Philip Kolvin QC: “One single sexual offence is one too many. Uber is wholly committed to doing everything it can to protect its passengers. 

“Of course nobody with a history of sexual misconduct would be permitted to drive with Uber. However, there are people in society who commit sexual offences. 

(Unfortunately this is not the case as an Uber driver with complaints for sexual harassment was not reported on to TfL and the driver went on to rape)

“If, heaven forfend, an Uber driver were to sexually assault somebody, there is a whole record of the journey. I can only tell you that Uber will work with authorities like yours to root out any instances of sexual assault.”

From early 2018 Uber will show who licensed driver

Do passengers know who their driver is licensed by? 

Philip Kolvin QC says that, by early 2018, there will be a feature in Uber to show people which authority (South Cambs / Cambridge City Council / London / elsewhere) granted the licence.

Uber stopped online health checks

Philip Kolvin QC says that, for a month, Uber allowed drivers to get medical advice from the “PushDoctor” app. Transport for London said this had to stop and drivers actually had to go to see a GP for their physical examinations. Uber stopped this. 

Happy to stop using 'greyball' technology

Mr Kolvin QC says Uber is happy to stop using “greyball” technology. Says that is an easy condition to agree to. Says UBL must pass complaints on the council.

According to a report due to go before the committee: “Since November 2016, we have received six complaints regarding Uber as an operator.

“Five of these were received on the 15th and 16th November 2016, which was when Uber vehicles first appeared in Cambridge. The complaints related to how the bookings were made.

“Investigations carried out by the Licensing enforcement officers concluded that Uber was acting correctly.”

The report added that: “No complaints have been made to Cambridge City Council from members of the public in regards to journeys taken in Uber vehicles.

“At the time of the inspection, Uber Britannia Limited currently uses four private hire vehicles and drivers licensed by Cambridge City Council.”

Two letters objecting to the renewal of the Operator’s licence have been sent from Panther Taxis Ltd and a joint response from Cambridge City Licensed Taxis (CCLT) and Cambridge Hackney & Private Hire Association (CHPHA).

 The committee left the room to deliberate and returned at 02:40 

Verdict

Cllr Gerri Bird reads decision. They have decided, after hearing all the representations, that Uber will have their licence extended for another five years

TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT 

Just who is this defence QC?

• As this is the man who defends Uber and its drivers in court, is this not a conflict of interest?

• Should London's Taxi orgs be putting in an objection to this QC being chosen to chair the night time commision? 

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20mph Limit Is More Dangerous... But Too Costly To Reverse, Admits Council.

Reducing the speed limit to 20mph has caused a rise in death and serious injuries, a council has admitted, but is refusing to reverse the scheme because it will cost too much. 

Bath and North East Somerset Council spent £871,000 bringing in the 13 new speed zones just 12 months ago.

But one year on, a report has found that the rate of people killed or seriously injured has gone up in seven out of the 13 new 20mph zones.

The review of the traffic control measures warns that this is a problem nationally, adding: "There is no simple explanation for this adverse trend but it could be that local people perceive the area to be safer due to the presence of the 20mph restrictions and thus are less diligent when walking and crossing roads, cycling or otherwise travelling."

Despite the council's own report concluding that there is "little in the way of persuasive argument for continuing the programme in the future", deputy leader Patrick Anketell-Jones has admitted there simply isn't the money available to reverse the 20mph zones. 

The Conservative councillor said: "It has cost over £800,000 to roll out the 20mph zone and it would probably cost the same to reverse them.

"We just haven't got the money. I'm pretty sure the 20mph zones will stay in place for the foreseeable future." 

It adds that the rise in casualty numbers and severity would "suggest against further expansion of area based schemes."

In the 12 months since each 20mph zone was installed the rate of people killed or seriously injured has gone up in seven out of the 13 areas.

The reductions had been seen in central Bath whilst the worsening was largely in outlying rural areas.   

The report added: "Casualty severity has worsened marginally in Bath and more so in outlying towns. Again, this is reflective of the national situation." 

This is not the first warning that 20mph areas are more dangerous. In 2010 the Department for Transport reviewed the scheme in Portsmouth, one of the first areas to adopt it, and found that number of people killed or seriously injured on affected roads actually went up, not down, after the limit was lowered.

Retired civil servant Simon Marshall, 58, from Lower Weston, called on Bath council to review the 20mph speed limits, calling them "unduly restrictive". 

He said he was astonished to see the report and learn that the council couldn't afford to reverse the zones, despite rising numbers of deaths and serious injuries. 

He said: "The facts are that the numbers of people being killed and injured are going up since the zones were introduced. 

"More people are being hurt because less people are taking care, and the council are saying that they can't afford to reverse it.

"To my mind that's saying that people are being seriously hurt but we are not prepared to stump up the cash to stop that happening."

The Government's current guidance remains that more traffic authorities should consider introducing the lower limits. 

Source : Telegraph 

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On The Second Day Of Christmas My True Love Gave To Me...A x3.5 Surge For Thee.

What the public need to understand is when we are gone... we are gone for good. Uber’s dynamic price surging will then become the norm. That’s what the off peak predator pricing is all about. To financially take out all opposition. 

It’s no good once we are gone complaining. One week end of surge pricing has caused many thousands of Uber users to complain. It maybe an old saying but it’s very true....use us, or lose us. 

See the level of this weekends complaints in the Mail article below.

It's traditionally the biggest party weekend of the year, as Christmas revellers all over the country hit the town.

But some have been waking up with more than just a hangover, as Uber users have complained about having to pay significantly more than usual in order to get home.

A host of social media users have taken to Twitter to criticise the surge pricing on the taxi app as the Christmas party season reached its peak.

In fact, one claimed he had seen rates as high as 12 times the usual amount on Saturday.

The app uses 'dynamic pricing', which causes fares to temporarily increase when demand is high and 'encourages more drivers to get on the road'.

Uber users are notified on the app when surge pricing is in place. 

However, dozens of social media users have complained about the cost of their journeys over the festive period. 

One wrote: 'Thanks for the 4.5x surge last night @Uber. my journey cost nearly £100 more than usual'.m

Many Twitter users quipped that the Christmas party season was not good for surge pricing

Another added: 'Central London is carnage. Biggest Uber charge I've ever seen. God bless the humble bus.'

However, one Twitter user defended the increased fares, writing: 'Pricing is a fair way of getting more availability of by weeding out the stingy people and getting more to the area. 

'I don't know what you're complaining about.' 

Responding to the complaints, an Uber spokesperson told MailOnline: 'As our riders know, the Uber app uses dynamic pricing which means that fares automatically increase when the demand for cars in a specific area is greater than the cars available.

'The higher fare encourages more drivers to come into the area so there are more cars for people who want one. Users always see a fare estimate in advance so they have the choice to book a car, share the trip with others or wait until fares decrease.' 

It comes just months after the company was stripped of its permit in the capital by Transport for London which claimed the global taxi app was not 'fit and proper'. 

Uber is currently appealing the decision and is allowed to continue operating in the city in the meantime.

Earlier this year, Uber drivers were accused of secretly logging out of the app in order to make prices soar. 

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Britain's Taxi Drivers Have Taken The Battle Against Uber .... Local

This week York became the third English city to effectively ban Uber, and the traditional taxi drivers lobbying against the app don't want to stop there. But are authorities actually powerless to do anything?

Earlier this week, a local authority in the North of England voted not to renew Uber's licence, becoming the third city in the UK to effectively ban the app from operating within its jurisdiction.

The City of York Council's decision follows similar moves in London and Sheffield. The three authorities suspended or revoked Uber's licences for completely different reasons but there is one unifying theme: the battle between traditional taxi drivers and Uber is being waged in the country's town halls, and so far Uber is losing.

BuzzFeed News has spoken to taxi drivers in York who say they are part of a grassroots anti-Uber movement being organised on social media across the country, and one that is becoming increasingly effective at lobbying local authorities.

They claim Uber is damaging their trade, and the reputation of taxi drivers, and are calling for action on a national scale, particularly calling on the government to end what they say is a loophole in UK law that allows drivers to pick up a passenger from any location, regardless of the area in which they are licensed.

Saf Din, chairman of the local Hackney Carriages Association and a taxi driver of 23 years, was present at the meeting of York council when councillors voted by a slim majority not to renew Uber's licence, a decision he says was greeted with resounding cheers.

Speaking to BuzzFeed News, he said that at weekends York was being "flooded" by Uber drivers who were licensed outside the city, including as far away as London.

When BuzzFeed News visited York, one Uber driver confirmed they had travelled from Bradford, a town 41 miles away.

"We are concerned that there are people who are licensed to Transport for London who are operating in York and there are a number of drivers who are licensed to London who have not physically been in London," Din said.

"What we object to is the government allowing cross bordering... There are so many Ubers flooding the streets that there are not enough jobs for them."

He said his concern is that as Uber expands into more cities in the UK, more drivers signed up to the app will cross borders and operate in towns and cities looking for work with "no idea of the cities they are actually working in."

Under British law this is legal: a licensed driver can work anywhere in the UK. According to Din, most councils see granting licenses as a "great revenue maker," and the end result means a surplus of drivers looking for the best jobs in high footfall areas.

Data collected by local drivers and shared with BuzzFeed News indicates out of more than 200 Uber vehicles monitored since August, more than 90 came from Leeds, 60 from Bradford, and 30 had Transport for London licences. This renders the York Uber licensing ban essentially meaningless – Uber drivers with other licences can still work in the city.

A York council spokesperson told BuzzFeed News there is actually very little they can do to prevent Uber operating in the city, even with the ban, raising a question mark over whether the action of individual councils – caught in the crosshairs of rows between Uber drivers and taxi drivers – are essentially toothless.

Other taxi bodies in the UK, Transport for London, and even a cross-party committee of MPs have called for licensing rules to be standardised for all councils.

2017 has seen Uber suffer a string of global PR disasters following a huge data breach, accusations of drivers' committing sexual offences, and of a corporate culture of sexism. In the UK it has fared little better.

In September Transport for London refused to renew Uber's license in the capital on the grounds it considered the company "not fit and proper" due to "potential public safety and security implications". Uber is appealing the decision. Last week, Sheffield council reinstated Uber's licence after a brief suspension following a dispute, while the decision taken in York council was based on "concerns" about Uber's major data breach, and the number of complaints it had received about the company.

As in York, tensions exist throughout the UK. For traditional taxi drivers and Uber drivers the fight is personal, and it can get heated.

In Brighton, BuzzFeed News has seen photographs of damaged Uber vehicles and slashed tires allegedly attacked by taxi drivers.

In another instance, a vehicle had "fuck you" sprayed on it. Uber told BuzzFeed News it had been made aware of a number of instances of "vandalism" and had reported them to authorities. A spokesperson said the company was taking steps to ensure drivers felt safe, including exploring obtaining secure parking.

One Brighton Uber driver, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said they were "scared" of taxi drivers and described how they had had a long career as a traditional taxi driver before switching to Uber. They said they had since been blacklisted from rejoining any firms, and claimed to have received racist abuse and "harassment."

"Most of the things that have been done is hidden, and they [the companies] send them to harass us and block us on the road, shout at us in front of the customers. We've raised all these things with the council," they said.

"The local Hackney [Carriage] drivers, they act like police, like this is their territory. They come and block you, and all of that.

"All of us are scared. I always call the customer and ask them please can you move away from there [a popular pick up location] because we don't want to deal with them."

Responding to reports of its drivers being harassed, Uber said safety is of "paramount importance for everyone that uses the Uber app."

In York, Mike Palmer, a fifth generation taxi driver and secretary of the York Private Hire Association, told BuzzFeed News Uber drivers essentially operated via an "abuse of the cross border hiring law from top to bottom.... It's systemic across the UK".

"The Bradford guys moved on to Leeds and the Leeds guys have come to York. It's a knock-on effect and York has stood strong," he said.

Palmer said the "spirit and intent" of the cross border law – to allow drivers to drop someone off outside their area and pick up another fare without having to drive all the way back to their home town or city – was to make like "easier, not harder", but was having the opposite effect.

Both taxi Din and Palmer's associations say they have been actively lobbying against Uber, gathering evidence of what they claim is safety and licensing breaches by the app's drivers that have been passed to officials. They say they've been in contact with other driver groups from Southampton to Sheffield, and from Wigan to Newcastle.

Next week, councillors in Cambridge will vote whether to renew Uber's licence there, while a similar decision is due to be taken in Brighton next April, where authorities told BuzzFeed News they would take into account "a number of concerns" with Uber.

It is standard practice for licences to be reviewed and there is no suggestion they will be refused. But according to local Cambridge press, local taxi firms have already sent letters of objection to the council.

When asked Uber to comment on claims councils were under pressure from traditional cab drivers, the firm only said it believed choice and competition were good for consumers "as it raises service levels across the board".

"Passengers now expect to be able to book a ride at the touch of a button, pay without needing cash and track their car on their phone. Millions of people in the UK rely on Uber to get a reliable ride in a few minutes, and tens of thousands of licensed private hire drivers have signed up to use our app because it gives them more control," a spokesperson said.

"With Uber, drivers can decide if, when and where they drive and our system removes the favouritism and bias of human dispatchers sometimes seen in this industry. Uber now operates in more than 40 UK towns and cities and we want to continue bringing more choice to riders and drivers across the country.”

Uber said drivers generally follow demand, "so the only reason there would be cars from other areas in York is due to the huge rider demand in the city."

This free market philosophy is something the taxi drivers in York are unlikely to agree with anytime soon. Robin Sergeant, a member of the city's Hackney Carriages Association, summed up the prevailing feeling when asked how Uber had changed York. "In a small place like York," he said, "everybody knows everybody."

Source BuzzFeed

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