by News Desk | Nov 14, 2014 | World News
Despite storied success, lately Uber has been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Its apparently sub-par vetting system, its hands-off approach to drivers, and its refusal to accept any liability for what is done under its name are certainly risks you sign up for when you use Uber. And some users have found themselves in said risky situations.
1) Daveea Whitmire, a San Francisco Uber driver allegedly assaulted his passenger James Alva and called him a “faggot” in November 2013. It was later revealed by Pando that Whitmire served time for a felony (including drug dealing and misdemeanour battery), and passed the company’s background checks anyway. Whitmire was formally chargedthis Wednesday.
2) UberX driver Syed Muzaffer was arrested for vehicular manslaughter after killing a six year old girl with his car on New Years Eve in San Francisco of this yeari. Turns out he had a conviction for reckless driving10 years ago that Uber didn’t pick up on, and the company is now facing a wrongful death suit.
3) Back in March 2013, Uber user Seth Bender was subjected to a homophobic, anti-American tirade before being assaulted—for burping—by his driver.
4) Uber driver Anouar Habib Trabelsi was arrested—though not charged, despite “strong” evidence—for allegedly raping a female customer.
5) Uber user and writer Bridget Todd was choked by her driver in an apparent racist attack in September 2013. CEO Travis Kalanick’s response to this was to email his press team, raging at the media for believing Uber is “somehow liable for these incidents that aren’t even real in the first place,” and that Uber bears no responsibility in any case: “[We need to] make sure these writers don’t come away thinking we are responsible even when these things do go bad.”
6) Uber driver Tadeusz Szczechowicz was discovered by the Chicago Tribune in February 2014 for past convictions including “felony residential burglary… misdemeanor criminal damage to property… and another misdemeanor for breaking into a 2002 Toyota for a GPS and satellite receiver… a history of speeding tickets and had his licence suspended twice in 2008 for having two moving violations with a 24-month period.” Worryingly, reported the Tribune, “Only the felony conviction… should have disqualified Szczechowicz to be an Uber ride-share driver under the company’s rules.”
7) The Daily Beast’s Olivia Nuzzi wrote about how one of her drivers told her he had stalked and photographed her, and showed her the photos to prove it. Uber gave Nuzzi $20 free credit to say sorry—and revealed it wasn’t the first complaint they’d had about the driver. Disturbingly, the driver then began reaching out to people she knew—and Uber gave her directly contradictory messages when she asked how he knew her full name.
Nuzzi’s article included multiple additional examples sent in by readers of times when Uber drivers had left them feeling unsafe.
8) In March 2014, a Chicago woman sued Uber after one of its drivers refused to follow directions, and harassed and extensively groped her. The driver has been charged with “negligence, willful and wanton misconduct, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and false imprisonment.” Uber will face a case of common carrier liability.
9) In a particularly farcical episode, Hannah Jegart was left without a ride home in April after her Uber driver was arrested mid-ride. (It’s unclear what for.)
10) This week, an Uber driver was arrested, after allegedly kidnapping a drunk woman and taking her to a motel. A police statement said that though there was “no sexual assault,” there was “some fondling through her clothes.”
Throughout this all, Uber has steadfastly maintained that by operating as a platform, it bears no responsibility for its drivers’ actions. It does not hire the drivers itself—they act as independent contractors, and Uber bills itself purely as a service that helps connect these independent contractors with potential clients. “What would you propose that we do?” a spokesperson told Pando when asked about driver misconduct; “we’re a technology platform that connects riders and providers, so it’s not our job to investigate.”
Legally, this defence is very shaky ground, and has yet to be truly tested in a court of law. It’ll take one of the many, many examples of driver misconduct to makes its way all the way through the legal system before anyone can say for sure that Uber’s in the right—or is just an unregulated, unlicensed gypsy-cab company.
by News Desk | Nov 14, 2014 | London News
A cyclist has criticised the safety of the Uber app after her bike was left crushed by a driver and claims there is a “hole in the system”.
Ines Nadal, 30, was cycling home from work in Holborn when she was struck from behind while waiting at a red light at the junction of Theobald’s Road and Gray’s Inn Road on Monday.
The back wheel of her bike went under the car as Miss Nadal fell onto the bonnet, leaving it in a crumpled heap.
As soon as she was back on her feet she prised the crushed bike from underneath the car and attempted to get insurance details from the driver, but to her surprise she says he drove off.
She escaped with only a few bruises and did not require hospital treatment.
Witnesses were able to note down the vehicle’s number plate and Uber confirmed it was one of their cars. But she was shocked to find out they would not take full responsibility for the incident as the driver was a ‘partner’ rather than an ‘employee.’
Miss Nadal, of Hackney, said: “If it happened to any other cab the driver would be investigated. In this case because of the sharing system they said he is not an employee of the company – it is a sharing platform.
“It feels like there is a hole in the system, it is a new start up, there is no rules – it could be very dangerous.”
She is now urging Uber to ensure drivers are given full safety training.
Miss Nadal , a digital consultant, added: “I have been cycling to work for a year. I always take the same route, it is not something that has happened before.
“I am not sure if I feel confident to get on another bike. It was my main way of getting into work.”
A spokesman for the Met said police are investigating the incident.
An Uber spokesman disputed Miss Nadal’s claims there was no investigation process.
He said: “We take any incident of this nature incredibly seriously. We have been in touch with the cyclist and offered our support.
“An investigation into this matter is already underway, and we have suspended the driver’s account in the meantime.”
It comes after Uber drivers set up the London Private Hire App-based Drivers Association to protect workers. Members of the union claim drivers are suspended without a thorough investigation when complaints are made.
The Uber ridesharing app works by connecting users with private drivers via a smartphone app. Drivers sign up to use the app and provide their own cars.
Editorial Comment:
Currently there are three major flaws in the way Private Hire (PH) operates in the London area.
1. There is no driver safety training. Unlike the licensed Taxi trade where drivers have to undergo an advanced driving test.
2. Currently, there is no proper complaints procedure in place regarding private hire drivers. In a bid to play down the enormous amount of complaints received, TfL pass customer complaints on to the PH operator to deal with. That way there are no TfL statistics held concerning driver complaints. No statistics…no problem!
3. At present in the capital, anyone can buy a fully licensed private hire vehicle (PHV), you don’t need to have a PHV licence to own one. In London, a PHV owner can legitimately lend the vehicle to anyone they choose, unlike in provincial licensing ares, where a PHV can only be used as a minicab and not for social demestic use. Rachael Griffin of the Suzie Lamplugh trust recently stated on Sky news:
“We know that posing as legitimate minicabs is the favoured method of quite dangerous sexual predators”
As editor of Taxi Leaks, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Alexandra Rucki of the Evening Standard, who has taken the trouble to report the facts correctly.
It is such a pleasant change to read an article in the standard that doesn’t falsely accuse Private Hire drivers or operators as being a ” Taxi” driver or “Taxi” company.
Well done Alexandra
by News Desk | Nov 12, 2014 | London News
I note there will be a protest in Central London this weekend, to highlight the Stop Killing Cyclists cause.
First of all, may I just say, that neither myself or I guess anyone else, would deliberately want to kill or injure a cyclist. Of that I am sure.
As an advanced and professional driver, I witness driving both good and bad in our capital on a daily basis.
As a London Taxi Driver, I would probably have my work cut out trying to convince our cyclists that I am not bias. The fact is, I’m honestly not.
Cyclists have just as much right to share London’s roads, as anybody else. However, in all honesty, I am shocked at the abundant lack of self preservation that cyclists show themselves.
I have served in some precarious places in the world as a Guardsman. In every posting, I was thoroughly trained, fully armed and wearing as much protective body armour as I could get on.
Take it from me, the only reason that I am able to be writing this today, is not because I had a machine gun, not because I was professionally trained, and not because I was wearing body armour.
It was due to a bit of luck, but mainly a severe awareness of SELF PRESERVATION !!
The possibility of being blown up or killed was real enough to make me realise that if I didn’t take the utmost care in every move and every decision that I made, I could pay the price with my life.
Which takes me back to our London cyclists.
I witness dozens of verbal altercations between cyclists and cab drivers as I navigate my way round London driving a taxi.
It isn’t easy driving a London cab. We have two eyes, three mirrors and have been taught to drive to a professional standard.
In today’s London traffic conditions however, two eyes and three mirrors is nowhere near enough.
For those who doubt me, it would be good to see you try driving a London Cab for a day. It’s raining. The wipers are on full speed. Your headlights are on. The passenger in the back is irate. He is changing his mind as to where his destination is. You are trying to watch the traffic. Vehicles in front are stopping without warning. The rain gets harder. The geezer in the back gets louder. A police car siren screams from the nearside. You try to move over to allow it to pass. You cant. Theres a motorbike there. You inch forward to help the police patrol. The police get by. Hes left you on the yellow grid. You see the CCTV Enforcement camera tilt towards you. The copper’s long gone ! Your excuse as to why you ended up there has melted into the distance! The geezer’s still screaming in the back. He’s going to miss his train ! The cab’s back windows are steaming up !
And here comes the cyclist !! You saw him a second ago. Perhaps he’s gone. No he hasn’t ! he’s on the offside now ! he’s gone again ! Nope ! He’s on the nearside and coming up fast ! Watch him ! You can’t ! An ambulance is trying to get through on the offside. Move over. You cant, how about the cyclist ? He’s not there anyway . You move over to let the ambulance have passage. “Prick !” The cyclist is screaming. He was there after all ! The geezer in the back has moved to the drop seats to tell you how important his train is ………………….
You simply cannot have your eyes on everything. As much as one would like to, it is impossible to have a visual field whilst driving through the capital’s roads, on everything that is occurring on the highway. But you try your best.
I was always taught in the army, that 75% of the human body is water, and intracellular fluids. So matter how tough or hard you may think you are, that fact is the bottom line.
I doubt that anybody would argue, including cyclists themselves, that the chances seen by the two wheelers by everybody during every day in London, are astonishing.
There are gaps that a cyclist can safely navigate through, and some that are blatantly not big enough ! But day after day, they go for gold !
I am shocked that not ten times more cyclists haven’t lost their lives than the current figures show. And in honesty, I can attribute that mainly to cab drivers and other motorists driving in a professional defence standard, and literally saving the lives of so many of these bikers.
Wearing iphone ear phones is commonplace. What on earth would a cyclist be thinking, by disabling the ability to be able to hear everything around him, as he cycles through London ? Why don’t they go the whole hog and wear a Lone Ranger mask as well ?
It’s absolutely ludicrous ! Yet, we see it all the time.
Cab drivers take liberties, Ive done it myself. But if the gap aint wide enough for us, its the black paint that suffers, not the lungs and spleen.
Time and time and time again, day after day after day, I go to turn left after checking my nearside mirror, and a second before I make the turn have one final check in the mirror.
And there they are ! Head down, focussed, legs going round like a hamster in a cage and you would better your last breath on it, they aint gonna slow down for no sod !! And sure enough…..they don’t !!
Another white bike spared from being chained to the railings, by a professional defensive driving decision on MY part. Don’t expect a wave of thanks either ! You would be probably called a prick and have the finger for having the audacity to put your indicator on or even dreaming to turn left !
A typical and blatant distinct lack of personal preservation on behalf of the cyclist.
Every single taxi driver out there will experience this every single day without a doubt. I have actually thought about the consequences of if I had turned without that very last look in the nearside mirror, and I shudder at the thought.
That 75% of water is no match for a two ton TX4, and yet, it happens every single day.
We may all have noticed how the pendulum is swinging the other way with the attitude of the Police now. Not so long ago, it was the cabby and motorist who were the targets, but now coppers are hiding in doorways in the city and jumping out to nick these wannabe Evel Knievel’s as they fly across the red lights like the Red Arrows.
As I said at the start, I have no grudge against cyclists using our London’s roads and streets beside me. But unless cyclists have a real evaluation of their chances in a collision with a motor vehicle, many more will die under the wheels. Don’t expect the cabby or motorist to protect you from a life threatening stunt, cos one day, that last second glance in the mirror may be unavailable.
Self Preservation is the key to a longer life in any field, and couldn’t be more crucial than whilst cycling in London.
There are many ambitious, high drive, risk taking professionals in our capital, who get their living, their kudos, their respect and their bonuses from taking risks on Forex and the Stockmarket. That is perfectly acceptable and enviable in the traders office working environment.
But leave that confidence in your lockers on the first floor folks, before you put your helmets on, for Christ Sake !
And before you all start saying that there are poor drivers out there also, of course there are, I admit that.
Its just that, surrounded by the metal cage of safety that motorists do their journey in, any collision at 30mph is probably going to be a carbody repair matter.
But for the 75% of intracellular fluid coming up the inside on two rubber tyres, listening to Led Zeppelin on his iphone, it will be a tragic case of another can of white paint, due to a distinct lack of self preservation.
May I wish all cyclists, and all London Taxi Drivers like myself, a safer existence.
Look after yourselves, you only get one chance.
8829 Semtex
by News Desk | Nov 11, 2014 | London News
A minicab driver, his uncle and nephew are accused of raping a drunk schoolteacher on a park bench after abducting and trafficking her from his minicab, a court heard.
The unconscious woman is alleged to have passed out after drinking at a birthday celebration before she came round to find one of her abusers having sex with her.
Private hire driver Tamseel Virk, 42; uncle and nephew, Azad Raja, 38, and Wakar Akhtar, 21, along with Najeem Ul-Saeed, 31, all of Bradford, West Yorks, are standing trial at Bradford Crown Court accused of conspiracy to rape between May 25 and 26 this year.
Prosecutor Andrew Kershaw told the jury that Virk picked up the woman from a street in Leeds, West Yorks., in breach of his licence, shortly before midnight on May 25.
Mr Kershaw suggested the fare was not reported to Virk’s controller because he had identified a vulnerable woman who could be sexually exploited.
The court heard she was ‘noticeably affected’ after drinking lager and whisky in a pub with friends, ‘talking gibberish’ and left her jacket, handbag and phone behind.
Mr Kershaw said Virk ‘delivered’ her to Akhtar and Raja, getting her to commit a sex act on him on the way.
The jury heard she was dropped off near their home and raped in turn on a bench in Great Horton Park, Bradford, while she was unconscious.
Mr Kershaw said: “They manhandled her, causing bruises and minor injuries to both of her knees, as if she were put in a kneeling position on the ground.”
The jury was told the victim woke up while Raja was having sex with her. Akhtar is alleged to have told her he had already had sex with her.
Ul-Saeed, the lawyer added, then turned up ‘too late physically to join in the rape that he had set up.’
Mr Kershaw added: “The prosecution case is that there was a conspiracy to rape (the woman) while she was in no fit state either to consent or resist.
“Akhtar and Raja conspired to rape her because they both agreed to do so; to take delivery of her and rape her together in each other’s presence.
“Virk, the prosecution say, is part of the same agreement because he delivered the girl to Akhtar and Raja for them to rape her.
“Virk knew that she was in no fit state to consent or resist because he had been able to abduct her to Great Horton Park, rather than take her home.
“Ul-Saeed is also part of the same agreement because he trafficked her from Virk to Akhtar and arranged where and to whom she was to be delivered; he tried to organise a hotel room and attended at the park to join in but was too late because she had regained consciousness by then.”
The four men deny the charges and the trial continues.
source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/
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