Will Ola Out Uber, Uber? Woman on way to Kempegowda International Airport forced to strip, pose for pictures by Ola cabbie

A traumatic ride: 

Keep quiet or my friends will gang rape you’ 

26-year-old had booked the cab at 2 am as she had to fly to Mumbai; driver arrested after she mailed a complaint to the Commissioner 

A 26-year-old city-based architect had a traumatic experience enroute to the airport after her Ola cab driver took a detour, held her hostage, molested and took pictures of her in the car in the early hours of June 1. The woman was travelling alone in the cab from her residence in JB Nagar to the airport to catch an early morning flight to Mumbai. Based on her complaint, the driver, V Arun (28), has been arrested and his cab seized. 

The woman said in her complaint that she had booked the Ola cab at around 2 am. Once on the road, she found that the driver had taken a different route. When she enquired, he claimed it would be faster and free of toll. 

Near the airport, when she found that he had taken a secluded road and asked him to turn around. But the driver stopped the car, locked the doors and molested her. When she put up a fight, he threatened to call a group of men and get her raped. He also snatched her phone and threated to kill her if she screamed for help, the woman said in her complaint. 

The driver has been arrested and the cab seized. I spoke with the victim after the arrest. She had mailed us the complaint

Seemanth Kumar Singh, Additional Commissioner of Police (East)

A police officer investigating the case said: “The accused reportedly asked her to strip as he wanted her pictures. He tried to strangle her when she refused. Fearing for her life, the woman complied and gave him the photos he wanted. He clicked the pictures on her phone and shared it through WhatsApp to his phone number.” 

The accused told her he was leaving for Dubai the very next day, a claim that proved to be false. After much begging on her part, he dropped her off at the airport around 3 am. He threatened to post her pictures on social media if she complained. 

After the incident, the woman said she took the flight to Mumbai. In the meantime, the accused had called her twice after which she blocked his number. 

“After reaching Mumbai, she mailed her complaint to the city police commissioner. The complaint was then transferred to the jurisdictional JB Nagar police station for further action,” said the officer. 

The car used in the crime has been seized and parked at the Jeevan Bima Nagar police station after the driver’s arrest

The woman managed to get the driver’s details through the OlaCabs application and had attached it along with her complaint. This helped the police arrest him within a few hours of the complaint. The JB Nagar police also sought help from the cyber crime police to check if he had shared the photos with anybody else. 

“The driver has been arrested and the cab has been seized. I personally spoke to the victim after the arrest and updated her on the progress of the case. The woman had mailed us the complaint. A case in this regard has been registered by the jurisdictional JB Nagar police,” Seemanth Kumar Singh, Additional Commissioner of Police (East) told BM. 

The JB Nagar police has registered a case of assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe (IPC 354B), voyeurism (IPC 354C), assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty (IPC 354), attempt to murder (IPC 307), putting person in fear of death (IPC 387), wrongful confinement (IPC 342). The IT Act of 2000 has also been invoked. 

When BM reached out to Ola for its comments on the incident, a spokesperson said: “We regret the unfortunate experience the customer had during the ride. We have zero tolerance for such incidents and the driver has been blacklisted from the platform as an immediate action upon receiving the complaint. Safety of customers is our top priority and we are extending our full support to the police authorities in their investigation.” 

Gang Rape And Murder By Ola Drivers In Kolkata Raises Alarm On Safety Of App-Based Minicabs Again

    

As we get into a lull and begin to believe that the world is becoming saner and calmer, things end up becoming messier and murkier. In the most recent and rather appalling incident – two Ola drivers in Kolkata have gangraped and strangled to death a 12-year-old girl. Reports suggest that the girl’s body was thrown over a bridge.

A tweet by ANI News said that the two cab drivers have been arrested:

Kolkata: 2 cab drivers arrested for allegedly gang-raping and killing a 12-yr-old girl, body recovered.

— ANI (@ANI_news) August 31, 2016

A report by CNN-News18 said that the accused have been arrested and they even confessed to picking up the girl from the footpath when they were drunk. The drivers told the police that they were looking for some ‘merriment’ and after killing the girl, the drivers - Shankar Shaw and Guddu Singh - threw her body into the canal below Park Circus Flyover.

Reacting to the news, Ola immediately issued a statement. However, it called the rape and murder a case of “alleged misbehaviour”. It said:

We are saddened by the reports of the alleged misbehaviour of a driver in Kolkata. On preliminary identification of the cab details shared by authorities, we have suspended the account associated with this cab with immediate effect. As per our records, this incident has not occurred while on the Ola platform. We will work with the authorities to share any information that will help support their investigation.

This isn’t the first time that such a report has been filed against an Ola or Uber driver. In December last year, a woman passenger was raped by an Ola driver in Delhi who even threatened to kill the woman if she told anyone.

In May this year, a Belgian national was molested by an Ola driver in Delhi. And how can anyone forget the incident where an Uber driver, Shiv Kumar Yadav, raped a woman in Delhi in December 2014.

Today, with the growing convenience that cab aggregators provide, news of this magnitude again brings to question the safety and security of passengers, especially women. It is interesting to note that a few months back, the cab aggregators and the government authorities were at loggerheads for some of the rules the government had imposed.

The state governments had requested for complete police verification of every driver on the Ola and Uber platforms. One of the main reasons for this was to ensure women’s safety. However, such incidents clearly show that much more efforts need to be put into the safety aspect. According to the new rules, every cab is required to have a panic button, but little has been said on the response time in dire situations and cases like these.

Source : YourStory.com, ITA.

TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT....

Looks like it's true that Ola will outdo Uber. I thought they were talking about the amount of booking, but after a little digging it looks like Ola will out Uber in the realms of UberRape and murder!

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Police appeal for help following Yorkshire taxi driver stabbing

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Police are appealing for witnesses following a serious assault on a taxi driver in Batley.The taxi driver, a 36-year-old man, picked up two male customers from Crown Cars depot on South Street in Dewsbury at around 1.40am on Friday 3 August.He was driving along Bradford Road in the direction of Batley, when he was overtaken by a silver Ford Galaxy car which pulled in front of him.A West Yorkshire Police Spokesperson added “He was able to continue driving and pulled into the BP garage further along the main road. A second car, a silver Volkswagen Golf, and the Ford Galaxy both began to follow the driver and tried to ram the taxi.“The victim and the two customers got out of the taxi at the garage and ran from the vehicle.“The suspects then followed the victim and assaulted him. He sustained stab wounds to the leg, arm and head. He remains in hospital in a serious but stable condition.“Police would like to speak to the two men who were in the taxi as witnesses to the incident. Detectives believe they may have information which could help with the investigation.“

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Uber driver dies after fighting with passenger in America

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An Uber driver has died following a physical altercation with a male passenger in Louisville Kentucky.

According to a report in the Daily Mail, father of three, Michael Williams got into a heated dispute with a passenger over the cost of a fare.

The argument soon turned into a full blown fight. Police rushed to the incident which took place outside the Courtyard Marriot Hotel on Saturday , 4, where they found William's unresponsive.

(Louisville Police Department)

William's was rushed to hospital where he died a few days later.

An autopsy is underway to determine the exact cause of death.

William's was carrying six passenger's on this trip, none of whom have been arrested. Police are waiting for the autopsy report to determine if any charges will be filed.

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Knowledge of London student applications rise following advertising campaign

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An increase in students applying to become London taxi drivers has been attributed to a recent PR campaign according to one of the industry’s biggest Knowledge schools.

The capital’s taxi trade has received the welcome boost off of the back of a recent advertising campaign run by London Taxi PR promoting the Knowledge of London. The campaigns aim is to show ‘The Knowledge’ as inclusive and open to all, regardless of gender, religion or ethnicity.

Concerns had been raised about the world reknowned course as numbers started to dwindle. Now, full house attendance at student beginner classes are being reported in only a matter of weeks since the campaign went live.

Dean Warrington, who has been running Wizann Knowledge School since 1996, said via Twitter “Who said advertising doesn’t work? As soon as London Taxi PR start their campaign we see an influx of women starting The Knowledge with 4 women in our beginners seminar today!”

London Taxi PR have teamed up with 8 outdoor media who will provided 29 large format digital billboards across Central London. The campaign which will run for a month, features London Taxi drivers of all genders and ethnic origin, which reflect the current diversity within the trade, with the headline “I did it, so can you”.

All images used in the PR campaign have been provided by Terry Gibbins, a passionate and proud London Taxi driver and Photographer, who has been photographing drivers for several months. A spokesperson from London Taxi PR said: “The aim of the campaign is to encourage more people to sign up to do ‘The Knowledge’ and become a London Taxi driver. We believe the job offers great opportunities for all who are prepared to put in the work and meet the high standards required of the profession to be a licensed London Taxi driver.” All of London Taxi PR’s campaigns and publicity has so far been been funded by fellow London Taxi drivers, many of whom have signed up to donate to the cause on a monthly basis, indicating how passionate they all are about their industry and the cause.

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Ditch the gadgets and turn off those phone Pirates, because we have found this adorable glamping chalet in the middle of the Scottish wilderness that is perfect fro those of you who wish to get away from it all. Arda glamping consists of a handmade wooden cabin that takes you back to basics, allowing you… GemUK POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

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Extend your summer Pirates with a trip to the Caribbean, but why go for a week when for a little more you can jet of for 14 whole nights? Thanks to a cheeky discount code, you can enjoy 2 weeks in the 4* Gran Ventana Beach Resort. Sat right on the beach, you will be… GemUK POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Transgender Uber drivers unable to log-on due to facial recognition software issues

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In a bizarre case of computer says "no", a transgender Uber driver, was unable to log on to the app after the facial recognition software failed.

In the United States, Uber drivers are required to take the occasional selfie for the app, as a security measure. This subsequently caused a problem for Janey Webb as facial features had altered due to the transitioning process. As a result Janey was unable to log onto the app.

It is alleged that the software involved with facial recognition struggles not only to identify those who are transgender, but also those who are from different ethnic and racial backgrounds.

This software has caused some concern due to its use, not only by Uber, but also the police in both Florida and Oregon.

The number of drivers affected by the problems surrounding the software are relatively few, but there are concerns over civil rights and the software's inability to distinguish between the many facial differences.

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Uber and Lyft beat Miami Taxis in federal court

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Uber and Lyft have received a boost this week after the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in their favour against taxi proprietors in Miami-Dade County.

The court unanimously ruled that taxi owners and operators have no right to block ride hailing firms from operating in the region.

There are around 2100 taxi medallion owners in the Miami-dade area which service 2.7 million people, at one point these medallions were worth in excess of $400,000, they are now worth around $35,000 since the legalisation of ride hailing apps.

Since Ubers arrival the ride sharing market exceeds the taxi market by around five to one, and according to The Miami Herald the drink-drive figures in the area have plummeted by 65%.

Ride-hailing apps in Miami-Dade were legalised in 2016, which has caused a massive drop in the value of taxi medallions. This prompted the three main cab companies in the region to initiate a legal action against the county's regulatory body asking for the industry to be bailed out, this action subsequently failed.

The case itself revolved around the fifth ammendment, with the taxi industry arguing that deregulation was unconstitutional and asking for a compensation package of around $1 billion.

Forbes reported that Judge Stanley Marcus, threw out the claim on the grounds that the medallion gave the owners the right to operate a taxi, but not to exclude competition from the marketplace.

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