Private Hire licence granted to man who ran into a police station threatening to blow it up

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A man who threatened to blow up a police station has been granted a private hire licence by Glasgow’s licensing committee despite concerns raised by Police Scotland’s chief constable Iain Livingstone. The incident, which took place in August of 2007, saw Hamza Bin Iqbal, 33, burst into Motherwell Police Office demanding that a friend of his be released from custody. When he realised his request was not going to be met, he shouted “my pal is in here. You’ve got five minutes to get him out or ill f***ing bomb the place.” Iqbal was arrested on the spot and was in danger of facing terrorism charges, but on-duty police officers were able to assess the situation and come to the conclusion that the bomb threat wasn’t real. According to a report in the Evening Times, Iqbal was charged with a breach of the peace and was ordered to carry out 120-hours of unpaid work.

This week Iqbal stood before Glasgow’s licensing committee in a bid to obtain a private hire licence to work in the city. Iqbal denied ever threatening to bomb the police station and said that the CCTV wasn’t working at the time of the incident so was unable to prove his innocence. He claimed to not be a violent person. Although the breach of peace conviction will remain on his record for a further five years, he was granted a licence to work as a private hire driver for three years.

October 31, 2018 at 07:40PM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Michael Murphy THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Call for new Operator fees structure based on numbers of drivers put forward to TfL

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Minicab association calls for new Operator fees structure to be based on numbers of drivers or vehicles rather than the fixed bands recently introduced by Transport for London.

LPHCA Chairman Steve Wright, alongside other industry representatives, met with senior officials at TfL to discuss a proposal for re-structuring London Operator’s licensing fees based on numbers of drivers/vehicles, rather than the current fixed bands structure, which sees a 100 vehicle fleet pay £30,000 and a 101 vehicle fleet pay £150,000. This proposal was originally rejected by TfL prior to the LPHCA’s legal challenge but following an LPHCA emergency meeting in the summer and subsequent dialogue with Members, it was agreed to put forward some outline figures to TfL and yesterday proposals were discussed with senior TfL representatives. Those figures have also been supplied to the Greater London Authority following the LPHCA giving evidence to the London Assembly Transport Committee at City Hall in earlier this month. According to the LPHCA, proposal for Operator fees to be based on the number of drivers/vehicles a company has, is much fairer, as it shares the regulatory cost of compliance more proportionally. Also utilising a structure based on numbers of drivers/vehicles rather than fixed bands is not a proposal specific to London, as the LPHCA advocates this method across the country too. The private hire representatives accept that TfL (and other licensing authorities) need to raise enough money to meet licensing and compliance costs, but believe that the evidence now shows that PHV Operator numbers continue to decline in London and is now very clear the damage that the current system has done. Following a meeting with TfL and LPHCA a spokesperson from the minicab operator representatives said “there is real hope that we can progress to formal proposals.

“We will continue dialogue with the Competition & Marketing Authority, the Department for Transport, the Small Business Commission, the Greater London Authority Transport Committee and other politicians, until an appropriate Operator Fees structure is in place. “Since our update article called ‘Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn’ was published in the Autumn 2018 edition of Private Hire News, where we announced what other avenues we were exploring, we can confirm that the LPHCA are still just as committed to finding an adequate solution to the Operator Fees project.“Despite the news that the High Court had ruled against our legal challenge, this has paved the way for positive dialogue with TfL. However, the LPHCA are still in £60,000 deficit as we’ve had to pay for TfL’s legal fees and will need loans to make the final payment. Our ‘fighting fund’ is still very much active and still needs your support.”

October 31, 2018 at 05:36PM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Perry Richardson THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Cabbie sentenced to life in prison for stabbing wife to death during a row over his gambling addiction

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A cab driver from Greater Manchester has been jailed for life for ambushing and stabbing his wife to death. David Pawluk, 58, stabbed his wife Margaret Howlett, 63, multiple times after he found out she wanted to leave his name off of the deeds to their home. Pawluk, who had a heavy gambling habit, and had lost around £80,000 pound on his addiction, got into an argument with his wife and as she begged for his forgiveness he could be heard shouting ‘you f***ing liar`. Pawluk then stabbed his wife in the face and neck and left her for dead on the kitchen floor. The court heard that Pawluk attempted to take his own life and then fled the scene in his taxi. Two days later he handed himself into the police. When police arrived at their home, they found Ms Howlett on the kitchen floor still wearing her coat. Pawluk had waited in ambush for her to come home from spending the day with friends. A friend of Ms Howlett confirmed that only a few weeks before her murder, she told her that she no longer loved Pawluk and that she only had £4,000 left over from her £24,000 savings. According to a report in the Daily Mail, investigations revealed that Pawluk had cashed in £40,000 of his pension and was overdrawn by £2,000 and held credit cards which were in a total debt of £20,000.

The court heard how Pawluk and Ms Howlett met in 2016 and soon married in Cyprus the next year.

The couple had planned to sell Ms Howlett’s home and buy a bungalow together, but due to pawluk’s bad gambling habits, Howlett decided that it would be best to have their new home covered in just her name. It was heard that Pawluk was very controlling of his wife, who soon became detached from her friends. Pawluk’s ex wife also confirmed his serious gambling addiction and said he also was known for having a bad temper. She said that they were forced to remortgage their home four times to pay off debts he had built up. Pawluk admitted murder and was ordered to serve a minimum of 16 years and eight months before he would be considered for parole.

October 31, 2018 at 01:55PM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Michael Murphy THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Harry Joel MBE, Honorary Life President of the Taxi Charity, has passed away

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It is with great sadness that the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans announces the passing of its Honorary Life President, Harry Joel MBE, on 28 October 2018.

Harry worked tirelessly with the charity and said: “As long as there is conflict and war around this world, there is a huge need for organisations like The Taxi Charity For Military Veterans and the work it does". President since 2006, Harry was a dedicated and hugely supportive volunteer who will be greatly missed; our thoughts and prayers go to his daughter Lee and his grandchildren Alex, Ben and Natalie. About Henry Nathaniel Joel MBE At the outbreak of WWII, Harry was too young to join the armed forces but eager to help, he joined the Home Guard and became a bicycle messenger. In 1943, aged 19, Harry was called up to join the Royal Navy, and sailed to Nova Scotia to join HMS Dittany. Once on board they sailed back across the Atlantic to Gibraltar and went on U-Boat Detection and Destroying duties. Harry's ship was responsible for sinking at least one enemy submarine and the survivors were put in Harry’s sick bay for treatment. Harry was then posted to the Royal Naval Hospital at Trincamalee, Ceylon (Sri Lanka) where he cared for wounded and seriously injured troops, until he was posted back to England and demobbed in 1946. After the war, Harry joined the Merchant Navy as a Medical Officer, serving with the Anglo Saxon Petroleum Company, and in 1951 he married Frances. They had a much-loved daughter Lee and remained blissfully happy until Frances passed away. In 1955, Harry became a London cab driver and was soon asking if he could help the London Taxi Benevolent Association For War Disabled (as the Taxi Charity For Military Veterans was then known). Harry recognised that the Taxi Charity needed more support from the public and taxi drivers for these heroes and set about organising ways of achieving exposure and publicity to highlight the plight of war veterans and the work of the charity. In recognition of his support, the charity made Harry Honorary Chairman, and in 2006 he became Honorary Life President. To his great delight, Harry was awarded an MBE in 1981 for services to charity.

October 31, 2018 at 10:55AM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Perry Richardson THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Taxi driver loses licence following alleged violence towards blind army veteran

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A Tunbridge Wells taxi driver has lost his licence after complaints were made surrounding an incident with a blind army veteran. The taxi driver was filmed by the veteran during the altercation which started when Alun Elder-Brown, 61, entered the taxi with his guide dog. According to a report in the Kent Live, Elder-Brown approached the driver at the taxi rank outside Tunbridge Wells station with his seven-year-old Labrador dog. Elder-Brown said that he moved around to the passenger door and began to push the front seat back. The taxi driver told him that the dog should go in the rear seat although guide dogs should stay with their owners. As Elder-Brown attempted to sit down, the driver grabbed his arm and allegedly hit him across the face. Veteran Brown was recording the incident on his phone which the taxi driver snatched from his hand. According to Elder-Brown, two or three other taxi drivers surrounded him and even accused him of racism, which he denied. Mr Elder-Brown, who used to be the chairman of Tunbridge Wells UKip, said that if he was a racist he wouldn’t be getting in a “Muslim car”. Tunbridge Wells Borough Council said that the driver’s licence was revoked based on the information presented to them. The driver has the right to appeal to the magistrates within 2 days.

October 30, 2018 at 09:11PM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Michael Murphy THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

New “tax” registration checks proposed for taxi and private hire industry

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The Government is set to announce legislation that will require tax registration checks to be undertaken on all taxi and private hire licence holders.

In 2017 the HMRC consulted on measures to tackling tax evasion in the “hidden economy” with particular reference to public sector licensing which included taxi and private hire licensing. The term hidden economy refers to individuals and businesses with sources of taxable economic activity that are entirely hidden from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).

In the budget announcement on 29 November, the Government announced:Following the consultation ‘Tackling the hidden economy: public sector licensing’ published in December 2017, the government will consider legislating at Finance Bill 2019 to introduce a tax registration check linked to licence renewal processes for some public sector licences.

Applicants would need to provide proof they were correctly registered for tax in order to be granted licenses. This would make it more difficult to trade in the hidden economy, levelling the playing field for compliant businesses.

The details of how this may work in practice are yet to be announced however it is likely to involve:

New applicants for a taxi/PH licence will be signposted towards tax obligations and HMRC services to ensure that they understand their taxable status and are able to register as soon as possible after they begin trading.Checks will be undertaken on those renewing licences to confirm and provide evidence of their tax-registration status.New “fit and proper” criteria may include an assessment of an applicant’s financial integrity.

The HMRC is due to publish its Summary of Responses on the 7th November that is expected to include a commitment to use the Finance Bill to push through the legislative changes required to implement the tax status checks.

October 30, 2018 at 07:15PM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Stephen McCaffrey THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Former council worker who served jail time for the possession of multiple drugs issued private hire licence to operate

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A former Glasgow City Council worker has been issued a private hire licence despite having previous convictions and serving a 14 month prison sentence. William Griffiths has been granted a licence to operate across Glasgow although he was caught with 59g of cocaine, two grams of amphetamine and £12,870 in cash when police searched his home back in May 2014. According the the Glasgow Live, officers also discovered, during a separate raid, 194g of cannabis, two grams of cocaine and £7,115. Under the `misuse of drugs act` police also seized £7,380 from Mr Griffiths. Despite all of this, Glasgow City Council deemed Griffiths as a fit and proper person to hold a private hire licence. During his licensing hearing, Griffiths denied his involvement in any “recreational drugs”, stating that he was living with two other men at the time of his convictions. Griffiths said that he lost everything and has had to start from scratch. He said he hopes to operate in Glasgow City centre once he starts work. Committee member Robert Connelly raised his concerns surrounding Mr Griffiths’ previous jail term but the committee still agreed to grant a private hire licence to him, albeit for a restricted one-year period.

October 30, 2018 at 04:06PM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Michael Murphy THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Cabbies living in Kent, Essex or East Sussex could receive £20,000

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Taxi drivers could receive up to £20,000 off new LEVC TX for business living in Kent, Essex or East Sussex. The LoCASE is an EU funded project in partnership with Kent County Council, East Sussex County Council, Essex County Council, Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, Thurrock Council and the University of Brighton. It offers grants for energy efficiency and carbon saving measures to help SMEs - including taxi drivers - switch towards a greener electric taxi. To assess eligibility cabbies will need to complete the LoCASE evaluation questionnaire found here. Upon completion of the online evaluation questionnaire a member of the LoCASE team will be in touch to advise on the next steps. Once the driver receives confirmation from the LoCASE team that the driver is eligible for the grant they are advised to contact LEVC to discuss the purchase options for a brand spanking new TX.

October 30, 2018 at 03:10PM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Perry Richardson THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Teesside cabbie bizarrely exposes himself to leave elderly customer “shaking with fear”

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A Teesside cabbie who exposed himself in-front of an elderly passenger was spared jail time, but lost his marriage and job as a result.Russell Lee Jordan, 48, left the “vulnerable” old woman shaking with fear as the driver took advantage by first removing his clothes.“He said to her, ‘Don’t be shy’,” prosecutor Rob Stephenson said at York Crown Court. Jordan then exposed himself at a flat in Whitby and performed a sex act on himself much to the displeasure of the elderly woman according to Teesside Live.Mr Stephenson told the court “She was numb and in shock,”The passenger was a regular customer of the cab service which Jordan was subsequently throw out of. The barrister defending Jordan told the court it was out of character and a “moment of madness”. He added he thought “she might like him”.Jordan was given a four-month suspended jail sentence as the judge did not deem the driver to be a risk to the public.He was however told to sign on the sex-offenders’ register for seven years and complete 20 rehabilitation days.

October 30, 2018 at 11:14AM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

UK taxi numbers dip whilst private hire rises in latest government report

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A government report showing the latest Taxi and Private Hire statistics for 2018 shows a slight decrease in taxi licensees, whilst minicab maintains its ascent across the country.

All regions in England saw an increase in the total number of driver licences with the exception of London. The largest increase was seen in West Midlands since 2017 which was largely down to the controversial Wolverhampton authority who grew by a whooping 84% since last year.

Since the previous year, PHV-only driver licences increased by 2.8% to 223,300 whilst the number of taxi-only driver licences decreased by 3.4% to 57,900. South West and Yorkshire and the Humber were the only regions to see an increase in the number of taxi driver licences.

The total number of licensed drivers increased in 182 out of 293 licensing authorities in England. The number of taxi-only driver licences increased in 53 areas. The number of PHV licensed drivers increased in 120 areas. The number of dual driver licences increased in 130 areas. There were 361,500 total licences in England, 5,600 more than in 2017. Of the total licences, 62% were PHV- only licences, 16% were taxi-only licences and 22% were dual taxi/PHV licences.

The largest increases from the previous year in total licensed drivers were seen in Norwich, Wolverhampton, Worthing, Oadby and Wigston.

In contrast the biggest decreases were found in Rossendale and Shropshire respectively.

October 30, 2018 at 07:08AM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Perry Richardson THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Accusations of the lunatics taking over the asylum as the Corporation of London plans to slash speed limits to 15mph

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In a move that has been described by some as "lunacy," the Corporation of London are planning to slash speed limits in the square mile to just 15mph.

Draft proposals have been submitted as the CoL look to improve safety levels and tackle pollution levels.

In 2017, 54 people were killed or injured in the square mile, this was despite a reduction to 20mph being adopted by CoL on many of the roads in the area.

Despite the speed limit being lowered there has been no significant decrease in fatalaties.

The proposed speed limit reduction has been widely slammed by road experts, such as The AA and IAM RoadSmart, as well as road users themselves.

Some of the opinions put forward onThe Daily Expresscomments section were scathing, with one reader commenting that "this is what happens when you let the lunatics run the asylum." Whilst another stated "Democratically elected lunatics....Blame where blame is due."

Others had commented that pedestrians may be at fault because they had their eyes "glued" to their phones, instead of watching where they were going.

Any lowering of the speed limit would need to be ratified by the Department for Transport, with the Corporation of London hoping to bring in the restrictions by 2022.

October 29, 2018 at 02:52PM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Steve Kenton THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

A case of lowered driving standards and a lack of responsibility surrounds the tragic death of Uber crash victim

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An Uber driver who stopped on the side of a highway after his phone fell from it’s holder, causing a fatal collision, has pleaded guilty to a reduced Highway Traffic Act charge of careless driving. The tragic incident, which happened during a journey to Pearson International Airport, Toronto, saw Uber driver Abdihared Bihar Mussa, 23, facing four Criminal Code charges, including dangerous driving causing death. The decision to plead guilty to the lesser charge of careless driving has left the victim’s family disappointed. On March 21, 2018, Nicholas Cameron, 28, and his girlfriend, Monika Traikov, ordered an Uber to take them to the airport. Mussa, who had only been working for the ride-hailing app for two days and clearly was not familiar with his way around, inadvertently entered the highway in the opposite direction of the airport. Crown attorney Michael Coristine said reading an agreed statement of facts that once they managed to head in the correct direction of the airport (westbound on the Gardiner Expressway) Mussa’s phone fell from its mount onto the floor. Mussa then pulled onto the shoulder of the highway to retrieve his phone. The statement said that the vehicle was not completely in the hard shoulder lane and was in fact still “at least partially” in the live right lane. As reported in The Star, after placing his phone back into its mount, Mussa very slowly attempted to pull back onto the highway. During this manoeuvre a black BMW sedan which was travelling at a “high rate of speed” struck the back corner of Mussa’s 2012 Hyundai.

Mr. Cameron, who was sitting behind the driver’s seat took the blunt of the impact, suffering a catastrophic neck injury. He died the following day in hospital. His girlfriend was treated for minor injuries and concussion and was released from hospital. The prosecution accepted Mussa’s plea to the lesser charge, stating that while he exercised poor judgement with extremely tragic, unimaginable consequences, his actions were not criminal. Mussa is now likely to receive a fine between $400 - $2,000 along with a 12 month driving probation and mandatory driver training. Cameron’s family and friends shook their heads and sobbed throughout the proceedings and said they were “horrified” by the decision which is barely a slap on the wrist for Mussa. Cameron’s mother, Cheryl Hawkes, has said that the death of her son has ruined her life as she knew it and urged Mussa to take responsibility for his actions. She said “in the end, responsibility for Nick’s death has been left on the side of the road and no one wants to touch it”.

Ontario Court Justice Paul Robertson reserved his sentencing decision to Dec. 4. Toronto’s licensing authority do not go without blame for this tragic incident, a good friend of Cameron has said in a touching essay surrounding the death of a man he says was “putting together an adult life.” Eric Andrew Gee had been best friends with Cameron since they met in third grade and could not fail to point out that rather than enforce rules that would increase the safety of ride-sharing services, Toronto in fact lowered the standards. All cab drivers used to have to undertake road tests and complete a 17 day safety class. This is no longer the requirements since the standards were lowered. Andrew Gee highlighted that even a basic lesson in local geography may have prevented Mussa from first heading in the wrong direction and then becoming completely reliant on his GPS system. Uber urged that its rating system is used to keep poor and unsafe drivers off the roads. That didn’t happen on this occasion and a young innocent man tragically lost his life.

October 29, 2018 at 01:16PM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Michael Murphy THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

New Yorks Taxi and Limousine Commission apply the brakes and suspend fees to help cabbies

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After a spate of suicide by cabbies in New York, Meera Joshi, head of the Taxi and Limousine Commission has announced a suspension on taxi medallion holders fees, amounting to $20 million.

The move is in response to the mounting criticism being aimed at the commission over the handling of the issues which has seen seven deaths, including one livery driver.

The New York Posthas reported that this is a short term measure, designed to give New York's 11,286 taxi drivers some "breathing space."

Councilman Mark Levine who has been looking to formulate a long term strategy, which will include changes in legislation, has asked for the short term break to help the struggling cabbies.

Bhairavi Desai, head of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, has welcomed the move.

Between November 2017 and September 2018, Alfredo Perez, Danilo Corporan Castillo, 57, Douglas Schifter, 61, Nicanor Ochisor, 65, Kenny Chow, 56, Abdul Saleh, 59 and Fausto Luna, 58, all committed suicide after falling into hardship due to the arrival of ride-hailing companies devaluing the taxi medallion.

October 29, 2018 at 12:03PM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Steve Kenton THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Petition by Private Hire Drivers to allow them similar privileges to hackney carriage Taxi drivers knocked back by council

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A group of private hire drivers have lost in their attempt to gain access to bus lanes in the same way hackney carriage taxis do. A group representing the private hire drivers in Blackburn felt that gaining similar privileges as licensed taxi drivers would help boost the trade by cutting time spent in traffic jams. According to a report in the Lancashire Telegraph, the group also pushed for the council to create passenger pick-up and drop-off points specifically for private hire vehicles. The petition put forward to the council highlighted the “noticeable empty bus lanes” throughout the majority of the day and said that by allowing private hire vehicles access, it would give customers a better incentive to use them instead of using their own cars for journeys. Council bosses, who carefully considered the proposals, have knocked back the pleas, stating that as it is a Department for Transport scheme, rules clearly state that major changes cannot be made for up to 10 years.

October 29, 2018 at 09:23AM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Michael Murphy THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Cabbie keeps license after knocking down off-duty PC

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A cabbie has had a lucky escape afyer knocking down an off-duty PC in Mayhill Road, Glasgow.

Javed Lal collided with the policewoman, and despite stopping at the scene of the

accident, failed to share his contact details.

The Evening Timesreported that Mr Lal was tracked down after a member of the public took down his registration number and made a report to the police.

Mr Lal had received 5 points on his license and was fined £160, but had to aubsequently appear in front of Glasgow's licensing committee.

It was revealed the the victim had initially told the cabbie that she was ok, and told him to go.

The incident, which saw Mr Lal arrested in October 2015, led to the licensing committee criticising the cabbies conduct in not reporting the accident.

The committee agreed to renew the cabbies license but warned him about his future conduct.

October 29, 2018 at 12:29AM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Steve Kenton THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Police appeal for help following private hire sexual assault on a man in Glasgow

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Police are appealing to a man and a woman who came to the aid of a man who was sexually assaulted in a private hire vehicle between Glasgow and Paisley in the early hours of Sunday 28 October 2018 to contact them. The 22 year old man had been out for the night in Glasgow City Centre around the Argyle Street/Union Street area. Around 2.30am he got into a private hire car to take him home but on route he was touched inappropriately by the driver who then made him leave the car in Paisley. The car was white in colour and the driver is described as being a white man, in his 30s, dark shaved hair, heavy build, with a Scottish or Irish accent. Not knowing where he was, the man then flagged down a couple in a car and they took him to Paisley Police Office. Detective Sergeant Allison Campbell, Paisley Police Office, said: “The man and woman left before we could speak to them. It would be really helpful to our investigation if they would contact Paisley Police Station as their information would assist our investigation. “I would ask anyone who might have seen or was approached by the man in Paisley this morning to get in touch. Please call Paisley Police Station via 101 and quote reference number 1271/28/10.”

October 28, 2018 at 07:45PM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Perry Richardson THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

All Uber drivers estimated to be £18,900 out of pocket since workers rights case was won

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Thousands of drivers are struggling to pay their rent and feed their families as Uber’s Court of Appeal hearing takes place this week according to Uber driver representatives GMB. Two years on from historic win against Uber, each driver is estimated to be an average of £18,000 out of pocket over that two year period because the company still refuses to accept the judgement of the courts. On October 28, 2016 the Central London Employment Tribunal ruled that Uber drivers were entitled to receive holiday pay, a guaranteed minimum wage and had an entitlement to rest breaks. Rather than accept the decision, Uber has continued to resist the courts’ ruling – taking the case to the Employment Appeal Tribunal last year - and losing again – before taking it to the Court of Appeal in a hearing which starts on Tuesday. Since the date of the first court ruling in 2016, the average loss per driver over the two years has been estimated by Leigh Day, the solicitors representing drivers on behalf of GMB, to be £8,150 on Holiday Pay and £10,750 on National Minimum Wage equating to £18,900 in total. Uber says it has at least 40,000 drivers across the UK. In Uber London’s latest accounts, released last week, they warn shareholders: “The Uber Group [is exposed] to numerous legal and regulatory risks, including, among others, the application, interpretation and enforcement of existing regulations related to the Uber Group’s business model, as well as risks related to the development of new regulations, and claims and litigation related to the Company’s classification of drivers as independent contractors.” Sue Harris, GMB Legal Director, said: “These figures lay bare the human cost of Uber continuing to refuse to accept the ruling of the courts. “While the company are wasting money losing appeal after appeal, their drivers are up to £18,000 out of pocket for the last two years alone. “That’s thousands of drivers struggling to pay their rent, or feed their families. It’s time Uber admits defeat and pays up. “The company needs to stop wasting money dragging its lost cause through the courts. Instead, Uber should do the decent thing and give drivers the rights to which those courts have already said they are legally entitled.”

October 28, 2018 at 11:52AM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Perry Richardson THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT