September 30, 2017

Uber apologises after London ban and admits ‘we got things wrong’

by MeDaryl • Cars • Tags: business, London, politics, Road transport, Sadiq Khan, technology, tfl, Transport, Transport policy, Uber, UK news

London mayor Sadiq Khan says he welcomes apology by CEO of ride-hailing app, which has been stripped of its licence

Ubers chief executive has apologised for the taxi apps mistakes in London and promised to change as the company fights a decision by the city not to renew its licence.

The firm is battling to keep operating in the capital after Transport for London decided not to renew its licence to operate. Ubers London licence expires on 30 September, although it will continue to run taxis while it pursues a legal appeal process that could last a year.

TfL said last week Uber was not a fit and proper private car-hire operator and cited four areas of concern, including its approach to reporting criminal offences and carrying out background checks on drivers. But sources close to TfL indicated that a change of conduct from the taxi firm, the culture of which is being reformed by its new chief executive, could leave the door open to a fresh licence application.

Dara Khosrowshahi, who succeeded Uber founder Travis Kalanick as CEO a month ago, wrote in an open letter: While Uber has revolutionised the way people move in cities around the world, its equally true that weve got things wrong along the way. On behalf of everyone at Uber globally, I apologise for the mistakes weve made.

We will appeal [against] the decision on behalf of millions of Londoners, but we do so with the knowledge that we must also change.

Sadiq Khan, the London mayor and chair of TfL, said he welcomed Khosrowshahis apology. Obviously I am pleased that he has acknowledged the issues that Uber faces in London, Khan said. Even though there is a legal process in place, I have asked TfL to make themselves available to meet with him.

However, another Uber executive told the BBC on Monday he company did not understand the concerns of Londons transport regulator.

Fred Jones, an executive at Ubers UK operation, said: Sitting down with TfL representatives as soon as possible would be the most helpful thing to really understand their concerns, to work out what they are. It is just not clear to us what those concerns are.

When asked why Uber does not report criminal offences directly to the police and instead notifies TfL, which lengthens the investigative process, Jones said: We follow the rules.

Referring to one specific incident involving an Uber driver who sexually assaulted a passenger, he said: We hold our hands up, we made a mistake. In that incident we just didnt realise when that passenger wrote in how serious it was … We apologise to everyone involved.

The Uber driver involved stayed on the companys books and went on to commit another, more serious, attack.

Jones defended Ubers usual practice of notifying TfL of criminal offences. As soon as we receive a serious complaint or we are alerted of it, we restrict the access to the app and immediately investigate and that would involve notifying TfL.

He added that Uber had set up a working group. This is absolutely something we will work on with the police. This is absolutely an area where we want to go further.

Khan said Uber had brought unfair pressure on TfL, employing an army of PR experts and lawyers.

The mayor said: I want companies that abide by the rules, I want companies that innovate, harbour new technologies, I want disruptive technology coming to London but youve got to play by the rules.

In a separate dispute, Uber will on Wednesday challenge a tribunal ruling over the employment status of its drivers, which lawyers say is also a public safety issue. Uber is attempting to overturn a landmark ruling that its drivers are workers, with rights to paid holiday and the minimum wage.

Lawyers representing the original claimants, James Farrar and Yaseen Aslam, said Uber was deliberately kicking the can down the road and had so far ignored the ruling from October last year. Paul Jennings, of Bates Wells Braithwate, said: At the heart of this is safety. Imagine if it was bus or train drivers who couldnt take a paid holiday. Given the numbers involved and the nature of this work, there is a real risk.

September 26, 2017

Im glad its all over for Uber in London and I work for them | Anonymous

by MeDaryl • Cars • Tags: London, money, politics, technology, Transport, Transport policy, Uber, UK news, Work & careers

I enjoyed the early years. Then the company slashed fares in an attempt to crush its rivals, forcing us all to work longer hours for less pay writes an Uber driver

Ive been an Uber driver for five years, so youd expect me to be furious that Transport for London wants to stop the company operating in the capital. Not a bit of it.

I could not be happier with TFLs ruling that Uber is not a fit and proper private car hire operator.

In the long run, drivers like me can only benefit. Yes, well have to find other work, but the best of us wont find that too hard as rival firms pick up the slack. Many of us have worked for minicab companies in the past, or still do shifts for them alongside work for Uber.

Ubers model is perfect for customers, who have the convenience of being able to use an app to order a cab while still at home or sitting in a restaurant. Journeys are so cheap that if youre travelling as a group youll sometimes save money by taking an Uber rather than a bus. What customers dont understand is that we drivers have to work extremely long hours just to cover our overheads which can lead to accidents as we become fatigued. Because we are self-employed, we dont get holiday or sick pay. Every hour that we are off the road, we are not making money.

I enjoyed Ubers early years, not least because I could work the hours I wanted. This was not possible with local minicab firms. And at first you could make a good living. But then Uber slashed prices to attract customers, and began recruiting on a massive scale to keep up with demand. Not only did we end up with more drivers working longer hours, for worse pay, but some of those drivers should never have been behind the wheel.

Just a month ago, the Metropolitan police accused Uber of failing to report sexual assaults by its drivers. As for the level of English I have gone to Ubers offices a few times and seen drivers signing up to work with translators beside them.

Ubers strategy was always to dominate the London market by undercutting competitors, such as black cabs, Addison Lee and smaller local operators. Its overheads were low, as it was not paying VAT in the UK, and did not have a call centre. Backers including Goldman Sachs, BlackRock and other multibillion-dollar companies were happy for it to lose money in the short term, knowing that once it had crushed the competition it would be able to jack up its prices. After all, where else could customers turn?

That plan is now in tatters, unless Uber manages to overturn TfLs decision.

I know there will be a backlash from customers who love Uber, but if they knew the truth about it they would think otherwise. How can you, as a customer, justify those expensive drinks you had in the bar but not be willing to pay a little extra to get home in the safety of a minicab or black cab?