{"id":14106,"date":"2017-12-07T16:01:46","date_gmt":"2017-12-07T16:01:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=14106"},"modified":"2017-12-07T16:18:35","modified_gmt":"2017-12-07T16:18:35","slug":"refuse-and-revoke-uber-licences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=14106","title":{"rendered":"\u00e2\u20ac\u0098Refuse and revoke\u00e2\u20ac\u2122"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

When Transport for London (TfL) ruled it would not renew Uber\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s operating licence in the capital in September, the decision shocked many – not least of which the tech firm itself, which first responded to the news with aggressive threats to take TfL to court.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But days later Uber\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi adopted a more conciliatory tone in an \u00e2\u20ac\u0098open letter\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 to Londoners.<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Saying that Uber would appeal the decision, Khosrowshahi noted the company would do so \u00e2\u20ac\u015bwith the knowledge that we must also change\u00e2\u20ac\u0165.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe will run our business with humility, integrity and passion,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 the letter read, adding that Uber would work \u00e2\u20ac\u015bto make things right\u00e2\u20ac\u0165.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But even as Uber\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s boss promised the company in talks with London Mayor Sadiq Khan that it would change its ways and address the problems TfL had highlighted<\/a> over its abysmal safety and transparency record<\/a>, Khosrowshahi was sitting on yet another dirty secret.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The news surfaced in November that Uber drivers and customers were victims of a massive data breach last year \u00e2\u20ac\u201c affecting 57m people globally, and according to the company, 2.7m people in the UK alone.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Uber is legally obligated to report data breaches to both the victims and regulators, but it failed to do so \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and kept it secret for over a year.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The astonishing cover-up was compounded by the fact that Uber paid the hackers who stole the data a $100,000 ransom to delete it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Investigations <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The company now faces investigations in jurisdictions around the world, including in the UK, where Uber may be hit with fines of up to \u00c2\u0141500,000 from the Information Commissioner and potentially millions more under EU law.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In the wake of the data scandal, Labour MP Wes Streeting spoke in the Commons<\/a> urging the government to maximise penalties against Uber and hold the company to account.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

After all, Streeting highlighted, UK customers still do not have any iron-clad assurances over the safety of their personal information.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite London Cab Section rep Peter Rose said Uber\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s latest shocking transgression adds to the mountain of evidence showing that the firm is not a \u00e2\u20ac\u0098fit and proper\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 private hire operator.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t only a subjective judgement but it is an actual legal requirement \u00e2\u20ac\u201c when private hire operators and drivers apply for a license from local authorities they must pass what is called a \u00e2\u20ac\u0098fit and proper\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 test.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To be deemed \u00e2\u20ac\u0098fit and proper\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/a>, drivers and operators must be of good character \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and any evidence to the contrary would be grounds for revoking or refusing a licence.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe data breach and cover-up are yet another violation \u00e2\u20ac\u201c in a long line of them \u00e2\u20ac\u201c which blatantly goes against that \u00e2\u20ac\u0098fit and proper\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 test,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Rose said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bOn the basis of the data breach alone, the company was wilfully dishonest and withheld information from the public and authorities.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0098Violated trust\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bA key component of being \u00e2\u20ac\u0098fit and proper\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 is trust \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and Uber has violated this trust time and again.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Streeting echoed Rose\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sentiments in his speech in the Commons last month as he outlined how Uber has broken the UK public\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s trust.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI am pro-tech, pro-competition and pro-innovation,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Streeting said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bBut given Uber stands accused by the Metropolitan Police of failing to handle appropriately allegations of rape and sexual assault; given that Uber has to be dragged through the courts to provide its drivers with basic employment rights and to pay their fair share of VAT; and given that we now know that Uber plays fast and loose with the personal data of its 57m customers and drivers, isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it time that this government stopped cosying up to this grubby and unethical company and started standing up to the public interest?\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Rose agreed, highlighting that Uber is and continues to be immersed in \u00e2\u20ac\u015bculture of lawlessness with their unrepentant refusal to abide by any standards whatsoever.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He added too that local authorities that grant Uber an operating licence \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the firm operates in about 60 local authorities in the UK \u00e2\u20ac\u201c have a duty of care to local passengers.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWhen it is beyond doubt that Uber is not fit and proper to be a private hire operator, granting licences is a dereliction of duty and makes councils complicit in Uber\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s bad behaviour.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe at Unite argue that local authorities should not only refuse Uber their operating licence but we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re saying they should out and out revoke them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And despite Uber\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s undeniable popularity, the public agrees \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a YouGov poll showed<\/a> a majority of Londoners backed TfL\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s decision to withdraw Uber\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s operating licence in London.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThere\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no doubt that Uber is popular, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not the company itself, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the technology that people love, and there are many other apps out there,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Rose explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe public understand the need for standards \u00e2\u20ac\u201c regulations keep passengers safe.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Transport for London (TfL) ruled it would not renew Uber\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s operating licence in the capital in September, the decision shocked many – not least of which the tech firm itself, which first responded to the news with aggressive threats to take TfL to court.   But days later Uber\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi adopted […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10255,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[114,523,33,718],"wps_subtitle":"Councils should revoke Uber licences","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14106"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14106"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14106\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14107,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14106\/revisions\/14107"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14106"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14106"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14106"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}