UBERK, DO NOT DARE TO FALL ASLEEP

An Uber passenger who wanted to go from Brixton to Croydon was hit with a fare of £467 after falling asleep in the back of the taxi - and ending up in Bristol.

Uber claim that Aaron Wray had accidently typed the city in the West Country - where he goes to university - as his intended destination and because he dropped off that's exactly where he ended up.

But the 18-year-old computer science student has told The Sun the driver confirmed the postcode when he got in and he believes a Bristol address was then mistakenly added.

Uber say the driver eventually turned round after arriving at the wrong address but Mr Wray says he only woke back up when the car was on the M4 heading back to south London and that he didn't realise he had even been to Bristol until the next day when he got his receipt.

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UBERK DENMARK

Denmark’s government has proposed a new taxi law that could complicate Uber’s business there. The legislation, backed by a majority in the country’s parliament, is the latest in a series of setbacks for Uber—and other sharing economy services—across Europe.

If passed, the new law will require all taxis and cars for hire in Denmark to have seat sensors, video surveillance and taxi meters.
Uber has already come under fire in Denmark for its low-cost UberPop service, which lets private drivers provide rides in their personal cars.

UberPop drivers do not need to have a taxi license—as is required by Danish law—Uber argues, since it considers UberPop a carpooling service, rather than a taxi service.

However, an appeals court in Denmark recently disagreed, upholding a July 2016 ruling that found UberPop in violation of taxi laws for using drivers without taxi licenses. Other Uber services that use taxi-licensed drivers, such as UberBlack, were not affected.

Denmark is not the first country in Europe to push back against Uber. Courts in France, Germany and Sweden, among others, have also ruled against the ride-hailing app for allowing drivers to work without a taxi permit. Following a wave of convictions against unlicensed drivers, Uber was forced to suspend UberPop services in those countries.

But critics of the new Danish law fear the equipment regulations will mean the end of all Uber services in Denmark, including those that use drivers with taxi licenses.

Uber’s Danish arm has said it will fight the proposal, calling it a blow “not only for Uber, but also Denmark as a whole.”

Proponents argue that it would help create an even playing field by forcing Uber to meet the same standards as traditional taxi services. What’s more, the law also contains clauses intended to loosen the restrictions on the taxi industry—one of the most strictly regulated businesses in the country.

For example, it would allow cabs to work all over Denmark and do away with fare ceilings.

Uber’s struggles in Denmark are just part of an ongoing debate over the sharing economy in Europe. Other platforms, like Airbnb, have faced similar legal issues as governments across the continent grapple with how to balance new sharing economy services with the concerns of existing businesses.

According to Uber, it has roughly 2,000 active drivers in Denmark, and some 300,000 people there have downloaded the Uber app.

In terms of actual users, AudienceProject found 5% of internet users in the country had used the service in the 12 months leading up to a Q4 2016 survey. This was roughly on par with the rest of the Nordic countries.

http://bit.ly/2m0XHPJ
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SCOTLAND

A MUM-OF-FOUR appeared in court today accused of murdering her taxi driver husband by stabbing him in the leg with a knife or similar instrument.

Louise Anderson, 36, is alleged to have killed Douglas Anderson, 39, at their home at Dunnock Park, in Perth, in the early hours of Saturday, February 25.

A petition, heard in private at Perth Sheriff Court, alleges she assaulted her husband by striking him on the leg with a weapon and murdered him.

The petition also alleges that she attacked Mr Anderson’s sister, Bernadette Anderson, in Perth’s Grill Bar on the previous day.

She is alleged to have assaulted Miss Anderson in the pub on February 24 by jumping on her and pulling her hair.

Anderson is further alleged to have attacked and injured Fay McKenzie in the same pub by pulling her to the ground and biting her breast.

She made no plea and the case against her was continued for further examination by Sheriff William Wood.

Anderson was remanded in custody.

http://bit.ly/2mF7qsr

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Taxi bosses at South Ribble Council are looking to tighten up their new licensing policy.

The strategy - brought in last July after a high-profile investigation into failings of the licensing department - was the number one recommendation made by independent solicitors who reviewed the matter. It includes a ‘fit and proper person test’ and qualifications needed and condition of vehicles.

Previously, the authority’s policy could be found within numerous decisions taken by the General Licensing Committee over previous years.

Councillor John Rainsbury, committee chairman, said this was the case for 80 per cent of borough councils across the country. Now officers want to revise the Convictions Policy further, aimed at making it “more robust and to reflect best practice” seen in other authorities.

In particular, the revised policy emphasises the need to take into account “soft intelligence” - stories, narratives, complaints, worries and comments that can’t be reduced to numbers - as well as the traditional ones previously relied on. A report to the General Licensing Committee for consideration, said: “It is increasingly recognised that a simple reliance on this harder evidence may not equip measures with the full picture needed to make a fully-informed decision under the civil law burden of proof (ie that a driver or applicant is fit and proper on the balance of probabilities).”

It adds that the revisions to the Convictions Policy “will enable members to take all appropriate information into account when reaching their decision, as well as bringing the Council’s approach fully into line with the approach taken by other local authorities.”

The proposal was sent to all 267 Private Hire and Hackney Carriage drivers licensed with the authority and no responses were received. It is recommended for approval at a full council meeting on Wednesday.

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