SANDTON SOUTH AFRICA

Uber has condemned the attack on its driver whose car was set alight near the Sandton Gautrain station on Thursday evening.“We’re aware of the situation‚ at this time we can confirm that one vehicle is registered to use the Uber app.

We are busy investigating the second vehicle‚” Uber spokeswoman Samantha Allenberg said.
Sandton resembled a war zone as police fired stun grenades to clear the streets‚ which were occupied by taxi drivers carrying weapons and petrol bombs.

Violence flared between Uber and metered taxi drivers on Thursday evening following the burning of two vehicles belonging to Uber drivers.
Uber drivers retaliated by burning down one of the metered taxi vehicles. They also went in search of other metered taxi drivers in the nearby hotels.
Uber said it was relieved to hear the driver of the vehicle was not injured.

Uber said on being notified of this incident‚ its operations‚ security and law enforcement teams immediately reached out to the relevant authorities.

“Any situation where driver safety is put at risk is absolutely unacceptable to us. That people are choosing violence and threats against those bringing choice in transportation is completely unacceptable.”

One Uber driver whose car was burnt down was too shocked to speak.

Another said: “They didn’t say anything. They just pulled him out of the car‚ they were carrying guns‚ and then they burned the car. He ran for his safety.”

The other Uber driver said about 15 armed men swarmed the cars.

“They just opened the door…put the petrol bomb and burned it up [at the ]same time. The second car — same thing‚” he said.

An eyewitness‚ who did not wish to be named‚ said the Uber drivers managed to escape the burning cars.

“They ran away. They also tried to open the door for the other driver. It was meter taxi guys‚” the witness said.

Fire fighters arrived within minutes to extinguish the blaze while medics on scene indicated no-one had sustained serious injuries.

Efforts to contact the policeman were unsuccessful.

http://bit.ly/2gOv9Zs
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SCUNTHORPE

Licensing watchdogs have imposed a maximum of 12 penalty points on the licence of a Scunthorpe taxi driver who failed to ensure a child passenger in the front seat of her cab was properly protected.

But North Lincolnshire Council’s licensing (miscellaneous) sub-committee agreed to renew the licence of Sofia Bi, 31, of William Street, for a year.

At a meeting held this morning (Thursday, September 7), the five-strong panel was told on September 28 last year police officers saw Mrs Bi driving her taxi along Mary Street, Scunthorpe, without wearing her seat-belt.

An Asian boy – believed to be around two years old – was sat in the front seat with a seat-belt on, but it was meant for an adult.

There was no booster seat nor child harness in the cab.

Mrs Bi, who has held a licence since May 2011, said as the child was a paying fare, she was not required to wear a seat-belt and the boy had been put in the in the taxi by his parents.

Her solicitor Khalid Hussein told the sub-committee when the case had gone to court, the magistrates agreed that Mrs Bi did not have to wear a seat-belt.

Mr Hussein said having a booster seat in a taxi was not a requirement made by the council.
Councillor Dave Oldfield, a member of the panel, said it was "a strange anomaly" in the rules.

The committee was told when Mrs Bi had applied to renew her licence, she had not mentioned her court conviction.

But Mr Hussein said at the time his client was pending prosecution and not conviction.
Mrs Bi was told the 12 penalty points would remain on her licence for five years.

http://www.scunthorpetelegraph.co.uk/news/taxi-driver-who-failed-fully-439561 
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