LEICESTER

Four men have been arrested on suspicion of child sex offences after a taxi driver became concerned for the welfare of two young passengers he had dropped off at a flat in Leicester.

The driver had collected the girls, whom he believed to be 15 or 16, from an address in the city on Sunday evening and took them to their destination - a flat where they were greeted by a man, Leicestershire Police said.

The driver had been concerned by the nature of the girls' conversation during the journey, when they discussed "alcohol, sex and drugs", the force said in a statement today.

"The driver dropped off the girls at the agreed address where they were met by a man who walked them inside," the statement continued.

"Fearing that the girls were being sexually exploited, the driver called police.

"Officers attended the flat and forced entry after entry was refused.

"Four men were arrested on suspicion of arranging or facilitating a commission of a child sex act and have been released under investigation.

"The girls were found at the address and have been spoken to by officers."

Last year, the force ran a campaign to help taxi drivers and hotel and bar owners learn how to spot the signs of the sexual exploitation of vulnerable young people.

Detective Inspector Jenni Heggs, from the force’s child sexual exploitation (CSE) team, said: “People who work in these industries are in a unique position to spot the signs of CSE whether it's a taxi driver who notices all may not be right with passengers in their vehicle, hotel reception staff looking out for unusual bookings or bar staff being alert to a number of indicators and raising the alarm if necessary.

“Reports such as this help us build the bigger picture around CSE and I would like to praise the driver for contacting police.

"He noticed something which didn’t seem right with him and he made the right decision by reporting his concerns.

Latest advice from the NSPCC

“This latest report shows that our message is being listened to and people are helping the police and other agencies in the fight against eradicating CSE but this something that we must all continue to work together on.

"I would encourage everyone to know the risks around CSE, spot the signs and speak out to help us safeguard victims and bring their abusers to justice.”

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 TXE 

Lookers has joined the London EV Company’s (LEVC) taxi retail network with the opening of a new dealership in Stockport.

The Geely-owned hybrid electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer followed-up its appointment of Endeavour Automotive in Chiswick and Taggarts Motor Group in Glasgow during April with the announcement that fellow AM100 group Lookers would operate a franchise on St Mary’s way, Stockport.

All three facilities have been aligned with nearby Volvo dealerships in their respective city's, allowing the retail groups to offer aftersales support with technicians trained across the two brands, which share many components.

Lookers' new premises in Stockport will provide full sales and aftersales support to hackney carriage taxi drivers in the area.

A two-day ‘TX Discovery Event’ is being hosted by Lookers today and tomorrow (June 5 and 6) to mark the new business’s official opening, encouraging taxi drivers to learn all about the TX Electric Taxi and speak to experts from LEVC.

LEVC’s TX taxi is a plug-in hybrid range-extender electric vehicle originally designed to comply with Transport for London’s Taxi Private Hire regulations, which, from January 1 this year, meant that any taxi driver applying for licence has to have a zero emissions capable vehicle.

This will eventually lead to the phasing out of all diesel taxis in London.

In February, GMCA (Greater Manchester Combined Authority) announced plans to introduce a clean air zone across all 10 of Manchester’s local authorities by 2021.

Under current plans, vans and taxis are set to be charged £7.50 per day when operating within the clean air zone.

The TX has a zero emissions range of 80.6 miles and a total range of 377 miles.

LEVC believes that taxi drivers can save up to £110 per week in fuel savings alone by moving into a hybrid-powered TX taxi.

https://bit.ly/317hVK1

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Uber is under examination by US and foreign tax authorities, the company confirmed on Tuesday, saying it could face charges in key markets including the UK.

The news, contained in a regulatory filing and first reported by Bloomberg, is a new blow to the company.

Uber has lost about $12bn or 9% in value since its first day of trading as a public company on 10 May, a major disappointment.

In its first earnings report as a listed company, the company last week reported losses of $1bn for the first quarter of 2019, among the largest of any public company.

In its filing to US regulators submitted in April, Uber said the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was examining tax years 2013 and 2014. It also confirmed it is under examination by other state and foreign tax authorities, and that its tax advantages are to be cut due to its “transfer pricing positions”.

Transfer pricing concerns normally refer to how a company books the transactions of goods and services among corporate subsidiaries, often as a way to shift reported income to low-tax jurisdictions, as in the infamous “double-Irish” manoeuvre deployed by big companies to avoid billions in tax exposure.

News of Uber’s tax audit comes one day after it was leaked that regulators are preparing investigations into anti-competitive practices at Google, Facebook and Amazon. An IRS investigation into Uber will probably reinforce the impression that political and regulatory winds are turning against big tech.

Uber said tax years from 2010 to 2019 could be at issue in a number of its key markets, including the US, UK, the Netherlands and India. The company said it has adequate cash reserves to meet its exposure.

Banks have begun research coverage of the company, at the end of a regulatory “quiet period”. Most analysts seemed to ride over Uber’s disastrous IPO, which was initially guide-priced at a whopping $120bn. The company ultimately went public at $80bn. Its current market value is $69bn.

Revenues are projected to climb 24% this year to $14bn but the company is on track to lose $4.4bn. According to Refinitiv data, three analysts from banks uninvolved in the Uber IPO recommend buying the stock, five have neutral ratings and none recommend selling.

The IPO has also brought the probability of higher prices for customers.

“We expect to deploy fewer consumer promotions,” the chief financial officer, Nelson Chai, said last week.

By some estimates, Uber’s fares must double if the company is to break even.

Writing at nakedcapitalism.com in 2016, industry expert Hubert Horan calculated that riders were paying only 41% of the cost of their trips.

“Uber’s growth to date is entirely explained by its willingness to engage in predatory competition funded by Silicon Valley billionaires pursuing industry dominance,” Horan wrote.

https://bit.ly/2HZP6aV