GUWonder

Various third parties have a responsibility to report suspected incidents of sorts. And when it comes to the chances of dealing with a potential repeat (offender or victim/target), if not for 3rd party reporting to authorities mitigating for that risk, such reporting may be not only an obligation of sort but it may be even responsible business practice.

rcspeirs

"I agree it needs to be reported, but if the victim doesn't want to, should a 3rd party (in this case Uber) have the right to ignore her wishes?"
But that's not what happened. The victims had reported to Uber, in the (mistaken) belief that a full investigation would happen.

ft101

Uber should have told her to go to the police.


I can't follow the thinking here. Someone has just been raped/assaulted and says to themselves they need to report it - Who to? The assailant's employer or the authorities and they go to the first one. Something is missing.

I don't mean either of these replies to defend what allegedly happened, and I'm not overly familar with the case, but something doesn't add up from how it's been described.

ppp909

Those who didn't know that Uber had chosen to ignore incidents of sexual assault, had refrained from informing or cooperating with the Police, and re-employed the perpetrator, are ignorant. I count myself among them. I knew Uber's business practices were suspect but had no idea it stretched to this extent. I suspect most people fall into this category.

Those who did/do know about this and think it's perfectly acceptable to behave like this are abhorrent in my opinion and I make no apologies for that.

Those happy Uber drivers are happy because Uber gives them a decent cut of the fare. They do this at a loss and all indications suggest that this is an attempt to shut down the competition. Do you really think this will last forever?

At the same time, those Uber drivers, who hold TFL licences are able to work for other minicab firms. They might not make as much money because those firms need to make a profit, but they will most certainly not lose their livelihoods any quicker than when Uber decide that they need to pay back their shareholders and cut what they pay to their drivers to a bare minimum.

Uber aren't exactly well-renowned for their treatment of their drivers.

I haven't called anyone stupid, so please don't say that I have. And yes, I think people who think that rape and sexual assault are OK are fundamentally evil people. I would like to think that most people think the same way. If you knew that something like that had happened, would you turn a blind eye?

And in case you think this is about taxis, it's not. Any employer who is aware of criminal offences committed by their employees should ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice. They should not ignore it. They should not try to cover it up. Having customers who like them, no matter how many, is not an excuse.

CurtainRingSalesman

"Many perfectly happy Uber drivers would lose their livelihoods over this."

the precarious nature of the drivers' employment is not something created or exploited by TfL. It is baked into Uber's business model. Already we are at a point where Uber seems "too big to regulate" in London. That's bad for London and the wider world given London's importance.

Uber losing its licence (albeit for other reasons and probably only temporarily) might be just in time for drivers and customers alike to switch across to the various other minicab apps (many of which are just as good as Uber) and save competition in the minicab market. That's good for London (probably).

Calchas

This is speculation. I have not found Uber in London to be particularly cheaper than minicabs. In any respect, by itself it does not justify putting people out of work now.

I took it as a sharper synonym for ignorant.

I agree. I hope that Uber will be pressurized to change its policies regarding the reporting of these incidents.

Thousands of people are safely and comfortably using Uber every hour. Many people find that an Uber driver is a safer alternative to a minicab late at night. I am not persuaded that eliminating Uber and moving the criminal drivers to minicab companies will help reduce the level of criminality.

I think it is possible to come to that conclusion without being an abhorrent or ignorant person.

Internaut

Can't speak for most Londoners, but this Manc tends to use Uber for the quality of the end to end experience, rather than going on price.

CurtainRingSalesman

Actually, the app is great. The integration with Concur is fantastic for people like me that use it solely for business. It's excellent to know exactly where to meet and drop off, and how long it will take to arrive. It gets around language awkwardness when travelling. (But the Wheely app and Careem do much the same things).

It's just a shame that the conduct of the company is so awful.

Cassie55

I need to use a taxi for work on Thursday. I’ve never used Uber but my manager suggested I get a quote and compare it to our usual minicab company.

Uber estimate Ł16-22, minicab Ł30-35.

I’m going to try Uber for the first time.

Silver Fox

The other thing you will hate about Uber is that you know where the taxi is, how long they will take to get to you, what route they will take, what make/model it is, who the driver is, the car will be clean, the radio will likely be on an easy listening station, and you don't have to bother with a card/cash.

/sarcasm off.

WorldLux

Heartwarming moment when walking home tonight. Cabbie had broken down and was being towed away by RAC.

Silver Fox

It would have been poetic justice if the RAC man had said "sorry mate, I don't want to go that far, I'll never get another breakdown back at this time of night".

WorldLux

Indeed

Skatering

"Where ya goin' mate?"
"The garage 500 yards down the road."
"Sure. Ł150 mate."

UKtravelbear

It's hilarious reading some of your comments.

The RAC driver is likely to be on the staff and goes where he / she gets told to go and isn't paid per job like a cabby or uber driver is.

The UBER driver can (as does a mini cab driver) easily refuse to take you somewhere because he / she knows where you want to go before they accept the job. The cabby only finds out when you tell them once they have stopped for you.

An uber car can break down just as a cab can. Or are uber cars immune from mechanical trouble?