Taxi Driver Online

Our local association have posted the following:

Questions asked by your committee and answers from Helen Spires:-
1. Q. How can a customer of Uber order a Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle?
Ans. Currently a customer cannot order a WAV from Uber, they do however have a number of products and features to improve accessibility, they are:
• UberASSIST provides the top rated partner-drivers with special training to help riders with physical and mental disabilities (this is in a number of the largest cities in the UK)
• App updates designed specifically for deaf and hard-of-hearing partner-drivers
• VoiceOver iOS compatibility, the Uber app provides convenient accessible transportation for people who are blind or visually impaired.
2. Q. How could a customer ask for a lady driver?
Ans. They cannot. Trip requests are offered to the closest partner-driver to the location of the rider. When a booking is confirmed by the partner-driver they can see the photo of the partner-driver, their first name and the make, model and registration of the car that is coming to pick them up.
3. Q. How do you contact Uber to tell them you have left something in their vehicle?
Ans. As 5 below.
4. A. Following a complaint from a Uber customer, can we assume that the Licensing Team has a local address and telephone number where they can investigate that complaint?
Ans. Yes
5. Q. Can a customer complain straight to Uber? If yes then how?
Ans. Customer (Rider) complaints to Uber can be handled in a number of ways.
• Through the App. After every trip a rider is asked to rate the partner-driver between 1 and 5 stars. Riders can leave feedback directly via the app. Further, for any rating of 3 stars or fewer pulls up a menu where a rider can flag a particular issue via a drop-down list of items. All feedback is automatically sent by email to our support team who assess and escalate the issue as necessary
• Responding to receipt by email. Riders can reply directly to the receipt they receive by email for any journey.
• Help.uber.com Riders are able to visit help.uber.com to address support related queries and an extensive list of FAQs. Anything not available here can be addressed via email
• Email. Riders can email supportUK@uber.com, which is received by our support team to respond to.
• Social Media. Riders can tweet @UberUKSupport to get in touch with our support team
Uber’s support agents are available seven days a week to ensure timely response within a few hours. If we receive a serious complaint they are are immediately flagged and assigned to a specialised team and Senior Management so that they can be dealt with more swiftly.
With regards responding to serious incidents, Uber has a dedicated Incident Response Team that provides 24/7 cover. They are highly trained in identifying, investigating and resolving incidents and accidents. Escalating to senior management as needed. When an incident is reported they are able to immediately call the rider, partner-driver and any third parties immediately to gather more information. With access to full trip and feedback records of both the rider and partner-driver, our IRT are better able to spot patterns and understand the true nature and severity of the incident.
6. Q. In Fareham is it a legal requirement that Uber either tell the customer how much the fare will be or how they are going to work out the fare, or can they adjust as they wish?
Ans. The legal requirement in Fareham is the same for everyone.
Uber's pricing is very transparent. The pricing structure is very clear: starting fare, price per mile and price per min is published, along with Minimum and Cancellation fees. In the App, the riders can enter in a destination and get a fare estimate before they request a car.
They do have a feature called dynamic pricing. Dynamic or ‘surge’ pricing helps maximise the number of Uber cars on the platform during times and locations of high demand. When demand is through the roof fares temporarily increase to attract more cars to where they are needed most. This results in improve reliability and safety as it maximises the chance that there will be a car available when you need one. It is very clear to the rider if fares are higher than normal, and they are prompted to confirm that they wish to proceed. If they do not, and are happy to wait then the app will notify them when fares return to normal within the next 30 mins. The benefits of this system are:
•No waiting on the street for your car to turn up
•Transparency and control on what riders pay. They accept surge or are notified when fares drop
All payments are made securely by debit or credit card through the App, at the end of the trip. This results in many benefits and one is that if there should ever be a complaint over the fare (say for example the trip route taken) not only do Uber have a full record of the actual route taken by the partner-driver but if needed we can retrospectively alter the fare and re-fund the rider if needed, something other operators cannot do.
7. Q. Is there any requirement put on any Uber Private Hire Vehicles in Fareham when they have no fare? For example: Return to their registered office.
Ans. No
8. Q. How long is this initial Uber Private Hire Operators Licence for?
Ans. Uber have met all the criteria to get an operator’s licence in Fareham. The length of the licence is entirely their business.
9. Q. We are being told that Hackney Carriage Vehicles can work for Uber, so if Uber give a Private Hire immediate job to a Fareham Hackney Carriage, and that job starts and finishes within the borough, then the fare should not exceed the rate set on the tariff card. When Uber initiate their surging policy the fare would exceed the allowable rate and therefore become illegal. How will the FBC Licensing Department Police these charges?
Ans. Uber have no immediate plans to use Hackney Carriage vehicles if they do, and they overcharge, they will be dealt with in the same as any other driver/operator who is overcharging in the Borough.

And, separately, this:

Under the Freedom of Information Act your committee requested the following information:-
With regard to the Uber Private Hire Operators Licence in Fareham:-
1. What is the full trading name, company number and registered office address for the company?
2. What is the address in the Borough where Uber are proposing to run their private hire business?
3. Please give the full name of any director or secretary of the company.
ANS. Freedom of Information Request - from Helen Spires
I confirm that the Council holds the information you have requested but is unable to disclose the information to you at this time. We believe this information is commercially sensitive in accordance with S43 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and disclosure will prejudice the commercial interests of Uber.
S43 states that “information held by a public authority is exempt information if its disclosure under (the Act) would or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of any person (including the public authority holding it)”.
I have consulted with Uber and enquired whether they are happy for the release of the information to you. As Uber have had a negative response from existing operators in other areas including physical violence they consider this information to be commercially sensitive at this time.
Under the FOI Act, section 43 is a qualified exemption. This means that even if information falls within an exemption, a public authority is under a duty to consider whether disclosure should nevertheless be made in the public interest. The public interest test is considered below:
The Public Interest Test:-
In determining whether or not the public interest in withholding information outweighs the public interest in disclosing information, the Council considered the factors favouring disclosure and the factors against disclosure.
Factors considered in favour of disclosure:
1) None – We have confirmed Uber have an address in the Borough.
Factors considered in favour of withholding the information:
1) As Uber are not yet operating in the Borough there is a real risk that they will suffer a negative reaction including physical violence should that address be made public at this time
Having considered the exemption under S43 and the public interest, the Council’s decision is to not disclose the requested information. This decision is based on the grounds set out above and it is considered that the factors in favour of withholding the information outweigh those in favour of disclosing it at this time in this particular case.

The main question that arises is are the LA correct in withholding the address on the Operating Licence?

Anyone have any thoughts or comments, please?

Under the circumstances they probably are correct to withold the information. They have confirmed that UBER have an address within the borough, that should be all you need to know.

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Grandad,

Ask the same questions of a local back street taxi base (in the caravan)...


er, yeah....no, er.....not sure

the boss is out

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

The 'suspected' address is just outside the borough. Is a local authority licence, regardless of the trade, a public record, Grandad?

I don't know if it is a public record.

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Grandad,

FOI. request for every licensed private hire operators base address must be answered in the positive as it is not commercially sensitive information but a means of a person(resident or visitor)knowing where they can access a private hire vehicle when requiring that service.

FOI. request for planning consent granted for every private hire office and its location(address). This cannot be refused as planning consent must be in place before a private hire operators license is granted.

Planning consent only needs to be in place if it is needed. I didn't need it so they gave a letter saying I didn't need it

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

They're private hire, they don't have to provide a WAV.



Uber Technologies Inc, can't tell you it's registered number and try Barnes Wallis Road, Fareham

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

I didn't either. The Council came out and inspected my premises and told me I didn't need planning permission.

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Grandad,

I do have to have it because I operate radio equipment

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

That's revealing. Where did you find that?

Thanks, Toots!!!

UBER TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED

Company number 09412838

File for this company
Company Overview for UBER TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED (09412838)
Filing history for UBER TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED (09412838)
Officers for UBER TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED (09412838)
Registered office address
13 Tides End Court, 54 Portsmouth Road, Camberley, United Kingdom, GU15 1FB
Company status
Active
Company type
Private limited Company
Incorporated on
29 January 2015
Accounts

First accounts made up to 31 January 2016
due by 29 October 2016

Annual return

First annual return made up to 29 January 2016
due by 26 February 2016

Nature of business (SIC)

To be provided on next annual return.

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

New company.....lol

_________________
Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most