roythebus wrote:
A quick internet search revealed that Channel 4 has recently done an item on this. this showed something like 200-odd ph drivers accused of sex crimes/gbh, of which 50% were Uber, the rest other PH firms. Black cab drivers had a clean sheet.
Linky here:https://www.channel4.com/news/factcheck/factcheck-are-black-cabs-safer-than-ubers
Thanks - that's kind of consistent with the stuff I read, which think applies to a slightly earlier period:
Daily Mail wrote:
During 2015, Transport for London recorded 136 reported offences of rape and sexual assault against drivers of taxis and private hire vehicles in the capital.
Owing to various reasons, such as lack of evidence or the victim’s reluctance to prosecute, in 2015, just 28 licensed drivers ended up in court.
Of these, only eight have so far been convicted of sexual assault. None of that number was a black cab driver. How many worked for Uber is unclear — but, as we have seen, its drivers have been convicted of a number of attacks and many people believe there are plenty of reasons to be concerned about Uber’s operation.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... -week.htmlThat doesn't split PHVs into Uber v the rest, but other figures from around the same period are maybe consistent with the above. Haven't got the full quotes to hand (think numbers from FoI request), but of *accusations* of sexual assault in *booked* London vehicles (ie excluding touts/pirates/unlicensed) the numbers were:
Uber - 27
Other PHV - 50
HCs - 2
On the other hand, last year it was reported that Uber drivers worse for driving offences than rest of PHV trade;
Quote:
Emails in today's Sunday Times show the alleged offences include causing death by dangerous driving, careless driving, drink-driving, driving without insurance and speeding. In the emails, which were written on July 7, Mr Billany raised 'concerns with Uber as an operator' 'I am seeing an increasing amount of my team’s workload relating directly to them . . . there seems to be a disconnect between them taking responsibility for their drivers, their driving standards and the condition of their vehicles.'
Out of the 128 private hire drivers reported to police in the previous four weeks, 79 were employed by Uber according to the emails, with Mr Billany saying 'many' of the alleged offences were 'relating directly to road safety'. And from May 1 to July 16, the firm's drivers were responsible for just over half of all minicab traffic offences. Last night Uber said the figures were 'proportional' to the number of its drivers, but only about 40,000 of London’s 117,000 licensed private hire drivers - 34 per cent - work for the the company.
Of course, there are a lot more Uber trips than HC trips in London, so the numbers earlier have to be adjusted to that degree, but by any measure black cabs considerably safer than Uber.
As regards Uber v other PHV, a mixed picture, but doubt if Uber substantially better or worse than the traditional minicab trade. Which, ten years ago, might have been what us anoraks could have predicted