The courts treat driving without insurance very seriously. Those found guilty may be disqualified; if not they will pay a hefty fine and have at least six points taken from their licence, in the case of a private hire driver without correct insurance probably eight points.

Uber may like to say it is a technology company not a taxi firm but when a company has a private hire licence, which Uber has to operate its business here, that gives them responsibilities. 

I would take issue with claims that Uber drivers are self-employed or on zero hours contracts.

If TfL is failing to prosecute Uber and individual Uber drivers for not having the correct insurance, the company is effectively not being regulated. Three states in Australia, Spain, France, Germany, Canada, Thailand and cities in India have all had cause to ban Uber in one of its guises or another, all citing safety concerns.

There are further issues around vehicle maintenance, circumstances under which drivers are removed from Uber (apparently three complaints is sufficient: is this fair?) and whether Uber looks after its drivers properly. Is it truly value for money given its use of surge pricing, and what about its tax arrangements, operating under a licence in London yet running jobs through the Netherlands?

If it is not safe, not cheap and doesn’t pay its way, what is Uber’s allure?
Keima Payton, Payton’s Solicitors

Why did TfL go to the lengths of spending licensees’ money to take Uber through the courts, then not take action against a driver with the wrong insurance? It is not being even-handed in its implementation of the law.

The issue isn’t really about Uber being an exception but about how TfL functions as a regulatory entity. To check the information of Uber’s 7,000 active London drivers takes a long time. When TfL lacks sufficient enforcement officers to do the job that’s currently required, systems fail. Another app-based private hire operator has a driver on its books for whom the operator does not have up-to-date details. At another company there are drivers putting through private bookings who are not insured to take them. Meanwhile, operators who have previously had licences revoked may end up appealing based on the treatment of Uber.
Steve Garelick, GMB Union

Source : Standard.co.uk