Showing posts with label criminal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label criminal. Show all posts

Saturday, October 11, 2014

UberX expanding its operation to Toronto Canada on pile of BS and Lies

Well it looks like Uber is continuing their expansion  policy, this time riding their magic carpet of lies and deceit into the beautiful Canadian city of Toronto, Ontario. Toronto is the largest city in Canada, and is also the provincial capital of Ontario. Now it is the arena where an oft repeated scam is about to unfold.

Using the all too familiar practice of paving their way into a new city with an onslaught of bogus claims and false advertising, Uber hopes to exploit the good people and local government of Toronto as it has across the United States and much of Canada. Grossly exaggerated claims of income, and outright lies regarding safety concerns and insurance policies are being proffered in Toronto as a matter of policy.  Uber has been using this method of moving into cities for several years now and they have refined the process into a highly effective one; They lur in hundreds of drivers with their unsubstantiated claims of outrageous earnings and low hours, while at the same time placating the local government with empty promises about safety and insurance concerns. It is a strategy that has served them well, and the billion dollar industry that has sprung up in their wake is motivating other illegal and unsafe copycat organazations. Lyft and Sidecar are two such outfits, and they invariably follow Uber when Uber infects a new city much like jackals follow lions to share in their kill. It is only a matter of time before honest, hard working drivers in the Toronto area start to come forward with stories of how Ubers dishonest and illegal practices have left the without a car, a job, or even a place to live. Uber drivers who are involved in accidents often lose their car, go deeply into debt after being sued, and are unable to find work as a result of their damaged driving record. Uber tells prospective drivers that they will be fully insured and that their lives and their personal safety are priorities at Uber, only to find that these are absolute falsehoods and that Ubers only true priority is the almighty dollar. Ubers rise from obscurity to fabulous wealth has been paid for by the pain and misery of the very employees that made that success possible. By the time the Toronto authorities catch on to Ubers treachery and finally put a stop to it, many hundreds of people will have had their lives irreversibly ruined as a result of choosing to drive for these scoundrels.

Uber drivers are not the only group to suffer as a result of Ubers abhorable practices; due to weak, and often non-existance criminal  background checks, the general population will be at risk as they get into cars being driven by drug dealers, thieves, even murderers and rapists. Innocent consumers, who’s only crime has been to use a new and purportedly safe alternative to traditional transportation options have suffered pain, financial harm, and even death due to Ubers lack of social responsibility and professional ethics. While they are claiming in their current publicity blitz to conduct background screening that exceeds industry standards as well as Toronto licensing requirements, the fact is Uber will hire virtually anyone with a drivers license and a car that runs.

If you are a professional driver in Toronto and you are being tempted by all of the smoke and mirrors of the current Uber recruiting drive, please do yourself a favor and look for employment instead at legitimate taxi and limo companies. These companies are regulated by the local Toronto municipal and civic codes, and are much more reliable and conscientious than Uber. They provide their drivers with safe, insured, company owned taxis and they insure both the car and the driver at all times. Of course, if you are a criminal, or have a poor driving record and a history of safety violations, you may want to consider working for Uber or one of the other ride-share outfits  because you will not be able to pass the criminal background check nor meet the high standards that the legal, conventional transportation companies adhere to.  Uber is setting up shop in Toronto, and if past experience is any teacher, there are going to be a lot of disappointed drivers and eventually a lot of outraged citizens and lawmakers that will soon see that Uber is not playing fair. The world is becoming increasingly aware that these ride-share scams are just that, scams, and are not living up to their promises, and are once again lying and cheating their way to financial success. Don’t be fooled, don’t become a pawn in this tragic game of bait and switch. Whether you are a driver or a customer, the hidden risk that lies behind the whole ride sharing concept is simply too big of an issue to ignore just to save a little bit of time or money;in the long run, you may lose in a big way




Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Jacksonville to lead Florida in dealing with Uber's corporate terrorism?

picture by http://angieaway.com/

Jacksonville City Council Wants Uber and Lyft to Pony Up 

In a move that many citizens and city council members feel is long overdue, the Jacksonville city council is planning to introduce legislation that will require ride-sharing companies such as Uber and Lyft to go through the same permit application process as do other local transportation providers such as taxi’s and limousine services. Currently the ride-share outfits are sidestepping the permit process, claiming they are software services and as such they are not subject to the same rules and regulations as conventional  taxi cab companies. The taxi companies, and many in local government, claim that the result of this quasi-legal practice is an unfair trade advantage for the ride–share organizations because they do not have to pay the significant fees required to obtain and maintain the permits. Another issues often associated with Uber and other similar companies is that they are not currently required to perform the same level of background screening that the traditional transportation providers are subject to when applying for the permit. Proponents of the new legislation  claim that this results in both an unfair business advantage for the ride-share companies but also poses a significant public safety risk because the drivers for the ride-share companies often have been found to be employing felons; burglars, rapists, child molesters and even murderers have been alleged to be in the employ of Uber. 
Jacksonville City Councilman Stephen Joost recently announced that he plans to introduce new legislation that would give the city the power to impound unregulated vehicles using the Uber or Lyft software apps. The proposed new regulations would also allow the city to seize the vehicles of repeat offenders. Joost said the more stringent  sanctions  are what is necessary to motivate the drivers of ride-share cars to follow city laws.
These companies, with “ride share” models that allow people to arrange and pay for transportation with their smart phones, have come under increasing scrutiny  in recent months for employing drivers who have not been screened for criminal backgrounds and also not permitted or regulated by the city of Jacksonville..
City Council members and citizens alike say the unregulated vehicles pose a safety risk. They’ve also accused Uber of going back on an assurance made last year to not bring its unregulated driving service to Jacksonville. There are currently well over 100 Uber drivers operating in the Jacksonville area, some sources claim as many as 500.
Lyft and Uber spokespeople insist that they provide a popular and innovative service to a willing market among the residents of Jacksonville. They say their services may differ somewhat from  traditional taxi operations but they insist that their new model can be implemented in a manner that takes all necessary safety precautions and screens and insures their drivers.
In a recent email, Taylor Bennett, an official Uber spokesperson was quoted as saying “If the council’s true concern were safety, then it would embrace Uber for being the safest ride on the road. Instead, this proposal is nothing but an attempt to stifle free market competition on behalf of special interests, which have over time increasingly failed to innovate and meet consumer demand.”
Uber  first appeared on the scene in Jacksonville in 2013, and began allowing travelers to arrange high-end rides with local transportation companies through a cell phone app and arrange for  payment with a credit card kept on file in a database maintained by Uber.
In an effort to be fair to both sides of the ride-sharing issues, the city of Jacksonville  changed its vehicle-for-hire regulations to accommodate the high end lxury ride-sharing service, which the company calls UberBlack. In return for this concession, Uber promised the city it wouldn’t introduce its lower-cost uberX service to Jacksonville. As it has done in cities across the nation, and around the world , Uber has reneged on it’s promise and thumbed it’s nose at local government.
As with UberBlack, passengers can order uberX rides through their phones and do not need to pay with cash. But the drivers typically own their vehicles and they tend to be part-time drivers who pick up passengers to earn extra money..
Local police conducted an undercover operation during an august Jaguars and issued civil citations to both uberX and Lyft drivers. A judge is expected issue a ruling on those cases next week. The city also issues citations to the companies each time a driver receives a violation. Each violation can result in a fine of  up to $500.
Both Uber and Lyft pay their drivers’ fines, companies consider the fines as a cost of doing business and this  concerns  councilmen Joost and Lumb because the policy of these companies is accepting illegal behavior as part of their operating model.
Joost said his legislation would provide increased  motivation for prospective Uber and Lyft drivers to get permits if they knew their vehicles could be impounded and the could be charged with criminal violation of misdemeanor, if they didn’t. start to comply with local laws
It is becoming increasingly clear that local governments around the country are beginning to see through Ubers “tell them what they want to hear”  policy of making promises they never intend to keep, and to routinely breaking civil ordinances and pay the resulting penalties as a normal part of doing businesses.