Uber fined millions for allowing convicted criminals to drive for them

Uber have been fined almost $9 million (£7 million) In America for allowing a number of drivers operate on their ride-hailing platform, even though they had past convictions. An investigation by The Colorado Public Utilities Commission was launched following the an alleged assault on a female passenger by an Uber driver. The commission found, in the last year and a half, almost 60 drivers were working for Uber in Colorado with past convictions ranging from problems with driving licences, to escaped criminals the Metro reported. There have been world-wide calls for regulators to enforce companies such as Uber to introduce tighter and more stringent screening tests when signing drivers up to work on their platform. The worry is; it's become too easy for those with bad intentions to gain access to vulnerable passengers, especially lone females, to commit attacks. Figures released in London last week and reported on TaxiPoint back up these worries, with sexual assaults by Private hire drivers at their highest since 2002, almost 50 percent against Uber drivers, proving that the current vetting system is failing.