Uber drivers face new security vetting amid cab safety fears

THOUSANDS of Uber drivers will have to undergo fresh background checks as safety concerns about the minicab industry continue to grow.

The vetting process used by the firm has come under increased scrutiny after police accused it of failing to report sex attacks on passengers by drivers.

It emerged last week that Mohiussunnath Chowdhury, 26, the man charged with a terror attack at Buckingham Palace on August 25, was an Uber driver.

Transport for London, which oversees public transport in the capital, will warn at least 13,000 minicab drivers that their background checks are no longer valid.

More than half of them are thought to be Uber drivers.

They will get 28 days to apply for vetting or face being taken off the road, the Sunday Times reported. All drivers in London must be checked against information held by the Disclosure and Barring Service, a government agency.

Criminal records, police warnings and their suitability to work with children are all assessed.

However, Uber and other minicab companies use third-party firms to run the checks with the DBS.

Uber worked with a London firm called Onfido, which issued a certificate with details of the driver’s background to TfL, which licenses taxis.

TfL has said it would no longer accept these certificates from third-party providers, but will only use its own contractor, GBGroup.

Uber has been criticised by senior police officers for its response to crimes committed by its drivers.

Last month, the Metropolitan Police accused it of failing to reveal at least six sex attacks and an assault that the firm had allegedly been alerted to.

In the 12 months to February 2017, police recorded 48 allegations of sexual assault involving Uber drivers, reported only by passengers or via Transport for London.

Inspector Neil Billany accused it of being selective about the crimes it reported, telling police only about ‘less serious matters’.

A spokesman for Uber, whose licence to operate in London is due for renewal at the end of the month, said: ‘Every private hire driver in London has been through the same background check black-cab drivers go through.

‘It is up to the regulator – TfL in London – to review the application and decide who is granted a licence.’