Abukar Jimale, of Halston Drive in St Paul’s, had denied the charge and another of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent in August 2013.
But a jury of six men and six women found the 46-year-old guilty of both charges yesterday and he was bailed pending sentencing on a date to be fixed.
Bristol Crown Court was told he had forcefully kissed the woman and made her put her hand into his trousers and touch his private parts.
The 22-year-old complainant said she had “frozen” during the incident, which had happened at Temple Meads station after Jimale had seen her walking in Bath Road in the early hours of the morning and offered her a ride to the station, where a friend was waiting to meet her.
She told the jury that Jimale had said: “I wish I had a girl like you,” then asked her to stay with him.
After the assault the woman had got out of the car and taken a picture of it before telling her friend what had happened and calling police.
Jimale had claimed that he had taken the woman to the station after she knocked on his door, crying, and begged him to take her to Temple Meads.
He claimed she had told him she had no money but he decided to help her as he could see she was distressed.
After arriving at Temple Meads, he said, she had kissed him and thanked him.
Jimale told the jury: “I was trying to hold her back because it was against my culture and my profession.”
But David Scutt, prosecuting, said Jimale had preyed on vulnerable girls late at night and thought he could get away with it.
The jury heard evidence from another woman, a Bristol University student, who had dialled 999 from Jimale’s taxi after he grabbed her hand and talked about taking her to the Downs.
Mr Scutt said this was “another young lady out late at night, drunk and vulnerable. Another young lady you tried to target in a similar way”.
He told Jimale: “You have lied and lied and lied. You used your family, your health and even your faith to save your skin.”
http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Bristol-taxi-driver-convicted-sex-assault-woman/story-25878693-detail/story.html
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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Taxi drivers in Los Angeles will be required to use an Uber-style app allowing riders to hail cabs from mobile phones, city officials decided on Thursday, in a move to help licensed taxis compete against ride-sharing services.
The so-called "e-hail" app requirement is the latest response to the shockwaves sent through the taxi industry by the growing popularity of ride-sharing services like Uber, Lyft and Sidecar that often have cheaper fares and more efficient customer service.
“It’s probably not going to be a panacea but it’s going to improve things,” said Los Angeles Board of Taxicab Commissioners President Eric Spiegelman. “At the very least, it’s a gigantic first step.”
Los Angeles cab companies, which operate 2,300 licensed taxis, reported a 21 percent drop in rides last year and complain that they are bound by regulations on issues such as safety and fare structure that do not apply to ride-share companies.
A taxi app could be particularly popular in Los Angeles, where it can be difficult to hail a cab from the street. Except at Los Angeles International Airport or major hotels, riders usually must call a dispatcher and often face long waits.
In a vote on Thursday, the five-member Board of Taxicab Commissioners opted to begin an app program on Aug. 20 and could impose immediate fines of $200 a day on drivers who do not use an “e-hail" app.
But some details remain to be worked out, including whether to include flexible fares instead of current fixed rates, whether to build a new app or use an existing one, and whether to use one or multiple apps for different companies. Certain fare structure changes would also require Los Angeles City Council approval.
Cab company representatives voiced no opposition to the app concept at the board meeting, but asked to be included in a working group that will make recommendations on app features.
“We’re not against it,” said Jano Baghdanian, general manager of MTS Management Inc, which operates several cab services in Los Angeles. “It’s just the practical question of how does that make it a change, how does that make it a level playing field?”
While popular for its ease of use, Uber has faced scrutiny in the United States and other countries because of concerns over passenger safety. The district attorneys of San Francisco and Los Angeles said last month they had filed a lawsuit against Uber for misleading customers about its background checks on drivers.
http://goo.gl/IvSmB7
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EIRE
Taxi drivers are holding a protest next Tuesday, 20 January, over changes to fares.
They are protesting the decision by the National Transport Authority to introduce a new fare structure, which they claim will mean losses of 32 cent per kilometre for journeys over 30 kilometres long, during the day.
They also say the reprogramming of meters will cost over €4m.
The full details of next Tuesday's protest have not yet been released, but it is supported by the Irish Taxi Drivers Federation and the National Private Hire and Taxi Association.
http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/taxi-drivers-to-protest-on-tuesday-658229.html
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