THE NEWS WRAP: Taxi commissioner investigating Uber admits to using Uber

A Taxi Services Commission employee who is part of the push in Melbourne to regulate Uber has admitted to indulging in the ride-sharing startup in his private time.

As the Herald Sun reports, Taxi Services Commission compliance officer David Morris said in court that he has used Uber twice overseas, and a couple of times in Victoria.

Uber driver Nathan Brenner’s case is currently being heard at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court, and could have a wide-ranging impact on Uber in Australia.

The former music manager is facing a fine of $7500 for operating a commercial passenger vehicle without a licence after being caught in an undercover operation last year.

In court, Morris said he was “not sure” whether his bosses knew he was using Uber.

Twitter “not satisfied” with growth in second quarter

Twitter has announced its second quarter financial results, with better than expected revenue of $502 million, but only two million new monthly active users.

The results highlight the dominance of mobile, with 80% of users active on mobile, and 88% of Twitter’s advertising revenue coming from mobile sources.

Interim Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey says the audience growth isn’t good enough.

“Our Q2 results show good progress in monetisation, but we are not satisfied with our growth in audience,” Dorsey says.

“In order to realise Twitter’s full potential, we must improve in three key areas: ensure more disciplined execution, simplify our service to deliver Twitter’s value faster and better communicate that value.”

Tripping.com raises $16 million

Online search engine for vacation rentals Tripping.com has closed a $16 million series B funding round.

The San Franciscan startup now has over five million property listings and over two million unique monthly visitors.

The company closed a Series A round in May. Investors in the new round include Steadfast Venture Capital and former Expedia CEO Erik Blachford.

“This funding will enable us to fuel our growth, expand aggressively into international markets and enhance our mobile offering,” Tripping.com CEO Jen O’Neal says.

Overnight

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 189.68, rising 1.09% overnight to 17,630.27. The Australian dollar is currently trading at US73 cents.

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