The spat between Uber and the Western Cape government took a new turn yesterday when Uber said many metered taxis were driven by convicted criminals. The taxi app company that connects passengers to drivers said that 10% to 15% of drivers with professional permits who approached Uber had a criminal record.This, Uber said, had forced it to do its own background checks of participating drivers for the safety of its customers.The company has been involved in a public spat with the DA-run provincial government over the impounding of the vehicles of its "partners" due to a lack of operating licences and alleged xenophobic discrimination.The vehicles of more than 200 Uber drivers have been impounded by Cape Town authorities this year because they didn't have operating licenc es.Jonathan Ayache, Uber's Cape Town general manager, criticised the requirement of an operating licenc e, saying it had nothing to do with passenger safety."Essentially, there is a background check that is done when you apply for your [operating licence]. What we found - and it's the reason that we have implemented our own background check - is that 10% to 15% of our partners coming through with [operating licences] were getting flagged through our checks."He said the company had decided to work with drivers who didn't fully comply with the law."The operating licence has nothing to do with safety. It's a regulatory tick box that people need to go through. We have made the decision to put job creation ahead of this regulatory tick box."Provincial transport spokesman Siphesihle Dube said no one was allowed to operate a road-based public transport service without the required operating licence...