A private hire taxi driver has been ordered to pay a grand for illegally trying to pick up passengers in the city centre.

Ajaz Khan, aged 33 and from Rochdale, was fined £250 for plying for hire and £500 for driving with no insurance with £250 costs after he pleaded guilty to both offences at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on August 14.

It is illegal for private hire drivers to pick up passengers who flag them down on the street, and doing so automatically means they have no insurance, as all journeys taken in private hire cars must be pre booked through the operator.

Khan, who changed his plea from not guilty during the hearing, was also given six penalty points on his driving licence.

Two Manchester City Council licensing enforcement officers, who were working in the city centre as part of an operation to stop illegal taxi drivers, got into Khan’s car on Deansgate just before midnight on June 14.

He agreed to take them to Oldham before they announced themselves as City Council officers.

The driver, who works for a Rochdale private hire company, admitted at the time that he had dropped off a fare in Middleton and had driven to the city centre to find more work.

Councillor Nigel Murphy, Manchester City Council’s executive member for the environment, said: “Anyone who visits the city centre, especially during nights out, should be aware they are not insured if they hail a private hire car on the street.

“We regard illegal ply for hire as a serious offence and where we have the necessary evidence will prosecute unscrupulous drivers who try to make extra money with no regard for their passengers’ safety. We have officers working outside of office hours undertaking a variety of different approaches to try and ensure that public safety isn’t compromised by illegal activities of taxi drivers and that all taxis are well maintained and safe.”
source: Manchester Gazzette.
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Addisson Lee, caught out by Twitter.

Driver accused of ordering ‘dirty’ gay men out of taxi

Minicab firm investigates after alleged reaction to passengers holding hands is posted on Twitter

A driver with major minicab firm Addison Lee has been suspended while he is investigated for allegedly kicking out a gay couple from his cab after they held hands.

The men were being driven home  by the driver who allegedly called them “dirty” before he ordered them to get out of the taxi. The driver was suspended after one of the passengers, Liam Kelly, wrote about the incident on Wednesday in a post on Twitter, which led to the firm receiving a  string  of angry messages.

The driver was soon identified from a photo of his taxi’s number plate, which Mr Kelly also posted. He alleged in a Tweet: “Just been ejected from an @AddisonLeeCabs taxi for being gay. Thanks for the homophobic treatment.” In another Tweet he said: “My BF and I got into a taxi from G-A-Y Late. Started holding hands and were told to get out, and called dirty.”

Later he wrote: “Thank you to everyone for your messages of support, they mean a lot. We’re home now, after a very nice black taxi journey.”

Ben Summerskill, chief executive of the LGBT rights charity Stonewall, said: “On the face of it this is a clear breach of the Equality Act and it’s very disturbing. There’s no evidence that these two men were doing anything different to what many other loving couples do in the back of cabs.

“If the facts are as proved, these two young men are entitled to go to the county courts.”

He added: “This gives a very disturbing message to lots of people who come to London, both to work and as tourists, who imagine that it’s a twenty-first century metropolis, and that they’ll be treated accordingly.”

Twitter users were quick to condemn the company for the driver’s treatment of the couple, with many pledging to stop using the service altogether. Jo Little-King posted: “Looks like I won’t be getting a contract with @AddisonLeeCabs for my day-job business after all,” while Phil Holmes wrote: “Sigh, don’t need to go to Russia 4 homophobia”.

An Addison Lee spokeswoman said: “We are aware of an incident involving an Addison Lee vehicle in London last night. This incident is being investigated thoroughly, and the driver has been suspended from duty while the investigation takes place. We are also in contact with the customer to understand more about what happened.

“Addison Lee does not tolerate any form of discrimination. We pride ourselves in delivering the highest possible level of professional service, and we take matters like this very seriously.”

The case echoes one in Portland, Oregon, last month, where a lesbian couple were evicted from a taxi on a motorway late at night. That driver lost his licence today, following an investigation into the incident.

This is not the first time that Addison Lee, London’s biggest private hire firm, has been caught up in controversy. Last year its chairman John Griffin published a column in his company’s magazine, Add Lib, which implied that running over cyclists might be acceptable because they were untrained beginners.

Griffin also urged his 3,500 drivers to flout the law and drive in bus lanes, putting cyclists at risk. The call to arms sparked a two year court battle for access to the lanes.

The Independent.
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Blackpool, Price war blamed for attacks.

Taxi chiefs in Blackpool today told how cabbies have been attacked by angry passengers after being accused of ripping them off.

Hackney carriage drivers claim cut price fares introduced by some private hire firms has led to anger from some passengers.

And they today called on licensing chiefs to put an end to the two-tier pricing structure currently operating in Blackpool.

Hackney carriage drivers who stick to the council-imposed tariff rather than discounting their fares have been accused of overcharging and have faced abuse as a result.

The issue has arisen because while independent Hackney carriage drivers stick to the tariff set by the council, private hire companies have introduced discounted rates.

It has also meant visitors are sometimes charged more than locals because they are more likely to flag a Hackney carriage down on the street than ring a private hire firm.

Now the Blackpool Licensed Taxi Operators’ Association (BLOTA) claims at least two drivers have been assaulted by angry passengers in the past fortnight - and wants action to address the issue.

Bill Lewtas, of BLOTA, said: “It is a matter of concern to us that certain taxi and private hire companies have chosen to implement different tariffs. This leads to confusion, drivers have been abused and in some cases it has led to violence.

“Our view is that all taxis and private hire vehicles should operate the same tariff as they do in many other local authorities.

“And if some want to offer discount for regular customers (only those that phone for a vehicle) then that is up to them.”

Bispham-based cabbie David Palmer was threatened last month by a passenger who complained about the fare.

He said: “I picked someone up from outside the Counting House in Talbot Square and took them to their hotel just past the Pleasure Beach.

“He was complaining about the fare and said he had got another taxi into town and the fare was a lot less.

“I told him the meter was calibrated to the fares set by the council and if other companies wanted to under-cut that, that’s up to them.

“After I dropped him off, he came at me and tried to punch me but I was able to drive off.

“But drivers are getting it in the neck from passengers who assume they are getting ripped off. It’s bad for tourism as well if people think this. I’ve put a CCTV camera in my cab now as a result of this incident, but my worry is a driver is going to get seriously hurt.”

A report to councillors on Blackpool Council, who are due to discuss the issue next week, says: “Customers do not understand the difference in fare structures and instead suspect the independents of over-charging.

“This can place drivers at risk of verbal abuse and violence.” All Hackney and private hire vehicles are fitted with meters calibrated to a tariff set by Blackpool Council.

But recently private hire companies have moved away from the council tariff and calibrated their meters to their own company tariff in order to offer a discounted rate.

Operators are allowed to set fares below the council-set rate, but are forbidden from exceeding it.

C Cabs has reduced its opening price from £2.60, which is the council-set rate, to £2, while Bispham-based Blacktax also charge a lower rate. They say it is in response to tough economic conditions.

Dee Grant, a director of C Cabs, said: “We are in a recession and people are looking for savings everywhere so if we can offer a discount to local people, that is what matters to us. If the Hackneys want to compete, there is nothing to stop them offering discounts too.”

Blackpool’s chairman of licensing Coun Norman Hardy said by law the council could only set a maximum rate.

He said: “I understand the concerns of the Hackney cab drivers because in the main they are individual operators, while there are a number of companies that have private hire and Hackneys and because of their size, they can offer reduced rates.

“It concerns me drivers are being threatened.”

In a bid to resolve the issue, Blackpool Council is considering making it a condition of all licences that drivers display a sign to explain differences in
tariffs.
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Sheffield, Pervert looses Licence.
 
A married taxi driver has been given a community sentence for groping a female passenger - and told his ‘attitude towards women’ needs to change.

Shaukat Khan, aged 36, made comments to the 21-year-old woman and touched her during a fare to the Northern General Hospital.

Handing him a three-year community order and ordering him to attend a sex offenders’ course, Judge Michael Murphy QC said legal guidelines prevented him from jailing Khan.

But he said: “There is no such thing as sexual touching that is not serious.

“What makes this all the more serious is the fact you were a taxi driver and she was a passenger. A passenger is entitled to feel safe in a taxi.

“You have lost your job as a result and that is probably all to the good. You should not be driving when you have the attitude you displayed that night.

“Because of the sentencing guidelines I can’t deal with you so you lose your liberty.

“But your attitude towards women and behaviour like this need to be challenged and need to be re-directed 180 degrees.”

Ian West, prosecuting, said Khan, of Malton Street, Pitsmoor, was working for City Taxis when he picked up the woman at 8pm on Saturday, July 28, last year.

He talked ‘inappropriately’ and made a sexual remark before quizzing her about her sex life.

While adjusting the taxi computer, Khan touched her leg twice, then touched her bottom as she got out of the cab.

“She felt embarrassed and violated,” said Mr West.

Sukdev Garcha, defending, said Khan was a family man and well-respected in his community.

He said his licence had been suspended and would eventually be revoked and it was unlikely he would work as a taxi driver again.
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 Surrey, Reigate

A TAXI driver who left a girl by the roadside has been dismissed by his firm.

After collecting the girl from Horley on Saturday night, the driver got stuck in the roadworks south of Reigate and told her it would cost more money to go around. When the girl said she didn't have more money, he left her.

The girl's father Stuart Radford posted a furious message on Facebook which was shared by hundreds of people within a few hours.

Taxi firm Roadrunners UK, which employed the driver, contacted Mr Radford and apologised to him before returning the money his daughter had paid. Kevin Rampersad, of Roadrunners UK, confirmed the driver in question no longer works for the company.