Newcastle

Passengers on a Metro which collided with a taxi were trapped inside for almost an hour before being released.

There were 14 people on board the Metro train when it collided with a white Blueline taxi near Callerton Parkway Metro station in Woolsington, Newcastle, at around 6pm on Monday night.

No one on board the Metro, which was travelling to South Hylton, was injured but passengers had to wait 50 minutes before they were given permission to disembark.

A Nexus spokesman said: “They were on the train for about 50 minutes but our staff were making sure they were ok.

“It was on the advice of the police we could not let them off.”

Passengers were then taken to the nearby Premier Inn and taxis were arranged to take them to their intended destinations.

The Blueline taxi involved in the crash had to be lifted off the track by a crane and this happened between 8.45pm and shortly after 9pm.

“Once the car was off the track staff did a check on the infrastructure of the track and signals and everything to make sure it was in working order,” said a Nexus spokesman.
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Galway, Limerick

Hailo Ireland announced the news on Twitter this morning, just a little more than a month since the app became available to use in Galway City.

More than 100 taxi drivers in Limerick have signed onto the service, Hailo Ireland said.

To celebrate the app’s launch in Limerick, Hailo Ireland is offering first-time users of the app a €10 discount on taxi fares the weekend of 7-8 September.

To avail of the offer, users just need to go to ‘Hailo Credits’ in the ‘Account’ section of their Hailo app and add the code LIMERICK01. To use the voucher, users need to choose ‘Pay With Card’ when hailing their cab. The voucher will be valid until midnight on 8 September.

Limerick Hailo users also have the chance to win daily prizes of €10 extra credit on Twitter. Hailo Ireland also has two grand prizes of €100 Hailo credit. All users have to do is tweet where they are hailing a cab from and with whom in Limerick to be in with a chance to win. Two winners will be chosen by 13 September.

The Hailo app has been available for use in Dublin for more than a year now, and in Cork since early July.

The taxi service has also branched out abroad, with its app also up and running in London, Madrid, Toronto, Chicago, Boston, and New York City.

http://www.siliconrepublic.com/digital-life/item/34033-taxi-booking-app-hailo-now
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Swansea 
 
A TAXI driver has appeared in court accused of allegedly sexually assaulting a student.

Salibur Rashid, aged 37, from Oxford Street in Swansea, appeared in front of city magistrates.

He appeared from the dock for the brief hearing.

He pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting the female student, who cannot be identified for
 legal reasons, on August 29.

The charge alleges Rashid touched the woman, the touching was sexual and that she did not consent to it.

Prosecutor Anwen Evans asked magistrates to decline jurisdiction in the case.

Craig Davies, representing Rashid, made no representations about where the case should be heard.

Magistrates agreed and told Rashid he will have to appear in front of a judge at Swansea Crown Court.

He was given conditional bail to appear there on Tuesday, September 10.