Stoke.
 
PRIVATE hire taxi firms in Stoke-on-Trent are campaigning for their drivers to be allowed to use the city's bus lanes.

Operators claim Hanley has become a 'no-go area' for private hire vehicles in the wake of recent changes to the road layout.


They are now asking Stoke-on-Trent City Council to review rules which allow Hackney carriages to use bus lanes but ban private hire taxis.

Dave Currie, regional secretary of the National Private Hire Association, is leading the campaign.

He said: "The people of Stoke-on-Trent are paying out £1 million a year in private hire fares that they would not need to pay if drivers were given access to the bus lanes.

"Since the road changes in Hanley the situation is even worse.

"At the moment they can only drop off and pick up on the outskirts of Hanley.

"If private hire could use the bus lanes it would mean revellers were cleared from the city centre more quickly late at night, and also reduce pollution.

"We've been banging this drum for a long time and I haven't heard one councillor say they don't think it's a good idea, yet the council will do nothing about it."

Mr Currie will meet members of the local authority's City Renewal Overview and Scrutiny Panel tomorrow – along with representatives from private hire firms – to ask for the situation to be reviewed.

Sue Riley, manager of Burslem-based Magnum taxis, will attend the meeting.

She said: "If people want to go into the centre of Hanley they either have to get the bus or a Hackney.

"All the time we have to say to customers, 'walk here' or 'walk there', and some of them really aren't mobile enough.

"The idea of private hire is you are taken door to door and you don't have to walk to a taxi rank in the first place. Since the road changes came in our base operators have a lot more hassle off people because we can't get to where they want to go.

"The situation is only going to get worse in the winter with the bad weather."

A report to the overview and scrutiny committee states that the issue was last considered by the council in October 2010, when the cabinet decided not to allow private hire vehicles to use bus lanes.

It adds: "There have been major changes to the road layout in the city centre, including proposals to better cater for private hire vehicles at night, and this needs time to settle down before considering any further changes."

The meeting starts at the Civic Centre at 10am.
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 Edinburgh

Taxi operators have hit out at plans for a £50 administration fee for every cab fitted with wifi.

Internet access in taxis across Edinburgh via wifi hotspots would be free to all passengers, with installation and service charges to be paid by sponsors under the move backed by city council licensing chiefs.

However, the local authority still intends to ask drivers to fill out an application to have the equipment fitted – and charge a £50 levy for each vehicle in the process.

The fee could net the council as much as almost £66,000 if all 1316 of the city’s licensed cabs and private hire vehicles commit to the plan.

The charge was raised with operators at a regulatory meeting last week.

Major firms Microsoft, Heathrow and Styloko paid for a similar scheme launched in London in March.

Central Taxis director Tony Kenmuir said it was not the first time the industry had been stung with unnecessary fees, with operators charged £25 by the council for all adverts posted on the side of cabs.

He estimated the charge would cost his company more than £22,000, saying: “It just gets my goat that they do absolutely nothing for the trade and they’re just always looking for ways to take money off us. We’ll be paying for the unit and the advertisers will be paying for the unit. If there’s some kind of data charge, we might also have to weigh in for that.

“They don’t subsidise us, they don’t make any kind of contribution, which they would do if it was on a train or a bus.”

Mr Kenmuir said there was no doubt passengers would soon come to expect having free wifi in taxis, just like trains or buses.

He questioned why the council was not spending money on upgrading facilities for drivers such as installing new ranks near the 16 stops along the eight-mile tram line.

The council is opening a rank on Rosebery Crescent near the Haymarket stop, but will otherwise rely on existing ranks at St Andrew Square, Grosvenor Street and outside Waverley Station to service passengers coming off trams in central Edinburgh.

George Aird, chairman of rival firm City Cabs, said he was not convinced he wanted taxis in his fleet to be part of the wifi rollout.

He said paying the fee would be up to each individual driver, adding: “The average time of a taxi journey is about eight minutes. For somebody to sit in a train and do their work on wifi coming up from London, I can see the point. But on a taxi I can’t see the point.”

Taxi advertising firm Ubiquitous has agreed to help pay the bill for the Edinburgh service.

A council spokeswoman said the administration fee would cover the cost of a vehicle inspection needed to make sure the wifi unit was installed “safely” and met the taxi’s licence conditions.
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East Midlands
 
A taxi firm has come under fire for its advertising strategy. Image: Getty

A social media advert for East Midlands taxi company ADT Taxis has today drawn ire from students and women in the region with the release of a sexually explicit image supposedly intended to encourage young women to book taxis when drunk. Students at Loughborough University are demanding a boycott of the company, while others have publicly tweeted to the effect that they will no longer use ADT; meanwhile, the advertising agency possible has been dismissed.

The image, which appeared on Facebook about 16 hours ago, shows two young women, framed by a doorway, opening on to what appears to be a student bedroom. One is curled on the floor in a foetal position, her jeans around her ankles. The other crouches over her, an expression of apparent distress on her face.

While the first student retains her knickers, the focus is very clearly on her crotch. No attempt is made to anonymise facial details for either individual, who are both clearly identifiable from this picture – nor to cover over the first woman’s naked rear or crotch.

A caption to the image states: “be safe. Don’t overdo it… Adt it!”

Shortly after the original picture was spotted, campaigning organisation The Everyday Sexism Project took up the baton, calling on Loughborough University and Loughborough SU to boycott the company. This, in turn, called out a response from ADT’s Twitter account. They tweeted:  “its [sic] called humour…now get back to your daytime tv, you miserable pc brigade.” They also briefly republished the picture, with both the women’s faces anonymised and the more sexual elements censored by means of strategically placed cut-outs.

However, this too was promptly taken down, and the ADT Twitter account became temporarily unavailable: a decision, we are told, that was taken by ADT’s own managing director.

Such a turn of events is unlikely to be good for business. Describing themselves as “Loughborough University’s reputable taxi and private hire operator for the last 10 years... with a fleet of over 100 vehicles”, they clearly depend significantly on business from the local student community.

“Based at Loughborough University on campus, our shop at the students' union is open 24 hours a day during term time," continues the ADT website. "We are fully licensed and undertake most of Loughborough University’s transport needs.

“Our rank is there for you, we have plenty of cards on Union nights, to reassure you that you are going home in a vehicle operated legally by Loughborough University’s reputable taxi and private hire operator.”

A spokesperson for the university confirmed that they do have a rank on site, but that this is subject to agreement with the Student Union and is in no way endorsed by the university itself.

We also spoke to a representative of the Student Union, who described themselves as “horrified” by the campaign.  However, according to this same individual, the problem lay not with the taxi company directly but with their media agency, who have now been dismissed.  This followed advice from Loughborough SU and took place within minutes of the company’s proprietor understanding what had happened.

Whether this will be enough to avoid a major loss of business is unclear.

As news of the ill-advised campaign spread, a number of students expressed disgust, with several stating they would never use ADT again. The university's Vice Chancellor has been asked to respond on the matter.

A spokeswoman for national campaigning group, Ending Victimisation & Abuse, added:  "Images of vulnerable women being used as a marketing tool is one that we've surely grown out of. It seems not, if this advertisement is anything to go by. Regardless of whether they've 'overdone it' or not, we'd recommend using a taxi firm that is respectful towards all people - vulnerable women included."

This is not the first time that ADT appear to have used sexualised imagery in their social media advertising. A shot taken from their Facebook page, dated 13th September, depicts a topless women holding her breasts with the accompanying text: "That got your attention... Now remember our digits!" followed by the taxi company's various regional phone numbers.

A spokesperson for Loughborough University said: "This campaign by Ashley David Taxis (ADT) is totally unacceptable.

"Ashley David Taxis are an independent company, who rent operating space on the Loughborough campus."

An apology published on the ADT website stated: "Contrite apologies. The offensive tweet and response came from an agent who we misguidedly appointed to act for us on social media. We have dismissed them.

"We were horrified when we saw what had been put out on our behalf and even more so when we saw the rude response to @everydaysexism pointing out the issue.

Many apologies to anyone who has been offended. This absolutely does not represent ADTs [sic] values. We are very sorry for our error of judgement in appointing an unsuitable agent, at this point we can only apologise and make an assurance that we will make a more careful appointment in the future."
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 Cambridge

More than 900 people have signed a petition over fears the proposed layout of Cambridge’s revamped station area could put as much as £2 on a taxi fare into town.

When the cb1 redevelopment is complete, taxis will be unable to enter or exit the new station square via Station Road, and will instead have to travel via Tenison Road and a new access road.

Cabbies from Cambridge City Licensed Taxis fear this road will be heavily congested, with journeys being held up for five or six minutes at peak times.

If this happens, a fare from the station into the city centre could have £1.80 or £2 added to it.

David Wratten, the organisation’s chairman, has presented a petition with 927 signatures, calling for the issue to be reconsidered.

Originally it was hoped that taxis may be able to exit onto Hills Road and Brooklands Avenue alongside buses via Brookgate, but this will not happen, and Mr Wratten said he would be content with being able to use Station Road.

He said: “It’s a mess and people don’t realise what’s coming.

“In rush hour we believe the average wait on Tenison Road could be five or six minutes, which will put £1.80 or £2 on a journey.

“They have done everything for buses and taxi customers should get the same level of treatment.”

Another concern is that the taxi rank in the new station square will only have space for seven vehicles, compared to 14 at present - so the queues of cabs in the car park will remain.

And the new rank would be single file, causing major difficulties if a vehicle breaks down.

Mr Wratten added: “I can’t understand why they have not put a bit more effort into a better design.”

Detailed plans for the station square will be considered by the city council at a later date, but a spokeswoman said the principle of taxis using the northern access road had been established in the outline planning permission which was issued in 2010.

A spokeswoman for Brookgate, the developer, said: “The delivery of a new access road for the station area, providing a through route for buses, and enabling the creation of a new pedestrian piazza forms an important part of the approved cb1 masterplan.

“We are committed to creating a station square that is compatible with all modes of transport, and an improved station that will benefit all users.”
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Addison Lee. London
 
Until recently, leaving a big London party or a Mayfair club at closing time meant joining a forest of waving arms: fellow departees jostling for the attention of passing cabs and watching with envy as the guests with private drivers fled the scene. Not any more. Step out of a glamorous fundraiser or launch party now and you will be met by tens of low-key cars, one of which knows your name and your destination. ‘You come out of something like a Burberry dinner, and it’s like a black sea of Addison Lee,’ as one fashion editor puts it.

This is how smart London gets around nowadays — in the back of app-summoned cars with well-dressed drivers, and all at short notice. Movers, shakers, models and socialites don’t need private drivers any more, and they certainly don’t want to stand waving on street corners: they just need their smartphones. Tech-savvy companies like Addison Lee, Green Tomato and Uber are employing algorithms and glossy apps to deliver cheap, flexible urban transport that appeals to the Cara Delevingne set and City types alike. Less rosy is the picture for some of the drivers, who are working longer hours than ever and say they aren’t getting a fair deal in the private hire boom. ‘I don’t know many people who have full-time drivers any more,’ says Clementine Churchill from concierge giant Quintessentially — quite a statement given the company’s famously ostentatious membership. ‘It increasingly makes sense for people to book on demand when they need a car, and if our members are looking to get from A to B, they will use Addison Lee and Uber.’ They are very different companies — one a massive London mini-cab firm founded in 1975, the other a San Francisco start-up which has proved popular in cities like LA with unreliable or nonexistent taxi service and is now spreading around the world at a rate of knots — but what they and others like ethical taxi company Green Tomato have in common is tech.

The new private hire trend has come about because of the convenience of well-made apps that magic cars out of thin air and sophisticated in-car systems that email you your journey particulars as soon as you finish. Green Tomato, who do big business for the BBC and whose cars are Prius hybrids, boast that the average time between booking on their app and collection is just under 12 minutes, while Addison Lee says ten and Uber says seven, ‘and four minutes in Mayfair’. It is Uber’s prices that are London’s best-kept secret: a trip from Kensington to Soho in one of their cheaper cars is about £2 cheaper than a black cab, although many suspect their prices will rise when they become established. Addison Lee cars cost at least a few pounds more for a journey like that but begin to make financial sense with slightly longer trips where you don’t pay to sit in traffic. Last year their app generated more than £50 million worth of business.

The fashion editor recalls seeing models ‘discreetly planning their exit from boring parties’ by tapping away at their phones on the dinner table and making their excuses minutes later. Among Uber’s early adopters since it launched in the UK in July last year have been the Made In Chelsea gang, who use its Uber X service (Audi A6s, Priuses and the like — many owned by the drivers) for daytime trips and its Uber Lux service (BMW 7 series, Mercedes S-Class) for nights out. The now widespread use of Addison Lee, Uber and Green Tomato by film sets, fashion shows and record labels means ‘You wouldn’t believe who I had in my car’ stories are more believable than ever.

While Uber drivers tend to juggle several driving jobs, with membership giving them an easy opportunity to make some extra cash, they are a cheery exception. In general the drivers commanded effortlessly with three swipes of your finger don’t always seem as enamoured with their side of the bargain. Everyone has a story about private hire drivers slamming boot doors or losing their temper, but given their worsening financial lot and lengthening hours we probably shouldn’t be surprised. Addison Lee drivers rent their cars for £150 per week — and £350 for an executive car — from a company called Eventech Ltd, which shares an office with the firm and has the same owners. The more journeys they do, the less they pay Eventech. Once the additional £40 weekly insurance and £12 car wash are added up, drivers can face a struggle to make a decent living. One Addison Lee driver, who works six days a week, told Spectator Life: ‘If you really want to make ends meet with these people [Addison Lee], you have to work at least 12 hours a day.’ Another told us: ‘The turnover of drivers is absolutely astronomical, just because people can’t earn a living here. I’m earning £500 less than I was ten years ago.’ Uber’s drivers are a mix of full-timers and chauffeurs who take work from the app when their oligarch is on holiday — and, crucially, many own their cars.

An Addison Lee Executive driver (they have 250 Mercedes E and S-Class cars on top of their 4,000 people carriers) says the company’s new-found fan base among London’s movers and shakers hasn’t led to earnings trickling down. Account jobs (a staggering 73 of the FTSE 100 have accounts with them and many private individuals do too, and one driver estimates than 90 per cent of jobs are now on account) only make the drivers a fraction of the money from cash jobs and often involve more waiting time. ‘On some jobs, they take 60 per cent,’ he driver says. To add minor insult to injury, when picking up executives and stars for Sony, a message pops up on drivers’ screens warning them not to ask for autographs or pictures. Interestingly, the firm’s £300 million takeover by the Carlyle Group in April seems to be having an effect. Usually the points targets that drivers have to hit to lower the cost of their vehicle hire are slightly reduced during the summer while business is slow. ‘Carlyle haven’t done that this summer,’ one driver told us.

Addison Lee told us: ‘While times have been more difficult for drivers and the industry over the recession, drivers representing Addison Lee are making more than they were last year. Consistent with previous years, our driver scheme takes into account seasonal fluctuations in demand.’ The company added that it had seen no increase in driver turnover.

As well as getting Harry Styles from A to B and ferrying most of the nightly visitors to clubs like Soho House and the Arts Club (both of whom are partnered with Uber), the technology fosters the illusion that everyone has a chauffeur. The tagline on Uber’s app is ‘Everyone’s Private Driver’, and the company avoids any branding on cars in order to maintain that illusion.

The investment that firms like Uber, Green Tomato and Addison Lee are making in their mobile technology should help them sustain London’s love affair with app-booked private hire: the latter employs 24 programmers. Whether either the success of black cab hailing app Hailo or worsening driver morale will undermine them, only time will tell. For now though, London is enjoying having a private driver at its fingertips.