Vosa and DSA to merger

The DSA and VOSA will merge to create a new agency called the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). This was announced on 28th November 2013.

The DVSA will formally be launched in April 2014.
The DVSA will have responsibilities for the processing of applications for goods and passenger Operator’s Licences, testing schemes for all vehicles and law enforcement to ensure that vehicles comply with legal requirements such as Construction & Use.

In addition, the Agency will engage in other enforcement work relating to drivers hours and licensing, as well as providing training advice for Operators, the investigation of vehicle accidents and other activities. The purpose of the initiative is to merge two organisations already working together to create a better and more efficient service. The extent which this will be felt by private and commercial customers remains to be seen.


Private and commercial vehicle users and drivers do not need to do anything specific as a result of this merger but you will start to see references to DVSA letterheads and publications in advance of the April 2014 launch.

http://transportlawupdates.wordpress.com/

http://fleetworld.co.uk/news/2013/Nov/VOSA-and-DSA-merge-for-new-Driver-and-Vehicle-Standards-Agency/0434011823

BBC pays double on Taxi Journeys.

The BBC has spent licence fee-payers' money on 350,000 taxi journeys in the last year, as it is accused of paying up to double the going rate on £10 million of journeys.

Staff at the corporation, who use an internal booking system to arrange taxis, have claimed the BBC is paying over the odds for journeys which would be considerably cheaper if booked with a local firm.

The BBC has already confirmed spending more than £10 million on taxi journeys in the last year, with 350,000 separate journeys booked for staff and guests.

A spokeswoman for the corporation defended the system, saying it was important the taxi firms used are "legally compliant, vetted and available when required".

The discrepancy was highlighted in the BBC's internal magazine Ariel, following a letter from staff member Marc Settle, a project producer at the BBC Academy's College of Journalism.

He said the organisation's workers are told to book cabs through internal website Gateway, which promises 'More money for programmes'.

Writing in Ariel this week, he said: "When you book a taxi via Gateway, you're greeted with a comforting strapline of 'More money for programmes'.

"Is this actually the case? I rang the number on Gateway to get a quote for a journey from Tonbridge in Kent to Gatwick and was told £87.

"That seemed high, so I rang a few local companies and, on average, was quoted £45.
"Another journey from Stanmore to Heathrow was £61 via Gateway yet a local company quoted just £25.

"I know that any receipts which are submitted need then to be processed, and that has a cost. Equally, a central booking system may have merits for auditing purposes.

"I would like to know, though, why taxi journeys booked through the central system seem to cost twice as much as those booked locally."

Another BBC worker, who asked not to be named, added: "When I get a cab when I'm just out on my own time I'll pay £20 to get home, but for the same amount of miles when I book through work it will come to £40 or £50.

"It's a complete waste of licence fee money that should be going on new TV shows, not doled out for expensive taxis."

A spokesman for BBC Procurement replied to the complaint to say costs were higher in order to ensure the taxi firms were 'legally compliant' and that drivers were vetted properly.

He said: "Charges for taxis may appear to be higher than booking locally and directly but, as the BBC completes over 350,000 taxi journeys a year, we have to ensure that the companies used are both legally compliant and vetted and this is done as part of the managed service provision.

"We also require a 24/7 service which ensures broadcast criticality, full transaction reporting covering all journeys, ensuring we are compliant and can report on our P11d (Expenses and Benefits not put through the payroll) obligations."

A BBC source added the sum spent on the Gateway service also encompassed administration fees, and taxis for guests on radio and television shows.

In 2008/9, the BBC spent £15.1m on taxis, with a further £13.3m in 2009/10, £12.5m in 2010/11 and £11.3m in 2011/12.

A spokeswoman for the BBC said: “The BBC is a 24-hour organisation with offices across the UK, and, in common with many large businesses, it will incur travel-related costs.

"However, we are mindful that we are spending public money and we have policies in place to ensure spend on travel is proportionate and appropriate. The cheapest method of travel is always encouraged however on occasion taxi journeys are permitted in exceptional circumstances or where there are time constraints.”

When asked about the reasons for using the internal booking service rather than asking employees to book local firms, she added: “It is important that we have contracts in place with preferred suppliers as we have a responsibility to ensure that taxi companies used by BBC staff, freelancers and guests are legally compliant, vetted and available when required.”
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Nottingham taxi sexual assault victim asks for help

 A student who was sexually assaulted in a taxi in Nottingham has asked for help in tracing the man responsible.

The woman, now 20, was assaulted after being picked up in the city centre in February, but the driver who carried out the attack has not been found.

Another woman, aged 22, was sexually assaulted by a taxi driver in Long Eaton after being picked up from Nottingham city centre in September.

However, police do not believe the events are linked.

The 20-year-old victim said: "It really changed my perspective of Nottingham.

"I've not got into a taxi since it happened and I don't think I ever will again."

 The student, then aged 19, was assaulted just before midnight on 11 February.

She was driven to the junction of Trinity Avenue with Albert Road, just off Lenton Boulevard, where the taxi driver stopped the vehicle.

He went to the back of the taxi and forced her to carry out a sex act.

"I would have described myself as a confident person before the attack but now I feel scared a lot of the time and I'm not really comfortable walking on my own or being alone," she said.

The taxi was a dark green London-style Hackney cab, and the wanted man is described as Asian and around 40 years old.

He was around 5ft 6in tall with a big stomach, balding, with closely shaved or cropped hair all over, and wearing a dark jacket or hooded top that had a silver zip.

Crimestoppers is offering a reward of up to £2,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the man responsible.

Nassear Ahmed, chairman of Nottingham's Hackney Association, said the Hackney carriage community is "sickened" by the attack.

"We would urge anyone with information to come forward and help the police in their investigations," he said.

A 25-year-old man from Nottingham has been arrested in relation to the September attack in Long Eaton.

He was questioned by police and released on bail.

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Kirklees, Dewsbury.

Taxi drivers who have been fighting for 15 years for changes to Dewsbury’s main taxi rank are urging people to back their campaign.

Dewsbury Hackney Carriages are lobbying for a change of direction to the rank on South Street, opposite the bus station.

The taxi rank currently faces away from the bus station entrance, so customers have to walk up the street to catch the front taxi, rather than jumping into the car nearest to them.

The drivers believe the walk is forcing people to use their competitors, and want the council to make the rank more user friendly.

But Kirklees Council said the cost of making the changes would be too high.

Akooji Badat, of the Kirklees Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Association said: “We understand it from the Council’s point of view that it costs them so much money for them to change the road and the markings.

“But Dewsbury bus station is the main rank and taxis are available 24/7. It’s our bread and butter.”

Customers at the taxi rank will be asked to sign the petition.

Mr Badat, who has been a taxi driver for 25 years, is also championing lowering Kirklees Hackney Carriage fares to match competitors.

He said: “I want to introduce a small sticker on taxis showing that we are going to charge the same price as private hire taxis, so customers have a choice and there will be no wait for them. We are trying to get our trade back to people can utilise our taxi ranks.”

If the petition is unsuccessful, Mr Badat is still going to go ahead with his price change plans.

He said: “We want to get the council to give a positive answer.”

A council spokesperson said: “The traffic flow in Dewsbury town centre and around the ring road means that the rank faces away from the bus station entrance and occasionally this means that people walk out of the bus station and instead of walking 20 yards to the front of the rank, will take a taxi from the back.

“The council has placed polite notices asking people to go to the front, and has also written to taxi firms reminding them of rank etiquette, but it is ultimately the customer’s choice.

“The council has looked into this matter but the costs would be prohibitive as changing the direction of the rank would mean changing the traffic flow for most of Dewsbury town centre and ring road and this may well cause more serious problems for the council and the police.”

Edinburgh

Twinkle-toed taxi drivers in Edinburgh have impressed Dance Base bosses as they battle to become brilliant ­ballerinas.

The drivers have been put through weeks of hard-core ballet tuition so they can front-up a Creative Scotland-backed initiative to encourage people to dance. And the results are said to be impressive.

A filmed performance they’re set to appear in will be used to publicise “Get Scotland Dancing” – to the delight of staff at Dance Base, in the Grassmarket, who took on the task of transforming the ­lumbering cabbies into ­graceful dancing gazelles.

A spokeswoman for Dance Base said: “They’ve blown us away with what they have learned.”

The guys – all from Central Taxis – have a long standing relationship with the dance company, as they ferry their workers to rehearsals and appearances in the city. Central Taxi’s boss Tony Kenmuir, 44, of Corstorphine, said it was this connection that resulted in Dance Base asking if drivers “would be up for taking part in a little video they were putting together to ­illustrate that dancing is for everyone, no matter their age, size or experience”.

He added: “They were looking for people with no experience, the more unfit the better – I wonder why they thought taxi drivers might fit the bill!”

For the last three weeks Mr Kenmuir and five of his workers have been rehearsing solidly – to the point where they now feel pretty accomplished. And – despite being thrust into the task by the “women in the office” – Mr Kenmuir says he’s really enjoying himself.

He said: “Any self-consciousness pretty much melted away within the first five minutes and we’ve all gotten quite in to it. We even organised a couple of extra rehearsals at ­people’s houses so we could really try and get our moves down. Or as down as we’re going to get them. I won’t lie – we’re still far from perfect! But I think that’s the whole point – getting professionals to do it would defeat the purpose. This is about showing dance really is for absolutely everyone.”

Fellow dancer Keith “Too Tall” McCall, 44, agrees that the process has been “surprisingly fun”, though he admits when it comes to dancing, he has “two left feet”.

He said: “Tony told me about the project and I thought it sounded like an interesting thing to do, but I know from experience that I am a terrible dancer. But my wife encouraged me to go along, she said I might learn something. I doubt I’ll be winning any competitions soon, but they’re going to be filming for a couple of hours when they make the video, so hopefully they’ll just use the good bits.”

The group has already delighted tourists and locals alike with an impromptu display at ­Edinburgh Castle Esplanade – which is on our website.

But for the Central Taxis dancing drivers, it really is the taking part that counts.

Stevie Valente, 50, said: “I immediately agreed to get involved. It’s something different and interesting to do and I’m really enjoying it. I told my wife, but I kept it a secret from my daughters. I can’t wait to show them that their old dad can still surprise them!”

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Kings Lynn

A teenager who died after being struck by a taxi had been walking in the middle of a main road at night, an inquest has heard.
Aiden Miles Vandenborn, of Downham Market, Norfolk, was hit on the A10 shortly after midnight on 14 December. He died later of multiple injuries.
Coroner Jacqueline Lake told King's Lynn County Court that he died as a result of a traffic collision.
She added that the driver Christopher Davies was not to blame for his death.
The inquest heard Aiden had been walking with two friends along the A10 to a petrol station at Bexwell, Downham Market, to buy tobacco. 
The hearing was told Louisa Cirillo and Dean Brook had walked on a verge facing on-coming traffic, but Aiden had walked in the middle of the road next to the white line. 
Mr Brook said Aiden had been drinking but was "his normal self". 
Mr Davies said he did not see anyone in the middle of the road and was "showered with glass" when his windscreen smashed.
He pulled over and found Aiden laying in the road.
Following the 17-year-old's death, a Facebook page set up in his memory was sabotaged by what Norfolk Police said was a "persistent internet troll". 
In September, the force said no action would be taken as the perpetrator lived outside the UK.
The page has since been removed. 

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Pendle

TAXI drivers who illegally ply for hire outside pubs in Pendle could face prosecution.

The warning comes as Pendle Council launched a crackdown on both Hackney and private hire taxis picking up fares near the White Bear Inn, the George and Dragon and the Thatch and Thistle pub in Barrowford.

Taxi driver associations welcomed the action, but called for more immediate punishments for those who flout the law.

Prosecutions in these circumstances are carried out by local councils rather than police. Private hire taxis are only insured when booked through a rank and Hackney carriages are not allowed to wait in places other than designated spots to pick up trade.

Charlie Oakes, chairman of the Hackney Carriage Association, said: “The council should have a substantial crackdown on unlawful plying for hire. These people should be prosecuted. It has to stop.”

The council has agreed to carry out more plying for hire exercises to issue warnings to drivers.

A similar exercise carried out over two days in June in Barrowford, Fence and Colne saw nine private hire drivers and nine Hackney cab drivers issued warning notices.

Council leader Joe Cooney said councillors wanted to come to an agreement with drivers illegally picking up customers before it became necessary to prosecute.

He said: “We are going to try to work with both the Hackney trade and the private hire trade before we go down the route of prosecutions. We would rather work with them to find a solution. Members of the community are going to go out with officers on a Friday night to the hotspot areas so we can see for ourselves what the situation is.

“If they do not want to agree to anything, we will go down the route of prosecutions. Our concern is safety.”

Manchester

Nine injured in crash between car and taxi minibus near Heaton Park

Police, fire and ambulance crews were called to the junction of Bury Old Road and Scholes Lane after a Ford Ka and a Peugeot Expert crashed just before 5pm today.

Nine people have been injured when a car and a taxi minibus crashed near Heaton Park.

A woman had to be cut free by fire crews after her Ford Ka was in a crash with a Peugeot Expert at the junction of Bury Old Road and Scholes Lane in Prestwich just before 5pm today.

North West Ambulance Service said it took eight people to three different hospitals.

The driver of the car was taken to Salford Royal hospital with a suspected broken leg and a bruised chest.

A second woman was also taken to Salford Royal and doctors in the A&E were placed on standby.

Four people were taken to Fairfield Hospital and two were taken to North Manchester General Hospital.

Six ambulances and a hazardous area response team were sent to the scene, along with three fire engines and a number of police vehicles.

The junction was closed while police dealt with the incident and has now reopened.
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Warwick Pervert.


A TAXI driver who engaged in ‘heavy petting’ with a woman passenger who it was obvious had the mind of a child has been jailed for six years.

Ernest Grainger, of Alne Bank Road in Alcester was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life.

The 62-year-old had pleaded guilty at Warwick Crown Court to two offences of causing or inciting a person with a mental disorder impeding her free choice to engage in sexual activity.

Grainger was working as a taxi driver and the woman was described as a vulnerable adult with tests putting her mental capacity in the bottom one per cent of the population.

The woman had been a passenger in Grainger’s taxi and it was clear she was friendly towards him.

On one journey to a swimming baths, not understanding how he was viewing her behaviour, she had undone some of her clothing to show him her swimming costume.

The court heard on two occasions she was a passenger in Grainger's taxi he had invited her back to his house where they engaged in sexual activity including heavy petting and oral sex.

The matter came to light because one of the woman’s friends became concerned about things she was saying about Grainger, and the police were contacted.

When officers looked at her phone they found text exchanges of an intimate nature – although Grainger had deleted them from his phone in case his wife found them.

Grainger’s victim told the police she was not really consenting to what took place and that she was frightened by it.

When Grainger was arrested he admitted he realised the woman was vulnerable, but in assessing her mental age as that of a late teenager he was ‘minimising just how vulnerable she was.’

Grainger should have been dealt with last month but failed to attend before being arrested the next day. As a result he was jailed for 21 days.

Nick Devine, defending, said Grainger was previously of good character and pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.

"It is no exaggeration to say that as a result of this he has ruined his life. He feels profound regret and shame," he said.

"For his family, they have faced the humiliation of having Mr Grainger’s name and the offences reported in the local press and the events of October also reported widely."

He added Grainger had misinterpreted the victim's childlike behaviour and the question of her mental capacity had not been considered.

Jailing Grainger, Judge Sylvia de Bertodano told him: "You must have known she was highly vulnerable, and not at all in a position to consent to sexual activity with you. This is a very serious criminal offence."
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Comment; Following on from news of the latest sex attacks, I take the  opportunity  to show a youtube video, placed by our good fiend Thomas the Taxi, in London. This video was removed last year due to complaints. It is not hard to guess who required its removal.

However our fiend has rightly had it replaced. Watch it, no words of mine are required, its brilliant, BUT very alarming.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIocw-8I_cc&feature=youtu.be

If you want the Sex attacks by real or bogus PH drivers in your area, they can be found here :

http://sdrv.ms/1eiUXk4

Watford

A taxi company owner who unlawfully employed an unlicensed driver and car has been found guilty and fined £700.

Following complaints made to Watford Borough Council, the council’s Licensing Enforcement Officer booked a car from Amber Cars, The Brow, Watford, to pick up a customer from Watford General Hospital in March this year.

It was discovered that the driver and car were licensed by Hertsmere Borough Council, but not Watford Borough Council, meaning that they were both unlicensed to work for Amber Cars. The council had therefore not had the opportunity to check that driver had the correct authorisation to work in this role and that the car was suitable and safe for passengers.

Further investigation showed that since Mr Sheikh Mussarat Hussain took over the company in November 2012, Amber Cars had been cautioned not to employ drivers licensed by another local authority. He was at this time also the owner of Heath Cars in Bushey who the driver and car were employed by.

On November 4, Mr Hussain appeared at Watford Magistrates Court where he pleaded guilty to charges of operating an unlicensed vehicle and driver. Mr Hussain was fined £700 and ordered to pay £300 costs to the council plus a £15 victim surcharge.

Councillor Keith Crout, portfolio holder with responsibility for licensing, said: "With the festive party season about to get underway, it is more important than ever that residents and visitors who use private hire firms licensed in the borough can be sure that they will get to their destination safely.

"Using drivers licensed by another council means Mr Hussain obtained an unfair economic advantage over other operators in the borough who played by the rules. It also meant that the council’s own hands would have been tied in the event of any incident or complaint, such as rudeness, taking passengers on longer routes than necessary, smoking in vehicles or more serious safety concerns involving the out-of-borough drivers.

"This is the purpose of making sure that all drivers and cars are correctly licensed. The council has invested much time and effort in ensuring that this practice ceases, including a voluntary transfer scheme to bring operators in line with the law."

Comment: Cannot help but wishing we had this Cllr here in Manchester instead of the puddin's we have got.

Norfolk, shortcut for a Pasty.

A woman was injured after the taxi she was travelling in ploughed into a bakery shop in Norfolk.

The vehicle smashed into the window of the Flour and Bean café on Gorleston High Street at about 09:30 GMT.

The East of England Ambulance Service said a woman in her 40s, who was in the car, was treated for minor injuries at the scene.

A spokesman for Anglia Taxis said the driver, who was not directly employed by them, was not injured.

Kerry Smith, 45, manager of the café, said: "There was an almighty crash.

"We just ran to the back and when we looked round there was a taxi through the front of the shop."

Co-owner Lorraine Laingchild, added: "We have a customer who normally sits in the window, but fortunately sat at the back today. It could have been so much worse."

On Twitter, they said: "We're OK, if rather bewildered and shocked.

"So relieved it wasn't worse and that everyone is intact."

The coffee shop would be "open as usual" on Thursday, they added.
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Bouremouth Patricide

A MAN accused of murdering his father in Bournemouth will be tried at Winchester Crown Court on December 2.

The court met yesterday in the absence of 26-year-old Nathan Robinson, who is remanded in custody at Winchester Prison, to discuss the case and the preparation of reports.

The dismembered body of William Spiller, a 48-year-old Poole taxi driver, was found in plastic boxes at his flat in Stedman Road, Southbourne, on June 17 this year.

Judge Graham Cottle said any decision on possibly postponing the trial for further reports would have to be taken by the trial judge.
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Minicab Apps get ready for National PH licence.

Hailo, the taxi-booking app with a whopping $50 million+ in funding from the likes of Atomico, Accel, Union Square Ventures, and Richard Branson, has been grabbing most of the headlines in London. The service lets you book a fully licensed taxi in various major cities in the U.S. and Europe.

But, as in other cities in the UK, private taxi firms — known as “minicabs” — offer a cheaper, unmetered, alternative to the iconic black cab. Legally these taxi firms can’t be ‘hailed’ from the street and are therefore predisposed to being booked in advance via the telephone (or an app!). Now throw in a marketplace element that lets you get an instant quote from a range of competing minicab firms, along with user reviews and ratings.

That describes the proposition of minicab marketplace apps Kabbee, and Minicabster, both of which are announcing new funding. The private taxi-booking app space in the UK is definitely moving up a gear.

Kabbee has raised a £3.8m Series A funding round led by Octopus Investments (previous backers of property search engine Zoopla, Graze.com, SwiftKey and Secret Escapes). Notably, Simon Nixon, the founder of MoneySupermarket.com, also joins the round — adding a significant amount of marketplace experience to the startup’s investor list. According to CrunchBase, this brings total funding to around $9 million (circa £5.6m).

The additional funding will be used by Kabbee to accelerate growth, including beyond London, and consolidate what it claims is its position as the UK capital city’s most popular minicab app, as well as to further develop its technology and build awareness of the Kabbee brand.

Kabbee’s existing backers include Samos Investments (Betfair, Ocado, Goal.com), Pentland (Speedo, JD Sports, Hunter), Redbus (LOVEFiLM, Lionsgate), Tim Levene (Managing Partner at Augmentum Capital) and Ed Wray (co-Founder of Betfair).

Meanwhile, Minicabster, which currently operates in London, Manchester and Birmingham, has raised £2 million in funding (the round actually closed back in August) from a number of angel investors including David Buttress, CEO of takeout marketplace Just-Eat, Daniel McPherson, founder of Launcha, and Tom Singh, founder of New Look.

I’m also told that Buttress was instrumental in the conception of Minicabster, having first been pitched the idea by co-founder Brooke Pursey at a barbecue shortly before Anycabs, as it was known then, was founded two years ago.

So, just like Kabbee, Minicabster has significant marketplace experience in its investor ranks. In a sense, both startups are applying the Just-Eat model to the minicab space, while issues over trust and safety are also shared.

Comparing the two offerings like-for-like, Kabbee has apps for iPhone, Android and Blackberry 10, and lets users instantly compare quotes from 60 leading London fleets and then book and pay by cash, card or pre-paid account. It launched in June 2011 and claims over 250,000 app downloads to date.

Minicabster has apps for iOS and Android, and claims 200,000 “users”, which I’m taking as app downloads.

Rossendale 975.

Working Ardwick , Nov 20. 13.15 hours.

TAXI drivers in Essex are being urged to be on their guard against being tricked into taking part in a telephone fraud against elderly and vulnerable people.

Thieves posing as police officers or bank officials have tried on 463 occasions since January to trick their victims into revealing their bank account details or to hand over bank cards or large sums of cash.

Seventy-eight people have fallen for the scam since the start of the year and a total of £274,368 has been stolen.

In many of the incidents where cards or cash were collected the thieves booked taxis to take "couriers” to and from the home of victims.

More recently taxi drivers have been used, instead of couriers, to pick up cash or cards.

On Saturday November 16 a taxi driver from Southend became suspicious when he was asked to collect a package from an address in Rayleigh. When he discovered that the resident, an elderly man, had been asked to send £8,000 to a ‘detective chief inspector based in south London’ he called Essex Police and officers were sent to the scene. Enquiries are continuing.

DS Neil Hudson said: "The taxi driver was aware from recent warnings in the media that these crimes were increasing in Essex and we are grateful that he quickly realised that the elderly man would lose the money to unscrupulous thieves.

"We are now contacting all taxi licensing authorities to make taxi firms and their drivers aware that drivers can be tricked into taking part in these crimes.”
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Worcester

A BODY representing taxi drivers across Worcester has insisted a strike is not on the cards – but has hit out over failures to cap spiralling numbers of cabbies.

Worcester Taxi Drivers Association says it has no intention of agreeing to a walk out, despite calls last week from some in the trade. But Mohammed Ali, of the group, has attacked a three-month delay in creating a council policy for restricting numbers.

Last Wednesday, members of the city council’s licensing committee tried to suspend the issuing of new taxi driver licences after a survey showed there were too many in the city. But they were blocked by their own officers due to legal concerns.


The council’s officers also said the independent survey, paid for by the taxi trade, was done before University of Worcester students arrived in September, missing out 10,000 potential customers.

The association says it was done during freshers week, exactly when all the students had arrived in the city. Mr Ali said: “There will certainly not be any strikes. It has not been mentioned within the association at all, so it won’t be happening. We have called for a long time for a cap on numbers and we want to see it happen.”


Taxi driver Mohammed Sajad called for a strike last week, saying there is “nothing else left for drivers to do” following the committee meeting.

The committee wanted to either cap or restrict numbers, but was told by officers that the council needed to draw up a firm policy first and then consult the public over it.

The next meeting is scheduled in February, and by then the council hopes to have it in place.

As your Worcester News revealed on Friday, any hackney carriage drivers now need to buy a new vehicle, costing at least £17,000. This is aimed at discouraging any drivers from joining the trade.
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Blackpool, Tram driver go's off the rails.

A man had a tantrum in a taxi then got out, jumped on the bonnet and stamped on the windscreen.

Reece Gilligan had been out celebrating passing an exam and getting a job.

Gilligan, a 23-year-old tram driver, of Walpole Avenue, South Shore, pleaded guilty to causing damage.

He was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £345 compensation with £85 costs plus £15 victims’ surcharge by Blackpool magistrates.

Pam Smith, prosecuting, said the incident happened on August 2 at around 11pm when cab driver picked up Gilligan and a woman.

When the cab stopped at a red light Gilligan had what the driver described as a tantrum.

Howard Green, defending, said his client, who had no previous convictions, had been out celebrating and had drunk more than he should have. He acted in a moment of madness.
---------------------------------
Dublin, driver shot in both legs.


Taxi driver shot in both legs after row with passengers

Gardai are hunting for two suspects following a confrontation in a Finglas housing estate.

The incident happened at Dunsoughly Drive in Finglas, north Dublin, at around 8.30pm last night.

The driver, named locally as James Boylan, had earlier collected his passengers and was asked to drive them to west Dublin.

After he stopped his car in a housing estate off Ratoath Road, in Finglas West, a row broke out between the 59-year-old driver and the passengers.

The victim later told gardai that the men then jumped out of his taxi, produced a gun and shot him in both legs before making their escape across the estate.


It is understood that the assailants were armed with a handgun. Gardai said that they were following a number of lines of inquiry.

The meter was still running on the black Toyota Avensis taxi as gardai began inquiries at the scene of the shooting last night.

Locals in Montpelier Park, where Mr Boylan lives with his wife and and two children, were shocked at the shooting.

One man who knew the victim, said he was shot after he became "jumpy" and told the men to leave his car. "The driver was telling them to get out of the cab and that's when they shot him in the legs. It got out of control."

No arrests have been made and no description of the attackers was available.

The injured man was taken to James Connolly Memorial hospital in Blanchardstown.

Leicester minicab pervert jailed.

A taxi driver who kissed a teenage passenger and groped her breast has been jailed for nine months.

Safeen Ali (34) was convicted by a jury of sexually assaulting the 18-year-old student in his cab on the night of December 1 last year.

He denied the offence, claiming nothing untoward happened.

Ali, of Norfolk Street, West End, Leicester, has now had his taxi licence revoked by the city council.

Sentencing at Leicester Crown Court, Judge Simon Hammond said the victim was "really frightened" during the assault.

When she told him to stop, he ceased molesting her, apologised and drove her home to Loughborough.

Judge Hammond said: "He deliberately picked up a vulnerable woman who was alone and tried to take advantage of her for a sexual purpose.

"He had no business to stop in a lay-by on the A6 and sexually molest her.

"People who take taxis should be able to trust the drivers.

"I'd like to pay tribute to her for her courage and dignity in giving evidence at trial.

"The defendant continues to deny the offence and doesn't accept any blame for what happened.

"He's married with a young family and has now lost his job.

"He should never drive a taxi again."

The court heard the teenager spoke to the defendant as he waited for three passengers who had booked his private hire cab to collect them at St Margaret's Bus Station, in Leicester city centre. She was waiting for a late-night bus and told him she only had £10 on her, when a taxi fare to Loughborough would have been £25.

He let her sit in his taxi to keep warm and then dropped off his pre-arranged passengers, taking her with him.

On the A6 travelling towards Loughborough, he stopped at a layby.

He suggested she "return the favour" and perform a sex act upon him, which she refused.

Judge Hammond said: "He touched her breast under her clothing and kissed her on the lips."

The victim wrote down part of his registration number after being dropped off and told her family what had happened.

Paul Prior, mitigating for Ali, said: "It was 10 minutes of utter stupidity and a lack of sexual control. He came to his senses when the complainant said no to him and he apologised."

Former Leeds United director, David Richmond, tells Bdaily about his transition into taxi enterprise and his growth ambitions for his Leeds-based business.

How did you make the transition from Leeds United director to business proprietor?

The business proprietor part came first. I have been running businesses since 1987, when I founded Scorpio Products (later Scorpio Print Finishing). We built the company into the largest privately owned print finisher in the UK before selling it in 2003. It was a fascinating few years where I learned a lot about running a business and how to drive growth in an industry which had traditionally suffered from a lack of investment and clear strategy.

What gave you the idea for Arrow Cars?

I was taking a bit of time out on holiday and considering what my next venture should be when I met the owner of Addison Lee, the largest private hire company in the UK. I was fascinated by the entire concept and decided that it was a venture that held real appeal. The private hire industry was similar to the print finishing industry in that it was a cottage industry suffering from a serious lack of investment and strategy. I returned from holiday and immediately bought a couple of small local taxi businesses and then set about a plan to modernise and invest.

What are the main challenges in running a taxi firm in the present climate?

One of the main challenges we face is the recruitment of decent quality drivers and the red tape that goes with it. It takes about a minimum of four months for a person to become licensed to drive so that’s often off putting for people who want to get into a new line of work quickly. There are also industry-wide issues around customer perception of the industry and the fact that prices can be so wide ranging for essentially the same service. We’re working hard to change that and are introducing a new system of agreeing fees on booking before travel so people won’t have to take their chances with the meter. We want our pricing to be totally transparent so customers know exactly what to expect.

Is there anything you’ve taken from your time at LUFC into this business?

The football industry is a fascinating one and the money in the industry is mind blowing. From being involved in football, I’ve learnt that vanity gets you nowhere. To be honest, the disconnect between football and other industries is so vast that you can’t apply usual business thinking to football. It’s a business like no other (it’s rarely profitable for a start) and it’s largely through the income generated through television deals that clubs have actually been able to survive.

You’ve recently invested in a new executive service - was this a gap in the market?

We’re investing £3 million over the next three years so we’re pretty confident! Our research indicated that there was a huge gap in the market for a widely available, affordable and reliable executive service. This is something that is already hugely successful in London but hasn’t made its way up here yet so we wanted to be first off the mark. There are plenty of high-end chauffeur driven services which have a few cars but these are very expensive. Our E Class service works in the same way as our standard private hire offer but enables individuals and companies to ensure they get picked up in a new E Class Mercedes with free 4g WiFi and uniformed driver for only around a third more than standard prices. It’s perfect for corporates wanting to ensure their clients get an executive service or for those individuals who prefer to travel in style.

What are the growth ambitions for the business - do you intend to grow your workforce?

We’re an ambitious company with big ideas. Over the last six years Arrow has grown from been a small local firm to become a nationally known name with exclusive private hire contracts at three airports - Manchester, East Midlands and Leeds Bradford. Our plan is to expand into more airports over the next couple of years.

The E Class service is also offering huge potential for growth. The people of Leeds are thoroughly enjoying the new service and the feedback we’ve been getting is superb. Our mantra is ‘a quality service at a fair price that is totally transparent’ and it really seems to have struck a chord with customers. Our growth since the introduction of the E Class has been breathtaking; so much so that we’ve brought forward our E Class buying strategy to keep up with demand.

We currently employ 54 full time staff and around 500 drivers drive under the Arrow banner. We’re expecting to be employing close to 100 staff when the next round of expansion is concluded.

https://bdaily.co.uk/entrepreneurship/19-11-2013/former-leeds-united-director-turned-taxi-entrepreneur-spills-the-beans/?

THE wife of a Polish taxi driver who drove into the car of an Irish family holidaying in the UK, killing three of them, has said that she blames herself for the tragedy.

The heartbroken Cork-based family said they are still trying to come to terms with the car crash in Devon, England, on July 6, 2012.

An inquest yesterday heard of father-of-two Marek Wojciechowski's final movements before he smashed into the car of the Twomey family.

Wojciechowski wrote a four-page suicide note just minutes before the head-on collision.

His wife, Agnieszka Wojciechowski, said she blamed herself as her husband couldn't cope with their separation, following repeated arguments and mounting financial problems.

Last May, Con Twomey (39) died 10 months after suffering horrific injuries when his family's Volkswagen Golf was hit by Mr Wojciechowski (26) outside Torquay.

Con, a talented hurler for Meelin GAA club in Co Cork, died after failing to recover from head, neck and chest injuries sustained in the crash while on holiday with his wife, Elber (37), child and unborn baby.

The family had chosen a driving holiday in the UK, thinking it would be safer for Elber – who was pregnant at the time – than flying to a sun destination.

Elber is now the only survivor of the horrific collision.

The couple's child, Oisin (16 months), died shortly after the collision.

Elber's unborn child, Elber Marie, could not be saved despite emergency surgery in Derriford Hospital outside Plymouth. She was due to have been born last December.

Elber, a highly respected teacher in north Cork, suffered severe back and pelvic injuries in the crash and it was several weeks before she could be told of the enormous tragedy.

Her injuries were so severe she has been unable to return to work as a teacher in a Newmarket school.

Relatives said the family remain "absolutely heartbroken" over the tragedy.

A Devon inquest yesterday heard that Mr Wojciechowski had left a four-page suicide note.

In an interview with Devon police after the collision, his distraught wife said she felt responsible. Mrs Wojciechowski told police her husband was not handling his problems.
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Taxi drivers: Texters, lycra wearers and potholes should all be given warning signs

POTHOLES, cyclists and mobile phone texters are such a hazard to other road users their presence should be marked with warning signs, cabbies said yesterday.

They have even drawn up a wish-list of some of the new signs they would like to see.

Some are tongue-in-cheek, like the suggested warning: “Rickshaws clogging road.”

But few motorists would argue with the top choice, liked by 58 per cent of the 500 London black cab drivers quizzed. It shows a car crashing bonnet-first into a massive pothole with the message “Craters Ahead”

t highlights a real problem. Latest figures show Britain’s backlog of road repairs will take 12 years to clear.

Other popular signs include the “School run congestion zone” warning, a “Caution, Texters” alert and a picture of a manic dancer above the message: “Headphone user may be lost in music”.

The cabbies also liked the “Middle-aged men in Lycra zone” sign to warn of cyclists ahead. The list was created for Hailo, a smart phone app that helps customers call a taxi.

Cabbies also want out-dated road signs, such as for horse-drawn vehicles, dropped.

Hailo’s Russell Hall, said: “The new road signs address modern life. Potholes are a common gripe for all drivers.”

The Department for Transport said: “It is vital that signs give information road users need. They are reviewed to ensure they’re fit for purpose.”
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Middlesboro, Grooming gang.

Taxi driver, 32, 'had sex with 14-year-old passenger in layby and told her mother he thought she was 16'

Shakil Munir is one of four accused of sexually exploiting teenagers

Prosecution alleges he met girl after sending explicit messages on Facebook

But he told a court nothing happened between them in his car

The driver, then aged 31, believed she was 16, he told the court

A taxi driver had underage sex with a 14-year-old schoolgirl in a layby and later told her mother he believed she was 16, a court heard today. 

Shakil Munir, of Middlesbrough, is one of four defendants accused of sexually exploiting a number of teenagers from the town.

The prosecution alleged the Bradford-born 32-year-old picked up a 14-year-old girl and had sex with her in the early hours in a parking spot on the A19 after they sent each other explicit messages on Facebook.  

But he told a court nothing happened between them in his car and he insisted he thought she was 16.

Late on one night in January, she asked Munir to pick her up and take her to the garage to buy cigarettes, but it was alleged he stopped in a lay-by where, the prosecution said, he got her to give him oral sex, then full intercourse.

Munir told the jury of ten women and two men at Teesside Crown Court he thought the sexual messages between them on Facebook were 'banter'.

The driver, then aged 31, believed she was 16, he told the court.

Asked by his barrister Ekwall Tiwana why he got involved in the conversation, Munir who is twice-married said: 'To be honest with you, I was going through a bad patch and I was bored and I just started chatting.'

He had recently picked up the girl and two of her friends and given them a free lift, the jury heard. He denied they had sex in his car when they stopped in a lay-by.

He explained that she had wanted to talk and told him about her family life and her problems. Munir parked up and they talked, he said, but he denied having sex with the girl.

That night, with the girl still in his car, Munir received a text from her mother, telling him to bring her home immediately or she would call the police.

It was only when the mother said her daughter was 14 that he realised her age, he said. 'I thought she was 16,' he told the jury.

In a later meeting with the mother, he told her: 'Your daughter told me she was 16.'

Munir said he had an arranged marriage when he was 17, which lasted 'two to three years' and that he remarried in 2004 in Pakistan.

He denies child abduction and five counts of having sex with a child.

His co-accused, two 18-year-olds and a 17-year-old, also deny all the charges against them.

At the close of the prosecution case, the jury was told police had received reports that attempts had been made to stop girls from giving evidence.

Christopher Knox, prosecuting, asked Detective Inspector Dino Carlucci, who is in charge of the investigation: 'There were in the course of the investigation reports reaching the police that there were pressures upon girls at or about school, discouraging them from reporting events to the police or agreeing to give evidence.'

Mr Carlucci replied: 'That is a fair summary.'

----------------------------------

Nottingham

Lenton sex attack: £2,000 reward after assault in taxi

POLICE are offering a £2,000 reward to find a sex attacker who struck in a dark green London-style Hackney taxi.

The cash is available to anyone who can provide information leading to the arrest and conviction of the driver.

Detectives in Nottinghamshire are urging anyone with information to come forward, particularly taxi drivers who may know his identity.

The offender forced a 19-year-old woman to carry out a sex act in the car after giving her a lift home on Monday, February 11, this year.

She was taken to the junction of Trinity Avenue with Albert Road, just off Lenton Boulevard, where the taxi driver stopped the vehicle, went to the back of the taxi and got her to perform the sex act.

The victim was found in a distressed state by a member of the public after she escaped from his clutches after midnight.

More than 85 drivers have already been ruled out of inquiries.

The man is described Asian, around 40-years-old, 5ft 6 inches tall with a big stomach. He was bald with closely shaved or cropped hair all over and was wearing a dark jacket or hooded top that had a silver zip.

Detective Constable Jon Kerry said: “The attack that night has left this young woman badly shaken and frightened.

“We want to bring this man to justice and we need the help of the taxi-driving community to do that. Do you recognise the description? Do you know who could was involved?

“We aren’t aware of any subsequent attacks but we need to make sure people getting into taxis are safe and this won’t happen again.

”We would ask anyone who knows who this man is to contact us. We have ways of easily eliminating people from our inquiry if you do have concerns about it being someone you know."

Independent crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers is offering a reward of up to £2,000 for information which leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible.

Asda Hulme, Manchester.

This is unbelievable. Rossendale Hackney Carriage sits on Asda Hulme, servicing the free phone as a PH car attached to Goodwins. Chorlton.

The vehicle is only licensed to carry 3 people. What happens if a couple book him and they have two kids with them ?? Hardly unlikely that a family shop together on a Saturday, is it ?

If he takes a call from a local Pub and its a quiz team going to another venue, do the quiz team start a man down, until he goes back for the other one and gets paid twice. ?

You cannot make stories like this up, but what is worse, I feel the Law Comm has something like this in store for all of us.

Rossendales vehicle register show the license was issued on the 4 Nov.

Plate 819 was issued on the 6 Sep. A quick check shows that in 9 five day weeks, 45 working days, Rossendale issued 142 new Hackney Licenses. They all appear to have descended on Manchester.

Stop the world, I want to get off.

Middlesboro driver lost in London

A cache of weapons including a 950,000 volt stun gun was discovered in the car of a taxi driver who said he was on his way to kill the Prime Minister, a court has heard.

Police also found  hammers, kitchen knives, a machete, an unsheathed Samurai sword and masking tape in Irfaq Naz's Vauxhall Astra, when he was stopped after going the wrong way down a north London street.

Officers later searched the 34-year-old's home in Middlesbrough and found the Downing Street postcode and the names of other prominent political figures.

The taxi driver was detained under the Mental Health Act, and last month admitted possessing a prohibited weapon, three counts of possessing an offensive weapon, seven counts of having a bladed article and dangerous driving.

Judge Simon Bourne-Arton, the Recorder of Middlesbrough, imposed a hospital order with a restriction order meaning Naz can only be released with the permission of the Home Secretary.

Teesside Crown Court heard how he drove from Middlesbrough to London in the early hours of July 16 and by 4am had reached Kentish Town.

He drove his blue Vauxhall Astra the wrong way down Camden High Street, a one-way street, for three-quarters of a mile, causing oncoming traffic to take evasive action.

Police were called and tried to stop his car, but he carried on until he got caught in a jam at the junction with Euston Road.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2507987/Taxi-driver-way-kill-David-Cameron-stun-gun-sword-car.html

Comment; The photo of the vehicle show the strangest 'Astra' I have ever seen.

Aylesbury

A long anticipated judgement has been handed down by Mr Justice Ouseley and Lord Justice Treacy  whereby they have ruled that a single breach of a procedural requirement upon which a prosecution depends does not automatically mean that prosecution must fail.

The defendants, Call a Cab Ltd., were prosecuted by Aylesbury Vale District Council for operating a private hire vehicle without a licence. The defendants raised, in their defence,  their belief that  the Council had failed to carry out the correct procedures in 1989 when they sought to adopt the private hire controls in Part II of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976.

The Magistrates’ Court of first instance accepted the defendants’ argument, ruling that a failure to notify 12 out of the 112 parish councils in the district meant that the Act had never been validly adopted and the prosecution therefore failed. The Council raised an appeal as the effect of the ruling would have had consequences throughout England and Wales for many Councils.

On appeal to the High Court, Mr Justice Ouseley and Lord Justice Treacy ruled that the starting point must be the statutory context read as a whole and that is was significant in this case that the defendants had suffered no prejudice because the Act did not require notification to them, but to the parish councils.

Mr Justice Ouseley finally said that the magistrate should have considered the degree to which there had been "substantial compliance" with the procedural requirement, and cited the words of Lord Woolf in R v SSHD ex parte Jeyeanthan [2000] 1 WLR 354.

Mr Justice Ouseley however rejected the Council's first ground of appeal (which concerned the inferences the District Judge drew from the lack of mention of receipt of any notices in parish council minutes).  and made comments as to a number of different ways councils might be able to demonstrate service and, he most importantly, confirmed that any Court examining the matter should start from the presumption that the Council had done what it ought to have done.

The Divisional Court remitted the original prosecution back to the Magistrates' court for further consideration.

The original court case can be found here.

http://www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13547%3Athe-case-of-the-taxi-prosecutions-and-the-missing-records&catid=61%3Alicensing-articles&Itemid=29

NEWCASTLE CC FIRST TO INTRODUCE LATE NIGHT LEVY

On the 30th October 2013 Newcastle City Council published the following:

A late night levy - the first in the UK - will be introduced in Newcastle this Friday (Nov 1).

It means that licensed premises which sell alcohol between midnight and 6am will have to pay an annual levy of between £299 and £4,400 depending on their rateable value.

The money raised will be split between the council (30 per cent) and the police (70 per cent) and used to address crime and disorder, public safety, public nuisance and street cleansing relating to the supply of alcohol.

The money will be used exclusively in the city centre where it is raised and a Late Night Levy board will supervise how it is spent.

Councillor Linda Hobson, Deputy Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Regulation for Newcastle City Council, said: “Newcastle’s night time economy has a worldwide reputation and makes a significant contribution to the prosperity of the city.

“However, it also has less welcome consequences - noise, crime, anti-social behaviour and negative health impacts.

“The levy will ensure that  businesses which benefit from the late night economy make a limited contribution to these costs, which will help the city remain as one of the safest in the country and attractive to investors and visitors.”

Stephen Savage, Director of Regulatory Services and Public Protection, said: “The Government has provided this levy as a further power to help local authorities recover the costs of alcohol related crime and disorder which we strongly feel taxpayers should not bear the brunt of.

“We are working on a bespoke Best Practice Scheme (BPS) which, if premises sign-up to and meet the standards, will be eligible for a 30 per cent discount off the levy.”

So far, 135 premises have signed up to the BPS.

The levy is not intended to restrict the extent of the late night economy, but ensure a contribution towards the costs of it. Newcastle’s nightlife continues to be vibrant, with several new premises recently opening in the city centre.

The amount of the levy, set by Government, depends on the rateable value of the premises and ranges from £299 to £4,400 per year (or in daily terms from 82 pence to £12.16 per day).

The levy may be used to fund taxi marshalling, CCTV improvements, street pastors, street cleaning, enforcement and personal safety initiatives and increased toilet facilities, the actual spend being agreed by all partners for the benefit of the city.

The decision to introduce the levy was taken by Full Council on July 3 of this year after a 12 week consultation with the licensed trade.

Between 5 February and 30 April 2013, the city council consulted on the proposals for a night time levy which included sending over 1000 letters to all licensees across the city and writing to 19 Licensing Solicitors and other professionals involved in licensing in the city. The city council also set up a dedicated website and conducted a survey on the Council’s Let’s talk Newcastle website.

There are around 350 licensed premises across Newcastle.  Around 270-280 licensed premises will be affected by the late night levy.

Comment: This is the way to fund Taxi Marshals. Charge the Companies which sell the  alcohol. Do not charge Hackney propriortors who have to remove the problem after they have been sold to much alcolol.

TV Company shows Interest in Out of Town Hacks.

A major TV network have Today asked for information and Photo's of our 'Flags of  Convenience' problem here in Manchester.

Information has been requested and sent. They are particularly interested Manchester's abdication of responsibility for Public Protection.

I will update further when and if Possible.

It will be soon, and it will, judging by  their  particular request, be dynamite.
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Licensing Meeting Today Thurs 14/11

A Liason meeting took place today. My understanding is the Licensing Unit want a cohesive trade group to get together and represent the trade. This will make things easier for the Licensing unit to address problems and put on a united front to the Committee.

I say get lost. How can we have a trade group which makes things easy for the Licensing unit. Many trade reps did not turn up today. There seems little point with the current Licensing staff. An agreement was made a couple of years ago not to attend any more meetings after the Licensing Manager was disrespectful to one of the trades longest serving representatives. I see no reason to retreat from that agreement.

Should we need  representation  at Committee we will get that through the elected  representatives, thats what we pay for.

We have members in all 30 odd electoral wards. Our members plus  their  extended families are enough to sway any local election.

We need to use every 'tool in the box.'
-----------------------------------------

Update on CCTV's in Vehicles Bill.

We  received  this update today
-----------------------------------------


Thank you for contacting us. I am assuming that you are asking about the progress of the Licensed Hackney Carriages and Private Hire Vehicles (Closed Circuit Television) Bill which was introduced by the MP, Richard Fuller, on 29th October 2013 under the Ten Minute Rule procedure. After the bill was introduced, it was put down, provisionally, to be debated again on the 8th November 2013 -  the next possible opportunity for a bill of this type to be discussed – as is usual.



This date was, though, provisional and it was changed shortly afterwards (again, this is usual for this type of bill). The bill is now on the list for debate on Friday, 24th January 2014 but as it is near the bottom of the list for that day it is unlikely to be reached. If it is not, it will be carried forward to the next available date (February 28th).



To track any further news on this bill, please visit its Bill Information Page on our website at:

http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2013-14/licensedhackneycarriagesandprivatehirevehiclesclosedcircuittelevision.html



I hope this is helpful,



Very best wishes

Jean Fessey 


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Phone: 020 7219 4272

Email: hcinfo@parliament.uk                                     

Web: www.parliament.uk 
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Thanks to our good fiend Tom Rook of Salford Private Hire Association for the update.