Friday 31 January 2014

A WIGAN taxi driver caught working for months without a proper licence or insurance is still on the road – despite having 18 points on his licence.

Darren Gallagher, who is now ferrying passengers on buses, was caught after his car crashed into Suzy’s Furniture Store, Pemberton, in May 2013 after he failed to apply the handbrake properly.

He’d been using the vehicle as a private hire taxi despite his licence to do so expiring in December 2012.

The 39-year-old appeared before Wigan and Leigh Magistrates’ Court and pleaded guilty to two offences of using a motor vehicle without insurance and two counts of driving without a private hire driver’s licence.

It emerged that he had already had six points put on his licence last September, again for driving without insurance.

This time he was fined £400 and handed two lots of six points to run concurrently.

But he successfully pleaded “exceptional hardship” so as not to receive the usual automatic ban for reaching 12 points on the licence. It was explained in court that disqualification would lead to the loss of his employment – he is now a bus driver – and home and this would hit his wife and family.

This mitigation was officially recorded because should he commit further infringements that warrant licence points he cannot use the same reasons for continuing driving again.

Julie Middlehurst, Wigan Council’s Trading Standards manager, said: “Criminal proceedings were instigated against Mr Gallagher in that he was driving a private hire vehicle when not licensed by us to do so.

“The penalty that was imposed reflects the seriousness of the matter and it is of course at the court’s discretion as to whether or not Mr Gallagher was disqualified from driving.

“In this particular case the court was satisfied that if he had lost his driving licence he would have suffered exceptional hardship.

“This however does not detract from the fact that he is not licensed to drive a private hire vehicle.”

Gallagher is certainly not on his own in being allowed to carry on driving despite have 12 or more licence points.

DVLA figures released earlier this month showed one man from Liverpool still at the wheel despite racking up 45 points.

Wigan figures on those spared a ban were not available but there are more than 16,000 people living in the borough with points on their licences and 39 banned for having 12 or more.
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The case against London cabbies » The Spectator

I lost my misguided faith in black cabs last week, on the corner of Royal College Street in north London. It was the tiniest trip — 2.4 miles from Bloomsbury to my Camden flat at 11.30 in the evening. Hard to mess up, too: empty roads, good weather and the easiest of routes — practically a straight line to my flat. To my horror, the cabbie dodged the obvious, straight route and embarked on an extended loop through the traffic-choked hub of Camden Town tube station and Camden Market.

I pointed him in the right direction and he reluctantly did a U-turn and headed up Royal College Street. Not a word of apology — and still a £11.20 fare for a ten-minute journey. No tip, needless to say.

I can’t know whether he was ripping me off or merely clueless. But either way, in the days of satnav, it’s staggeringly incompetent. And in the days of highly efficient taxi and minicab apps — like Uber, Addison Lee and Kabbee — it’s unforgiveable. The exclusive privileges given to black cabs must go.

Black cabs are the go-slow thugs of the road. Overpriced, selective in who they pick up, arrogant about their knowledge and the Knowledge, nasty to other drivers, homicidal to bicyclists, bullying to competitors, they crawl across our cities in a puffed-up bubble of self-importance that has needed pricking for years.

The myth that the Knowledge is some astounding feat of memory is no longer true, if it ever was. In 15 years, no black cab driver has ever known the quickest route to my flat. Yes, it’s impressive to learn 320 routes within a six-mile radius of Charing Cross. And cabbies were particularly gratified in 2000, when scientists at University College London discovered that black cab drivers often had an enlarged hippocampus — the part of the brain associated with navigation in birds and other animals. But none of that matters with modern technology. Google Maps and TomTom can even tell you where surprise traffic jams are. No hippocampus can do that.

There’s no justification left for a predominant, controlling group of cabs, with a monopoly on being hailed on the street or from airport taxi ranks. Access to the job is controlled through oral, one-on-one exams by PCO examiners, giving them a hugely subjective role in choosing who makes the grade. Throw in exclusive parking spaces for black cabs and the right to use bus lanes, and you have one of the last unreformed trades, with heavily restricted practices, in the country.

The moment any rival tries to open up the market, black cab drivers bring the capital to a halt. A few years ago, Westminster council decided, utterly reasonably, to set up a minicab rank off Leicester Square, from Thursday to Saturday, from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. — when black cabs are inevitably in short supply. In response, a huge fleet of black cabs blocked the Mall for several hours and brought central London to a standstill.

With their exclusive rights protected by the Public Carriage Office, and their rivals held back, black cabs behave like any cartel — they squeeze their advantages for all their worth. On countless occasions, I’ve gone nuts at the little tricks drivers use to extend the journey time: gradually slowing down in approach to a green light, willing it to turn red; slowing down before a zebra crossing in the hope that a pedestrian will come along; moving off at the lights at a glacial pace; piling on infinitesimal fractions of seconds to the journey by taking a particularly wide arc into a corner; scrupulously staying out of yellow boxes painted over crossroads, apparently for Highway Code reasons, but really to catch another red light.

The list of offences goes on: refusing to take bikes because of their deep-seated hatred of bicyclists; playing Radio 5 Live at offensively loud volume; refusing to pick you up, even with their yellow light on, because they don’t like the look of you or because you’re on the wrong side of the street and they’re heading home in the other direction. If you want to see how fast black cabs can really go, watch one racing home for Match of the Day.

Worst of all is the price — they are the second most expensive taxis in the world after Tokyo. The official Public Carriage Office tariff is up to £8.40 for a mile, and up to £33 for six miles, but they acknowledge those figures rise with heavy traffic or delays.

My disastrous journey last week came in at £4.67 a mile. My regular train journey from London to Pembroke costs £20 for the cheapest single, £135.50 for the most expensive — that’s from 8.3p a mile to 56p a mile. The cheapest return flight from London to Rome on BA is £115 — 1,143 miles at just over 10p a mile.

And as the fares soar, the traffic stays stationary. The average pace of central London traffic in 2012 — 8.98 mph — is the same as it was 125 years ago, when hansom cabs were ferrying Sherlock Holmes to and from 221b Baker Street.

Gone, too, is the black cab driver’s supposed reputation for safety. That went, thanks to John Worboys, the porn star and stripper turned black cabbie, convicted in 2009 of drugging and sexually assaulting 12 women.

And then there’s the plain, surly aggression of some black cab drivers. A few years ago, a cabbie in St James’s Square threatened me after he wrongly accused me of letting my parked bike fall over and hit his cab. ‘I’ve got a good eye for faces and I’ll get you,’ he barked, jabbing his finger a foot from my nose, ‘I can make you disappear.’

He was some way from being the best cab driver in St James’s Square, let alone the world. Give me a minicab driver with a satnav and rock-bottom fares any time.

London again.



Over 170 arrests in bootleg taxi crackdown
Transport for London (TfL) has announced the arrest of over 170 people in a crackdown on illegal taxis.

Operation Safer Travel at Night is a joint venture between the Metropolitan Police Services' Safer Transport Command and City of London Police, and is aimed at enforcing a ban on unlicensed minicabs. 

The scheme mainly runs between the start of the academic year in September and over the Christmas period, with face-to-face representatives meeting with students and other members of the public to discuss the dangers of getting into so-called tout cabs.

In addition to the arrests, more than 5,000 taxis were stopped and checked as part of the operation, including private-hire firms. 

TfL's director of enforcement and on-street operations Steve Burton commented: "Un-booked minicabs put the travelling public at risk and we are committed to cracking down on this illegal and unsafe activity."

The Safer Travel at Night partnership was launched in 2002 and was set up to reduce the risk cab-related sexual assaults.
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Bolton

A VIOLENT robber who attacked taxi drivers in Kearsley and Tonge Moor has been found dead in prison.

Joslyn Seaton, aged 27, was pronounced dead in his cell at Leeds Prison on Saturday, January 25.

Seaton was given an indeterminate jail sentence for public protection in 2005 for two violent robberies on taxi drivers in Kearsley and Tonge Moor.

Police made several appeals to trace Seaton after he failed to comply with terms of his sentence.

The first appeal was made after Seaton, who was said to have links to Bolton, had served two years in prison.

He was arrested at a home in London by police who trawled records and found he had lived there.

When released last year he again failed to comply with licence conditions and was arrested again after a police wanted appeal.

Both of the robberies he was jailed for involved Seaton sitting behind a cab driver, pulling the seatbelt tightly around the drivers’ necks and demanding money before punching the drivers several times.

In the second attack, the driver was dragged from the taxi and punched and kicked.

He was jailed for a minimum of 21 months but was given an indeterminate sentence for public protection, meaning he was on a permanent licence.

A prison service spokesman said: “HMP Leeds prisoner Joslyn Seaton was found unresponsive in his cell at 4.42pm on Saturday, January 25.

“Prison staff attempted CPR and paramedics attended but he was pronounced dead at 5.16pm.


“As with all deaths in custody, the Independent Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will conduct an investigation.”
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Miami

Standards for all taxis serving customers at Miami International Airport (MIA) are set to be improved after a new programme was introduced.
The Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners has approved the new Ambassador Cabs Programme for the airport and at PortMiami.

Created by county ordinance and sponsored by County Commissioner Jose Diaz, the new programme requires taxicabs at both travel hubs to be outfitted with updated technology, while participating drivers must adhere to stringent customer service standards.

To take part, taxis must be equipped with credit card machines, a GPS-based dispatch system, SunPass transponders, and a digital security camera system, among other improvements.


And cabs may not be more than six years old, while alternative fuel vehicles will be given priority access to customers.

Miami-Dade, aviation director, Emilio González, says: “This is a long-overdue leap into the 21st century for our local taxicab industry, and it’s a big win for the millions of visitors who spend time and money in our community each year, as well as for the many residents who regularly travel through our global gateway.


“Taxicabs provide a critical first impression, and if we want to be considered a world-class community, we need to offer world-class customer service all the way from touchdown to take-off.”
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Reading

A TAXI was seized by detectives as part of a crackdown on illegal cabbies.

Police and borough council licensing officers stopped 36 vehicles over two days and found 14 were breaching their licenses by not having the correct driver or vehicle licence, insurance or safety documents for their cabs.

One cabbie with a non-compliant registration had his vehicle seized by officers, while a second was caught driving two months after having his licence revoked during the operation on Tuesday, January 14, and Wednesday, January 15.

Other cabbies had no insurance and no tax discs, some were not carrying a fire extinguisher or displaying internal ID or roof signs, and others had unauthorised advertising and defective windscreens or tyres. Drivers were also caught using heavily tinted windows, illegal number plates and mobile phones while driving.

A total of 26 of the taxis and private hire vehicles targeted were licensed by Reading Borough Council and 10 by other local authorities. Some of the issues were corrected at the roadside, but police and officers will be re-inspecting vehicles.


Borough consumer services leader Cllr Paul Gittings said: “Whilst past checks have shown no vehicles failing, unfortunately this most recent check has. We take public safety extremely seriously and we expect drivers of vehicles serving the public to ensure their vehicles are well maintained at all times and that they are carrying the correct documentation which is up to date and fully compliant.”
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Thursday 30 January 2014

Government answer clears the air

A first class answer from a Government Minister.

A master class of Obsfucation. (go on look it up).


Parliament 27 January 2014.

Wednesday 29 January 2014

Dublin

A TAXI driver stole a customer's iPhone when the man trusted him to charge it in his cab, then forgot to take it back at the end of the journey.

Patrick Lyons (40) helped himself to the phone after the passenger got out, then sold it to a mobile phone shop where it was eventually tracked down.

He was put on probation for a year when he admitted a theft charge at Dublin District Court.

Lyons, with an address at Fortlawn Avenue, Blanchardstown, pleaded guilty to stealing the phone at Harcourt Street on July 15.

The prosecuting garda said Lyons picked up the fare, who asked if he could charge his iPhone in the car. When he got to Harcourt Street, the victim got out but forgot to take his phone with him.

Lyons drove off and when he realised the phone was missing, the victim called it but it had been switched off.

The victim had a 'find my iPhone' app and used it to locate it at a mobile phone and laptop repair shop on Parnell Street.

The phone was recovered in good working order and returned to the victim.

Inquiries were carried out and Lyons was identified through information from the victim's conversation with him and "very good quality" CCTV footage from the phone shop.

EVIDENCE

Lyons had previous convictions for offences including theft of petrol from a filling station and driving without insurance.

He had not been banned from driving on the insurance charge and told the court he had been hiring the taxi from a man who was supposed to have had it insured.

Lyons, a father of three, was working part-time as a taxi driver and had been going through a "bad time" when he committed the theft, his barrister told the court.

He was having health problems and committed what was an "opportunistic" crime on the spur of the moment.

Judge Ann Watkin said the accused had stolen before, was given a chance by the courts and carried out the latest theft five months later.

"He didn't learn from it, but set against that, he didn't set out to do this, it was an opportunity that presented itself and he took it," the judge said.

The court heard the garda was obliged to notify the taxi regulator of the conviction and the circumstances – that it was in the course of his job and a "breach of trust".

She did not know if his licence would be taken away as a result.

"People get into taxis, very often late at night with a lot of alcohol on them, although there's no evidence of that here, and trust that they won't be abused," Judge Watkin said.
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Cornwall

Crime fears as plug is pulled on Falmouth taxi marshalls

Falmouth’s taxi marshals will patrol the rank for the last time this weekend with police fearing the revocation of the service will lead to an increase in late night crime and disorder.

Falmouth Town Council, which acts as administrators of the scheme, has pulled the plug after promises of funding from local businesses failed to materialise. Notice has been served meaning the marshals will be out for the last time on Saturday, unless a new funding stream is identified.

Town clerk, Mark Williams, told councillors: “This was a service funded by contributions from pubs, clubs and businesses involved the late night economy. When it was set up, the agreement was the council would be the exchequer for the service and if it got to the situation it was drawing on the public purse, we would serve notice on it – that is where we are.”

The council’s finance committee was told many local businesses had pledged financial support, but few actually came up with the cash. A grant application made to the local police and crime commissioner had also been rejected.

The council’s finance officer, Ruth Thomas, said: “Without substantial sustained funding it is difficult to see how this scheme can continue to deliver even though there is no question of its effectiveness.

“Falmouth Town Council does not have the resources to facilitate the delivery of this scheme if it remains to be funded by voluntary contribution.”

The value of the scheme was also confirmed by PC Andy Hocking who said that before the marshals, people had been afraid to use the taxi rank as it “gained a disreputable notoriety” with incidents of antisocial or criminal behaviour being recorded every weekend.

He said: “The scheme proved to be an instant success with a marked decrease in incidents of crime and antisocial behaviour from the outset. The marshals have provided reassurance to taxi operators and passengers alike. Falmouth is a safer place to be as a result of taxi marshals.

“The marshals defuse petty arguments on the taxi rank, preventing escalation of potential serious injury or public order incidents. It seems unthinkable that such a successful initiative could falter.

“Should the taxi marshal service stop due to the lack of funds, it would impact greatly on public safety and without a doubt herald an increase in crime and injury in the area of The Moor.”

Councillors decided to call time on the scheme after hearing it will cost around £7,000 over the next year to run it one night a week. Councillor Trish Minson said: “I do not think we have any option but to serve notice, albeit reluctantly.”

Committee chair, Candy Atherton added: “I think there will be some impact, but we have to be realistic. The door is always open to any commercial company who may wish to approach the town council with a serious commitment.”



Tuesday 28 January 2014

Woman raped in Redbourn by bogus taxi driver

Police are appealing for witnesses after the attack at 8.30pm on January 14.

The victim had been picked up outside Luton and Dunstable Hospital by what she believed was a taxi. The driver took her home before going into the property and assaulting the victim.

The suspect was a white man aged in his early to mid-30s, 5ft 10ins and of slim build. He had short hair and was wearing a black jacket which had a yellow Ferrari emblem on the shoulder. He was driving a shiny black four-door car.

Detective Constable Annette Sims from the Sexual Offences Investigation Unit is investigating: “I would appeal to members of the public in the area of the hospital who saw a car and driver matching the description above to contact me with any information. I would also be keen to hear from anyone who saw a car similar to this at any petrol stations in the area to contact police.

“This is a highly unusual incident however, I would like to take this opportunity to remind members of the public that is they are using a taxi to ensure that it is licensed.”

http://tinyurl.com/q6csw8s
Leicester

A taxi driver who sexually assaulted a passenger has been jailed for 18 months.

Arshaed Mahmood (36) took advantage of the woman, who had been drinking during a night out, by pulling down her dress and touching her breasts.

He also indecently exposed himself to her, in the early hours of May 12, 2012.

Mahmood, a father-of-four, denied two counts of sexually assaulting the customer but was convicted after a trial at Leicester Crown Court.

Victoria Rose, prosecuting, said the victim was badly affected by the incident, culminating in the breakdown of her relationship with her partner.

She said: "It's clearly had a great impact.

"She used to be a chatty, outgoing person but she has changed.

"She became anxious and jumpy. She no longer stays out late because she's worried about getting home and doesn't take taxis as she's lost her trust in them.

"She wondered afterwards if she was to blame, but she also believes she was entitled to get home safely when seeking the services of a taxi."

The victim also considered moving home as the defendant had dropped her off outside her house, in Barwell, and she feared he would return – although there was no suggestion he had.

The assaults happened when the woman caught a taxi home with friends after a night out in Nuneaton.

Mahmood dropped the friends off first and suggested the woman – who was the worse for drink – got in the front seat for the remainder of the journey.

During sentencing, Judge Simon Hammond said he took a circuitous route, during which time he sexually assaulted her.

Mahmood tried to get her to touch him when his trousers were undone.

When they arrived at her house she immediately phoned her sister, in a hysterical state, and the police were notified.

Judge Hammond said: "She was vulnerable, in drink and it was at night and the defendant deliberately took advantage of her.

"Anyone using a taxi is entitled to feel safe."

Judge Hammond said: "I'm told by the prosecution that in the past year, 12 taxi drivers have been charged with sexually assaulting passengers.

"I don't know how many of those have resulted in convictions.

"I made it clear if any taxi driver sexually assaults a passenger they must expect a sentence of imprisonment."

He placed Mahmood, of Edward Street, Nuneaton, on a 10-year sexual offences prevention order with conditions, including banning him from permitting any lone female he does not know to get into any licensed vehicle he is driving.

Mahmood, who was assisted by an Urdu interpreter in court, maintains his innocence, said his barrister, Michael Collins.

Mr Collins said: "He lost his job and it is clear he should not be a taxi driver, although he was driving a taxi for two years before this, without any other complaints.

"In the intervening 19 months, he's been a pizza delivery driver."



Sunday 26 January 2014

Rank protectionism

ALONG with red letterboxes and telephone booths, London’s black taxis are touted as symbolic of the city. Fully 25,600 drivers trundle around the capital’s streets. They are privileged: unlike minicabs, they can pick up passengers hailing in the street and run on a pricey meter system rather than a fixed fee. Nationally the average fare is £5.77 ($9.56) for two miles; in London it is £7.20. All cabbies are required to pass the “knowledge”, a test of all the roads within a six-mile radius of central London. If they take a daft route to their destination it is usually deliberate.

But becoming a taxi driver is ever harder. In the 1970s the
knowledge took around 23 months to complete. Last year it took 50 months. “You can get a PhD in the same time,” complains Malcolm Paice of CityFleet, a radio-taxi firm. Between 2009 and 2012 the number of taxi drivers increased by only 4% in London. Faced with such a high barrier to entry, more people are taking a shorter course that only allows them to drive black cabs in suburban areas, says Tom Moody of Transport for London (TfL).

But in the same period the number of minicab drivers in London jumped by 19%, to 67,000. The scorn they receive from black-taxi drivers is little deserved. Liam Griffin, the boss of Addison Lee, a large minicab firm, says minicabs have become more comparable to black cabs since 2004, when regulations and criminal-record checks were introduced. All of the company’s drivers take a six-week course and rely on satellite navigation systems—as do some black-taxi drivers. Their fares are around a third cheaper, Mr Griffin says.

Technology is further bulldozing the distinction between black taxis and minicabs. Fully 14,000 London taxis have signed up with Hailo, an app for ordering cabs that was introduced to London in 2011. Ron Zeghibe, Hailo’s chairman, says that some drivers shun taxi ranks or “street work” in favour of punters who order through his service. Minicab companies have their own, similar, apps. One, from Greentomatocars, helped the firm nearly double in revenue in a year.

Yet the separation between the two kinds of taxis looks likely to stay. In April the Law Commission, an independent body, will release a report on the taxi trade. Many of its recommendations will boost minicabs outside London. Larger firms such as Addison Lee will find it easier to expand as licensing rules are simplified. But London’s black cabs look likely to be protected. They will still be regulated by TfL; barriers to entry will remain high. Instead of nurturing a dwindling trade, this could have the opposite effect. Black cabs might soon become as quaintly archaic as telephone booths.

source; The Economist.

Friday 24 January 2014

Price of 2nd hand Cab to rise. ?

The emergence of the Frazer Nash Metro. The forthcoming Nissan NV200. Both have made a negative impact on the existing vehicles.

The recent press release that all vehicles Licensed in London from Jan 2018 (4 years away) means that nobody will seek to buy a new TX or Vito at this time, knowing they will soon have no re-sale market.

This will, meanwhile, drive up the price of 2nd hand London vehicles which are much sought after in Manchester , Liverpool and all around the Country.

This has quickly affected Eco City, makers of the Vito Taxi pack. The shares have dropped 24% in the last week or so. Eco City have a net worth minus 1.8 million.


Law Commission Update.

The Law Commission has spent over £350 grand up to now.

This is without the Cost of the Parliamentary draftsmen currently writing the draft document.

http://tinyurl.com/pb2344r




Thursday 23 January 2014

New York

Uber Has Changed My Life And As God Is My Witness I Will Never Take A Taxi Again (Where Available)

Last weekend I stepped out of a taxi in front of my house and realized I just don't have to put up with this garbage anymore:

It started in line at the taxi stand, with the driver trying to get another customer — a total stranger — to share the ride with me. Then the driver expressed his disappointment that I wasn't going very far (I guess he was hoping for a bigger fare). The interior of the car was filthy; the seats were ripped and worn. The car itself was an ancient Chevy Caprice. In the 10-block ride, the driver carried on a conversation via his headset the entire way, in a foreign language. (Research shows that talking on a phone, even hands free, while driving is as good as driving drunk.) His English was rudimentary at best. That turned out to be a good thing, because I couldn't understand what he was trying to say when he insulted me for not tipping him enough.

I was too tired to explain to him that nothing he had done warranted encouragement.

No more.

And now I'm done with taxis.

As long as cars are available on my Uber app — which connects limo drivers with customers based on a mapping and pricing algorithm that delivers rides that are often cheaper than metered taxis — I'm taking Uber instead.

Don't underestimate Uber. What it does is incredibly simple but incredibly clever — and it's going to fix bad taxis forever.

If you've ever taken a taxi in the New York metro area — especially outside Manhattan — "the depressing taxi experience" will be familiar to you. New Yorkers swap awful taxi tales like they're war stories. We're almost proud of them.

I'm not saying all taxi drivers are awful. I've had some really great taxi drivers. But it is not a generalization to say that really bad taxi experiences are too common to be ignored. If service at Starbucks was as routinely disappointing as service from taxis, Starbucks would have gone out of business long ago.

Yes, taxi drivers should be able to speak English.

Different American cities set different rules for taxis, and that plays out as wildly different levels of service depending on the standards they're required to meet. Taxis in Las Vegas are great, for instance, and I've never had a Vegas driver who wasn't fluent in English. In Jersey City, N.J., however, it's unusual to get a driver who can converse beyond the minimum exchange required to get the fare from A to B.

This "speaking English" thing is important. The job requires drivers to be able to communicate in the language of the customers they're serving. They need to be able to obey instructions from law enforcement. And it would be nice if they could chat politely with their fares, like Vegas drivers do. (In case you're about to accuse me of being racist, turn the situation on its head: If I was to announce I was moving to France to become a taxi driver but I wasn't going to bother to learn French, you'd laugh at my stupidity.)

Uber fixes this because it requires drivers to pass an orientation before they can start accepting fares. They can't get through the orientation unless they can converse in English, a driver told me recently. And, of course, an Uber driver who can't communicate will get low ratings from customers, and eventually be dropped from the system.

Good behavior is rewarded.

Unlike regular taxis, the Uber system punishes bad service.

It works both ways, too, because the drivers get to rate the passengers as well. Be rude, late or drunk once too often and suddenly you'll find there is never a driver willing to pick you up. The customer-driver mutual rating system creates reciprocal obligations in which both sides are incentivized to be as nice as possible.
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Liverpool

Courts fine Liverpool hackney taxi’s targeting Sefton’s streets

FIGURES reveal a shock rise in the number of hackney carriages with Liverpool licences caught plying for hire in Sefton.

Statistics gathered through a joint police and taxi licensing unit operation were sent before Sefton Council’s licensing and regulatory committee on Tuesday.

The results show that the number of Liverpool licensed hackney carriage drivers among the taxi drivers brought before the courts increased from 66% in 2011/2012 to 80% in 2012/2013.

Ex-hackney cab driver, and Conservative Cambridge Ward councillor, Tony Crabtree said the figures and statistics reflect just how desperate the taxi trade is.

He added: “Once you go out of your own area, you are not supposed to have your ‘for hire’ sign on if you are a hackney. But there will be some that just forget to turn it off and have been caught that way.

“Then some of these cabs will be deliberately competing, or plying for hire, in Sefton.”

John Whiteside, the boss of Southport’s Yellow Tops Taxis told the Visiter that he does not see many Liverpool cabs in the Southport area and that it is the south of the borough that is most affected.

He added: “Because it is Sefton as a whole, it might be that these drivers are getting caught coming over the boundary to Bootle.

“My drivers have not said many Liverpool cabs are coming up here. I know we get Bootle taxis up here at the weekend because our economy is better, but they are allowed to work the ranks here.”

The statistics also showed that the number of Sefton private hire drivers caught illegally plying for hire has decreased from 25% to 8% of the cases prosecuted. Knowsley drivers now account for 12%.

Private hire taxis are only permitted to take fares that have been booked with a firm, otherwise they are not insured.

David Moorhouse, a driver with Quick Cars, said that in 2005 he was fined £715 and received six points on his licence after picking up a non-booked fare in an undercover operation.

He added: “Money is money, of course I wanted to earn the fare.

“They looked like a respectable couple, so I let them jump in quick and took them to Ormskirk. They paid me and no one said a word.

“The next day I found out I had actually picked up two undercover community police officers – and I was taken to court and fined.

“This day and age money is tight and all the drivers want or need to make money. If someone flags me, at the end of the day I am taxi and I will go and pick them up.”


http://tinyurl.com/p2rcnjx
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Monday 20 January 2014

Norwich

A quick-thinking driver pulled over his taxi moments before it burst into flames on a city street tonight.



ABC Taxis driver Scott Squires noticed smoke coming from behind the dashboard of his Mercedes minibus and pulled over, then led his student passengers to a safe distance where they saw the engine catch fire.

He then called fire crews to deal with the blaze on Unthank Road, near the junction with Beechbank, at 7.45pm.

The father-of-four from Heartsease said: “I noticed that there was an electrical fault, but I didn’t tell the passengers.

“I just pulled over and said ‘We need to get out - we’ve got some sort of problem.’


“I told them to get up the road and then dialled 999 when I saw the flames.

“As soon as there was smoke, we evacuated the taxi and I had to get the passengers out safely. After that point it was out of anyone’s control.”

Mr Squires, a taxi driver for 13 years, had been taking a group of students into the city centre at the time of the fire and arranged a second taxi to complete their journey.

The above photograph was posted on Twitter minutes after the fire broke out.

ABC Taxis director Simon Callender said it was only the second car fire the company had experienced in more than 20 years of business.

Sunday 19 January 2014

More Woe For Yeo As Shares Crash In Company That Paid Him £460/Hour.


It’s not a great time for MP Tim Yeo. Faced with a revolt by his constituency party on one hand, the Tory grandee is also seeing his extensive portfolio hit hard.

Yeo, who was at one time being paid £460 an hour to chair meetings, has found his shares in Eco City Vehicles tumbling to a near historic low, shedding 26% of their value since the beginning of December. That’s 84% lower than his interest was worth a year after he started his second job there in 2007.


The firm distributes and services the Mercedes Vito taxi, which was offered to cabbies, at over £40,000, after the introduction of a London taxi age limit, the idea of which was initiated in a speech made to the Tory conference by, errr.....Tim Yeo. 

But now things aren’t turning out so well and Tim Yeo has run into trouble, not from Parliament and the Law, but by the markets and his own local Party.

A Defra report in May 2013 (following testing of 10,000 London Taxis by the Environmental Research Group at Kings) showed deselected MP Tim Yeo’s taxis were creating MORE Nitrogen Dioxide than the older cabs they were replacing

Over the last month, he has seen his shares in Eco City Vehicles crash by 25%. Mind you, not without reason: some major technical issues (like the failure of the rear wheel steering) have given investors the heebie-jeebies, while a good dollop of healthy free-market competition has emerged in the shape of Nissan NV200 Taxi of Tomorrow, whose petrol version of The iconic London Taxi (already approved by Transport for London) is around £30k, much cheaper than the Tim's taxi. It also has cleaner emissions, but then that’s not hard.

Another blow to Tim, is his buddy the Mayor's statement that by 2018 no Taxis will be licensed unless they can produce Zero Emissions. 

The launch of the Frazier Nash Metrocab, an extended range electric taxi, will provide yet another option to drivers who bought Yeo’s taxi following the London Taxi Age Limit which he himself initiated.

So there you are, the market has decided, and has told Timothy Yeo MP to take a hike.

TAXI FOR TIM!

Friday 17 January 2014

Busy night in Brum.

Birmingham Police show a clever use of social media to get their message across.

They really do understand the meaning of 'Public Protection'.

This is why their 'Sex Attack' statistics are only half those of Manchester.


The following is the expanded Pic of the Officers tweet.



London

Cab App wars.

Uber v Hailo, is it a 'Fare' fight. ?



http://tinyurl.com/qdj3a7u
Wigan

A sexual predator who prowled the streets in the early hours posing as a taxi driver looking for a lone woman has been jailed for four years.

A judge told grandfather Barry Smith: “You have in the court’s judgement committed a most sinister offence.

“She was looking for a Good Samaritan. You were a predator on this night and the harm you have caused is considerable. The anxiety and apprehension she feels every time she goes to the town centre will live with her for a considerable time.”

Judge David Aubrey said that Smith had been searching for a lone vulnerable woman trying to make their way home after a night out. “You were posing and masquerading as a taxi driver. You were nothing of the sort, you were on the prowl.

“She flagged you down anticipating you were a taxi driver and you got into the car. You then proceeded to take her to the vicinity of where she lived and she was expecting to pay the fare.”

But the court heard that Smith, who had locked his car doors, said she didn’t have to pay if she performed a sex act.

The victim, a 30-year-old student, screamed in terror and managed to escape without complying with his sex demands. But the judge pointed out, “It is the circumstances surrounding the sexual activity that makes it so serious.”

Smith, 58, was caught two weeks later after vigilant passers-by and a taxi driver spotted him again cruising around Wigan town centre and picking up a lone female.

Judge Aubrey pointed out that after his Nissan X-Trail was forced to stop the woman, who has never been traced, fled in a distressed state.

Smith, of Bengairn Close, Whelley, still vehemently denies the allegations but was convicted by a Liverpool Crown Court jury last month of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent.

He was ordered to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

During his four day trial Zillah Williams, prosecuting, said that “Smith was driving around the streets of Wigan that night to prey on such unsuspecting and vulnerable females.”

After the incident the victim immediately rang the police. The car was seen on CCTV footage but not the registration plate and police made a public appeal for information.

Paul Becker, defending, said that Smith has no previous convictions and was a hard working man who had been married for 35 years. He suffers from health problems and had been struggling to cope in prison.

http://tinyurl.com/p8uccqr
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Rossendale v Oldham

THE problem of taxis operating in Oldham but carrying a license from Rossendale Council is set to continue - despite calls to stop the practice. 

The licensing team at Rossendale Council has said it isn’t imposing “intended use” rules that generally require a private-hire vehicle to operate mainly in the area in which it is licenced. The clause has already been introduced in Oldham as part of a move to increase safety and security in hire cars. 

Concerns were originally raised by local residents, private-hire companies and the council after several Rossendale-licensed taxis were seen operating in the town during 2012 and early 2013.

Last June Rossendale’s licensing team told Oldham Council it would bring in the intended use rule and Oldham’s principal licensing officer, John Garforth, suggested the changes would be introduced before the start of 2014. But in a statement last week, Rossendale Council confirmed it hadn’t imposed the intended use rules. Oldham council is to continue to press the issue.

http://tinyurl.com/o7nmm82



London Electric Cab 2018 deadline.

There is much posturing and some ridiculous statements knocking about today.

This from Mr Siddiqi, of Frazer Nash.

‘We’re not looking at having a price premium; we want to be competitive so we can enter the market,’ said Sheban Siddiqi, business development manager for Ecotive, which is developing the range-extended electric Metrocab taxi in partnership with technology consultancy Frazer-Nash.


He claimed that current tests showed the Metrocab could save taxi drivers £40 a day based on the cost of electricity for two battery recharges combined with reduced petrol use.

I would like to spend £40 a day on fuel, with absolute pleasure.

I cannot however, as in the real world we wait, quite often for up to 2 hours for a fiver job. Get a grip Mr Siddiqi !!!!

http://tinyurl.com/pz2swy2
----------------------------------------------------------
Now, an equally stupid statement from Geely, they are ready to go head to head with Frazer Nash. However there Cab will not be ready for 4 years.

http://tinyurl.com/ojttspz

In anouncing the change to Electric vehicles now, Geeley has effectively shut down its current operation. Who in their right mind would pay £35 grand for a vehicle which will have no re-sale value in less than 4 years.

You cant make stories like this up.

Wednesday 15 January 2014

Taxileaks and the London trade reveal the falsehoods about electric Cabs.

The Telegraph gets it wrong about the new MetroCab and Steve McNamara say's no one asked his opinion.


The Telegraph's Scott Campbell stated: 

This new electric London black cab, could save drivers up to £200 per week in fuel costs. ( Amazing claim!)

Metrocab’s six-seater vehicle is the first taxi to be powered entirely by electricity, but it has a small petrol engine that generates power to recharge the vehicle’s batteries, meaning that "it never has to be plugged in".
(Further into the article, we find conversation about the lack of appropriate charging points??? nice bit of consistency Scott.)

Sir Charles Masefield, the company’s chairman, who seems to know more about Taxi driver's finances than Taxi drivers know themselves, said: 
"Drivers can make vast savings by using the vehicle, which will cost the same as LTI’s traditional diesel black cab. A typical London driver does about 200 miles a day and they’re spending about £50 on fuel. 
(Would be nice to know who they consulted on these figures)

On average you’ll spend about £10 a day on fuel so you’re saving £40 a day, which is about £14,000 a year,” he said.
(That's only if you work 200 miles every day, 365 days a year!)

“It’s different in a huge number of ways from anything that is on offer or even anything that is currently under development so it is actually the next generation ahead.”

The Vice General Secretary of the LTDA, Steve McNamara said: 
Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association, said that industry workers, including drivers and mechanics, were ignored by Metrocab during the development of their flagship electric taxi, which is due to launch later this year.

“We’ve got just over 10,000 members now. I speak to hundreds of cab drivers every week, I speak to all the other organisations, 
(tut tut Steve, not true...UCG and RMT to name but two!) the proprietors, the mechanics, I get dozens of phone calls from them, all the different charity groups and no one I’ve spoken to has had any dealings with them at all,” Mr McNamara told The Telegraph.

The Source London website, shows just four rapid charge points for electric vehicles in London with one centrally, on Eagle Wharf Road in Hackney, but commercial vehicles are banned from using it. 

However, a TfL spokesman said that this is a technical glitch and there are in fact 129 rapid charge points across the capital.

McNamara said that regular and fast-charge points are not good enough for cab drivers as they would have to wait for up to four hours to recharge their vehicles.

A spokesman for Dial-A-Cab, said the company had not been consulted about Metrocab’s new vehicle, but its drivers were asked to complete a survey to gather information about potential locations for new charging points.

McNamara went on to say:
“The Mayor has driven it, TfL commissioner Peter Hendy, has driven it, but none of them buys cabs. 

They could not have got it more wrong if they tried. These people don’t know the industry and they’ve got it so wrong.

“They’ve put themselves on the back foot before they’ve launched it and you think, 'how much more can they get it wrong?’ This is not a car they’re going to be selling to the public."

Its amazing how TfL have managed to get t it so wrong, as the other vice general secretary of the LTDA, Bob Oddy, is the Mayor's advisor on transport, on the board of TfL. Would be interesting to find out just what advice he's been giving the Mayor on this issue.


DRIVERS WELCOME DROP IN FUEL PRICES AT CUMBRIAN SUPERMARKETS


Professional drivers have welcomed a drop in the price of supermarket petrol, saying they have borne the brunt of high fuel costs.

Firms in Carlisle and west Cumbria spoke as Asda and Tesco moved to reduce their petrol and diesel prices by up to 2p a litre.

Wayne Casey, chairman of the Carlisle Taxi Owners’ Association, told the News & Star: “It is good news. Fuel, obviously, is a massive cost and anything that brings it down is a good thing.

(we have a photo of Mr Casey, but we cannot post it until after 9pm, when the kidz have gone to bed.)

“Prices are not as high as they were in the recent past but they are still higher than they were a few years ago.

“Fuel and insurance is the majority of a taxi driver’s expenses. If fuel goes down it is good news for cab drivers and any other motorists.”

Mr Casey said the public were aware of the burden placed on firms using fuel.

“The majority of the public realise that the price of fuel does affect our income,” he added.

Driving instructor Ian Bell runs Ian Bell School of Motoring, at Seaton, Workington.

He said: “There is a lot of money being made for the Government on fuel. We as consumers are getting the blunt end of it. I think the price drop is a very good thing.

“Fuel costs have a big impact. We have to come in with a competitive price. Over the last four years I’ve had to cushion the increase in fuel out of my own pocket.”

Asda said that from yesterday motorists would pay no more than 126.7p a litre for petrol and 133.7p a litre for diesel.

It said that its diesel would now fall to its lowest price in 18 months.

Pete Williams, head of external affairs at the RAC, said: “The supermarkets are helping to brighten up January by knocking 2p a litre off petrol and diesel in reaction to falling wholesale prices.”

Edmund King, president of the AA, added: “Fuel price reductions at the pumps will bring a sigh of relief to many drivers who are struggling to make ends meet after bigger than normal financial outgoings during the festive period.

“We hope that other supermarkets and fuel retailers follow the lead of Asda and Tesco to cut their prices at the pumps, otherwise we just end up with a fuel-price lottery based on proximity to certain supermarkets.”

Chancellor George Osborne has pledged to freeze fuel duty until May 2015.

http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/professional-drivers-welcome-drop-in-fuel-prices-at-cumbrian-supermarkets-1.1110162

Taxi fire on Teesside



The driver and passengers of a car that burst into flames on the A19 escaped uninjured.

It's not yet known how the vehicle caught on fire on the Tees Flyover Southbound earlier.

No one was hurt and fire fighters put out the flames.

The northbound carriageway closed due to smoke drifting across the carriageway, but re-opened at around 3:35pm.


http://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/update/2014-01-15/taxi-fire-on-teesside/

Comment, I know how it happened..................
wait for it...................................
The driver placed his 'Blazer' on the front seat.

Tuesday 14 January 2014

Taxi and Private Hire vehicles- Informal Targeted consultation

Sent out by e-mail 7 January 2014
Comments due 17 January 2014
Sent to:

National Association of Licensing and Enforcement Officers
Institute of Licensing
National Private Hire Association
Private Hire Reform Campaign
National Taxi Association
GMB Union
Unite
Button Solicitors
Taxi and PHV proposals for feedback
1.The first proposal is to allow PHV operators licensed in England (outside London) and Wales to sub-contract bookings to an operator licensed in a different district. London PHV operators are allowed to sub-contract to an operator licensed outside London so it would be a case of establishing a more level playing field.
1a – Do you regard this as a measure which would reduce a burden on the PHV trade? If not, what effect do you think it would have, and why?
1b – Could you provide any evidence about the impact this proposal would have, whether by reference to a single operator in a case-study type way, or by reference to a global figure of how the trade will benefit in financial terms by being able to sub-contract across borders?
1c – Do you see any adverse consequences arising from the proposal? If so, please explain.
2.The second proposal seeks to address the law as stated in the case of Benson v Boyce. It is to allow private hire vehicles licensed by a local authority outside London to be driven by a person (e.g. a family member) who does not hold a PHV driver licence when the vehicle is not being used for private hire work i.e. when it is off-duty. This is the position in London so again, it would be a case of establishing a more level playing field as between London and the rest of England and Wales.
2a – Do you regard this as a measure which would reduce a burden on the PHV trade? If not, what effect do you think it would have, and why?
2b – Could you provide any evidence about the impact this proposal would have, whether by reference to a single owner-driver who, for example, had to acquire a second vehicle as the family car or by reference to a global figure of how the trade will benefit in financial terms by being able allow others to use their vehicle when it is off-duty?
2c – Do you see any adverse consequences arising from the proposal? If so, please explain.
2d – Do you have any feel for what proportion of PHV owners currently own second cars? If the legislation was changed in this way, how many would no longer want to have a second car – i.e. how many would use the PHV as the family car?
3.The third proposal is to make it explicit in the legislation applying to taxis and PHVs outside London that taxi and PHV driver licences should be issued for a standard period of three years (and PHV operator licences five years) and licences should only be granted for shorter periods in the circumstances of an individual case (eg probation/monitoring or where the driver asks for a short-term seasonal licence).
3a – Do you regard this as a measure which would reduce a burden on the taxi and PHV trades? If not, what effect do you think it would have, and why?
3b – Could you provide any evidence about the impact this proposal would have, particularly in terms of cost-savings for drivers and operators?
3c – Do you see any adverse consequences arising from the proposal? If so, please explain.
3d – If you are in a position to offer any information about licence durations and licence fees, it would be helpful if you could fill out the following table
Driver licence – Current licence length ——- Current licence fee
Operator licence – Current licence length ——- Current licence fee
If proposal 3 was brought in, what proportion of licences do you anticipate would be of short term duration?
Please e-mail this completed form to pippaA.brown@dft.gsi.gov.uk by Friday 17 January 2014.
Comment; If this is the first you have heard of this Consutation, and you are a member of any of the above Organisations....I suggest you ask your organisation why you have not been informed.