Dutch police arrested four drivers in Amsterdam early Sunday after they were found to be improperly using the Uber app for taxi services, posing another challenge to Uber Technologies Inc.’s efforts to expand in Europe.


The four have been released and may be fined as much as 4,200 euros ($5,300) each, Yeter Atmaca, spokeswoman of the Ministry of Environment & Infrastructure’s inspection department, said by phone today. “They were arrested and fined because it is illegal to offer these services without the right permits,” she said.


Governments and regulators in cities around the world are restricting Uber’s business on the grounds it poses safety risks and unfairly competes with licensed taxi services. Cabbies with permits that can cost 200,000 euros apiece have held protests in European cities including London, Madrid, Paris and Berlin.


“This action is unjustified and disproportional,” Uber said in an e-mailed statement today. “We remain in touch with the policy makers to familiarize them with how our technology works and the positive impact it has on mobility.”


http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-10-12/dutch-police-arrest-drivers-using-uber-app-in-amsterdam.html
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Durham Police have called the Claypath the 'Wild West' after taxi drivers scrambling for fares blocked an ambulance

Police have branded a city centre road as the ‘Wild West’ after taxis blocked an ambulance in a late night scramble for fares.


Cabbies at Durham City’s Claypath were banned from the street on Saturday as police shut down the road in the first policing move of its kind.


Their drastic decision came after taxi drivers and other motorists caused traffic jams that stopped an ambulance and police car passing through the area.


A spokesperson for Durham City police, said: “For many months now, Claypath in Durham has been like the wild west on a Friday and Saturday night with taxi drivers flouting rules and causing an obstruction and nuisance by parking without consideration for others.


“Relief officers took direct action after an ambulance and police vehicle were trapped in three deep traffic jams caused by these thoughtless drivers.”


Shutting down the road meant taxi drivers were forced to use the official taxi rank, and prevented Hackney Carriage licenced cars from picking up people on the roadside.


Anthony Hind, who has been driving taxis in Durham City centre for two years, said over the last 12 months the Claypath had become a major headache for the trade - and on Saturday night it was mayhem.


“It is like the Wild West. There’s illegal parking and people drive down and poach passengers for fares. They don’t use the taxi rank and it’s causing a nuisance.


“I don’t think the council have thought about where to put the taxi ranks and the amount of taxis they have licenced.


“It’s not fair what’s happening at the moment. We’ve all got to try and make a living. We are all doing the same job,” he said.


Durham Police issued two drivers with fixed penalty notices for causing an unnecessary obstruction with a motor vehicle with one also being reported for obstructing a police officer.


A third driver will be traced and prosecuted after he failed to comply with police instructions.


It is understood that the ambulance was on its way to an Indian restaurant on the Claypath to help a woman who had taken ill, but who has since recovered.


The police spokesperson said: “We don’t want to tar all taxi drivers with the same brush and would like to put on the record that the majority of drivers using authorised ranks are fair and law abiding people.”


Richard Ormerod, Liberal Democrat County Councillor for Elvet & Gilesgate, said: “There is a taxi rank and that’s what taxi drivers should be using. I would fully expect the police to take appropriate action. You are not allowed to block a highway and the fact it hampered the work of the emergency services confirms all my worst fears. I’ve driven down Claypath when taxis were allowed to park up at night and it was chaos.


“A big worry for me too is that access to Providence Row and The Sands estate would have been blocked which is where a number of elderly residents live.”


However he disputed that there were now too many taxis operating in the city centre following licencing changes.


He said: “In the past there were too few taxis and people were waiting for long periods of time at taxi ranks, and that’s when fights start. At the end of the day it’s a market and there shouldn’t be any kind of monopoly.”


Both taxi drivers and the ambulance service have praised the police’s action on Saturday night.


Ambulance driver Graeme Mountford wrote on the police’s Facebook page: “A huge well done to the relief officer and also Durham police. It’s a nightmare for us attending to an incident on Claypath or in Millennium Square. Well done guys.”


However Anthony Hind, who works for Dunelm Taxis, said he would like to see more changes made to taxi licencing in Durham city centre.


He said: “Many of us have all said that there should be licencing authorities out and about and marshals at ranks.


“It was a good idea to shut down the road, it meant that people had to join the proper taxi ranks.


“They blocked an ambulance getting through at the end of the day and that could have had serious consequences.”


In 2011 Durham County Council changed its taxi licensing rules so that there were limitations on geographic areas where taxi drivers could work.


As long as drivers have a Durham registered plate they can pick up passengers in any part of the county.


More recently they moved a taxi rank at the Claypath to the Prince Bishops shopping centre slip road.


Durham City police’s posting on its Facebook page attracted 100 comments within just a few hours.


Benjamin Tulloch wrote: “I was out tonight (Saturday) and got a taxi home from the designated taxi rank, the driver said how impressed he was at Durham Police closing off Claypath and the positive impact it had so far on his takings and pushing people to the correct queue.”


Former taxi marshall Darren Miller, who worked at the former Claypath rank, said: “There were issues all the time with certain cowboy taxi drivers jumping queues taking business off the legitimate drivers and parking where they shouldn’t be. These marshals should be given the power to give them a ticket.”


http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/durham-street-branded-wild-west-7922087
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Burnley


A taxi firm owner has been fined by magistrates for keeping a poor record in his operator book.
Saeed Mahmood (43), of Chapel House Road, Nelson, was fined a total of £381 at Pennine Magistrates’ Court for the offence between April 3rd and May 2nd, 2014, at his company A1 Tiger Taxis in Burnley.


Mahmood pleaded guilty on the morning of trial on Thursday having pleaded not guilty in July.


Magistrates heard that on occasions in that time period, the method of booking had not been completed, the name of the hirer had not been filled in and the name of the driver was missing.
Mr David Talbot (prosecuting) told the court that the book was not in keeping with the operator’s licence issued by Burnley Council, and that certain criteria had to be filled in to the book.


Mr Talbot said that times of bookings had been changed and were not in order and other entries were difficult to read.


He said this was “unacceptable to the council” and the issue had been brought to Mahmood’s attention and all operators in Burnley in February 2013 when a letter was sent out saying records fell short of what was required.


The firm was inspected on February 4th this year and a further letter was sent out to all operators the following day.


Mr John Rusius (defending) said Mahmood had been an operator since 2006 and that neither the name of the driver had been mentioned as an issue on inspection.


Mr Rusius said Mahmood was “somewhat disappointed” to receive a court summons and on the issue of no hirer name, said people may be reluctant to give their name or personal details.


He added that as long as the operator could read the book he saw no issue and the reason times had changed and entries were not in order in the book was because people ring up and change times and may book for the following day.


Going forward, Mr Rusius concluded that a forum 
had now been set up between the council and operators which he hoped would make things clearer.


http://www.pendletoday.co.uk/news/crime/taxi-firm-owner-fined-for-cutting-corners-1-6887266