Thursday 30 April 2015



More than 100 potential taxi drivers have come forward to take part in a new training scheme to help struggling families.

As previously reported in the Chronicle, owner of LA Taxis Rob Armstrong has put up thousands of pounds of his own cash to put cabbies through their test and pay for cars.

Rob – who built up the business from scratch – wants to help disadvantaged families by giving them a start in their career.

And today, following an article in the Chronicle, he said he had been inundated with calls and enquiries from people wanting to take part in the course.

Rob, who also owns MTrec Recruitment, said more than 100 people had been in touch. The 50-year-old said: “I’m prepared to invest time and my own money into helping people from the North East.

“The ability for us to buy cars for people is a massive part of this.

“What better way to help someone than to give them the means and future for their family. The offer is open to men and women and people who want to be in the industry.”

As part of the package, Rob will pay for a medical, a CRB check, healthy safety and customer service training and will pay for a car worth £12,000.


Following the training, designed through Profound Training in Peterlee, County Durham, drivers will be able to work for Rob’s company for as many hours as they wish to a week.

Rob said: “I hope to help as many people as possible to become professional drivers.

“It’s a brilliant opportunity for people. I am putting my trust in people and paying for a vehicle.”

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/la-taxi-boss-donating-thousands-9153192

Comment: What a heart lifting story. He seems a lovely man. Such a nice man in fact I would not be surprised if, after his "Donation" he would not mind if you joined Uber instead of paying him Radio Rent.

Getting a taxi to work? You’ll be forking out more cash as taxi fares are set to increase by an estimated 4% today.

The fare hike comes just one day before Dublin Bus and Bus Eireann drivers begin their planned strike action over the privatisation of some of their routes.

So, what’s the increase going to cost you? 

Currently there are two different rates and six different tariffs – this is reducing to two fare bands, A and B.

The standard rate charge, between 8am and 8pm, has been reduced to €3.60 from €4.10.

For Premium rates, on Sundays and Bank Holidays, between the same times, the charge will be set at €4.

Under the new structure more regular fares will show a very slight increase of a few cent. The charge per kilometre will also increase from €1.03 to €1.10. Passengers will be charged €1.40 at premium times. For journeys over 15 kilometre the charge goes from €1.45 to €1.75. 

Booking fees and charges for additional carried passengers will remain the same.

Taxi fares have not increased in Ireland since 2008.

Lynk, Dublin’s taxi app, CEO and Spokesman Noel Ebbs said there is some confusion among drivers as to whether or not this actually is an increase due to the method in which fares are calculated

https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/getting-taxi-today-ll-cost-more-usual-064359757--finance.html
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Hungary on Thursday became the latest European Union country to launch a probe into Uber, the popular but controversial taxi app for mobile phones.

"A tax audit of the local unit of ridesharing company Uber has been ordered," the economy ministry said in a statement. 
"Uber is operating in Hungary without paying any substantive taxes and often failing to comply with rules governing the taxi profession," it said. 

Uber puts customers in touch with private drivers at prices lower than those of traditional taxis but is facing legal challenges and limits on its activities.

Taxi firms are furious because they say Uber drivers should be regulated the same way as normal cabs.


Uber earlier this month filed complaints with the EU against France, Germany and Spain, hitting back at efforts to ban it from the continent's streets.

Uber said efforts by national governments to shut it down breached EU laws on competition and the single market.

In Budapest, Uber advertises a base fare of 300 forints (0.98 euros, $1.11) and 130 forints per kilometre.

Under a decree in force from last September, the base fare for taxis operating in Budapest was set at 450 forints and the per kilometre fee at 280 forints.

https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/hungary-latest-eu-country-probe-173431801.html
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ROSSENDALE

A learner driver struck a taxi after spinning out of control on a main road near Bacup in the early hours of New Year’s Day, an inquest heard. 

Kristopher Hanson, 27, had offered a lift to Isaac Taylor and Dylan Watson shortly before a crash which claimed his life in Newchurch Road, Burnley Coroner’s Court was told.

But shortly after setting off Mr Taylor urged Mr Hanson to pull over because of the erratic nature of his driving, the inquest heard. 
Mr Hanson’s silver Vauxhall Corsa overtook a dark car. 

After veering onto the opposite side of the road he performed an ‘aggressive or exaggerated manoeuvre’ to correct his driving, which forced the car into a spin. 

The Corsa struck a taxi, which was being driven by Wajid Hussain in the opposite direction, before coming to rest close to a stone wall, the court was told. 

Mr Hanson was taken to the Salford Royal Hospital, but died at around 4.20am from brain and head injuries. 

His passengers and the occupants of the taxi, Mr Hussain and his female fare, all suffered minor injuries, Police accident investigator PC Philip Walker confirmed that no blood alcohol sample was obtained due to an error at the hospital. 

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/12919264.___Erratic____learner_driver_died_after_spinning_into_taxi_on_New_Year___s_Day/?ref=rss

Friday 24 April 2015

GLASGOW

A WOMAN was sexually assaulted after getting into a car which may have been a taxi.

A man and woman helped the 23-year-old into the vehicle in Renfield Street, Glasgow, at around 1.35am on Monday April 13.

The car then drove off towards Great Western Road, where the woman was subjected to a sexual assault near the Lincoln Inn.

Before getting into the vehicle the woman had been eating in Bistro Takeaway on Renfield Street at around 1am.

Police are trying to establish whether the vehicle the victim got into was a taxi or a private car.

They are also keen to speak to the man and woman who helped her into the vehicle.

Detective Inspector Greg Wilkie said: “We are in the process of reviewing CCTV images and are keen to speak to anyone who was within Bistro Takeaway, Renfield Street or anyone who was on Great Western Road who may have information which could assist our investigation.

“We are still trying to establish if the car the woman got into was a licensed cab or a private car. I would urge anyone with any knowledge or information to contact us as a matter of urgency.”

http://www.scotsman.com/news/scotland/top-stories/woman-sexually-assaulted-after-getting-in-taxi-1-3753997
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Chester 'fake taxi' rape trial accused gives evidence

Crown court jury hears defendant accessed online porn before offence alleged to have taken place

Analysis of a laptop seized from the home of a man standing trial for rape revealed that pornographic videos and images were accessed minutes before the offence is alleged to have occurred.

Masood Mansouri, 33, of Shannon Close in Saltney, took the stand in the hearing at Chester Crown Court on Friday (April 24).

He is accused of the kidnap, rape and sexual assault of a young woman from Colwyn Bay during the early hours of August 10 last year.

Prosecution claim that the 20-year-old got in Mansouri’s car after mistaking it for a taxi to take her and two friends to Bar 69 in Boughton and that he took her to his home where he carried out the sex attack.

Seven days laster, she committed suicide.

http://www.chesterchronicle.co.uk/news/chester-fake-taxi-rape-trial-9115102
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BATH

Driver to compensate man who jumped out of his moving taxi
A Bath man who suffered severe brain damage after jumping out of a moving taxi will receive damages from the cabbie who "abducted" him.

Kristopher Hicks leapt from the vehicle after believing he was being held against his will. London's High Court heard driver Michael Young, who was travelling at more than 20mph, formed the view Kristopher and his girlfriend, were not going to pay the fare, and had instead planned to "do a runner".
To teach the couple a lesson he decided to drive them back to the taxi rank, causing them as much inconvenience as he could.

Mr Justice Edis said there was no basis for Michael's belief and Kristopher, who found himself being driven off by a stranger, decided to escape.
The end result is that the claimant decided to jump out of the taxi at a dangerous speed. I do not know why he did this.

It may have been that he misjudged the speed and thought it was safe to do so, but the true motive will never be known.

– MR JUSTICE EDIS

He said Kristopher was driven away from his home unlawfully for about three-quarters of a mile which, taken on its own, would be an irritating and unsettling incident, but not one with serious consequences.

Kristopher has never been able to speak to anyone about the incident after a night out in the city in November 2010, when he was 23.

Both sides were given permission to appeal.

http://www.itv.com/news/west/update/2015-04-24/driver-to-compensate-man-who-jumped-out-of-his-moving-taxi/


Wednesday 22 April 2015

A SOUTH Tyneside cabbie who had his licence suspended after he was alleged to have driven his car into a man after an early morning row over a fare, has lost his bid to get back on the road.

Licencing bosses at South Tyneside Council suspended Abdul Talukdar’s Hackney carriage licence after viewing CCTV of the incident, at the taxi rank behind McDonalds, in East Smithy Street, in South Shields town centre.

He was using foul language, including about my race.

Mr Talukdar was seen to hit an irate passenger with his cab just seconds after the got out of his vehicle.

The footage was shown in South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court as Mr Talukdar appealed to magistrates to reverse the decision.

The court heard that the man – who has never come forward to police – had jumped in the taxi as Mr Talukdar approached the rank looking for a potential fare.

The footage showed the man angrily slamming shut the passenger door of the car and taking a kick at the vehicle at 4.56am on Sunday, February 1, after being told it was not his pre-booked taxi.

Mr Talukdar reversed and drove away, but the wing of the car strikes the man as he leaves the scene.

Mr Talukdar, who gave the court a care-of address of Kingston Solicitors, in Benwell, Newcastle, told the court he believed he may have hit a wheelie bin and had no idea he had struck the man, until he was shown the video by police.

He has not been charged and police investigations into the incident are still ongoing.

Debbie Lloyd, prosecuting for South Tyneside Council, said: “The incident was captured on council CCTV in the early hours of Sunday, February 1.

“It was forwarded to the council’s licensing manager, who considered that Mr Talukdar’s license should be suspended.

“It remains the council’s case that his driving fell well below the standard expected of a taxi driver in South Tyneside.”

Geoffrey Forrester, defending, said that Mr Talukdar is a father-of-three, who has worked as a taxi driver for eight years.

Mr Talukdar told the hearing he had not deliberately hit the man, but was eager to make a quick exit after feeling “unsafe” and “shaken” after being abused by him.

He told the court: “He was using foul language, including about my race.

“I reversed back as I was close to a bollard. I saw him by a wheelie bin. I thought he was going to throw it at the car.

“I was not looking at him, I was making sure the road was clear to leave.”

After police were informed of the incident, Mr Talukdar voluntarily attended the police station and was shown the footage.

He added: “I saw that I hit the person and I was shocked and embarrassed.

“I have been a taxi driver for a long time and have had to deal with abuse, but this incident was different.

“I felt scared, I was shaken.”

Ms Lloyd, questioning Mr Talukdar, said: “I suggest you were angry and you drove at him to scare him.”

Mr Talukdar denied the collision was deliberate, saying: “It looks like that, but I was very afraid. There was no one else there who would have helped me.” Mr Forrester said: “You have to be so careful when looking at a snapshot in time.

“That snapshot does not reflect well, but if you take the full reel, you see that is utterly and totally misleading.

“He is a quietly spoken, reserved man who works every hour god sends.

“Some idiot, who has never come forward, wanted to jump the queue and get in a taxi and wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“When Mr Talukdar has quite properly told him to wait for his taxi, he becomes abusive.”

Mr Forrester said that Mr Talukdar’s wheels had “tilted” in the direction of the man when he reversed, leading him to shoot forward in his direction when he set off.

“There is a glancing connection at most, no injury was caused.

Paul Allen, chairman of the magistrates, dismissed Mr Talukdar’s appeal.

He said; “It’s not an easy decision, but we feel the council has acted rightly and we dismiss your appeal.”

A Northumbria Police spokesman confirmed that investigations into the matter are ongoing, with officers awaiting advice from the Crown Prosecution Service, before a decision is made on whether criminal charges will be brought against Mr Talukdar.

http://www.shieldsgazette.com/news/crime/taxi-driver-fails-to-get-licence-back-after-allegations-he-drove-car-at-customer-in-row-over-fare-1-7222188
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Northumberland taxi and coach drivers spared immediate imprisonment

Staff from Otterburn based Howard Snaith and Partners pleaded guilty to a range of charges including falsifying documents

Alison Snaith of Howard Snaith and Partners in Otterburn, entered her plea at Newcastle Crown Court
Taxi and coach drivers have been spared immediate jail time after admitting falsifying documents.

The staff, from Howard Snaith and Partners in Otterburn, Northumberland, in some cases failed to record the fact that they had driven hundreds of miles, for many hours, or on rest days, often prior to transporting school children.

Judge Deborah Sherwin said it had been fortunate that, driving tired, the drivers had not been involved in an accident - but agreed, despite bosses being cleared of a conspiracy to falsify information, that the cabbies and bus drivers had felt under pressure to break the law, as they feared for their jobs.

In total 18 people - including company director Alison Snaith, bus drivers and administration staff - found themselves in the dock at the multi-million pound trial for offences relating to the records kept by vehicle tachographs between June 2010 and May 2013.

A tachograph is a device fitted to some buses and taxis, which records automatically their speed and distance, along with when they are being driven.

Drivers are legally required to keep such records and, if requested, produce them on demand to transport authorities that regulate working hours.

But following an investigation by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency - which had previously looked into issues over record keeping at the fiem in 2006 - it was found there were a number of discrepancies, with some staff seemingly failing to record journeys, turning their tachographs off before clocking on or off, working on rest days but filing false paperwork, working longer than legally allowed, or not taking enough time off between shifts.

Following a lengthy trial, which was estimated to have cost the prosecution almost £1m and the defence - much of it financed by legal aid - up to £2m, most of the accused were acquitted of a “conspiracy” to falsify records.

Snaith, 59, of the Coach House in Otterburn - who was suffering from cancer at around the time of most of the offences in 2010 - did however plead guilty to perverting the course of justice after, in 2013, producing false tachographs relating to the earlier time.

At York Crown she was sentenced on Tuesday to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, and 150 hours of unpaid work.

Byron Dodd, 51, of Burns Avenue in Blyth pleaded guilty to three counts of falsifying records and two two of using an instrument knowing it to give false readings.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/northumberland-taxi-coach-drivers-spared-9096008
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BOLTON taxi drivers were investigated last year for offences including grooming, sex crimes against children, drug dealing and slapping a child passenger, a report has revealed.

In 2014, 69 cases against private hire drivers and four against hackney carriage drivers were referred to Bolton Council — some have been through the courts while others are subject to ongoing police investigations.

The report, the first of its kind, has been published by Bolton Council's Licensing and Environmental Regulation Committee (LERC) and includes a case about an an ice cream van licence which was refused because the applicant was being investigated for exposure.

Asif Vali, chairman of the Private Hire Operators' Association in Bolton, said the public "are safe" using taxis in the town.

Mr Vali said: "This is a small percentage of cases out of 1,400 drivers in Bolton. We work in an appropriate manner and adhere to all the rules that are in place.

"You will get a minority that flout the law and they deserve to be prosecuted and, in many cases, deserve to have their private hire licences revoked.

"We can assure you that the public are safe using taxis in Bolton."

A source on the LERC said the number of cases reported last year had increased because of "better co-operation" between police and the council's licensing team. Some of the most serious cases were heard before the director of environmental services, Malcolm Cox.

They included three private hire drivers had their licences revoked by the director, for offences of grooming, sexual assault with a child and sex offences with children.

Two others were suspended in March, one for possessing drugs with intent to supply and the other as part of a police safeguarding investigation.

A third driver was suspended in April after being accused of sexual assault.

A hackney carriage driver was stripped of his licence for drug dealing, while one's future is pending the outcome of a police investigation into an affray with an iron bar.

Bolton Council says some of the alleged offences referenced in the report took place in taxis, while others did not.

Cllr Anthony Connell, chair of the LERC, said the committee was happy that taxi companies were making the necessary checks on drivers when hiring them.

It is thought that changes in approach have resulted in drivers having licences revoked where previously they may have been just suspended.

Cllr Connell said: "We have actually had quite a big improvement from the companies.

"We were quite happy that the checks were up to the required standard."

Only last week, driver Kamran Ali, aged 43, of Southwood Close, Great Lever, was jailed for a year for sexually assaulting two women, aged 17 and 24, in his taxi in two separate incidents in March last year.

Earlier this month, private hire drivers Absar Ahmed, aged 34, of Orchid Avenue, Farnworth, and Irfanbhai Malatgar, aged 34, of Halliwell Road, were fined for picking up fares off the street without having a hackney carriage licence.

The pair are still to learn whether their taxi licences will be revoked.

The LERC dealt with 15 private hire drivers, including two suspended for four weeks each for slapping a child passenger and racial abuse respectively.

Among the licences revoked were for drivers accused of making inappropriate sexual comments, money laundering, benefit fraud and dangerous driving.

A sub-committee which deals specifically with matters of a sexual nature or domestic violence heard cases against private hire drivers accused of rape, domestic violence and inappropriate behaviour towards women

A second sub-committee, which deals with driving convictions, stripped two private hire drivers of their licences, suspended 22 and warned 19 others.

It also suspended one hackney carriage driver for two weeks and wrote a warning letter to a second.

A Bolton Council spokesman said: "The council's licensing committees may revoke a taxi driver's licence or refuse a new application if they feel that they are not a fit and proper person to hold a licence. They can also suspend licences for a certain period of time.

“The burden of proof for licensing decisions is on the balance of probabilities. Licensing authorities will take into account not only criminal records, but also intelligence held on that person by police, council or third parties, their history of compliance with licensing and their previous behaviour as a taxi driver."

http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/12908055._/




Open Messenger uses LCD screens on the roof of Hackney taxis and allows advertisers to tailor their promotional messages to real-time conditions, such as local weather, location and time, and generating relevant content for the consumer.

The platform has been developed by Michael Smith, a director of Open Magazine, based in Liverpool's Baltic Triangle.

He said: "Liverpool is spearheading digital development in the north and we're delighted to be launching our smart advertising platform in our home city.

"We've seen this advertising medium work exceptionally well in London – it's now time to unveil it to Liverpool and the rest of the UK. We've already been approached by a number of household names, all of which are looking to take advantage of this new outdoor medium.

"Hackney cab drivers operating an Open Messenger vehicle will also be incentivised with a supplementary income for carrying this digital platform."

Anderson added: "The digital and creative sector is vital to the economic development of Liverpool and the wider city region, which is why I am so glad we are one of the first cities outside of London to use this pioneering advertising platform.

"This great innovation from Open Messenger will bring a much needed boost to local businesses as well as the Liverpool black Hackneys."

Open Messenger's LCD screens interact with 4G data and cloud-based content to broadcast interactive messages wherever they are needed. Within each cab, passengers can also access a free Wi-Fi service and recharge a mobile device or tablet from the vehicle's complimentary facilities.

Open Messenger will rolled out across the UK following its launch in Liverpool with more cities expected to follow suit before the end of the year.

http://www.insidermedia.com/insider/north-west/138037-liverpool-launch-taxi-smart-ads

Tuesday 21 April 2015


Uber has caved in to pressure from German officials and agreed to alter its service in Frankfurt and Munich, according to Reuters. The ride-hailing company will now have the same rates as local taxi companies and charge 35 cents per kilometer.

The move comes after a German court issued a preliminary decision last month to institute a countrywide ban on UberPop, the low-cost version of Uber's service. Uber, which connects passengers with drivers via a smartphone app, has already agreed to change its UberPop service in Berlin, Duesseldorf and Hamburg.

Uber, one of the world's most valuable venture-backed companies, with a valuation of $41 billion, has faced regulatory hurdles around the world in countries like Spain, France, Korea and the US, but this is one of the first times it's decided to comply with authorities rather than fight them.

Uber said Tuesday that the German decision was "a defeat for all those who want more choice for their personal mobility," according to Reuters.



All around the Globe, Cabbies have had enough poor regulation.






Sunday 19 April 2015

BOLTON

A minicab driver abused his position by preying on two young female passengers in the space of six days, a court heard.

Metro driver Kamran Ali repeatedly sexually assaulted a 24-year-old woman during a 45-minute journey in Bolton on March 22 last year.

The woman had flagged his private hire vehicle down in the street, providing a fare Ali was not allowed to take under his licence.

Ali even went as far as seizing his victim’s mobile phone because he thought she was telling someone what was happening to her.

Just six days later, he was booked to pick-up a 17-year-old girl and her friend, collecting them from Morrisons in Harwood and driving to a nearby house.

During the short journey, he touched her thigh and chest, before grabbing the girl outside the minicab and asking her to “give him a hug”.

He has now been jailed for 12 months and banned from driving a private hire vehicle with female passengers for the rest of his life.

Bolton Crown Court heard at his sentencing hearing yesterday how he took advantage of both victims after they had been drinking.

Recorder David Heaton QC said he was not in a position to suspend any sentence Ali was given, and said his victims had been “frightened and humiliated” and left “feeling degraded with a degree of shame and embarrassment”.

The 17-year-old girl told her mother what had happened immediately, and she rang Metro, who provided Ali’s badge number, which enabled police to interview him.

Ali, aged 43, of Southwood Close, Great Lever, has no previous convictions and came to the UK in 1988 to marry, the court was told, and now has five children.

He denied both offences up to the day of trial, telling police in interview that he had not assaulted the women and that his only contact with the 17-year-old girl was to “high-five” her.
She said she was sitting in the front passenger seat, when Ali had placed his hand on her thigh, and began to move it towards her genital area.

He then touched her chest, and tried to put his hand into her top to touch her breast.
Recorder Heaton said: “As a driver, members of the public place a degree of trust and they are entitled to do so, particularly in the small hours of the morning and especially if they are under the influence of alcohol.

“You took advantage of these ladies over a prolonged period of time.”

Ali was also placed on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.

http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/12898462.Taxi_driver_sexually_assaulted_two_female_passengers_in_six_days/
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A barman who works in Manchester's Gay Village ended up in hospital after he was kicked and punched in the street by a passer-by as he rowed with a taxi driver
A barman was beaten up and subjected to homophobic abuse early today as he travelled home from work in a city's gay quarter.

Thomas Morris, 19, had taken a taxi from Manchester's Gay Village when the driver stopped his car and they began arguing about the fare.

Another man in the street then intervened and began kicking Mr Morris and shouting homophobic abuse.

The thug tried to steal his mobile phone and kicked him several times in the head and body while he lay slumped in the road.

Mr Morris was left badly bruised and shaken by the attack and was taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary by ambulance for a brain scan and spent more than six hours in A&E.

He said: “What happened to me was completely disgusting. He was punching and kicking me on the ground and shouting homophobic abuse.

“He kicked me in the ribs, the legs, the arm and the head.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/barman-city-centres-gay-village-5545804
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GATWICK 

POLICE are clamping down on unauthorised taxi drivers "loitering" in restaurant car parks and garage forecourts at Gatwick Airport waiting for potential fares.



Officers based at Gatwick have noticed a rise in private hire drivers, the majority using the Uber app, parking within the airport boundaries as they wait for a request from a passenger arriving on a flight.

Uber is a smartphone app where someone inputs where they want to be picked up and dropped off.

The nearest registered driver is then contacted to collect them and this had led to a number of taxi drivers sitting at the airport to receive jobs.

Airport Cars Gatwick has the only licence to pick up passengers arriving at the airport while private hire firms (such as those based in Crawley) can collect someone if they have pre-booked, although they have to wait in car parks and cannot use the airport's taxi ranks.

Gatwick-based police have been carrying out proactive patrols of the airport boundaries since the start of the month and have forced many drivers to move on.

On April 1, ten drivers caught on Gatwick land were told to leave, a further five were moved on during an operation on April 7 and eight were asked to leave last Thursday (April 9).

Sergeant Darren Taylor, from the airport's community safety team, said: "Taxi drivers are loitering and clogging up areas of the airport used by the public. We have found drivers parked up in the car park for the McDonald's drive through and also in petrol station forecourts.

"Many of these drivers come down from London and they wait there for an Uber request to come through on their phone.
"We first became aware of the issue when we were getting calls from BP and Shell garages saying there were drivers who just sat in the forecourts for long periods of time.

"The forecourts are not designed for that purpose.

"We don't want to stop people from earning a living but there are by-laws in place on who can operate at Gatwick Airport.

"We are actively discouraging this practice by giving any drivers we catch words of advice and asking them to leave.

"If we catch the same person frequently breaking by-laws we will be forced to contact the local authority where they are registered to raise a complaint and enforce exclusions."

Sgt Taylor explained that a meeting is being held with Uber on Friday to discuss the best way forward.

A Sussex Police spokesman said: "Police at Gatwick are clamping down on unauthorised taxis picking up fares from the airport.

"A growing practice has been identified where taxi drivers, predominantly from London, drop off customers at the airport and then park up close by to await a return fare generated by a mobile phone app.

"Gatwick by-laws only permit authorised private hire vehicles to ply their trade from the airport and unauthorised drivers found to be using the app and unable to prove that they have a pre-booked fare are being dealt robustly, but fairly. "

http://www.crawleynews.co.uk/Police-force-taxi-drivers-leave-Gatwick-Airport/story-26331203-detail/story.html
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Friday 17 April 2015

Shipley

A car blocked a railway line in West Yorkshire after crashing through a barrier and flipping upside down on to the tracks.




The AA Cars taxi hit the barrier at the side of the tracks on Victoria Street, Shipley, before landing on the line.

The driver suffered minor injuries and was being treated by paramedics following the accident at 09:10 BST.

Northern Rail said services between Shipley and Skipton began running again at 11:40 BST.

Buses were brought in to run between the stations while the line was closed, extending journey times by up to 40 minutes.

A spokesman for AA taxis said the driver was "all right; just a bit shook up".


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-32350975
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(Reuters) - Carlyle Group LP-owned London taxi operator Addison Lee said it has bought rival Cyclone VIP Cars & Couriers.

The company said buyout of Cyclone, which was formed in 1985 and has about 100 drivers, would strengthen its position in the London private-hire market.

No financial terms were disclosed on the deal, which was the ninth buyout for the taxi operator in five years.

Last year, Addison Lee was being considered for a $1.3 billion (0.87 billion pound) takeover by Singapore-based public transportation operator SMRT Corp Ltd.

Private equity firm Carlyle Group bought a significant stake in the company in 2013, which provides private hire services in London and the South East of England, for 300 million pounds ($447.90 million)


https://uk.news.yahoo.com/london-taxi-operator-addison-lee-buys-rival-cyclone-215156253--sector.html#5NvTntX
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EIRE

A man who was freed in 1998 under the Good Friday Agreement from a 20-year prison sentence for explosives and firearms offences was held by a judge on Friday to be a suitable person to hold a licence to drive a taxi.

John Conaty, of St Attracta Road, Cabra, Dublin, because of his court convictions, was due under new stringent new taxi licencing legislation to face disqualification from driving or operating a taxi.

He applied to the Circuit Civil Court for an order directing that he was a suitable person, and not of any threat or danger to the public, to drive a taxi. The court heard he had been disqualified but that it had been suspended since April 6th pending the application.

Barrister Ruadhan MacAodhain, counsel for Mr Conaty, told the court that in 1996 his client had been convicted by the Special Criminal Court of offences under the Explosive Substances Act and the Firearms Act and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.

He said the Good Friday Agreement, which had come into being in April 1998, had allowed for the release of all paramilitary prisoners under a ceasefire. Terms of the Agreement between the British and Irish Governments also allowed for assistance in the reintegration of such prisoners into society, their further education and assistance in finding employment.

Mr MacAodhain said Mr Conaty had been a licenced taxi driver in the Republic since 2002 but under new legislation governing the holding of a Small Public Service Vehicle Licence he would be disqualified from this month from holding such a licence because of his previous convictions.

He told the court the 2013 Taxi Regulation Act applied retrospectively to anyone who had historic convictions.
Mr MacAodhain said Garda Superintendant David Taylor had written to Mr Conaty pointing out the effect of the new legislation on his work as a taxi driver and had advised him of his entitlement to seek an order in the Circuit Court permitting him to continue his taxi work.

Superintendant Taylor told the court that Mr Conaty had not come under adverse notification of the gardaí since his release.

Mr MacAodhain also opened two character letters from Mr Conaty’s former employer, The Cobblestone Pub in Smithfield, Dublin, and from Cumann Baire Setanta GAA Club where he has very successfully managed the promotion of under-age teams and is a senior hurling team selector. He was also complimented in the GAA letter for his community work.

Judge Linnane said that having read evidence of Mr Conaty’s community work and having heard the evidence of Superintendant Taylor she was satisfied Mr Conaty was a suitable person to be allowed to continue to hold a public service vehicle licence.

Mr MacAodhain said that both the High Court in the Republic and in Northern Ireland had held that it would be “injurious” to have taken into consideration convictions other than within a period of 10 years. He said disqualification from holding a taxi licence would rob Mr Conaty of the right to make a living.

Following decision Mr Conaty said he had been in the taxi business without incident for the past 12 years.

“I just want to earn a living and to be allowed to continue on the way I am at present,” he said.


http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/circuit-court/man-sentenced-to-20-years-for-explosives-retains-taxi-licence-1.2179602
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AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch prosecutors launched a criminal investigation into Uber for providing an illegal taxi service in violation of a court order, a statement said on Friday.

It was the latest setback for the taxi service, which has been banned in several European countries in recent months.

Uber allows users to summon taxi services with smartphones while its UberPop arm links private drivers to passengers. It has gained popularity around the world since its 2010 launch but drawn controversy over its aggressive approach to traditional taxi services.

In December, a Dutch court banned UberPOP on the grounds that it fell foul of licensing laws for commercial drivers. It ordered Uber to stop offering it under threat of a 100,000 euro ($110,000) fine. Uber is contesting the ruling.

Dutch prosecutors, who raided Uber's offices in March, said they were starting an inquiry after police in Amsterdam caught dozens of drivers offering illegal taxi services.

"The company Uber is now a suspect," the statement on Friday said. "This means a preliminary examination will be started to collect evidence that Uber is providing illegal transportation on a commercial basis."

Dutch police have fined 23 Uber drivers 1,500 euros for operating without a license, it said.

https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/dutch-launch-criminal-investigation-uber-133944877.html

Thursday 16 April 2015

Bolton Uber working Manchester.

Thursday 16 april at 15.20 ish.

Manchesters Top driver picks up a Bolton plated PH driving along Medlock st/ Albion st. He follows him around the back of the Midland Hotel, down Windmill St and onto Peter st, left on to Deansgate back towards Knott Mill.

The Bolton PH sits outside a restaurant/bar for a while. His passengers eventually come out an they embark.

Although not known at that time... they are going to the Sharp Project, Thorpe Rd road, Newton Heath/ Moston.

The quickest most direct route is as follows.




Now watch where this clown goes.





Wednesday 15 April 2015

A Houston Uber driver accused a raping a passenger has a criminal record, and had just been released from prison three years ago, according to reports.

57-year-old Duncan Eric Burton has been arrested and charged with sexual assault after allegedly taking a woman back to his apartment and raping her in January.

According to court documents, the last thing the woman remembers is being at a bar with a couple of friends on January 26. According to her friends, she was pretty drunk (“Ill and throwing up”), so they called an Uber and gave the driver (Burton) her address.
It’s at his apartment where police say Burton “admitted to performing oral sex, vaginal sex, and anal sex with [her].” The victim says she has absolutely no memory of the Uber ride, the sexual assault, or even Burton himself.

Now, the Houston Chronicle is reporting that Burton had a criminal record. Uber, as you may know, claims to perform extensive background checks on all of its drivers.

According to the Chronicle, Burton served 14 years for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. He was released in 2012 after serving only part of his original 18-year sentence. And Uber spokesperson told the Chronicle that Burton has passed the company’s background checks.

Of course, this raises a couple of questions – mainly how? and who let that slide by?

Watchdog group Who’s Driving You highlights the pickle this puts Uber in:

“Either this driver slipped past Uber’s criminal background check or Uber did discover his criminal history and decided it was OK to let him drive. Regardless, this case illustrates how trusting Uber to conduct its own criminal background checks amounts to allowing the company to decide whether or not to put this individual behind the wheel. Houston would not have allowed this now alleged rapist to drive. Uber did,” said Dave Sutton, spokesperson for ‘Who’s Driving You?’.

Uber has called its background check “rigorous”.

“All Uber ridesharing and livery partners must go through a rigorous background check. The three-step screening we’ve developed across the United States, which includes county, federal and multi-state checks, has set a new standard. These checks go back 7 years, the maximum allowable by the Fair Credit Reporting Act. We apply this comprehensive and new industry standard consistently across all Uber products, including uberX,” said the company in a blog post.

But it’s not just abut background checks. In Houston, there appears to be a backlog when it comes to getting Uber drivers up to speed with the latest city permits.

Listen to what and Uber spokesperson told Houston Press:

“When the city implemented its permitting process, thousands of driver partners were already using the Uber platform to make a living. We have been working closely with the city to move these drivers through the permitting process as quickly as possible, and every week hundreds of drivers complete the process, but the system is not designed to quickly and efficiently issue permits to a large volume of applicants.”

Apparently, Uber is struggling to get its drivers the proper permits – a permit that likely would not have been granted to Burton.

“Someone with a negotiated drug conviction on his or her record would not be eligible for a city-issued permit, but could appeal and attempt to receive one,” said Laura Cottingham, deputy assistant director with Houston’s Administration and Regulatory Affairs Department.

It would be easy to pile this on top of all the other stories about Uber drivers and assault – but this one appears to be a bigger black eye for Uber. This is the first time a convicted felon seemingly slipped through the company’s background checks and wound up (allegedly) raping a passenger.

Last month, Uber highlighted all the steps it’s taking to improve user safety.

“Our Safety Product Team is developing more ways to put technology to work to ensure the safety of riders and drivers in key areas. We are initiating research & development on biometrics and voice verification to build custom tools for enhanced driver screening,” it said. The company has also discussed employing lie detectors during the screening process.

On April 2, the day Uber revoked Burton’s privileges, the company poached Facebook’s Chief Security Officer.

“We believe deeply that, alongside our driver partners, we have built the safest transportation option in 260 cities around the world,” said Philip Cardenas, Head of Global Safety, in a blog post back in December. “But we have more work to do, and we will do it. Uber is committed to developing new technology tools that improve safety, strengthen and increase the number of cities and countries where background checks are conducted and improve communication with local officials and law enforcement … Our responsibility is to leverage every smart tool at our disposal to set the highest standard in safety we can. We will not shy away from this task.”

Just last month the story emerged of an Uber driver accused of kidnapping and rape in Philadelphia. Adding to the disturbing nature of the allegations is the fact that Uber only suspended the driver near the end of March, even though the alleged assault took place on February 6. Uber claims that they were not notified of the incident until then and it suspended the driver immediately, so it appears the police may have forgotten to mention it to Uber.

Still, the incidents continue to pile up, and they’re becoming more and more disturbing.

http://www.webpronews.com/uber-driver-accused-of-rape-spent-14-years-in-prison-2015-04

Tuesday 14 April 2015

Authorities in Geneva have banned Uber for breaching local taxi laws but the beleaguered US-based company said Tuesday it was appealing the order and denied any wrongdoing.

"This is the first time in Europe that we have had such a problem," Uber spokesman Thomas Meister told AFP, referring to the order on UberX, an app-based network linking clients with professional drivers with private-hire licences.

The commerce department of the canton said that the ridesharing platform is acting like a taxi dispatcher but was not properly registered as a taxi or limousine service.

Uber had until March 4 to do so, said Patrick Baud-Lavigne from the canton's department of security and economy.

"Seeing that they haven't done it... at the end of March we sent them a ban order," he said.

Uber has been operating in Geneva since September offering far cheaper rates than traditional taxis, sparking protests from cabbies who accuse it of unfair competition.

Uber drivers in Geneva face fines of between 100 Swiss francs (95 euros, $102) and 20,000 Swiss francs.

Uber argues that it is a technology business and is "not a dispatch centre for taxis."

https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/geneva-bans-uber-latest-setback-112753690.html
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EDINBURGH

A WOMAN was sexually assaulted after getting into a car she believed was a private hire taxi.

The 31-year-old was attacked after being picked up in Candlemaker Row, near the Greyfriars Bobby statue in Edinburgh, at about 3.30am.

Police said the assault happened in a lay-by just past Hillend ski slope, near Boghall Farm, in Midlothian.

The woman was then taken to the Edinburgh city bypass where she left the car near the Sheriffhall roundabout.

Police Scotland Detective Sergeant Keith Mackay said: “This was a frightening experience for the woman, who is now in the care of her family.

“We are eager to trace this man and are appealing for witnesses. Anyone who recognises the man’s description, or the description of the car, is urged to come forward.”
The suspect is described as being South Asian, slim and aged between 35 and 40 with an Edinburgh accent.

He is around 5ft 5in or 5ft 6in, clean shaven with dark cropped hair and was wearing dark clothing.

http://www.scotsman.com/news/scotland/top-stories/sexual-assault-in-edinburgh-private-hire-taxi-1-3743246
UBER Greater Manchester.

Following the spotting of a Uber PH Car at Manchester Piccadilly Station yesterday. It was decided to check if Bury , the area the car was plated, had issued a PH Operators licence to Uber.

It turns out they did, one week ago. Further enquiry's made by the National PH Association at Bury revealed that Oldham had also issued a similar Licence. A request for a Licence has been made to Trafford, this is still being processed.

Tameside have had no approach from Uber, and Wigan Council have never heard of Uber, a spokeman there asked of Uber
"Is it a very Big Meat pie , on a stick" ?

A response from Rochdale is awaited.

Currently Uber have operators licenses for 6 of Manchester's 10 authorities, 7 if we count Trafford.
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Publicity will be cranked up next week, I doubt it will all be to Uber's advantage.

The French Taxi Unions meet on Monday 20th, severe action is expected there.

On Tuesday 21 at 2p.m The London trade, led on this occasion by the United Cabbies Group, intend to protest and block Oxford Street in the Capital.

The UK and Central European papers will be busy next week, no doubt.
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Further news Tonight is that an Application has been made to Newcastle City Council for an operators licence.

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Controversial taxi service Uber could be on its way to Newcastle, with the firm admitting it’s looking at launching in the city.

The American service, which sees passengers request a journey via a mobile phone app and signed up drivers respond, has in the last year become one of the world’s biggest tech firms, operating in 55 countries and more than 200 cities worldwide.

And Newcastle City Council has confirmed that it has issued a licence for the multi-billion dollar company to potentially make the North East’s capital the next stop on its rapid expansion.

“Uber’s plan is to be in every major city in the UK and we have a number of options of where we want to be - including Newcastle,” a spokesman for the firm told The Chronicle.


http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/smartphone-taxi-app-uber-looking-9043831

Thursday 9 April 2015



Last month, our parent company Geely announced that it was investing £250 million to build a new factory at Ansty, near Coventry, to put into production the next generation of the iconic London Black Cab.

The new TX5 will be a plug-in, range extended electric hybrid vehicle and will be available before 1st January 2018 in order to meet the requirements set by The Mayor of London for all new taxis to be Zero-Emissions Capable (“ZEC”) by that date.

Geely would not have had the confidence to make this investment had it not been for the strong support that we have received from the Licensed Hackney Carriage Trade.  Last year we sold more TX4’s in London than in any year since its launch in 2007.   The Chairman of Geely, Li Shufu, has asked me to send you his personal thanks for the confidence and loyalty that you have shown in the iconic London Black Cab. 

In recognition of this loyalty, he has decided that everyone who has purchased a new TX4 since Geely acquired The London Taxi Company (“LTC”) in February 2013 should receive a voucher which will entitle them to £1000 off the price of a new TX5.

 Furthermore, this offer will extend to anyone who buys a new TX4 between now and the TX5 launch date in 2017.  This is our way of saying a big thank you for supporting us. 

http://cabtradenews.org/2015/04/09/letter-to-the-taxi-trade-from-ltcs-peter-johansen/
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Comment:  Is this taking the P*ss. ? ? A grand off a new cab in two years time, if you spend £37 grand now and know that you will not have time to pay for the Cab, before you have to upgrade again, at an undisclosed future price.
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Wednesday 8 April 2015

Exeter.

A city councillor has been threatened with legal action following a contentious decision to remove restrictions on the number of hackney taxis.

Members of the licensing committee voted to de-restrict the number of cabbies allowed to collect passengers from city taxi ranks and be hailed in the street.

The verdict was met with anger and consternation by drivers who accused the council of killing their livelihoods.

Since the meeting Labour councillor Gill Tippins has been sent a “dynamite” letter by hackney driver Graham Woollacott in which he claims to serve ‘legal notice’ on her.

The letter, dated March 25, reads: “If de-restriction goes ahead, I will hold you ‘totally responsible’ for any loss in my income, loss of my job, hardship in my home, hardship to my three-year-old son and his education.”

The decision was made without the commission of a survey into unmet demand.

The letter reads: “To de-restrict without carrying out a survey into unmet demand was wreckless and gross negligent (sic) by you, committee members and Exeter City Council.”

It warns unless a survey is undertaken by a ‘reputable independent survey company’ he will also hold her “totally responsible’ for various perceived negative impacts on the taxi industry, drivers and the public.

Mr Woollacott also criticised Cllr Tippins for saying that the “priority” of the committee was the public interest.

The letter goes on to request a variety of documentation from the city council under the Freedom of Information Act related to the taxi trade in Exeter, including paper copies of ‘all’ taxi surveys into unmet demand over the last 20 years.

Conservative councillor Percy Prowse said: “This letter has got dynamite contents. It infers the writer knows something which is why it is phrased in such a way.

“It appears to be the pre-cursor for legal processes, trying to establish a few facts about what the city council did and didn’t know.”

Exeter St David’s Taxi Association has promised to seek a judicial review over the ruling to remove the limit of 66 licensed hackneys.

Hassan Al-Seaidy, 58, who owns two hackney license plates, said: “This decision will affect children whose parents are being punished.

“The taxi drivers worked very hard, but now their plates will be taken away from them.

“The council does not seem to be worried about us and our livelihoods. There are so many questions for them to answer.”

At the meeting on March 16 councillors also decided to enhance quality controls for city taxis, including a distinctive colour scheme.

The new policies will come into effect on June 17.

Cllr Gill Tippins and the city council declined to comment on the letter.

Speaking after the meeting Cllr Keith Owen, lead councillor for environment, health and wellbeing, said the committee had “considered carefully” the arguments for and against de-restriction. He said several members had found it a “difficult” decision to make.

http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/Exeter-taxi-driver-threatens-legal-action-city/story-26303523-detail/story.html?#ixzz3Wk9wSuih 

Comment: Bullshit letter,

Firstly; It has been established many times that a Council can de-limit whenever they wish, as long as they consult with the trade first. (Liverpool 1972)

A council only needs a Survey to keep numbers down, this has been the case since the implementation of the 1985 Transport Act.

Secondly; you cannot take court action against an Individual Councillor, for a Council decision. That much is obvious, if you could take action against an individual the system would never work. Not that it does now anyway.

Good luck to the Exeter Lads, you will need it.
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Police and Crime Commissioner to meet council bosses over taxi licensing safeguarding in Rossendale

Lancashire’s police boss will meet with licensing chiefs to discuss safeguarding within Rossendale’s taxi trade.

Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw is due to meet the council’s chief executive and licensing bosses to discuss issues within the local Hackney and Private Hire trade.

The action comes just weeks after a Rochdale council report claimed that its work to protect vulnerable residents was undermined by a ‘legal loophole’ which allows Hackney Carriage vehicles licensed by one authority to work in another area as a Private Hire vehicle.

Rochdale council claimed Rossendale council also adopted a ‘lower standard’ for its drivers in areas of language skills, area knowledge and safeguarding. Rossendale council said it refuted various aspects of the report.

Mr Grunshaw raised the issue of taxi licensing when he recently met with Rossendale councillors to discuss police and crime plan priorities and funding cuts.

He said: “I met with councillors recently and took part in a workshop with them.

“The main purpose of my visit was to discuss with them my police and crime plan priorities and the continuing impact of funding cuts, although the issue of taxi licensing was raised and that we have agreed to a formal meeting to discuss this issue.”

Coun Gladys Sandiford, who attended the meeting with Mr Grunshaw, said: “The commissioner raised taxi licensing himself at the meeting.

“He had a letter from his correspondent in Leeds complaining vociferously about the number of taxi licences.

“It seems there are a lot of Rossendale taxis in Leeds causing all sorts of problems.”

A Rossendale council spokesman said: “Our chief executive called for this meeting and we are awaiting to hear back from Mr Grunshaw’s office with regards a date he can attend.”

Around 1,200 cabbies are currently using Rossendale council licences to drive outside of the Valley and 2,412 drivers are licensed by the authority.

Rossendale council has confirmed that half of these are using their licences to drive passengers in neighbouring boroughs such as Rochdale, Bradford and Manchester.

Licensing bosses recently recommended introducing a basic skills test for drivers in a bid to cut down on the number of drivers applying for licences.

Monday 6 April 2015

Foreign convicts could be given jobs as taxi drivers because of a legal loophole preventing employers from checking their records, it has emerged.




Licensing authorities in London are not allowed to carry out background checks on asylum seekers and refugees in case it damages their case.

The gap in the rules is spelled out in a Transport for London document on “private hire driver licensing” applications.

The form states: “With regards to overseas criminal records checks, no such checks will be made in respect of those applicants who declare that they are in possession of or who have applied for refugee or asylum status.”

Conservative MP Nick de Bois told the Daily Express: “They should not be offering licences to those they can’t check on. They could be putting vulnerable members of the public in the hands of thieves, murderers and rapists. It beggars belief.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/11518708/Foreign-convicts-allowed-to-work-as-taxi-drivers-without-disclosing-crimes.html
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NEW YORK (AP) -- Business travelers are bypassing the taxi queue with greater frequency, choosing instead ride-hailing services like Uber Technologies.

A new report by expense management system provider Certify shows that 47 percent of the ground transportation rides by its users in March were through Uber. That's more than tripled from the 14 percent of rides that Uber had just over a year ago in January 2014. 

In a few cities, Uber now tops taxi rides for business travelers.
"While we often see noteworthy market shifts — leading restaurant chains and hotels exchanging leadership positions, for example — it is unprecedented to see one vendor grow to take such a commanding market share within one year's time," says Certify CEO Bob Neveu.

https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/ubers-popularity-surges-business-travelers-040212674.html
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EIRE

More than 100 taxi drivers have been prosecuted for operating a vehicle without a driving licence within the past five years, making it the most common prosecution the National Transport Authority has taken.

The authority, which is the regulatory body for small public service vehicles and handles taxi complaints, took 80 prosecutions against drivers last year.

The body also referred 208 complaints to an Garda Síochána, the bulk of which were connected to road traffic matters which come under that organisation’s remit and complaints against taxi drivers who were not operating the taxi as a public service vehicle at the time.
Last year the authority took 21 prosecutions against drivers without a valid driver licence while a further 16 related to drivers without a valid vehicle licence. Six prosecutions were taken against drivers who had neither licence.

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/over-100-taxi-drivers-prosecuted-for-having-no-driving-licences-1.2166705
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Lynk, Ireland's answer to the Hailo taxi app, is set to make a massive push into the UK market with €25m in private funding as early as next year.




The app, which was developed by taxi fleet management company Global Taxis, employs more than 170 people at its Dublin base.

It has seen phenomenal growth since its February launch and recently merged with Dublin's third largest taxi firm, Blue Cabs, to add 200 new drivers. Lynk now has around 2,800 drivers signed to its fleet.

The app allows bookings in advance of journeys and customers can also make multiple bookings at the same time.

Founder Noel Ebbs, pictured, said the company aims to have 5,000 drivers signed up by the end of the year. He said the company aims to be nationwide by the end of the year and will then focus on expanding abroad.

"We started up with €2.5m of seed capital which came primarily from the host company, which is Global, and private investors. That is enough to take us through Ireland [but] moving abroad we will need more."

When asked where the money would be sourced, he said: "Private funding. I reckon we would need at least 10 times what we had [for Ireland] for the UK."

He added: "By the end of this year we'll be moving into the UK. If we meet targets here, which by all accounts we seem to be well ahead of, we have undertakings that funding will be there."

He said that the backers would be based mostly in Ireland or the UK.

Unlike Hailo, which takes a percentage of every cab fare, Lynk currently makes the majority of its revenue from membership fees paid by drivers who sign up to the service.

The fees are currently in the region of €70 per week, although drivers can reduce this by measures such as signing up a friend to the service.

The company is expecting to hit a turnover of €10m by the end of its financial year, which will be next March. Mr Ebbs said the company is currently on target to achieve that aim.

He admitted that he does not expect the UK expansion to be as rapid as the Irish one, saying that he would be "very happy if we were turning over €25m by the end of the first year".

http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/taxi-app-lynk-to-get-25m-in-backing-for-uk-launch-31122191.html
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