The taxi driver accused of murdering a British millionaire in India has been paraded in front of the world's media by police in Punjab.

(I am sure I know him.)

Sukhdev Singh covered his face as officers took him to a police station in Jalandhar, and he charged with the murder of Wolverhampton 54-year-old Ranjit Singh Power.

The father-of-two's body was uncovered in woodland in northern India on Sunday following a search. His family had raised the alarm when he failed to arrive at Birmingham airport on his return flight from the country earlier this month


 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3104468/Pictured-Taxi-driver-suspected-murdering-millionaire-British-businessman-54-India-property-row.html#ixzz3bmYDU4zo 
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BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission said on Thursday it had asked Paris for more information on a new French law on taxis and chauffeured cars following a complaint from mobile phone taxi-booking service Uber.

Launched four years ago, the California-based company has expanded across Europe but has run into opposition from regular taxi drivers who say it breaks local taxi rules and violates licensing, insurance and safety regulations.

A number of European courts have banned Uber's unlicensed taxi service, UberPOP. The latest ban came earlier this week in Milan.

France's so-called Thevenoud law requires chauffeured cars to return to a base between fares, restricts their use of software to find clients in the street and banned unlicensed service, among other measures.

In November Uber filed a complaint with the Commission against the French law, arguing it favored regular taxis at Uber's expense and that France should have notified Brussels of the new law.
The Commission has written to the French government asking it for more information on the law, a Commission spokesman said.

"This latest letter is basically another nail in the coffin of an anti-consumer, anti-technology and archaically protectionist law," Uber's head of public policy Mark MacGann said on Thursday.
Ultimately Brussels could take France to court if it finds that the law breaks the EU treaties.
The request for information, however, does not mean that the Commission will launch formal proceedings against France.

Hail hath no fury like a taxi app-maker scorned

Uber says the city would be in violation of federal law if it adopts proposed rules regulating e-hail companies.
The city's attempt to regulate the rapidly growing for-hire vehicle app market is triggering blowback, both from the disruptors and the disruptees.

The Taxi and Limousine Commission is holding what may well be an emotional public hearing on the proposed rules Thursday, with a vote to follow in the weeks to come. The 40-page proposal was quietly posted online late last month.

Uber claims the new rules, which require smartphone-app operators to apply for approval from the TLC for significant updates to their taxi-hailing software and to give the commission app-enabled devices, violates the federal Telecommunications Act of 1996, according to a draft of the San Francisco-based company's testimony, which was obtained by Crain's.

"The TLC’s attempt to intervene in technology and design decisions made by mobile application developers runs afoul of the letter and spirit of the Telecom Act," Uber plans to testify. "For emerging industries like mobile applications, the Telecom Act established a clear policy of deregulation to encourage companies to offer new products in order to promote competition."

Previously, Uber claimed the new rules would require it to purchase mobile devices like iPhones and Apple Watches for the TLC so regulators can test its app, or be fined $500. The company also marshaled technology allies including Facebook and Google to lobby the de Blasio administration to drop the proposal.

Uber plans to stage a rally in front of the TLC's Beaver Street headquarters Thursday morning before the hearing. Hundreds of drivers are expected, the company said.

One of Uber's main rivals, Lyft, also opposes the rule change, but for different reasons. Like Uber, Lyft says the rules would stifle innovation in the app market, but the company known for its pink-mustachioed cars also claims the rules would allow Uber to monopolize the market.

"One of the most glaring problems with the rules is that they would limit drivers to using only the equipment provided by their affiliated base, and one other device for dispatch," Lyft's testimony reads. "The result could be drastic and predictable—a monopoly. Drivers will have no realistic choice between the one dominant app dispatch company and others."

Private-sector groups including the Business Council of New York State and the Manhattan and Brooklyn chambers of commerce have also come out in opposition, echoing Uber's argument that the TLC proposal would hinder technological progress and hurt consumers.

Even industry players who have seen app companies poach their drivers and customers and make them look technologically out-of-date are unsatisfied with the TLC's proposal. The Livery Roundtable, which represents livery base owners, said the proposal would force its members to hire legal representation to ensure compliance and pay $1,000 to the city for the ability to use apps for customers to book rides.

"The idea is good, but the devil is in the details," said Tarek Mallah, founding member of Livery Roundtable. "If the rules are allowed to pass as proposed, small community bases would continue on their current path to the same fate: They may go out of business."

The yellow-cab industry, which has seen the once sky-high value of its medallions plummet in a near-inverse of Uber's rise in popularity, is largely supportive of the rules, but thinks the city should go further in regulating the app market. After all, yellow taxis, long the dominant player on New York's cab-choked streets, have learned to live within the city's hyper-regulated market, and Uber can too, said Michael Woloz, a lobbyist for the Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade, which represents medallion owners.

"I think they're a good start. They demonstrate that this emerging sector needs to be regulated in the same way as the yellow industry," he said of the proposed rules. "But there's probably more that should be done."

A spokesman for the TLC betrayed no frustration at the opposition coming from every angle. "We look forward to hearing and considering constructive feedback from the range of stakeholders at the public hearing," he said.

Some medallion lenders, though, are done waiting for the TLC to bring Uber to heel, opting instead for a time-honored tradition in New York's taxi industry: filing a lawsuit.

Four lenders—Melrose Credit Union, Montauk Credit Union, Progressive Credit Union and LOMTO Federal Credit Union—sued the TLC and the de Blasio administration Wednesday, seeking an injunction ordering the city to enforce the rule prohibiting any vehicle other than a yellow taxi from picking up anyone who has just hailed a ride. Uber, the plaintiffs allege, regularly violates this law by responding to ehails. The lenders also plan to file a federal class-action lawsuit against the city next month. 

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20150528/BLOGS04/150529901
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A TAXI driver was rescued from a burning car by firefighters after a crash in Runcorn.

Police said the collision happened at about 7.50am today on the Central Expressway northbound exit slip to Boston Avenue.

A Cheshire Constabulary spokesman said the taxi appeared to have left the road and hit a sign.

The driver was treated at the scene and taken to Whiston Hospital.

The slip road and part of the Central Expressway was shut for about an hour.

An air ambulance also attended.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/local-news/runcorn-taxi-driver-rescued-burning-9337188

The Enterprise. Bill 2015. Page 18.

LONDON

Two men who forged Transport for London (TfL) private hire licences to illegally operate as minicab drivers have been convicted of fraud and sentenced following Roads and Transport Policing Command investigations.

Masood Sheikh, 60 [31.10.54] of Millfield Avenue, Waltham Forest was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday, 15 May after pleading guilty to two counts of fraud.

Hichem Hamilaoui, 44 [31.10.70] of Redcliffe Gardens, Redbridge was sentenced to eight months imprisonment, which has been suspended for two years, at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday, 15 May after pleading guilty to two counts of fraud.

Both will now be subject to separate financial investigations by the MPS under the proceeds of crime act.

Both Sheikh and Hamilaoui were arrested after TfL compliance officers visited their operator and, while inspecting their records, identified that they were operating as minicab drivers, even though their private hire licences had been revoked. Inspection of their paper licences showed that they were forged and have been used to fraudulently gain employment with cab companies.

The compliance officers then contacted the Police who attended and arrested the drivers.

Inspector Tracy Allison, Roads and Transport Policing Command, said: “This is an excellent result which has seen two fraudsters receive robust judicial outcomes.
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Nottingham

Licensing officers have launched an investigation into claims a taxi driver tried to charge £33 for a four-mile taxi ride - three times the standard fare.

Gedling Borough Council is looking into allegations from passenger Caroline Coyle that a Gedling Hackney carriage cabbie tried to make her pay the excessive fare for a ride from the city centre to Arnold.



Ms Coyle refused to pay and the driver took her to Arnold Police Station, followed by Oxclose Lane Police Station, in Bestwood, where the fare then ramped up to £42.

Ms Coyle videoed the dispute and posted it to Youtube and Facebook, where it has gone viral, with more than 140,000 views, over 500 likes and 3,000 shares.

Nottinghamshire Police confirmed that officers are aware of the incident, which happened in the early hours of Sunday.

But a police spokesman said: "We were called at 4.22am on Sunday, May 24, but it is classed as a civil dispute."

According to Gedling Borough Council, a standard taxi fare is £3.10 for the first 1.5km and then 13p per 100 metres.

After 11pm and until 6am, drivers can charge a further 25 per cent, so this would be £3.88 then 25p per 100 metres.

So a four-mile journey would be 6.5km and therefore the total cost would be £11.38.


But the fare for the journey was almost three times as much, with almost an extra £10 added for the trip to the police station.

On Ms Coyle's 33-second video clip, she has captured footage of the driver, with the meter displaying £33.26.

She is heard to say: "It costs £33.26 from town to Arnold. £33.26 on a Saturday night, I have never heard anything like it.

"So you are saying we are going to have to pay £33 or else we are not allowed out of the taxi, is that correct?"

The taxi driver remains silent.

A Gedling Borough Council spokesman said: "We take complaints of this nature very seriously and we're currently investigating the matter."

If a driver is found to be breaching the conditions of their licence, including over-charging or not picking up from designated areas, their licence can be revoked or suspended.

To gain a licence, drivers must satisfy a number of criteria, including undergoing a medical test, Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) test and complete The Knowledge test of local routes and landmarks.

Applications for taxi licenses in Gedling rose from 720 in 2011-12 to 1,017 in 2012-13 and 1,629 in 2013-14. There were 567 applications between May last year and December.

Ms Coyle did not wish to comment on the matter.

The taxi company has not been identified.

http://www.nottinghampost.com/Woman-charged-33-mile-taxi-journey/story-26575985-detail/story.html

The London demo went ahead today at 14:00 hours.

You will read plenty about it over the forthcoming days. Dozens of photo's are already in the Public domain.

The one Photo I attach now really impressed me.

Beautiful......

EMBARGOED TO 00:01 TUESDAY 26 MAY 2015

PN-150
26 May 2015



Transport for London protects taxi and private hire trade by combating illegal minicab activity

·  TfL announces early results of Operation Neon, launched to clamp down on illegal minicab activity

·       Part of a range of actions to protect the taxi and private hire trades

·       United Cabbies Group urged to call off unnecessary taxi protest

Transport for London (TfL) has announced that over the first five evenings of ‘Operation Neon’, a high visibility, multi-agency operation to clamp down and disrupt illegal activity by minicab and taxis, a total of 331 private hire drivers have been reported for failing to comply with regulations.

Eight drivers have been reported for plying for hire offences, plus 30 drivers for parking on taxi ranks, and 73 tickets have been issued for parking offences. Around 600 vehicles have also been moved on from outside clubs and late night venues. Priority locations such as Swallow Street, Dover Street and Berkeley Street in Mayfair have also been kept clear of such vehicles. This action will continue throughout May and June.

Operation Neon involves TfL enforcement and compliance officials, Metropolitan Police Service officers and Westminster City Council parking attendants, and has substantially increased the levels of visible enforcement in central London, combating touting and other illegal activity. It is keeping ranks clear to support legitimate taxi and private hire drivers and has received positive feedback from the trade associations. 

Operation Neon is just one element of TfL’s robust enforcement action with police colleagues, which continues to attack touting and bogus cabs.

As a result, the proportion of women approached by touts at the end of a night out in London has reduced by 77 per cent since 2003. Since April 2013, the TfL funded Cab Enforcement Unit has reported 148 drivers for unlawfully plying for hire, resulting in a 97 per cent conviction rate of those that have gone to court.

Garrett Emmerson, TfL’s Chief Operating Officer for Surface Transport, said: “We are determined to protect the livelihoods of all legitimate taxi and private hire drivers through robust enforcement action. Following engagement with the main trade associations (The Licensed Taxi Drivers Association, the London Cab Drivers Club and UNITE), we will continue to be relentless in enforcing the law through action such as Operation Neon to protect the legitimate trade, improve public safety, promote high levels of compliance and tackle illegality”

TfL has also today urged the United Cabbies group (UCG) to call off its protest organised by a small group of taxi drivers outside of the main recognised taxi associations. It is due to take place at 14:00 this afternoon (Tuesday 26 May) and would unnecessarily disrupt Londoners and visitors to the Capital.

According to the UCG, their primary aim is to highlight the ‘Future Proof’ report that was published in February by the Greater London Authority (GLA).

However, TfL provided a full response to ‘Future Proof’ in February making clear that all of the main recommendations either have been, or are in the process of, being implemented. Of the 19 recommendations, 13 were planned or already underway before the report was published. The remainder are now being delivered against specific implementation dates, with the exception of one that is a matter for Government.

Garrett Emmerson added: “There is absolutely no justification for this protest because we are already doing the very things they are calling for. Just like the previous protest on Oxford Street, it will achieve nothing other than to disrupt life and business in London.”


ENDS

Note to Editors:
TfL is responsible for licensing 100,000 taxi and private hire drivers, 85,000 taxi and private hire vehicles and 3,000 private hire operators and is the largest licensing authority in England and Wales and is responsible for licensing over a third of all services.

TfL’s regulation of the taxi trade is widely recognised as the best in the world. The rigorous Knowledge of London examination coupled with the Conditions of Fitness, which require every taxi to be fully accessible, mean an exceptionally high standard is required.

In testimony to the GLA Transport Committee, Matthew Daus (President, International Association of Transportation Regulators) said: “Well, [TfL’s licensing] has been the gold standard for many, many years, and it is even now. As someone who ran the New York City taxi commission for nine years and was there for 14 years, we would often find ourselves comparing ourselves to London and I think most regulators around the country in the United States (US) as well as the world – and we represent everybody at the IATR from the Middle East to Australia – everybody finds themselves comparing themselves to the iconic black cab system.”

Transport for London is doing a number of things to support the taxi trade including:
Investing £600,000 in a Taxi Rank Action Plan to increase the number of ranks across the Capital by 20 per cent by 2020 (an extra 100 ranks).

Publishing a Suburban Ranks Action Plan to ensure the continued provision of taxi services in the suburbs.

Creating taxi and private hire Reference Groups to consider future development of trades. TfL will also establish a regular forum to discuss taxi issues with suburban drivers, alongside established trade representatives.

Launching a new counter service – accessible via Chancel Street, SE1 – as a direct result of requests from the taxi and private hire trades. The service is principally to help customers who are having difficulties with the application process.

Later in June TfL will also be launching a brand new online application process. This will allow customers to easily and conveniently process their entire application online, including the scanning and uploading of supporting documents.

At the request of the trades TfL is also seeking clarity, from the High Court, on whether the device in Uber vehicles constitutes a taximeter.


TfL Press Office
0843 222 4141
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MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Hundreds of taxi drivers marched through Mexico City Monday chanting "Uber Out!" and demanding city authorities ban the online ride service.

Some drove their pink-and-white cabs in ranks, snarling traffic along the city's main boulevard.

The drivers say that Uber and other ride-sharing services evade the tax, registration and safety laws that regular cabs are subject to.
Taxi drivers' leader Eleazar Romero told the rally that "we are not against technology. We just want a level playing field, we want everyone to follow the same tax rules we do."

Taxi leaders apologized for affecting traffic, but claimed they were facing unfair competition.

Uber responded on its blog by offering Mexico City commuters free rides on Monday, with hashtags that roughly translate as "If Mexico won't stop, Uber won't stop."

It said commuters could take up to two rides worth about $10 for free.

On Twitter, the hashtag #Ubersequeda — literally, "Uber is sticking around" — was one of the top trending topics in Mexico, though there is a rival hashtag, roughly "Uber is going," used by people who oppose the service.

Mexico City officials have said they would study ways to regulate the app, but also stressed that regular, medallion cabs should bring themselves up to date and use apps as well.

Mexico City medallion cabs are sometimes poorly maintained, and have frequently been implicated in assaults on passengers and overcharging.


https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/hundreds-taxi-drivers-march-mexico-191301752.html
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Six people have been put in isolation in prison in Guinea after being accused of travelling with a corpse of a relative who had died of Ebola.

The authorities said the body was seated upright in a taxi, dressed in a T-shirt and jeans with sunglasses and sandwiched between three others.

If after 21 days they show no signs of having the virus they will be tried for violating the health emergency.

Guinea is battling to control a flare up in Ebola cases.

Nearly 2,500 people have died in Guinea since the West Africa Ebola outbreak began more than a year ago.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-32877392

May 22 (Reuters) - France's highest administrative court on Friday approved two out of three main restrictions on private chauffeured vehicle services such as Uber that were introduced last year after complaints from traditional cab drivers of unfair competition.

Uber, an online service that links its drivers with passengers through a smartphone app, claimed a victory in its challenge to the regulations because the court decided to allow it to charge by the kilometre (mile) instead of giving a price at the moment of booking.

But the French taxi drivers' organisation UNT said the court had "confirmed the illegality of Uber's practices" and called on the government to shut down Internet applications that do not conform to the rules.

France's constitutional council said drivers of private chauffeured vehicles must return to their bases after dropping off a customer, or await new fares from a parking lot, upholding a ban on them driving around looking for new clients.

It also backed the restrictions on apps like Uber's that indicate to potential clients on their smartphones both the location of nearby drivers and their availability.

San Francisco-based Uber faces legal challenges in several European countries where licensed taxis drivers have protested.

An Uber spokesman said that being allowed to charge by the kilometre was central to its business model, and that the limitation on location apps would not make much difference.

But the UNT said the ruling would end a period in which Uber drivers had been allowed to "roam illegally on the public highway in search of customers".

A Paris appeals court had been waiting for the decision before ruling on whether to ban Uber's separate UberPOP online service, a more informal operation which links ordinary private drivers with potential passengers at cheaper rates than traditional cabs.

The case before the appeals court was brought by three competing car services -- LeCab, GreenTomatoCars and Transdev Shuttle -- and taxi unions.

Created by two Silicon Valley entrepreneurs frustrated by difficulties encountered when trying to hail a cab in Paris, Uber launched an app in 2010 and now operates in nearly 270 cities.

In France, the government sought to calm conflicts between taxis and Uber by reworking the rules on how traditional taxis compete with chauffeured cars. (Reporting by Jean-Baptiste Vey; Writing by Leigh Thomas; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/05/22/france-taxis-idUKL5N0YD1L620150522

Liverpool 3 Queens demo halted today.

An organisation that represents hundreds of hackney and private hire taxis in Liverpool says it will no longer hold a mass protest at the height of the Three Queens.

The Liverpool Cabdrivers’ Association has now called off the demonstration planned to begin at noon on Monday.

A spokesman for the body said drivers made the decision after feedback from customers.

He said: “We have decided, as much as our jobs are of vast importance to our lives and families, we have decided to step down from Monday’s protest at the last minute due to the fact we don’t want to ruin the people’s day.”

The decision came after a mass meeting of drivers tonight and the LCA, which claims to represent more than 800 cabbies in the city, said it was done for the public.

The organisation had previously stressed it did not want to protest at such a prestigious time for the city, but felt it had to in order to try and protect the future of the trade.

The spokesman added the LCA would not back down in its long term battle for that goal.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/taxi-drivers-call-mass-protest-9322487

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News by Email from Liverpool on Saturday 23, suggested that many of the Liverpool trade did not support the Demo anyway. That may have been a contributory factor in the decision to cancel the Demo anyway.

Email:

I know nothing about it, other than its a group called LCA supposedly running it who were apparently formed last week, not sure who the chairman is. Taxi alliance are distancing themselves away from the demo. I've had no documentation from anyone. I only know what I've read on Twitter and what I've heard on the radio phone in. Most lads I've spoke to aren't supporting it or haven't even heard about it. I for one would never do a demo like this on a whim, I'd expect a mass meeting where the pros and cons are debated and a show of hands for a yes or no.

Our job count at www.futurecabs.co.uk is growing daily by matching the price private hire charge. By the way it's just under the metered fare. We've 90 lads on who are all doing their money everyday. I see this as a better way to fightback than doing a demo and highlighting one particular company. Companies would pay a fortune for advertising like that. If a company meets the criteria there's not a lot the council can do to stop them setting up in Liverpool. Delta (Liverpool) now unfortunately meet that criteria. A demo won't change that. Fortunately Uber don't meet the criteria and that's the reason they've not had a licence granted. I see uber as the biggest threat to the taxi trade in this city, already we see a lot of uber dropping off here. Although one disadvantage I can see of Uber is its cashless and Liverpool is a city of cash I've seen numerous drivers walk out of our offices because they don't want nothing going through their bank. At future all radio settles and account work is paid through a bank.

Regards

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LONDON.

The London Demo tomorrow is still on. Up to 2000 Cabs are expected to take part. Scheduled peak time of the Demo is 2 p.m.

I will update further and post Photo's as and when they arrive

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UBER LASHES OUT AT ATO RULING, SAYING IT DESERVES DIFFERENT TAX TREATMENT TO TAXIS

Uber has argued it provides a “fundamentally different service” from taxis and deserves different tax treatment, despite an Australian Tax Office (ATO) ruling that ride-sharing drivers must charge goods and services tax.

The company said it would challenge the ATO’s “flawed” decision.

On Wednesday, the ATO issued general advice to people providing a range of services through the “sharing economy”.

The so-called sharing economy – also referred to as collaborative consumption or peer-to-peer – can encompass activities such as letting a room through Airbnb, or performing odd jobs or other activities for payment through Airtasker, or driving passengers in a car for a fare using a service such as Uber.

The ATO said people needed to register to charge the 10% GST if their annual turnover from a sharing-economy enterprise was $75,000 or more. But it said ride-sourcing services such as Uber were considered taxi travel under the GST law regardless of turnover, and drivers must be registered to charge the tax from the very first time they took a passenger.

“Affected drivers must register for GST, charge GST on the full fare, lodge business activity statements and report the income in their tax returns,” the deputy tax commissioner, James O’Halloran, said.

http://www.smperth.com/uber-lashes-out-at-ato-ruling-saying-it-deserves-different-tax-treatment-to-taxis/
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CHESHIRE WEST

A Porsche, BMW convertible and a taxi were used by Manchester-based dealers to carry drugs such as cocaine, amphetamine and cannabis to distributors in Gwynedd, a court heard.

Caernarfon Crown Court was told that convicted drug dealer Paul David Williams, 41, allegedly ran his drugs empire using mobile phones which had been smuggled into Dovegate prison, Stafford where he was imprisoned between June 1, 2013 and November 14, 2014.

Jurors heard that during a search of Williams’s cell, police found two mobile phones hidden in a TV and DVD and a list of 68 phone numbers, half of whom were for people allegedly called by him during this time.

Williams and four others deny charges of conspiring to supply Class A and B drugs. Williams also denies plotting to bring a mobile phone into prison.

The case involves 30 people arrested as part of Operation Measure, a North Wales Police undercover investigation and part of its ongoing Operation Scorpion probe into drugs supply.
Today North Wales Police intelligence analyst Erin Young gave evidence about 39 dates including vehicle sightings, mobile phone data and surveillance matching people to events.

She said Paul Mercer, from Manchester, Heath Bowling, 42, from Stockport and Christopher Pyke, 41, from Pitt Street, Macclesfield - who have all admitted supplying drugs - travelled in cars such as a Porsche Cayenne, a BMW M3 convertible and a Mercedes taxi registered to Bowling’s Taxis, to deliver drugs to distributors in Maesgeirchen, Bangor, Bethesda and Caernarfon.

Bowling ran three businesses, Bowling’s Taxis, Cheshire MOT and Alderley Autos.

The Porsche was registered to Bowling’s wife.

The BMW was registered to defendant Mark Oliver, 51, of Cheadle Hulme who denies conspiracy to supply Class A and B drugs and whose car was used by Mercer.


http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/drugs-couriered-gwynedd-porsche-bmw-9307062
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Cornwall-based C&C Taxis has reported significant fuel and maintenance cost savings since taking delivery of a Nissan LEAF in July 2013, which has now covered more than 100,000 miles.
‘Wizzy’, as the LEAF has been named by operators at St Austell-based C&C Taxis, hit the milestone in the course of more than 25,000 pure electric paying fares and having been rapid charged over 1,700 times.

The distance it’s covered since entering service is equivalent to 100 round trips from the company’s base in Cornwall to Glasgow, more than four times around the world or almost half the distance to the moon. But, despite living the same punishing life as any modern day taxi, C&C Taxis reports that Wizzy retains near full battery health and is still on its first set of brake pads. 

Inspired by Wizzy’s performance, C&C Taxis now operates five further 100% electric Nissan LEAFs and an all-electric Nissan e-NV200 Combi. Mark Richards, fleet manager at C&C Taxis, estimates that each vehicle saves the business around £8,500 per year in fuel bills and maintenance costs.

"When we speak to other taxi operators they often tell us range and battery life are the biggest factors preventing them from considering an electric taxi," he said. "Then, when we tell them Wizzy’s done 100,000 miles and still has full battery health, they’re left speechless.”

“It’s no exaggeration to say Wizzy has transformed our business. We took a gamble when we bought her but she’ll have paid for herself in just 24 months and the savings we’re now making across the fleet are phenomenal,” he added.

Built in Britain and priced from £21,490 RRP (including Government Plug-In Car Grant), the Nissan LEAF is the world’s bestselling pure electric car and costs from just two pence per mile to run. It can travel up to 124 miles on a single charge and can be recharged using a domestic plug socket or from zero to 80% in  30 minutes at a rapid charging station.


http://fleetworld.co.uk/news/2015/May/Cornish-taxi-firm-claims-fuel-and-maintenance-savings-of-8500-pounds-a-year-with-LEAF/0434019957

Dutch authorities on Tuesday said they have raised the amount they can fine UberPOP to one million euros ($1,12 million) after the taxi service paid out the previous maximum of 100,000 euros.

"We have raised the fine ceiling for UberPOP: each time a driver is arrested, the maximum fine will be 50,000 euros," Elif Bagci, spokeswoman fot the Dutch Transport and Environment authority, told AFP.

"If they continue, Uber will have to pay a maximum of one million euros," she said, adding that Uber had already paid 100,000 euros in fines.

Dutch judges in December banned UberPOP from taking bookings via its smartphone app, threatening the US company with fines of up to 100,000 euros.

Uber said it would contest the ruling and has continued to offer UberPOP.

Uber uses mobile phone apps to put customers in touch with drivers who then take them where they want to go, at prices lower than those of traditional taxis.

But despite its growing popularity, Uber is facing increasing limits on its activities in EU countries and a barrage of legal challenges spurred on by a furious taxi lobby, who say Uber drivers should be regulated the same way as normal cabs.

UberPOP, which lets private car drivers offer taxi services, said last month that it would help its drivers obtain taxi licences.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/dutch-threaten-uberpop-million-euro-144308717.html#dVEI9kU
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A NOTORIOUS armed robber has been convicted of trying to rob a Colchester taxi driver.

Ashley Leech, 24, of no fixed address, phoned the PDQ cab company for a taxi to pick him up from Greenstead.


When it arrived, Leech and another man, one masked and the other armed, tried to rob the driver, demanding money and then repeatedly firing at the VW Passat cab with a BB gun, as it sped off.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard driver Thomas Partridge, a local cabbie for 12 years, escaped unhurt.

Five days after the attack, in Acacia Avenue at about 2am on December 1, last year, Leech was found hiding in a cardboard box in the loft of his mother’s house near The Hythe.

He was traced via the phone which had been used to call for the cab. Leech denied attempted robbery but was found guilty by a majority jury verdict of ten to two.

A balaclava, BB gun and ball bearings, similar to one found on the passenger seat of the taxi, has been found near Leech’s hiding place, the jury was told.

After he was found guilty, the court was told Leech had been released from prison weeks before the incident.

He had served time for a string of armed robberies and robbery attempts, all in the Colchester area.

He tried to rob three people with a knife in 2005 and robbed another person, using a knife in 2006. He was convicted of these offences in 2007 and jailed.

In 2010, he robbed a delivery driver with using a similar BB gun to that used in the cabbie attack.

A year later, he threatened a neighbour with the same binding, gagging and robbing the victim.

He was jailed for a total of seven years for the crimes in 2012, but allowed out early on licence in September 2014.

In the weeks after his release, the court heard Leech was seen with a gun and was said to have made plans to rob the One Stop off Hawthorn Avenue. He was also questioned on suspicion of several other offences.

Deferring sentence until next month, Judge David Turner QC said Leech should be considered dangerous.

Leech is already back in prison, having been recalled for previous offences, and is not due to be released until 2021.

http://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/12957004.Notorious_robber_is_guilty_of_taxi_attack/?ref=rss
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CHESTERFIELD

A taxi driver has criticised a council’s decision to revoke her licence after she was convicted of benefit fraud.

Jennifer Brooks fears the vulnerable people she helped transport will now be left in the lurch.

The 51-year-old is also concerned she will struggle to find another job and not be able to pay back the £10,655 she illegally claimed in council tax and housing benefits.

Chesterfield Borough Council, which has revoked Ms Brooks’ taxi badge for three years, said she had breached policy.

Ms Brooks, who worked with Chesterfield-based Naylor’s Taxis, said: “I’m not a bad person – I love this job, I’ve been doing it for the past 15 years.

“The vulnerable adults and children will also suffer.

“They know me and now they’re going to have to get used to being driven around by someone else and that will be difficult and upsetting for them.

“I’m going to struggle to pay back the money without a job.”

http://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/grassroots/chesterfield-benefits-cheat-i-don-t-deserve-to-lose-my-job-1-7268057
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WILMSLOW

Women have been urged to use only pre-booked private hire vehicles and properly licensed hackney cabs after an assault in a bogus taxi in Wilmslow.

An 18-year-old girl waiting for a taxi was attacked after getting into a silver saloon type on Water Lane around 4.30pm on Friday, May 15.

The victim claims the car had a yellow sticker on the door and the driver gave the impression it was the taxi she had booked.

She was assaulted by a man sitting in the back of the taxi but managed to escape.
The driver was white with a slight tan, in his 30s with a muscular build, chiselled features, brown eyes and perfect teeth. He had a bald head and the word ‘Holly’ tattooed on the back of his neck.


The passenger was in his late 20s and had olive skin, dark eyes, a slim build and unkempt appearance. He had short, dark, curly hair and some of his teeth were missing.

DS Antony King said: “We would ask the public that when they order a taxi or if a vehicle stops and the driver claims to be a taxi that they ensure the driver is wearing a valid photo identity badge with their taxi license number on it. If in doubt call the taxi company.”

http://www.macclesfield-express.co.uk/news/local-news/warning-after-girl-assaulted-bogus-9289718

UBER now get Illegal roof Signs.

1980 Transport Act

Rachel Whetstone, who was head of communications and public policy at Google, has left the role for a job at taxi service Uber.

Rachel Whetstone, the Briton who has been head of communications and public policy at Google for several years, has been poached by Uber for a similar role.

She will become senior vice-president of policy and communications at the taxi company, which is expected to list on the stock market this year and has been valued at as much as $50bn (£31.7bn).

Whetstone will replace David Plouffe, who was Barack Obama’s campaign manager in 2008 and joined Uber in August last year.

He has been elevated to the role of chief adviser to the company and its chief executive Travis Kalanick, and will also sit on the board of Uber.

Whetstone’s appointment was first reported by Recode. She begins her new job next month.

In recent months Uber has been buffeted on several fronts in a number of cities and countries by regulators, taxi drivers and others who oppose the rise of the smartphone-based service that has proved popular with thousands of users.

In the face of fierce resistance in numerous European cities, Kalanick said in January that he wanted to focus on forging “new partnerships”. Uber’s expansion could eventually create 50,000 jobs, he added.

Whetstone is married to Steve Hilton, who was a senior adviser to David Cameron before quitting in 2012. He now lives in California and is chief executive of technology start-up Crowdpac.

Policy Exchange, a conservative British thinktank, said Hilton would become a visiting scholar and visit the UK several times a year but not be based in London.

Before starting her career with Google in Europe in 2005, Whetstone was Michael Howard’s chief of staff after he became Conservative leader in 2003.

She joined Conservative Central Office after studying politics at Bristol University before switching to Carlton Communications – where she worked with David Cameron – and then went on to co-found the PR agency Portland.

The couple were godparents to Ivan, the Camerons’ disabled son who died in 2009.

http://tinyurl.com/kk5s5ze

Institute of Economic Affairs support Uber's assault on monopolies.

Last Friday, a colleague and I attended a conference on the plans for a Capital Markets Union in Brussels. I decided to order an Uber to take us to the airport afterwards, because it cost only about half of what regulated taxis charge. A taxi driver spotted us as we were entering the vehicle. He immediately jumped out of his car and approached us, knocking fiercely on the driver’s window. He went on to shout at and harass the driver, threatening to call the police and block our way until they arrived. It was only when the taxi driver’s passenger showed up that he finally relented and went back to his own vehicle, allowing us to get on our way. Saved by the profit motive, once again.

This was not an isolated incident. Media reports show repeated instances of similar reactions from drivers of licensed cabbies. Uber drivers also face a risk of having their cars seized for daring to sign up to the service.

In a sense, these events are spillovers of the political disputes taking place at Brussels’ city hall and its Ministry of Transport. Licensed cabbies are feeling the competitive pressure, and in turn, they are pushing local authorities to protect their monopoly. Uber’s Brussels service, launched in February 2014, has been in legal limbo for much of its existence. And even though the city administration is expected to come up with a stable framework to bring Uber fully into the formal economy by January 2016, we know little about the conditions – fares, driver and vehicle requirements, waiting times (as in France) etc. – that they will impose on the California-based company.

The episode neatly illustrates the very damaging long-term consequences, both economic and social, that state intervention can give rise to. Indeed, as bad and counterproductive as many government regulations are, few appear as transparently harmful and wrong as the taxi monopoly and the often concomitant ban on alternative services.

What is more, they are outdated. Before the advent of mobile apps, there may have been a case for licensing and regulating prices and vehicle conditions (Matt Feeney at the Cato Institute explains this here). It could be argued that there were substantial informational asymmetries and transaction costs from unregulated prices. 

Potential passengers faced uncertainty about the qualifications and professionalism of drivers. Furthermore, they would have been more likely to hop into the first available cab than to bargain and wait for an attractive offer. According to this thinking, government regulation was needed to narrow the information gap by specifying requirements of taxi drivers and their vehicles, as well as the prices they were able to charge per mile and minute (although entry restrictions were still unjustified). Even then, market mechanisms could have coped with the information issue - for instance by encouraging cabbies to form associations or clubs which would set private standards and prices, and enforce them among members. They would rely on reputation for their business, giving them an incentive to demand good service from members, and to punish and expel those who failed to comply. The existence of competing clubs (and indeed companies) along these lines in the absence of government restrictions to entry would, in turn, put downward pressure on prices.

But regardless of what one makes of the above, the fact is that mobile apps have solved the riddle. With Uber, users can find out in advance the name of the driver who will be picking them up, as well as the make and licence plate of their car, and their average star rating from previous users. Those drivers who consistently obtain suboptimal ratings face a warning and, eventually, the end of their contract. Fares are transparent, and surge prices ensure that if demand rises, more cars will hit the road to meet it. Uber and similar apps like Lyft and Addison Lee – which offers fixed prices based on distance – have transformed the market for private transport services, bridging the information gap and offering prices that no regulated competitor can match. The benefit to passengers is clear: greater choice (if one still prefers drivers with The Knowledge, one is free to use them); increased supply of private car hires; and more competitive prices, which have both expanded the market for transport services and introduced some degree of pressure on regulated fares.  

Yet, the benefit to drivers shouldn’t be overlooked, either. By its nature, Uber offers contractors a flexible source of extra income – of course, some drivers may be dedicated to passenger transport full-time, but they need not be. This is especially true in the case of Brussels where, because of the app falling into a legal grey area, only UberPOP, the most basic type of Uber ride, is available. This is aimed at individuals with a vehicle who want to work a few hours a week to complement another source of income. (One still obtains the same information about drivers as with other Uber services.) The app is therefore attractive to low-income individuals, often self-employed and immigrants, who like the choice of working hours and the income security offered by market-driven fares and GPS technology to locate rides.

Banning Uber to protect licensed taxi drivers thus has a negative impact on people who are un- or underemployed, recent arrivals with little work experience and basic language skills, and more generally those to whom Uber’s relatively low fares still make a real difference. But these people lack the rent-seeking skills and political clout of the taxi cartel, which has a strong incentive to block any attempt at reform.

When it comes to ending harmful restrictions on the transport market, the most salient stumbling block would appear to be the high price paid by taxi drivers for their licences, which in some European cities reached the hundreds of thousands of euros. Many cabbies took loans in the hope that they might be able to pay them back with their taxi income and by re-selling the licence at retirement. But with entry restrictions removed and fares deregulated, drivers stand little chance of recouping the cost.

Governments – and this decision should be made at the local level – could try to make the change more politically palatable to cabbies by compensating them to some extent for the license costs they incurred. This can be done on a means-tested basis, and/or on a sliding scale. This is not necessarily good economics. Taxpayers, some of whom may never use a taxi, would end up paying for this. Nor would it be legally necessary. When Ireland liberalised entry into the taxi market, thus wiping out the value of the licenses, the courts decided that taxi drivers were not entitled to a compensation, as they did not have a ‘property right’ in the value of their licenses.    

But a partial compensation would be justifiable on other grounds. Current license holders, after all, did not have the option of entering the market without purchasing a license. While they chose to do so on their own volition, it was a choice distorted by previous government interventions. On a more practical note, partial compensation would also smooth the transition to a deregulated system for taxi drivers, making them more amenable to change. In any case, it would be a one-off expense to a pay off the legacy costs resulting from misguided past interventions. An intervention to end intervention, and hopefully for good.

http://www.iea.org.uk/blog/the-havoc-wreaked-by-outdated-taxi-regulation
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Liverpool.

Liverpool council today bottled the challenge of Delta Cars (Sefton).


The Elections over Liverpool went back on their promises to Trade Representatives and re-instated Delta Cars Liverpool Operators Licence.

The Trade see this as a smack in the face, but, worse may be to come. Liverpool Council have been delaying an application from Uber, for a Liverpool Operators Licence.

The elections now over, Uber can expect an Operators License any day now. If not they only need to pay £300 to Liverpool Crown Court and have the license granted.

You can bet your ar*e Uber know that.

Update 19:00 hours 

 Delta rub it in and offer new Liverpool drivers 8 weeks half rent.


http://www.deltataxis.net/driversection/newsfeed-34.php

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BRADFORD

A CRACKDOWN has started on a licensing loophole which Council bosses believe could leave some minicab drivers not fully insured.

Bradford Council's licensing officials have become growing increasingly concerned at the number of cabbies in Bradford who are getting their licenses from other local authorities.

Council bosses were worried that the move was being used as a way to avoid Bradford’s notoriously high insurance premiums, so earlier this year they decided to tighten the rules around the practice.

Now, private hire operators who take on such drivers must prove the cabbies have told their insurers they will be predominately based in Bradford – or the operators risk losing their own licence.

But with the new regulations coming into effect, some private hire firms say the paperwork burden is proving a nightmare for them.

Azad Khan, owner of 1st Choice Private Hire, Keighley, said: "Bradford Council is trying to put the burden on us.

"The Council is trying to tell us to do their dirty work. It's nothing to do with us.

"They can't stop these drivers from working in other areas. It's not up to me to tell them they can't work. The Council should try to change the law."

Under the law, cabbies can get a hackney carriage licence from one area and then work as a private hire driver throughout the country.

But the practice has sparked concerns locally, as other local authorities have different standards for drivers' criminal records, vehicle safety and other licensing criteria including knowledge tests.

The tighter operators' regulations were brought in after the Council’s regulatory and appeals committee debated the issue in January. Operators also have to prove the vehicles have undergone safety checks.

Khurram Shehzad, chairman of Bradford Private Hire Liaison Service, said: "I'm disgusted that the Council are using the operators to get these out-of-town licensed drivers out.

"I think they are doing it because the money for the licensing is going out of Bradford.”

But Councillor David Warburton, chairman of the regulatory and appeals committee, refuted this claim and said the resolutions were brought in to protect the public by making sure all drivers were properly insured to work in Bradford.

He said: "It's about safety and security.

"It's not a clamp down, it's making sure the public are safe. We have a duty of care to the public. If anything untoward happens, the public are safe.”

He said the authority did “not want to stop people working” and drivers were still free to get their licenses from other areas if they wanted to.

A Council spokesman added: "These conditions to private hire operators’ licenses were introduced to ensure the safety of the public by providing proof that all taxis operating in Bradford are properly safety checked and insured, wherever their licence is issued."

And not all private hire bosses are against the move.

Stuart Hastings, boss of private hire firm Metro Keighley, said he backed Bradford Council's tightening of the rules “absolutely, without a doubt”, as all drivers should be properly insured.

Mr Hastings, who also heads up Keighley Private Hire Association, said: “If you said to your insurer you work in a different area and it is proven you work in Bradford, then there's a reason they have not to pay out.”

A spokesman for the Association of British Insurers said cab drivers who misled their insurer about where they did the majority of their work “may find that they will not be covered if their vehicle is stolen or damaged”.

She said: “However innocent third parties, such as passengers or other drivers, would be covered if they are injured in an accident, either by the taxi owner’s insurer or through a fund which compensates the victims of uninsured drivers.”

http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/local/localbrad/12942056.Cabbies_face_insurance_crackdown_amid_concerns_over_licensing_loophole/
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CRIMINAL gangs plan to target Glasgow cabbies with fake bank notes, the Evening Times can today reveal.

It is feared fraudsters will palm off piles of counterfeit money on unwitting taxi drivers across the city.
Cabbies were today warned to be on their guard for criminals who will go to astonishing lengths to dupe them.
A recent Evening Times investigation revealed fake Clydesdale Bank £20 notes were being used in scam deals in Glasgow.
Authorities, including taxi firm bosses, insist they are not aware of any influx of counterfeit currency.
But taxi drivers are being urged to be vigilant when they handle currency.
One cabbie told the Evening Times he won't hand over any change to a customer without testing the bank notes they have paid him with.
Stephen Flynn, vice chairman of Glasgow Taxis Ltd, said: "We've had no recent feedback from our members and drivers that the issues of fake bank note use is a significant one at present.
"However we are grateful to the Evening Times for bringing this to our attention and will be contacting our full fleet of drivers this week to remind them to continue to be vigilant on this front.
"Any incidents, which do seem to be irregular and sporadic, we continue to take seriously and will report to police."
Fake cash leaves taxi drivers - the majority of whom are self-employed - with the worthless currency and out of pocket after having given real cash back as change.
Police previously vowed to track down criminals printing and using dud bills.
Genuine Scottish bank notes have a watermark that is hardly visible until it is held up to light.
A metallic thread is embedded in the paper of all bank notes and appears as silver dashes on the back of the note.
When held up to the light, the metallic thread appears as a continuous dark line.
Each note also has an individual serial number and fluorescent features, which show up only when they are exposed to ultraviolet light.
During last summer's Commonwealth Games, we told how criminals were targeting Glasgow with fake bank notes.
Fraudsters were also using counterfeit £20 notes in scam deals in parts of the city.
Officers were forced to warn both locals and visitors to be vigilant when handling currency, after reports of fake £20 notes circulating in Maryhill.

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/warning-over-fake-cash-scam-to-cabbies-206264n.125470034

North East.

The arrival of UBER in Newcastle has caused quite a stir.

Several of the PH Companies have joined together to form an action group called  'CAUTION' ( Campaign Against Unlawful Taxis In Our Nation Limited).

Ironically one of the main players here is believed to be the owner of Blueline PH, North Tyneside. You Remember, the one who flooded the North east with Berwick Hackney's. 

A word to beleaguered PH Companies.

"You reap what you sow"

Any further information on the group would be welcome, reply to:

acnedriver@gmail.com/

I will of course keep you posted.

CHELMSFORD

A taxi driver has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a man he suspected of being his estranged wife’s new lover was mown down by a car in a residential street.

The victim, a man in his 60s, was killed after being struck by a Mercedes S Class car shortly before 8.30pm on Saturday night in a cul-de-sac in Chelmsford, Essex.

Residents of the street where the incident took place claimed the man arrested was the owner of a local taxi firm whose wife had recently left him.

One local said: “They were a lovely family. The parents split up and the woman had been telling us only yesterday about how happy she was with her new chap. The police told us there were two men involved and one knocked the other down.”

Neighbour Dave McCraig, 46, an HGV driver, said: “It was about 8 or 8.30pm in the evening when I heard a thud. After a couple of seconds I could hear a car roar off up the road.

“I was told the guy drove up onto the pavement and hit him before backing up over him.”

Mr McCraig, who has lived in the street for 18-years, said paramedics attempted to resuscitate the victim on the pavement where he lay.

But the man, who had suffered horrific injuries, was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later.

A police spokesman would not speculate whether the victim had been on the pavement or in the road when they were struck by the vehicle.
A short time after the accident officers from Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate said a 63-year-old man from Chelmsford had been arrested on suspicion of murder.

He was arrested at Chelmsford Police station but it was not clear if he handed himself in.

Locals said the family used to live in Osea Way, where the incident took place, but had moved to another part of Chelmsford several years ago.

It is understood the couple’s daughter and son-in-law still lived in the street and the estranged wife had been seen visiting her family earlier in the evening.
Appealing for witnesses, DCI Marina Ericson, who is leading the investigation, said: “My team would like to speak to anybody who may have witnessed what happened last night and I would urge anybody that has not already spoken to officers to come forward.
“We will be continuing with our investigation today and part of Osea Way will remain cordoned off whilst our forensic examinations continue.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/11596027/Taxi-boss-arrested-on-suspicion-of-murdering-a-man-he-hit-in-his-car.html
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Passengers taking trains from Paddington can now arrive at the London station in style - and with zero emissions.

Under a "UK first" partnership, ticket holders with First Great Western services can pre-book a transfer to and from the station in a Nissan Leaf or Tesla Model S through taxi service eConnect cars.
"This is the first time a train operator has partnered with an electric vehicle operator in London to create a transport solution that truly represents smarter, greener travel for those coming to and from London," said Alistair Clarke, owner and managing director of eConnect cars.

The company, established in London in January 2014, delivered over 10,500 passengers last year, driving over 93,000 miles in the process. eConnect cars calculates that its fully electric fleet helped to save over 40 tonnes of CO2 emissions entering the atmosphere in London during last year.

The deal with eConnect forms part of First Great Western's commitment to reducing its impact on the environment. The company has also brought in new engines for its high speed trains that it claims reduce CO2 emissions by 64 per cent and fuel use by 15 per cent, introduced on-board waste recycling schemes, and is working to encourage more biodegradable and recyclable packaging.

http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2407042/electric-taxi-firm-offers-first-class-ticket-to-paddington
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Two of the biggest taxi firms in Sheffield announced today that they are set to merge.

From 1 June, City Taxis will acquire Mercury Taxis, which will increase the combined business’ fleet to more than 1,400 drivers. Existing fare structures will remain unchanged.

This deal comes after City Taxis recently switched to a state of the art new 10,000sq ft headquarters and offices at Waterside Court, Attercliffe, Sheffield, from previous premises at Manor Top in the city.

Completing 75,000 per week, City Taxis currently has 1,000 public and private sector accounts, employs 85 people at its offices and will acquire 39 staff from Mercury in the merger.

The total combined average job count will hit 110,000 per week. City Taxis aim to become a benchmark for private hire operators in the UK through use of technology, enhanced customer service, improved safety and higher driver standards.

city Taxis has recently introduced one of the world’s most advanced booking and dispatch  systems. Other features include an intelligent phone system and an innovative and informative online booking portal.

Arnie Singh, managing director of City Taxis, said: “At a time when competition for business within the taxi industry is increasing, this merger and consolidation is a significant and important move for both companies. It also provided a suitable exit route for the shareholders of Mercury Taxis in light of their desire to retire from playing an active role in the business."

“Our drivers will be able to access fares across the entire city and well into the surrounding areas such as Rotherham, North Derbyshire and Barnsley. City Taxis will strengthen its position as everyone’s ‘local’ taxi company and provide a very strong service in every Sheffield postcode and beyond."

“We are all looking forward to this exciting chapter in our company’s development. City Taxis  believe that by facilitating this merger and by all working together it can provide the public in the Sheffield City Region with an enhanced standard of service”.

https://bdaily.co.uk/finance/05-05-2015/sheffield-taxi-merger-set-to-become-one-of-the-biggest-operators-in-the-country/
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LEEDS

A TAXI driver was caught with heroin worth more than a quarter of a million pounds in his car, a court heard.

Police arrested Basharat Hussain, a driver with Leeds city centre-based Aireline Taxis, as he headed along the M62 on his way to deliver seven kilogrammes of the class A drug worth £272,600.

Hussain, 28, was jailed for five years, nine months after pleading guilty to possession of heroin with intent to supply.

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/main-topics/general-news/leeds-taxi-driver-had-250-000-of-heroin-in-car-1-7245391