RMT LTDB are holding a lobby of Parliament to push forward demands for a statutory definition of plying for hire.
The single biggest threat to the licensed London Taxi trade is homogenisation of both Taxi & PHV working practices.
The advent of technology has culminated in a situation where by PHV are plying for hire via a smartphone app. Most prominent of these apps. is Uber. A San Francisco based tech company founded by ultra free marketeer capitalist, Travis Kalanik.
However licensing authority Transport for London see no issue with the practice of Uber or any other application, that allows exhibition of vehicles to attract bookings. The regulator has also rushed to the defense of the $40 billion corporate monolith’s use of a taximeter.
The key difference between Taxis and Private hire is that Taxis can PLY FOR HIRE and Private Hire cannot. They must be Pre-Booked.
The requirement of a taximeter is to calculate the fare by time and distance when operating in the immediate hire market.
If Private hire are not permitted to operate this way then there is NO NEED FOR A METER.
RMT have identified that for effective, robust enforcement of both industries, a clear difference must be set.
Both Sir Peter Hendy and Boris Johnson along with Transport for London have stated that they can only regulate within the existing legislation.
The RMT therefor have been campaigning for a change in the legislation that offers clarity and that is to secure the Licensed London Taxi drivers privilege of plying for hire.
Trade demonstrations have been announced throughout the duration of July.
Tuesday July 14th will see a united day of action by the trade. As RMT will be descending on Parliament for a rally inside the commons. This will be hosted by Harlington & Hayes Labour MP, John MacDonald and will include a panel of guest speakers. Drivers will have the opportunity to invite their MPs to the debate and present concerns over the threat to their livelihoods.
Full details will follow shortly with help on how to contact your MP and arrange a meeting. Meanwhile here are the key times and locations.
TUESDAY JULY 14th
HOUSE OF COMMONS (inside)
2:45 pm
Rally beforehand under RMT banner at Windsor House demonstration at 1:40pm. Procession will be leaving at 2:30pm.
PLY FOR HIRE – DEFINE DON’T DEREGULATE
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ROCHDALE
Man left seriously injured after being attacked with concrete slab in suspected road rage incident
It is believed the victim may have been a passenger in a taxi, that was involved in an altercation with the occupants of another car before the attack
A man suffered a serious head injury after being attacked with a concrete slab in a suspected road rage incident.
It happened on Milkstone Road, near to the junction with Station Road, Rochdale.
Police were called following reports by paramedics that a man had sustained a serious head injury.
When officers attended, they found a 32-year-old man had been hit on the head with a concrete slab.
Inquiries have established that prior to being attacked, the man may have been a passenger in a Toyota Avensis taxi that was involved in an altercation with another car on Milkstone Road.
This second car is described as being silver with two Asian men inside.
Police are now appealing to anyone who has information about the attack or who may have witnessed this altercation between the occupants of the two cars to come forward.
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/rochdale-suspected-road-rage-attack-9484980
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A BRADFORD taxi driver who "played games" with the law to avoid speeding points on his licence has been banned from driving and ordered to pay fines and costs totalling £500.
Father-of-six Raza Khan was charged with perverting the course of public justice after naming two other men he blamed for doing 37mph on Huddersfield Road, Wyke, Bradford, at 4.32am on August 25 last year.
Today, on the day he was to stand trial at Bradford Crown Court, Khan pleaded guilty to the less serious charge of wasting police time.
Prosecutor Ben Campbell said Khan, who was working part-time as a taxi driver at the time, was sent a number of notices of intent to prosecute.
He told the police a 'Mr Metcalfe', and then a 'Mr Wood', were at the wheel of the vehicle, doing seven mph over the speed limit, that morning.
Khan, 55, of Kimberley Street, Laisterdyke, Bradford, was arrested on January 13 and continued to deny that he was the driver.
Shown worksheets from the taxi firm, he then said he realised it was him and there had been a mix-up.
Mr Campbell said Khan, who was assisted by an interpreter in court, had nine points on his licence at the time, according to the police.
Another three could have led to a driving ban in the magistrates court.
Khan's solicitor advocate, Mohammed Hussain, said he had no previous convictions.
He worked for a car company but was supplementing his income last summer by driving a taxi in his spare time.
Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC said of Khan: "If he is cynical enough to play this game again, he will be in very big trouble."
There followed an exchange of cricketing analogies as England's recent One Day International victory over New Zealand received an unexpected mention.
The judge said Khan didn't handle the situation "with a straight bat."
To which Mr Hussain replied: "He certainly didn't play like England did yesterday, Your Honour."
Khan was banned from driving for 28 days. He was ordered to pay a £250 fine and £250 in court costs.
Judge Durham Hall told him: "Be more careful. You've cost a lot of time and money. No more nonsense."
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DURHAM
A CABBIE working a city’s ‘Wild West’ who flouted taxi rules so persistently police seized his vehicle faces losing his licence.
Durham Police say the driver, who has not been named, ignored taxi ranks and plied for trade in other areas around Claypath, Durham City – including loading bays and pedestrian areas.
Several other cabbies complained, leading to police giving the driver, who is from Newcastle, a verbal warning.
But he failed to get the message and police eventually lost patience and seized his vehicle.
Other drivers applauded as it was towed off to a secure compound, from where the driver had to reclaim it the next morning, having paid a £100 storage fee.
But even that failed to deter him, as 36 hours later he was back in Durham and had to be given another warning about his conduct.
Now the police and Durham County Council are investigating what further action could be taken.
Adrian White, the council’s head of transport, said: “Following initial contact from Durham Constabulary, our licensing services section is currently liaising with police colleagues regarding allegations of misconduct by a licensed taxi driver.
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/13342128.Taxi_driver_faces_probe_after_police_seize_cab/?ref=rss
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UBER STUNT
As you might know, Uber occasionally runs marketing stunts to boost demand and give riders a new experience with Uber. We’re getting in touch with you, as a great Uber Partner, to give you the chance to be involved! You will receive a £10 bonus for each trip that you take during the event.
To register to the event and receive more information, please fill out this form.
The stunt is going to be a really amazing experience for riders - it’s the first of its kind in Uber history and will be taking place across 6 Uber cities in the UK and Ireland. We’d love you to help make it a reality in London. What do you need to know:
- You would need to be available on Thursday 18th June in London between 6.30pm and 8pm and ready to accept incoming trip requests
- You’ll need to be positioned in a central area of the city at 6.30pm - If demand is what we expect it to be, you’ll get a request within a few seconds of coming online for a good length trip
- You’ll collect the rider as usual but they won’t know the address - you’ll be sent this separately by Uber before they get into the car and, once you’ve confirmed the rider, you’ll need to enter this into the app to navigate there
- You’ll be paid for this trip and rated as usual - but the rider’s trip will be free - You will receive an additional £10 bonusfor each trip that you take for the event
The process is slightly more complicated than usual in that your rider won’t know their destination - but don’t worry, we will communicate the address to you via text message 10 minutes before the event starts. If you have any difficulty, there will be a number you can use to reach the Uber team for that night only.
We’d love you to be involved!
GET INVOLVED
Uber B.V.
Vijzelstraat 68,1017 HL Amsterdam
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