Your taxi has arrived: Uber launches its first Scottish service in Glasgow

TAXI app Uber will launch in Scotland for the first time today when it opens a booking office in Glasgow.

The controversial online taxi service, which matches customers to their closest available drivers using smartphone technology, will begin taking bookings from 4pm today [Friday].

Uber applied to Glasgow City Council for a three-year licence for their booking office earlier this year, but has only been granted a licence for one year initially.

The council also stipulated as a condition of granting permission that only licensed drivers and vehicles could be used, applying to same restrictions to the Uber business as any other private hire taxi firm.

The company has faced criticism in other countries for using drivers who are untrained, unlicensed and uninsured, and avoiding taxes and licensing fees.

It has been banned in Spain and London cabbies have been angered by lost trade and allegedly poor regulation of the service.

In August, court papers lodged in California accused Uber of not doing enough to check the backgrounds of drivers in the United States, claiming it had employed former murderers, sexual offenders and thieves.

Stephen Flynn, vice chairman of Glasgow Taxis Ltd said: “Our track record speaks for itself. Glasgow Taxis Ltd is proud to continue to serve the people of Glasgow, support local causes and be there when really needed, especially in times of crisis.

“Passenger safety is absolutely paramount and that is where we stand apart as all our drivers have full PVG disclosure approved by the local authority. There can be no substitute for safety.”

Uber stressed that all its partner-drivers in the UK must pass an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and it would bring "safe, convenient and low-cost travel" to Glasgow.

Max Lines, General Manager for Uber Glasgow, said: “Today, for the first time, Scotsmen and women will be able to sign up and ride in an uberX, Uber’s affordable, fast and reliable service.

“Uber is not only incredibly convenient for riders, it also enables professional drivers the opportunity to partner with us and become their own bosses, choosing when they work.”

A spokeswoman for Glasgow City Council: “Uber, the mobile phone app for taxi hire, was granted a licence for a booking office in Glasgow for one-year following a decision by the Licensing Committee on April 29.”

Uber has also applied to launch its app in Edinburgh but a shortage of suitable candidates to oversee the business north of the Border is expected to delay its launch in the capital until 2016.

A spokesman for the firm previously said they were seeking people with a background in banking and management consultancy.

http://goo.gl/08iNQi
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 USA

  Verifone (PAY), the world’s leader in payments and commerce solutions, today announced an expansion of its taxi and car-for-hire electronic hailing (e-hail), payment and media business with the acquisition of Curb®, a business that connects people in approximately 60 U.S. cities with rides from professional, insured, and fully-licensed taxi drivers. Using Curb’s e-hail app, passengers take more than 100,000 rides each month. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Based in Alexandria, Virginia, Curb has partnered with more than 90 cab companies and provides e-hail access to 35,000 cars from a smartphone app that combines hailing and payment. Curb’s media-enabled payment terminals are installed in approximately 15,000 cars, adding to the approximately 40,000 U.S. taxis already equipped with Verifone payment terminals.

The acquisition enhances Verifone’s e-hail and payment app business with additional technology and an expanded network of vehicles and drivers across the United States. Curb’s e-hail app for iPhone and Android devices includes web- and SMS text-based booking tools that will enable Verifone Taxi Systems to aggressively improve and scale its e-hail offering as well as its complete suite of taxi technology solutions, empowering its taxi clients to more effectively compete with transportation network companies.

https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/verifone-expands-taxi-e-hail-110000586.html
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 EIRE

 The Central Bank of Ireland has imposed a fine of €5,000 on Irish Taxi Owners’ Co-Op Credit Union Ltd for breaches of its obligations under the Credit Union Act 1997.

This is the first enforcement case to be taken against a credit union since the administrative sanctions procedure became fully applicable to the sector on August 1st 2013.

The regulator found that the credit union had failed to submit its prudential returns within the required timelines in respect of the quarters ending September 30th 2013 to September 30th 2014 inclusive.

It also failed to have adequate systems and controls in place to ensure that the returns were submitted within the required timelines.

In addition, the regulator announced that a settlement agreement had been reached with Michael Hogan, relating to his participation in certain breaches by Irish Taxi Owners’ Co-Op Credit Union Limited.

Mr Hogan was responsible for preparing and submitting the prudential returns on behalf of the credit union. 
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WAKEFIELD

 People could be able to flag down a taxi and travel into the city centre for just £1.

Wakefield Hackney Carriage Association wants to introduce a Pound Back into Town scheme, which could help boost trade for drivers.


Under the scheme, hackney carriage drivers could be flagged down on their way back to the ranks in the city centre.

The passengers would then be charged £1 per person for the journey.

And all journeys except for those back to the taxi rank would be charged as normal.

The Pound Back into Town scheme has already proved successful in Bradford, Barnsley and Wycombe.

Wakefield Council’s licensing committee will decide if the hackney carriages participating in the scheme will be allowed to display the Pound Back into Town logo in their vehicles at a meeting on Friday.

The logo says “flag me down for £1 per person into town”.

http://goo.gl/vXb7Ok