Actress Frances Barber was verbally accosted by a ‘sharia’ taxi driver for her disgusting appearance after she attended the Evening Standard Theatre Awards (pictured)

Dressed in an elegant gown and dazzling earrings, she had enjoyed a night of glamour alongside the cream of showbusiness at an awards ceremony.

But for actress Frances Barber, the evening ended on a sour note after she was verbally accosted by a ‘sharia’ taxi driver.

Miss Barber, 58, who plays a barrister in BBC1 legal drama Silk, claimed the man, whom she booked through mobile phone app Uber, said she was ‘disgustingly dressed’ and that women should not be out at night.

After the encounter, which is believed to have taken place in the early hours of yesterday, she wrote on Twitter: 'Just had a sharia Uber driver, first time in London. Shocked. Reported.'

The term ‘sharia’ seemingly refers to sharia law, which is based on an interpretation of Islamic teachings. It is often criticised for being discriminatory against women.

Miss Barber, who had been at London’s Old Vic theatre for the Evening Standard Theatre Awards, said in a second Twitter post: 'I get Uber out of Old Vic & driver says as a woman I shouldn’t be alone at night & I am disgustingly dressed. THIS IS LONDON.'

The acclaimed actress had worn a demure black ensemble with a high-necked top and floor-length skirt to the event, which was attended by stars such as Gillian Anderson, Gemma Arterton and Kate Beckinsale.

After leaving the event, she booked the taxi through Uber, which sends your location to the company’s nearby cars, one of which will pick you up. She said she mentioned that it was a cold night, to which the driver responded: ‘Well if you weren’t so disgustingly dressed...’

When one of her Twitter followers asked how she reacted, she said she was so angry she ‘got out of cab, slammed door & yelled’.

Uber has apologised for the incident and claimed it will be taking ‘appropriate action’. But it did not confirm whether the driver has been suspended or an investigation launched. The company is reported to have more than 15,000 drivers in London – and rising.

Uber insists drivers are subject to the same strict checks that cover those operating black cabs – but these are far from foolproof.

Transport for London (TfL) recently launched an investigation into the firm after it was revealed some drivers were able to be approved for work by using fake insurance documents.

Uber replied to Miss Barber on Twitter, posting: ‘We take these situations very seriously. A member of our team will be in touch ASAP.’

A spokesman later said: ‘We were shocked about this unacceptable incident and immediately reached out to the rider to offer our full support. We will of course take appropriate action and would like to again extend our sincere apologies to the rider.’

When pressed about what action would be taken, the spokesman said: ‘We don’t discuss individual cases – however all partner drivers on the Uber platform go through enhanced DBS [CRB] checks.’

TfL also contacted the actress online to ask for further details about the incident, but told the Daily Mail last night it would not launch an investigation and would leave the matter to Uber.

Miss Barber declined to comment last night. The star, who was nominated for an Olivier award in 1985, has appeared in an extensive list of stage productions, while TV performances have included guest-starring in Doctor Who.

Daily Mail.
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 Jamaica's Transport Authority has issued a stern warning to the island's taxi drivers to stop carrying children in the boots of their vehicles.

The body's managing director, Donald Foster, says that overloaded taxis with children riding in the boot - or trunk - is an "illegal and most inhumane practice" which must cease, the Jamaica Observer reports. "Any operator found to be violating the rights of passengers to a safe and comfortable ride by overloading the vehicles will be prosecuted," Mr Foster warns. Not only is it a road traffic offence, but possibly one of child cruelty as well, he says.

While island taxi operators have conceded that the practice is wrong, the director of one trade association describes it as an "age-old problem" in rural areas and not as widespread as the Transport Authority believes. "I would not put so much pressure on that issue, because I know the situation in those areas," Egerton Newman, head of the Jamaica Association of Transport Owners and Operators, tells the paper.

Mr Newman says that overloading cars with school pupils in the boot stems from drivers working in agricultural regions of Jamaica, where local transport provision may be one taxi between a community of 40 houses. Many are unlicensed cabs and aren't the type of car that can fit students in the back anyway, he suggests. Nonetheless, Mr Newman echoed the Transport Authority's call for car and minibus drivers to stop overloading their vehicles before lives are lost.
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 Manchester to Wigan

A WOMAN kicked a taxi’s door in a desperate bid to escape a man who had written “rapist” on the window.

Wigan magistrates heard Rebecca Dempsy and her sister had gone to a concert in Manchester on November 4 but were left stranded after the defendant’s bag was stolen and they missed the last train.

Dempsy, of Ashbourne Avenue, Whelley, and her sister decided to wait for the next train which left at 6am but they were approached by a man who chatted to them and said he was also heading for Wigan. He offered to take them in a taxi, which he would pay for, saying he wouldn’t want to leave the girls alone there.

Mark Ferguson, defending, said: “On the way back, the man started acting very strangely. He pulled a number of cosmetics out of his bag and started to spray them in the taxi. He also wrote ‘rapist’ on one of the windows with the cosmetics. He said he needed to urinate and got out of the taxi at some traffic lights to urinate which seemed to offend the driver.

“The taxi arrived outside Miss Dempsy’s house after which it had been arranged the driver would take the man to Wigan train station where he would pay the fare. But the driver became concerned that this wouldn’t happen and demanded payment.”

The court heard the driver locked the doors and refused to let any of them leave the taxi until he had been paid. When no-one paid, he began to drive them all back to Manchester.

Mr Ferguson added: “All Miss Dempsy wanted was to get home to her four-year-old son, who is disabled, and was becoming increasingly distressed at the situation. She began kicking the door and it was then the driver called 999 and took them all to the nearest police station. Miss Dempsy was just trying to get herself and her sister home safely and get away from the man who was acting strangely.”

Dempsy told the court that she was sorry about what had happened and that she understood that the driver would have been scared. She pleaded guilty to causing £300 criminal damage to the taxi and was given a community order and an eight-week curfew from 7pm until 7am. She was also ordered to pay £450 compensation, a £60 victim surcharge, £85 prosecution costs and a £150 court charge.

The male passenger was also arrested and charged with criminal damage but has pleaded not guilty and there will be a trial in the new year.

http://www.wigantoday.net/news/local/scared-woman-damaged-taxi-1-7585195
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NISSAN is leading the electric revolution with more than 550 electric taxis now on the road in Europe. Taxi drivers are some of the most demanding users with the highest mileage, reinforcing the reliability and versatility of Nissan electric vehicles.

During 2015 alone, over 100 electric vehicles were delivered to taxi companies across Europe, making Nissan the best-selling manufacturer of 100% electric taxis. The growth of the electric taxi market looks set to continue, as its popularity has started to take hold in Eastern Europe. Green Lite Taxi Kft., based in Budapest, has purchased 65 Nissan LEAFs in a bid to become Hungary’s largest zero emission fleet. To power its pioneering franchise, CEO Örs Lévay has installed seven quick chargers within the city.

Örs Lévay, Green Lite Taxi Kft., CEO: “We are delighted to be the first taxi company in Hungary to go 100 percent electric and the 199 km range means we only need to charge our taxis once during a shift. Along with the large savings on fuel and maintenance, the Nissan LEAF is very smooth to drive and almost silent, which means a more enjoyable journey for my customers and the drivers say typical 10 hour shifts are less tiresome.”

In Estonia, it has been reported that a Nissan LEAF owned by taxi company, Elektritakso, has clocked up over 218,000 kilometres (135,459 miles) on its original battery pack, showcasing the high quality and reliability of Nissan’s electric vehicle range. In total, there are 80 electric taxis and counting in Estonia, whilst in Lithuania, Nissan is poised to deliver its first eight 100 per cent electric taxis to the Smart Taxi Company, based in the country’s capital, Vilnius, for late 2015.

What’s more, with the launch of the new 30 kWh Nissan LEAF, drivers can travel 25 percent further making it an even more practical choice for taxi companies.

Nissan electric vehicles – which include the Nissan LEAF and the e-NV200, a passenger and light commercial vehicle – are becoming increasingly popular among European taxi businesses, with the Netherlands and the UK topping Nissan’s e-taxi league table.

Taxi Electric in Amsterdam was the first private taxi service to switch to a fleet of 100 percent electric taxis in November 2011. Since then, others from across Europe have joined the revolution, with the Nissan LEAF and e-NV200 now being used by taxi businesses in Stockholm, Prague, Barcelona and Rome.

With running costs as low as 2p per mile, companies like C&C Taxis, based in rural South West England have saved more than £55,397 on average each year across its range of EV taxis. One of a growing number of businesses across Europe using Nissan electric vehicles in its company fleet, C&C Taxis proves that Nissan electric vehicles operate reliably as taxis with huge cost savings and a significant reduction in their carbon footprint.

Gareth Dunsmore, Director of Electric Vehicles for Nissan Europe, said: “We are so proud to be announcing this all-important milestone. Nissan has already delivered 30 percent more e-taxis this year than in 2014 and this figure is constantly increasing, as more taxi companies realise the benefits of becoming 100 percent electric.”

The 100% electric Nissan LEAF saw a lift in overall sales of 33 percent in 2014, compared to the previous year. With fewer moving parts, Nissan’s electric vehicles offer estimated maintenance costs up to 40 percent lower than petrol or diesel alternatives. Furthermore, European owners can also benefit from various incentives such as no business tax or vehicle excise duty on zero emission vehicles.

Nissan celebrates this all-important milestone some five years after the launch of the Nissan LEAF, the world’s first mass-market, zero emission vehicle and just one year since the launch of its 100 percent electric e-NV200 light commercial vehicle. Nissan LEAF remains the best-selling electric vehicle of all time, with more than 195,000 units sold worldwide.

http://www.dieselcar.com/news/taxi-leaf-leads-the-ranks-for-european-plug-in-cabs/
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Comment
 Proudly boasting about 550 taxis available in europe. Europe has a population of 742 million people. What is the chance of seeing one, never mind riding in one.



The CLAIMED range of the battery is 199 km, i.e. 120 miles. However the leaf battery losses 20% of its battery power in the first year.





That means even in a compact City like Manchester ,or Liverpool you cannot complete a full shift safely.

Taxi drivers need the vehicle charging in a one hour period. Lunchtime for a dayman and just before Midnight for a nightman. What are the chances of all finding  a vacant charger at that time.



Nissan have just had to pay $24 million compensation in the USA for false battery claims.

http://insideevs.com/nissan-leaf-battery-settlement-get-final-approval/

http://www.torquenews.com/1075/nissan-responds-leaf-owners-worries-about-battery-capacity-loss