The Southern Nevada taxi industry has thrown its latest counterpunch at Uber and Lyft.

The company that manages local taxi companies' credit card transactions has rolled out a smartphone application that will hail taxis the same way transportation network company customers summon rides.

Curb, a free app offered through Verifone, has been introduced as a competitive measure against ride-hailing companies. The system has been installed in 500 Frias Transportation Management cabs and is expected to be added within the next three months in cabs operated by Lucky, Western and Nellis cab companies. When the installation is complete, about half of the city's cabs will be on the Curb platform.

It's the second attempt by the cab industry to use ride-hailing technology to combat the rapidly growing Uber and Lyft presence in Southern Nevada. A Frias sister company developed the Ride Genie app, but it failed to generate much traction because of limited marketing.

Curb co-founder Sanders Partee said his app took a huge step forward when the company was acquired by Verifone for an undisclosed amount in October, expanding the app's reach. The acquisition connected Curb to a network of more than 35,000 taxis in more than 60 cities. Partee said the number of taxis on the platform is expected to double by the end of next year.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/traffic-transportation/las-vegas-taxi-industry-launches-its-own-ride-hailing-app
----------------------------------------
 NEW YORK

 Taxi drivers who lost a chance to get health benefits may be on the road to getting them back.

Two city lawmakers—Council members Brad Lander of Brooklyn and Corey Johnson of Manhattan—are drafting legislation that would create a health and disability benefits fund to all city-regulated taxi drivers, as well as people behind the wheel for Uber and other for-hire vehicle services.

“My goal is to cover drivers regardless of their employment,” Lander told the Daily News. “Everybody who’s working on demand, working by the gig, they have the same needs for benefits that you and I have.”

The law would create a benefits fund similar to one a court killed in 2014, financed by a six-cent fee on trips. The Taxi and Limousine Commission owes drivers more than $5 million, or roughly $150 a hack, according to the agency.

“Driver welfare has been a priority for the TLC and we always look forward to working with the Council to improve important driver protections,” said a TLC rep.

Bhairavi Desai of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, which had been chosen to oversee the fund, said he wants the City Council to pass a bill reinstating a safety net for drivers, like disability, vision and dental insurance, and a way to save for retirement.

“This fund is necessary,”Desai said. “The city has a responsibility to look out for drivers that serve so many members of the public.”

Officials with Uber, which already pays into a workers compensation fund for black car drivers, will review the proposal when it’s introduced.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/nyc-pols-eye-bill-provide-health-benefits-taxi-drivers-article-1.2421281
------------------------------------------

 The embattled “taxi king” ​of New York says his estranged wife swiped two Baccarat crystal chandeliers worth hundreds of thousands of dollars when she moved out of the couple’s $6.2 million marital home in October, The Post has learned.

Gene Freidman, 44, who owns more taxi medallions than anyone in the city, charges that his much younger French wife, Sandra Freidman, 25, stole the pricey chandeliers — worth $300,000 — and other light fixtures when she moved out of their Upper East Side town house on Oct. 5.

http://nypost.com/2015/11/02/taxi-king-says-estranged-wife-stole-two-pricey-chandeliers-from-townhouse/
-----------------------------------
In a move that is sure to further frustrate Florida taxicab companies, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FDHSMV) has asked a Leon County, Florida, judge to dismiss a complaint requiring the state agency to clarify Uber and Lyft insurance requirements in the state.

In an Oct. 27 filing with the Leon County Court, FDHSMV claims the taxicab companies’ interpretation of the laws do not legally justify the court to grant a declaratory judgement and writ of mandamus.

The original lawsuit was initiated by taxi companies B&L Services Inc. of Fort Lauderdale, Capital Transportation Inc. of Tallahassee, and individual Jeremy Lynch, as a means to finally get resolution to inquiries on the insurance requirements and regulations of the Florida ridesharing industry. The FDHSMV had failed to respond to numerous requests from the Florida taxi industry over whether for-hire passenger transportation vehicles used by Uber, Lyft and other TNCs comply with minimum insurance required by Florida statutes.

“We filed [the complaint] because there needs to be clarification relative to what is required for insurance on for-hire vehicles,” John Camillo, president of B&L Service, Inc., told Insurance Journal of the suit it filed back in September. “These are questions the DMV has not responded to that have been posed to it by the industry and governmental agencies.”

Judge George S. Reynolds III of the Second Judicial Court for Leon County ordered FDHSMV on Sept. 17 to respond within 40 days or he would issue a decision on the matter.

The response, however, is not what the taxi companies were looking for and may bring more questions than answers on who is ultimately responsible for regulating and enforcing insurance requirements of TNC companies. The matter now lies with the judge to decide.

Among its reasons for why the case should be dismissed, FDHSMV said that the taxi companies cannot request a declaratory judgement relating to the rights of another entity that is not named in the case – i.e. Uber and Lyft. Citing case law that says declaratory judgments cannot be issued in situations where the affected parties are not part of the proceedings, FDHSMV claims the taxi companies and the individual who filed the suit are not “appropriate” parties to request the declaratory judgement

http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2015/11/02/387100.htm
----------------------------------------
CHICAGO

 Two business travelers waiting for suburban taxis at O'Hare International Airport recently shared different views on what Chicago opening up the lucrative airport pickup market to ride-sharing companies means. One thing's for sure: The stakes are Uber-high for the businesses involved.

"I'm so used to American Taxi," said Byron Wigodner of Buffalo Grove, referring to the suburban cab service. "American Taxi is pretty good."

Wigodner has never tried Uber. "It's something to consider," he said Friday. "I'd have to look at their rates."

Meanwhile, Tom Ester of Arlington Heights loves Uber because the fast-growing ride-share provider is "more flexible. It's amazing how easy it is to use it," he said.

"It's been a great experience," Ester added, saying he'll jump aboard when ride-shares Uber, Lyft and Sidecar start operating at the airports.

The Chicago City Council made the game-changing decision to allow ride-shares at Midway and O'Hare as part of last week's 2016 budget vote. No official start date had been announced as of Sunday, but it could begin before the new year if logistics are worked out.

Companies such as American Taxi are preparing for a showdown at the airports, considered the final frontier in a market that's shifting faster than a 747. Cabbies say they're ready to compete with ride-shares, contending traditional taxis provide better insurance and secure background checks. But "we want a fair playing field," said American Taxi President Joe Zayed of Glendale Heights.

One issue for taxi drivers is lengthy delays at O'Hare's "stamp booth," where incoming cabs have to pay a $4 fee before they can reach customers, American Taxi co-owner John Coyne said. Drivers also pay a $3-a-day fee.

 "When it's busy like on a Thursday night, the line going through the choke point can be 60 to 80 cabs long," Coyne said. "There's an army of people on the lower level waiting for their taxis."

Another potential concern is if the city allows ride-shares to pick up passengers on the upper departures level, a location that's less congested than the lower arrivals area where taxis hang out, cabbies said.

Uber spokeswoman Brooke Anderson said, "We're excited about how this new policy will give suburban residents more transportation choices at our local airports.

"It will improve their overall travel experience and save them unnecessary trips to the airport," she said. "When a friend or family member touches down at O'Hare to come visit, they'll soon be able to just push a button and get a ride to the suburbs."

Regarding security, Uber officials said passengers can see the driver's picture, ratings and car before committing. The company is insured under a commercial policy, and rates are typically 50 percent lower than traditional fares, Anderson said.

Uber driver Eli Martin, who grew up in the Barrington area, called the move "a sign of progress." Now after dropping passengers off at O'Hare, "I'm not going to come back empty-handed," he said.

Chicago expects to receive about $38.4 million from ride-shares as a result of the budget actions. Fees of $5 will be added to pickups and drop-offs, respectively, along with a 2-cent charge per ride.

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20151102/news/151109921/
------------------------------------------
 Alan Yentob, the senior BBC executive, claimed £1,500 for taxi fares in his latest batch of expenses despite proposals at the Corporation to stop staff using cabs.
Mr Yentob, under pressure over his links to scandal-hit Kids Company, notched up 75 journeys in the latest quarterly release on staff claims at the BBC.

The executive, who is paid £183,300 as creative director and a further six-figure salary as presenter of BBC1’s Imagine, has already come in for criticism for clocking up £85,000 in expenses since April 2009. He also claimed £1,000 in taxis for the last three months of 2012.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/bbc/11964218/Alan-Yentobs-1500-taxi-tab-paid-for-by-the-BBC.html
------------------------------------------
  TAXI fares in Newport could be set to increase for the first time in five years.

Newport City Council’s licensing committee is due to consider proposals to increase tariffs for Hackney Carriages – or black cabs – which will see fares increase by an average of about 45p per mile.

The new tariff, which will not apply to private hire taxis, which are free to set their own charges, have been developed after drivers in the city asked the council to consider increasing the maximum they can charge, which has remained unchanged since October 2010.

The changes will see the distance at which a standard fare – which will remain at £3 between 6am and midnight and £4 at other times – applies reduced from 1,200 yards to 800 yards, after which drivers will be able to charge 10p per 108 yards rather than the current 112.

This means a passenger travelling one mile will be charged £3.83, up from the current £3.50, £7.15 for three miles, up from £6.64, and £10.41 for 10 miles, up from £9.79.

http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/13925524.Newport_taxi_fares_set_to_rise_by_45p_per_mile/?ref=mr&lp=3

COMMENT: I think Newport have got this wrong, it cannot be just lazy press (can it ?)

3 mile journey = £7.15.
10 mile journey = £10.41.

W.T.F.. !!!