LONDON

Speculation is mounting over who owns the 'suspicious abandoned taxi' that led to the evacuation of thousands of Christmas shoppers after it emerged the vehicle was not a working London black cab.

Crowds of people buying last-minute gifts were today cleared from a 600ft stretch of Regent Street as specialist officers examined a minicab parked in the middle of the road near Hamleys toy store.

It was later revealed that the driver had apparently parked his vehicle outside the popular store so that he could go shopping with his family - and returned to find the chaos he had caused. 

Several London cab drivers have since suggested it may be owned by a billionaire businessman or celebrity who uses the vehicle to beat the congestion charge. Another theory is that it belongs to a Mayfair hotel, casino or private members club.

False alarm: Thousands of Christmas shoppers were today evacuated from one of London's busiest streets after a 'suspicious vehicle' was abandoned in the middle of the road. But it has since emerged that the driver of the black cab had apparently parked it close to Hamleys toy store so that he could go shopping with his family

Explanation: While initial reports suggested the cab, pictured, had been 'shot', eyewitness Dave Dale-Beasleigh said a police officer knocked out the back window while the driver was away

The London Taxi Drivers’ Association (LTDA) confirmed the vehicle was not a licensed cab because it did not have a Transport for London license plate, prompting feverish speculation about who it does belong to. 

Black cabs are said to be popular with wealthy businessmen, partly because driving one allows them to avoid congestion and parking charges. A number of celebrities have also showed an interest.

Stephen Fry used to own a black cab, while Gary Barlow is thought to have gifted his wife Dawn one last year. It has even been rumoured that David Beckham was in the market for a London taxi.

Several black cab drivers have got in touch with MailOnline to speculate on who owns the Regent Street-parked vehicle. 

Mark Dugdale, 47, said: 'A lot of millionaires use them to get around London quicker. I know Oligarchs have bought them but I've never seen one parked there before.

'The taxi isn't licensed by Transport for London. It hasn't got the plates and it's got tinted windows, which aren't allowed on London cabs.'

http://goo.gl/VJV5e8
-------------------------------------------------------------------
JERSEY

Taxi drivers have gone on strike over government proposals to reform taxi rank services in Jersey.

Transport Minister Deputy Eddie Noel announced the measures in September, which included requiring all taxis to be wheelchair friendly by 2019.

The Public Rank Taxi Service stopped operating on Monday morning, but will resume at 13:45 GMT.

Mick Tostevin, President of the Jersey Taxi Drivers Association, said drivers felt "frustrated and cornered".

The proposed reforms will require taxis which use the ranks to be the same colour, charge the same standard fares and have wheelchair access.
Deputy Eddie Noel said the scheme would be phased in over three years to give drivers and cab firms time to switch over vehicles.


Mr Noel said: "The initial reaction is of disappointment, because we've been having an ongoing dialogue with both the Taxi Drivers Association and representatives from the private hire industry."

However, Mr Tostevin said the taxi drivers, who are self-employed, were not striking, but were withdrawing their services because they felt they were "being dictated to by Deputy Eddie Noel".

He said while the Association agreed with many of the reforms, it was "unreasonable" to expect drivers who had just bought eco-friendly cars to buy new models from the UK.

A protest will also take place at 12:30 GMT in St Helier, where taxis will circle Conway Street, Library Place, Church Street, and Mulcaster Street.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey-35149965
-------------------------------------------------------------

LEICESTER mayor Sir Peter Soulsby is considering cutting the age at which city taxis need to be taken off the road from 11 years to eight years.

The move comes with Sir Peter embroiled in a bitter and long-running dispute with the city's cabbies over a new penalty points misconduct scheme for drivers.

Leicester City Council agreed, in April 2013, to raise the maximum age of both Hackney cabs and private hire vehicles from eight years to eleven years, but keep the decision under review.

The RMT union, which represents 325 city hackney drivers, has been pressing for the vehicle age limit to rise to 15 years.


Sir Peter said today: "We have looked at the evidence on how taxis perform as they get older and we know that beyond the age of eight years nearly half of vehicles failed their regular safety checks.

"I am not minded to increase the age limit to 15 years, and in fact there is come compelling evidence suggesting it could be returned to its previous eight-year-old age limit.

"A significant number of taxis fail their regular safety checks after eight years, suggesting that it is a suitable cut-off point for vehicle age.

"Having large numbers of older taxis on our roads also delays them being replaced with newer, lower-emission vehicles, which has a very significant impact on air quality in the city.

"With this in mind I will be launching a public consultation on the possibility of returning the age limit for both Hackney cabs and private hire vehicles to eight years."

Sir Peter insisted the move was based on hard evidence and was not a punitive measure resulting from his on-running battle with the cabbies.

He did admit the RMT had been urging him to come to a decision on taxi ages and recent events and go-slow city centre processions had now prompted him to look at the matter.

The Mercury was unable to contact anyone from the RMT but a letter, sent to the council in June. from Leicestershire branch secretary Umar Khan pressed for a 15 year limit in line with London.

He said: "Due to the current situation with the recession, the four year extension would be beneficial to members from a financial perspective as the purchase of new taxis is proving to be very costly during this current financial time.

"It is not fair that those vehicles have spent thousands of pounds maintaining their vehicle on a regular basis have their vehicles replaced after 11 years."

http://goo.gl/PjvGCV