New measures in Milton Keynes to improve passenger safety in wake of scandal

Measures to improve the safety of taxi passengers in Milton Keynes are being introduced in the wake of the rapist taxi driver scandal.

Former mayor Subhan Shafiq resigned in August 2014, after it was revealed he had provided a character reference for convicted rapist Nadeem Ahmed Kiani which helped him secure his taxi licence.

The scandal received national attention, and new measures from Milton Keynes Council’s Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy will take effect from January 1, 2016, as a result.

Drivers will be encouraged to install CCTV in their vehicles, and they will be required to take a further driving test when their taxi licences are up for renewal.

Councillor Catriona Morris, chair of the council’s regulatory and licensing committee, believes the new measures will ensure the public have ‘complete confidence’ when using taxis.

She said: We need to promote that taxi drivers in Milton Keynes are safe after what happened.”

“Everything in the policy is to do with the safety of both passenger and the driver, and to make an improvement to the existing service.

“As I keep saying to the drivers, they are a really important part of the Milton Keynes society as they will often be the first person residents and visitors encounter in the city.

All drivers applying for their taxi licence will also be expected to provide evidence of their level of English, or take a test if they are unable to offer sufficient proof.

“In December last year, we made the first amendments and strengthened the policy that already existed.

Cllr Morris added: “Since then, we have been in consultation with customers and members of the trade on ways to improve the policy. Hopefully now, we are at a point where it is now at its strongest.”

http://www.onemk.co.uk/news/traffic-and-travel/2015/12/rapist-taxi-driver-new-measures-to-be-introduced-in-milton-keynes-in-wake-of-scandal-011220150032.html
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 EDINBURGH

 ONE in three taxis and private hire cars in the Capital is failing crucial inspections, new figures reveal.

Pass rates for the vehicle examinations – carried out before taxis can get their licence renewed – have been published for the first time, showing the percentage for both black cabs and private hire cars failing the test varied between 31.4 and 42.2 per cent in the first six months of the year.

The inspections involve tougher checks than a normal MoT.

But Gavin Barrie, leader of the city council’s regulatory committee, said he and his fellow councillors were surprised at just how many taxis did not pass the test.

“A 40 per cent failure rate is quite high,” he said. “The committee was somewhat surprised, but what we have asked for is a further breakdown of what these fails are.

“A fail could be a lightbulb, so we are trying to find out whether these statistics are something we should be 
concerned about.”

He said he could understand domestic motorists being 
unaware of faults which led to their cars failing an MoT.

But he said: “These are professional drivers earning a living and the vehicles are licensed. We would hope all licensed vehicles on the road would be in tip-top condition.”

The city council, as licensing authority, has a duty to ensure that taxis and private hire cars are safe, roadworthy and fit for purpose.

Cab boss Tony Kenmuir said Edinburgh taxis had to meet higher standards than most other places in the UK.

He said: “The kind of things they take into account are general cleanliness, so maybe 
even a little tear in a seat or one of the indicator bulbs not being quite as yellow as it should be.

“Taxis in Edinburgh are mostly doing double shifts, working day and night, racking up very high mileage and with 30 or 40 people getting in and out every day – you can imagine the wear and tear.

“The taxi examination centre looks for you to present the taxi almost as if it had come straight out of the showroom.

“It’s common to get the underside and the engine bay steam-cleaned so you could eat your dinner off it.

“The failure rate reflects the extremely high standards demanded of taxis in Edinburgh rather than anything else.”

He said the average age of an Edinburgh taxi – between three-and-a-half and four years – was younger than anywhere else in the UK.

The inspections at the taxi examination centre in the council’s Murrayburn Road depot used to be carried out by the police, but have now been transferred to the council.

The centre also carries out similar examinations for both West Lothian and Midlothian councils.

http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/transport/third-of-taxis-fail-vehicle-tests-1-3962095?utm_content=buffer27621&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
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   EIRE

Taxi driver Patrick Bowler is targeting broke females in need of quick cash in return for sexual favours.

The Star can today expose how the lecherous lender from Co Offaly is singling out women on internet loan sites where he offers them cash that they desperately need.

But instead of charging clients interest rates, the sex pest offers them the chance to pay back the cash in another way.

Disturbingly, we also discovered that brazen Bowler, whose taxi company is registered in Laois, also poses under a series of identities in his bid to bed women.

The cabbie was unmasked after an undercover investigation by The Star on Ireland’s lucrative loan industry led to an approach by Bowler last week.

This came after a reporter at The Star posed as a cash-strapped single woman in desperate need of €1,500 in time for the festive period.

Within minutes of posting a plea for urgent financial help online, brazen Bowler — who poses under the name James — was in touch to say he could sort our reporter out with an instant loan.

Our reporter told him she needed the money for unexpected bills and explained how she could pay back the cash on a weekly basis.

But the greying taxi driver — who claimed to be in his late 30s — offered her a “fun” alternative to paying the loan back.

After being told by The Star’s undercover reporter she had never had sex in exchange for money, he told her: “Neither have I — it will be a first for both of us.”

Bowler’s offer was declined after he demanded to meet that night at a motorway petrol station.

But within minutes of hanging up Bowler was back on the phone with even more offers of financial help.

The Star eventually arranged to meet Bowler at a Co Kildare petrol station two days later, where the Co Laois-based cabbie told a pack of lies about his identity.

The taxi man even tried to hide his National Transport Authority registered cab around the corner, saying he had walked to the garage.

‘James’ said he had spotted our girl’s ad when “bored” and surfing the net.

“Prostitutes don’t interest me,” he said, as he stood outside our reporter’s car.

“I thought I’d give you some help.”

He then went on to say she could repay the loan with seedy car sex sessions on the side of the motorway.

“€1,500 is a lot of money…we might need to meet up a couple of times,” Bowler demanded.

“I actually only have h300 with me now, is that OK?”

Again, our reporter declined his help, telling him that another lender had offered her a loan at a reasonable rate.

It was then that The Star discovered that Bowler had actually been posing under a number of identities.

Within minutes of leaving the forecourt of the Naas petrol station, our reporter received a phone call from a man who had been offering her the cash days before meeting pervy Patrick, AKA ‘James’.

http://thestar.ie/exclusive-taxi-driver-offering-christmas-loans-in-exchange-for-sex-to-cash-strapped-women/
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