GLASGOW

A 23-year-old man has died after his motorbike was in collision with a hackney cab in Glasgow.

Gordon Lauder was riding his bike along Skirsa Street when the accident happened, at the junction with Balmore Road, at about 23:05 on Friday.

He was taken to Glasgow Royal Infirmary but died in the early hours of the morning.

The driver of the taxi and his two passengers were uninjured but were left badly shaken by the incident.

http://goo.gl/RlgP9A
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 BRADFORD

POLICE in Bradford have seized a taxi involved in an accident after checks revealed the driver was uninsured.

The taxi was seized at 7.40am on Wednesday on Norman Lane, Eccleshill.

A police spokesman said: "The vehicle was involved in an accident and checks showed the driver had no insurance."

http://goo.gl/laE5Hu
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MILAN 

  Kendall Jenner was left visibly shaken after she was forced to leap out of the way of a runaway taxi in Milan on Friday night.

(Comment Runaway Taxi My Arse.)
 

The reality star turned model was filmed as she arrived at her hotel, shortly after starring in the Versace show, with crowds of fans waiting for her outside.

But just as she left the vehicle, it began to roll quickly backwards to shouts from her team.

Kendall managed to jump aside just in time, as the car rolled backwards and smashed into a post.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/watch-moment-kendall-jenner-hit-7459932
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 South Wales.


    A 100-YEAR-OLD woman received head and leg injuries after being driven home erratically by a taxi driver after a shopping trip to Tesco, it has been claimed.

Police are now investigating the allegations which have emerged after publicity surrounding another taxi incident at the same Swansea store, in which a pensioner was injured.

The daughter of the centenarian said her mother had shopped at the Oystermouth Road store every Saturday for five years and got a taxi home to Eastside. She had not seen the driver in question before the journey along Oystermouth Road dual carriageway.

"He was driving fast, and kept changing lanes," said the daughter. "He was chopping and changing lanes and came to a sudden halt because there was a car in front of him.

    "She was sitting behind the driver and catapulted forward and hit her head on the top of the seat. His seat moved backwards and she screamed. She injured her leg.

"At the top of the hill near her home he went around the corner really fast and hit the kerb. She hit her head on the top of the seat again."

She was not charged a fare and a concerned neighbour saw she was distressed and took care of her.

The daughter said her mother had medical treatment for bruising to the top of her head and a haematoma on her injured leg from her knee to her ankle.

"Her confidence has gone since then," said her daughter. "She plays it over and over in her mind. She never goes out now. It has taken away her independence."

The daughter came forward to the Evening Post after reading of an incident at the store in December when an 85-year-old woman suffered life-changing injuries after being thrown from a taxi which was driven off as she tried to get in.

Eirwen Ferguson, of Sketty, spent three- and-a-half weeks in hospital and now has to wear a hearing aid after damaging her ear when she was thrown to the ground. Police and the council, which licences taxis, are continuing to investigate that incident.

South Wales Police issued an appeal on the other incident.

"Police received a complaint regarding the manner in which a taxi was driven from the Tesco store at Oystermouth Road to the St Thomas area of Swansea on 26th September 2015. All efforts to trace the taxi and the driver have proved unsuccessful. Anyone who knows the identity of the taxi or the driver is asked to call police on 101 quoting occurrence number 1500379238."

http://goo.gl/Ul53Le
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 UBER OXFORD
 
  TAXI companies are gearing up for a battle after controversial firm Uber revealed it could launch in Oxford.

The web-based rival said more than 50,000 people in the city had tried to access its service in just a year, despite the fact it is not yet available here.

Its smartphone app connects people to private hire cars without having to speak to an operator and is used by more than a million people in London.

But black cab drivers in the capital have staged mass protests against it, because they have to pass the rigorous road network Knowledge test but Uber drivers do not.

The company has now applied for a licence to operate in Oxford, sparking claims from rival taxi companies it could lead to fare hikes and draw drivers from far-away areas. A spokesman for Uber said: “As a business, we want to grow and to launch in new cities.

“The number of people who have been opening our app in Oxford is larger than average so that means there is certainly demand for our service and we are excited about that.

“We have applied for an operator’s licence and that is the first step, but when the time is right we would also need a team of people on the ground.

http://www.thisisoxfordshire.co.uk/news/14306182.Web_based_taxi_firm_Uber_could_launch_in_Oxford_due_to_high_demand/?ref=rss
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 EIRE.

The National Transport Authority has decided not to make the use of safety equipment, including in-vehicle cameras, mandatory for taxis and hackneys after an extensive public consultation process which saw the majority of respondents objecting to the measure.

More than 2,600 submissions on the issue were received by the authority with 97.3% of the total stating they did not believe that safety equipment in taxis should be obligatory. The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner had also signalled that there could be legal issues surrounding the use of CCTV cameras in taxis.

Most respondents said taxi drivers should be allowed to continue to exercise discretion about the use of such equipment. The overwhelming majority were opposed to the proposed measure on the basis of cost and the potential negative financial impact on taxi licence holders.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/security-cameras-in-taxis-met-with-widespread-opposition-by-drivers-384572.html
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MANCHESTER

A private hire taxi driver, who was found guilty of picking up illegal passengers in Manchester, has been ordered to pay £682 and handed six penalty points for driving without a license.

26-year-old Arfan Waheed of Wythenshawe was fined £335 with costs of £300. He was also given a £27 victim of crime surcharge.

In the early hours of Sunday 10 May city council officers who were working on a routine night shift in the city centre, saw a private hire vehicle driven by Waheed drop off its passengers on Whitworth Street West.

The officers then observed on as two people approached Waheed’s vehicle and engaged him in conversation, before getting in to the vehicle. It is illegal for private hire taxi drivers to pick up passengers who flag them down on the street, and doing so may invalidate their insurance. All journeys taken in private hire taxis must be pre-arranged through the base operator.

Investigating officers later enquired with the private hire operator that Waheed worked for and discovered that no booking had been logged by the operator, for a pick up at that time, date and location. At the hearing Waheed pleaded guilty to the offences of driving without valid insurance and illegally plying for hire.

Manchester City Council’s Executive Member for Neighbourhoods Councillor Nigel Murphy, has remarked, “We regard illegally plying for hire as a serious offence and the punishment handed out by the court shows they agree. Let this send a warning to rogue drivers that the consequences for illegally operating any taxi are both serious and costly”.

Mr. Murphy also added “When looking for a taxi remember, only Manchester licensed hackney carriage drivers are allowed to pick passengers up from the side of the road within our city boundaries”.

http://www.blacknet.co.uk/illegal-taxi-driver-receives-penalty-and-fine/