LONDON.

This week in London, the Taxi trade feel they are being forced into action.

They plan to block major Train Stations for one hour every evening rush hour.

They are being harrased by Police whilt queuing to get on ranks, whilst PH cars are allowed to 'rank' for unlimited times in the drop off area. The practice of PH Cars waiting in drop off area's is something that has expanded significantly with the arrival of Uber.

 http://taxileaks.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/the-gloves-are-off-call-to-arms.html
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SOUTH RIBBLE

 Children as young as five are alleged to have been targeted in South Ribble, Lancashire, The New Day reports

Children as young as five were “sexually exploited” by taxi ­drivers after a local council failed to run background checks, a new report claims.

Drivers in South Ribble, Lancashire, have been accused of violating children while ­carrying out council-funded school runs, according to an interim review of the licensing of hackney carriages and private hire vehicles by South Ribble Council.

The horrifying report – which bears troubling similarities to the Rotherham sex abuse scandal – claims children were being put at risk on their daily commute.

It classes the failure of ­authorities to vet 44 of its drivers as particularly severe, since a report into the Rotherham attacks had warned 1,400 victims were picked up by taxis from school and children’s homes.

The report – ordered by the Cabinet after a string of local government failings – details one shocking case involving a five-year-old girl whose family claim she is so disturbed she can no longer socialise with other children.

 The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided the five-year-old victim was too young to give evidence – even though
the report noted that “police believed the driver had ­committed the offence”.

And for months the accused driver was allowed to keep his taxi licence until a few weeks ago when the girl’s family won a fight to make the council revoke it.

Two licensing officers who allegedly issued licences without checks have now been ­suspended in light of the report, but the victims’ families claim it is not enough.


The aunt of the five-year-old girl said: “My niece has been left totally traumatised.

“She’s gone back to wetting herself and sits alone in the ­playground during breaks.

“She told her mum this man had touched her inappropriately.

“He was on police bail but he kept his licence and was still driving around until a few weeks ago when the authority finally stepped in and revoked his licence.

“It’s an absolute disgrace.

“He’s been driving around picking up schoolchildren and all the while the council did nothing.”

In another incident, a 16 year old, who was taken to school as part of a contract with Lancashire County Council, feared she was going to be raped by a driver.

“It is claimed he propositioned the “vulnerable” teen but the council failed to revoke his licence.

The report reads: “Driver in case A transported a vulnerable 16-year-old girl as part of a school contract for Lancashire County Council.

A complaint was received by the county council that this driver made inappropriate ­sexualised remarks to the girl.

“The driver in case B was arrested for a sexual offence against a primary school age girl.

“The CPS decided not to ­proceed with prosecution against the driver because of potential difficulties in such a young ­witness giving evidence.

“However, police have been clear that they consider the driver did commit the offence.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/council-accused-failing-check-school-7777463
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The L.A. Times reports that in the three years since ridesharing services Uber and Lyft became available in the city, overall trips by conventional taxi have fallen by nearly 30%. Trips dropped from 8.4 million in 2012 to a little over 6 million in 2015. The biggest declines were in tourist destinations and entertainment centers including Hollywood and downtown.

The Times says that the impact on taxi drivers has been severe, largely because rental costs for taxis and equipment have remained unchanged even as the number of fares has fallen. A manager for LA Checker Cab tells the Times that drivers’ take home pay has declined from $800 a week to between $400 and $500 a week.

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Taxi trips have increased in two areas. Trips at LAX airport have gone up by 41%, while more taxis are also servicing South L.A., which drivers had avoided because it was perceived as dangerous, and trips there were shorter and less lucrative.

http://fortune.com/2016/04/17/uber-and-lyft-la-taxi-industry/
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 LONDON

 Over 400 taxi or private hire drivers were charged with criminal offences last year, official figures show.

In 2015, charges were brought against 413 drivers, with 126 accused of violent or sexual offences.

The data, released by the Metropolitan Police under Freedom of Information (FOI) laws, also showed that between 2011 and 2015, a total of 1,948 drivers were charged with criminal offences.

Of these, 521 were charged with violent or sexual offences, which can include grievous bodily harm or rape.

The FOI showed the number of people charged who gave their occupation as a taxi driver or minicab driver.

http://goo.gl/AWn9NN
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BELFAST


A 34-year-old man has been arrested by detectives investigating the murder of Michael McGibbon in north Belfast.

Mr McGibbon, 33, died after being shot in what is believed to be a paramilitary-style attack.


He was shot several times in an alleyway in Ardoyne on Friday night.

Detective Superintendent John McVea said: “The male has been detained on suspicion of murder. He will be questioned at Musgrave police station in Belfast.”
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MANCHESTER

Six people where injured after an early hours crash between a car and taxi near Princess Parkway

The accident, near the Southern Cemetery, is the second accident to happen on the busy throughfare in the space of 24 hours.

Six people were taken to hospital following the serious collision on Nell Lane, close to Princess Parkway, at around 3am on Sunday morning (April 17).

It is understood that the collision involved a taxi and a car and happened close to Southern Cemetery.

Firefighters spent around an hour trying to free one person who was trapped inside one of vehicles.

Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

A Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service spokesman confirmed details of the Sunday morning incident.

He said: “We were called to Nell Lane at 3am to reports of a road traffic collision.

“One crew from Moss Side and one from Withington attended along with a major response unit from Ashton and a tactical response unit.

“The incident involved two vehicles. One person was trapped inside one of the vehicles.

“Six casualties were taken to hospital.

“Crews used hydraulic cutting equipment and first aid equipment to free the person from the vehicle.

“We were there for 60 minutes.”

Sunday’s collision follows another serious incident on Wilbraham Road, in Chorlton, at the junction with Princess Parkway.

A driver was injured in an ealier incident following a ‘fail to stop’ collision at the junction of Princess Parkway at 3am on Saturday morning.

Greater Manchester Police confirmed that two vehicles were involved in a ‘fail to stop’ collision.

A force spokesman said: “One of the drivers was injured but it’s not life threatening.”

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/six-people-injured-crash-involving-11198801?