Uber in Newcastle sees taxi driver numbers increase from handful to more than 300

Taxi app firm says after successful first year in Newcastle its ambition is to offer a full-service in other parts of the region

Cab firm Uber is hailing a successful first year in Newcastle after its driver numbers increased from just a handful to more than 300.

It has now set its sights on expanding throughout the North East

Uber customers use a mobile app to order and pay for private hire taxis without needing cash. From Newcastle, it takes passengers as far out as Hexham, Sunderland and Durham.

It is possible to use Uber in Sunderland and Durham, but the firm does not yet have a full presence in either city and can only offer a limited service.

Full expansion would help it increase its presence in the likes of Sunderland and Durham, and allow it to serve a bigger area.

When asked if there are any plans to roll its service out to other parts of the region, a spokesman said: “It’s our ambition to launch in other cities in the North East.”

Uber offers three types of cab in Newcastle. UberX is the cheapest, the premium UberExec offers rides in high-end vehicles and while UberXL drivers use larger cars. It uses “surge pricing” to increase the cost of a ride when demand is high.

Uber says it has enjoyed “huge growth” since launching in Newcastle. It now has a full-time operations team based in the city centre.

The average time it takes to order a cab and get in the car has fallen from over five minutes to under 3.5 minutes.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/uber-newcastle-sees-taxi-driver-11208486?
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 West Denton lad Bobby Suttle faces weeks in a wheelchair after allegedly being struck by taxi

Cabbie 'helping police with enquiries' after six-year-old seriously injured outside his West Denton home

Wheelchair-bound, frustrated and in pain, little taxi crash casualty Bobby Suttle has a long road to recovery ahead of him

With his shattered leg held together with a foot-to-thigh plaster cast the six-year-old is today recovering at home from the collision that could have cost him his life.

Bobby also suffered a broken elbow and bruises and grazes all over his body after he was allegedly struck by a cab while playing near his home on Naworth Drive in West Denton, Newcastle, at around 6pm, on Saturday April 9.

The youngster’s family fear he would have been killed had he not still been wearing his cycling helmet after riding his bike earlier.

Bobby had to undergo surgery after being rushed to the Royal Victoria Infirmary. He was discharged on Tuesday and is now recovering at home. And his mum, Michelle says her little boy remains in agony and needs round-the-clock care.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/west-denton-lad-bobby-suttle-11206980?
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HARTLEPOOL
 
A SPECIAL tribute has been paid by council officials to a legendary Hartlepool taxi boss.

Hartlepool Borough Council has 'retired' Ray Tweddle's licence number so it can never be used again in the future.

Mr Tweddle's wife, Julie, also paid tribute to Mr Tweddle, a father and grandfather, who built up Streamline taxis from just one cab to more than 130 at its height.

She said: "Ray was a larger than life character who worked incredibly hard all his life. He ate, slept and fed taxis and everyone loved him, all his employees. He always had a story to tell and was so, so funny. He was ill the last three years of his life, but he never complained and all his carers just adored him. He leaves behind a loads and loads of very happy memories."

Ian Harrison, Hartlepool Council’s Trading Standards and Licensing Manager, said: “This is the first time the Council has taken a decision to 'retire' a particular licence number and we believe it is the most fitting way to recognise Ray’s special status in the history of the town’s taxi trade.

“We hope he would be happy to know that his number - which represents so much of what he worked for in his life - is to be set aside and kept special just for him and his family.”

Mr Tweddle's funeral will be held tomorrowWED and a fleet of cabs are due to follow the funeral cortege from Ray’s home at Hartfields to All Saints’ Church.

As well as daughter, Lindsey, step-daughter, Jane, he leaves grandchildren Katie and Taylor-Ray



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SWANSEA
 
Taxi app company Uber says it has "no set plans" to launch its service in Swansea.

The US-based firm's smartphone app, which connects drivers with passengers via GPS technology, will become available to the public in Cardiff to use on Friday.

Last week, drivers in the Welsh capital met to register ahead of the launch - the date of which was being kept secret. But now a message has gone out to drivers telling them the launch will be on Friday.

http://goo.gl/kZDGOW
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NORTH WALES
 
 A man who was banned from driving for five years more than 20 years ago has failed in his bid to get a taxi licence.

An application by Frederick Roberts, 46, was previously rejected by Flintshire Council’s licensing sub-committee, which ruled he was not a “fit and proper person”.

On Monday, his appeal against the decision at Flintshire Magistrates Court at Mold was rejected and he was ordered to pay £1,470 in costs.

Roberts, of Llys y Coed in Wrexham, had built up a successful garage business which he had since handed over to his son, his solicitor Euros Jones explained.

His client was a family man who worked for his son at the TTS Services Garage at Dobshill. His son was planning to develop a modern taxi business where customers could book via a mobile phone app and pay via their iwatches, and Mr Roberts wanted to be able to drive to help his son out at short notice as and when required.

Mr Jones said his client had not been in trouble for 16 years.

He was jailed in 2002 for bootlegging cigarettes which dated back to the year 2000.

The five-year ban, imposed for a charge of causing death by dangerous driving, went back to 1995.

His client had been punished at the time – and had not received a life sentence, he argued.

Under the rehabilitation of offender’s act if his client wished to apply for a job in his law firm then he would not have to disclose the convictions because they were so old they were spent.

The man who committed the offences all those years ago may have not have been a fit and proper person to have a taxi licence, “but Frederick Roberts in 2016 certainly is,” he argued.

He handed in a large number of personal references which he said included references from councillors on both Wrexham and Flintshire authorities, professional people and business associates.

Barrister Abigail Hudson, for the council, said the committee did have a discretion.

Members had considered that with his record, particularly the five year ban, then Mr Roberts’ application should be rejected.

The policy said applications would not be entertained from people who had been banned for five years or more.

She said Mr Roberts had been jailed for three years and banned from driving for five years in October 1995 for a charge of causing death by dangerous driving.

There were other convictions including a three-and-a-half year prison sentence in March 2002 for cigarette smuggling when he had also been banned from driving for two years.

The authority had no details of the offences but had found a media story of the cigarette case on the internet and relied on applicants to give details of their convictions.

Miss Hudson said it should be remembered that taxi drivers were trusted members of society.

They operated a cash business and were in a position where they could drive at all times of the day and night without rousing suspicion

In evidence, Mr Roberts denied her claims that he had tried to minimise his involvement in the offences and said he had answered members’ questions honestly.

“I have changed. I have grown up. I have not even committed a speeding offence since,” he declared.

He was employed by his son now, he had worked as a mechanic but now worked more on the hire side of the company and they had 70 vehicles out on long term hire.

Mr Roberts said he had not tried to hide anything.
  
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LONDON private hire company Carrot Cars has gone live with a real time scheduling and despatch system from Magenta Technology – the company behind Addison Lee’s Shamrock solution. Magenta’s Echo platform supports the award winning east London based minicab operator with a range of functionality, including auto-allocation and scheduling, capacity management and reporting.

The system is also driving improvements in customer service, with an advanced call management solution and an online customer booking portal. Carrot Cars customers can also take advantage of a newly launched customer booking app which allows them to book, track and pay for journeys via their smartphone or other mobile device.

From day one of implementation, Carrot Cars has benefited from Echo’s auto-allocation and scheduling engine which allows controllers to plan existing and expected jobs with an intelligent distribution of jobs among drivers. With up to 97 percent of jobs automatically dispatched, this allows for a reduction in driving time, optimisation of fuel economies and a reduced back office staff requirement. Peaks in bookings can be predicted using Echo’s Capacity Management Module, and parity of individual driver usage can be maintained based on idle times and earnings to date.

“Our previous system was very basic and simply did not offer the capabilities we required to support the continued growth and expansion of the business,” commented Ivo Aulik, Managing Director of Ivory Enterprise trading as Carrot Cars. “By working in partnership with Magenta, we have been able to benefit from the advanced functionality of the Echo platform already on offer and customise new features to meet our specific and exacting requirements.”

Carrot Cars is also taking advantage of Echo’s customer facing features, including an advanced Call Management module including caller identification, call history management and call monitoring, with call playbacks automatically attached to bookings. Working with Carrot Cars, Magenta has also developed a Customer Web Booking Portal for corporate clients and a newly launched Customer Booking App. Additional customer service functionality includes Dynamic Delays for the automatic calculation of response time, Flight Lookup and Validation for passengers with time critical onward journeys, and integration with Carrot Cars CRM and management reporting.

“In the first week of implementation we were all blown away by the functionality and ease of use of the Echo platform,” added Bradley Lok, Co-Director. “We have received first class support at every stage of the development cycle and implementation project and we are confident we have chosen the best solution available.”


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