DAIMLER BENZ INVEST IN HAILO

Daimler will increase its drive into the world of car booking services by taking a stake in Hailo, the UK taxi app.

The owner of Mercedes-Benz will announce a deal to partner with the service as early as Tuesday, according to people briefed on the matter, write Peter Campbell in London and James Fontanella-Khan in New York.

It already owns MyTaxi, a German company it bought in 2014 that links consumers to nearby taxis.

The deal will be the latest advancement by automakers into ride booking services, which many in the industry believe may be the future of urban transport.

General Motors has made a $500m investment in US group Lyft, Volkswagen has taken a $300m stake in Israeli app Gett, and Toyota has announced an undisclosed investment in Uber.

These deals allow the car makers to develop on-demand services and share technology with the app groups.

They also propel the car groups to the front of the queue to sell vehicles to taxi operators or minicab drivers, in a time when personal ownership is expected to dwindle in city centres – especially among younger people – and be replaced with a greater number of “on demand” services.

The founder of Gett, Shahar Waiser, has predicted that within a decade, half of all journeys made will be using a vehicle summoned by an app.

While services such as Gett and Hailo link consumers with taxi drivers, Uber has its own drivers who do not have to be members of a taxi group.

Hailo, which launched in 2011, has not been without setbacks in its journey so far, and has been seeking a strategic investor for some time.

The company, which has raised around $100m to date, pulled out of the US and Canadian markets in 2014 after saying that strong competition from Uber and Lyft rendered it unprofitable. At the same time, Jay Bregman, co-founder and co-chief executive, left the company.

Its current investors include investment group Accel, Wellington Partners and Sir Richard Branson. The group continues to operate in cities across Europe including London, Madrid, Barcelona and Dublin.

In 2014, the most recent year for which figures are available, Hailo Network Holdings Limited reported a pre-tax loss of £10m.

Hailo and Daimler were not immediately available for comment. 

https://goo.gl/RQyfmK

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EAST STAFFORDSHIRE

TAXI drivers have come under the spotlight after a scheme to check they are 'fit for purpose' turned out positive results.

Officers from East Staffordshire Borough Council took to the town centre to ensure the taxi firms in the area are complying with their licences.

Premises, drivers and their vehicles were all checked as part of the council crackdown.

The checks, which were all unannounced, were carried out to make sure that the firms were in line with council and statutory requirements, which in turn would see that people in the area using the service would be safe at all times.

A total of 16 licensed premises were inspected, six of which were contacted regarding minor breaches of their premises licences.

Breaches included:

Requirement for notices reminding customers to leave quietly.

Requirement for zero tolerance posters concerning drunkeness and drugs, and the retention of CCTV images.

Ongoing action will be taken.

When inspecting taxi drivers, officers looked to make sure that drivers:

Had their personal badge.

That the vehicles displayed council-issued license plates and door panels.

That vehicles carried the right equipment such as fare meters, first aid kits and fire extinguishers.

That the vehicles were in a road worthy condition.

In total, 10 vehicles were inspected, all of which were compliant aside from two which had faults that included no fire extinguisher and no door panels on display.

Councillor Jacqui Jones, deputy leader for regulatory services, said: "I would like to thank all drivers and licensed premises involved in the initiative for their co-operation.

"It's it important for the safety of our residents that the council conducts inspections on our taxis and licensed premises. We will take action against those who have breached the requirements of their licence.

"The council will be rolling out the initiative to other areas in the future."


http://goo.gl/PkSTiA

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WOLVERHAMPTON

Taxi ends up in garden and BMW abandoned after early-hours crash
Two people were taken to hospital after an early-hours crash ruined a BMW and saw a taxi end up in the front garden of a Wolverhampton home.

The smash left debris strewn across Tettenhall Road and took off the front end of the BMW which was left abandoned in the middle of the street.

The Volkswagen taxi ended up balanced with its front end in a garden near St Jude's Church and two women were taken to hospital.

http://goo.gl/5VplqV

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EXETER

A taxi driver has appeared in court accused of sexually assaulting a female passenger.

Wahib Tameem pleaded not guilty to two counts of sexual assault when he appeared before Judge Geoffrey Mercer, QC, at Exeter Crown Court.

Tameem, aged 59, of Mount Pleasant Road, Exeter, will face trial before a jury later this year. He is accused of sexually assaulting the same woman passenger twice on June 18, 2016.

The judge released on bail with a condition he does not work as a taxi driver pending his trial.


http://goo.gl/KQVQBa

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BOLTON /BURY

TEENAGERS who lured taxi drivers into a series of New Year attacks and robberies have been jailed.

Ryan Costello, 18, and Anthony Graham, 19, attempted to rob four separate taxi drivers over two nights starting in the early hours of New Year’s Day.

Bolton Crown Court heard how one of the drivers was so badly hurt that his life has been ruined and the teenagers are regarded as so dangerous that the court imposed an extended sentence for public protection.

Judge Richard Gioserano sentenced Costello to six years and nine months in custody and Graham to seven years and two months. They will each spend an additional three years on licence.

The court heard how the defendants called Royal Taxis in Bury asking for a taxi on what is the busiest night of the year for taxi drivers.

Javed Ahmed picked up the pair from Coronation Road, Radcliffe, taking them on a round trip to get pizza.

But on their return Costello produced a knife which he held to Mr Ahmed's throat and shouted: "Give me your money, give me everything, give me your phone."

Craig Macgregor, prosecuting, said: "Mr Ahmed was very scared — he could feel the sharp blade against his throat. He thought he was going to be cut. Then the blade was held to his left cheek."

The driver managed to escape the car and scream for help, at which point the defendants ran away.

Undeterred, the teenagers then called Royal Peel Cars to Coronation Road at 4.30am and driver Abdul Anjum arrived.

While Graham asked him to open the door, Costello held up an eight inch bladed machete and "brought it down with force" towards Mr Anjum's head.

The taxi driver was then pulled out of the car by Graham, with Mr Anjum telling the robbers to take his money.

But Graham continued to punch the victim in the head and back, laughing as he rained down blows.

"Graham was saying 'you should be recording this' and at this point Costello then used the machete to hit him (Mr Anjum) on his leg just below his knee," said Mr Macgregor.

The teenagers then stole £350 before running off.

The court heard how Mr Anjum had to have an operation on his leg and, in a statement read out in court said: "I feel like this has destroyed my life. I have lost my independence and I am scared and paranoid.

"I do not trust people any more. I can walk but I have to keep stopping to rest between and it is very painful.

"I am unable to pray because I can’t kneel down and I struggle to get to the mosque. It has had a huge impact on my life.

"This incident has destroyed my plans for the future, I don't how long it will be before I get better or if I will get better at all."

In the early hours of the next day the pair targeted another two taxi drivers.

http://goo.gl/nc9XP2