LONDON

Regulations set to hit London in October would require Uber drivers to pass a written English test, and Uber is not having it. 

The rules, imposed by Transport for London, would require private hire drivers from non-English speaking countries to pass an intermediate-level English language test that covers speaking, listening, reading and writing skills. Drivers would have to pass the test, equivalent to the national curriculum for 9 to 11 year olds, whether they are applying for a new license or renewing an old one. 

Uber says the regulations are onerous and unfairly penalize drivers who only need spoken English to do their jobs. The company supports the requirement for a spoken English test, a version of which is already mandated, but objects to the written portion. 

"Uber has already invested £100 [million] in London - and we plan to invest even more in the future," Uber London General Manager Tom Elvidge wrote in an email Monday to all London users. "But bureaucratic new rules from Transport for London send the opposite message and threaten the livelihood of thousands of drivers." 

Uber claims the new test is harder than what's required for British citizenship or for public sector employees. It also says only 0.5 percent of rider feedback in July was about poor English skills. 

The regulations have already been approved, so Uber is asking London users to "ask the new mayor to look again at TfL’s plans." Uber is linking its request with Mayor Sadiq Khan's pro-immigration and pro-refugee policies. 

The countries of origin exempt to the upcoming requirement include: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, New Zealand, Ireland, St. Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and the United States.

http://goo.gl/0c01HK

-------------------------------------------------------------ST LOUIS, USA

Uber muscled its way into the St. Louis area two years ago as a highly popular and more convenient alternative to traditional taxi services. But the company has steadfastly avoided compliance with local laws designed to protect passengers. It has failed to pay the city earnings tax, and its drivers evade fees that taxis must pay when picking up passengers at the airport.

Enough, says St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, a strong ally of the app-based ride-hailing service. He asked Lambert-St. Louis International Airport officials last week to crack down on Uber drivers providing airport pickup service in defiance of the rules.

More controversy has erupted concerning a woman who claimed she was sexually assaulted in the back seat of an Uber car. The company appeared to stall in efforts to track down the driver who may have witnessed the July 3 assault. Now, five weeks later, the issue has been resolved.

But the delay raised questions about whether Uber was trying to avoid revealing details about its operations on city streets in potential violation of Metropolitan Taxi Commission rules requiring drivers to be fingerprinted for background checks, an issue now before the courts.

Uber failed in the last legislative session to get the fingerprint and background-check law changed, along with the law requiring drivers-for-hire to have a chauffeur’s license. The company has continued operating without interference. To be fair to taxi drivers who must comply with the law, it’s time for the city to enforce Uber’s full compliance.

http://goo.gl/dBsSpn

-----------------------------------------------------
CAMBRIDGE

Taxi firm Uber is set to revolutionise cab hire in Cambridge after signalling a move into the city.

The company has attracted great interest, as well as criticism, over the years with its mobile app that links up members of the public in need of a lift with taxi drivers in the area. The business model has been praised for its convenience, allowing people to quickly and conveniently locate a driver.

Now, Uber is advertising for staff to help get its Cambridge operation on the road.

A spokesman for Uber said: “We have been licensed by the local council. We currently hold a license to operate in Cambridge, but we do not have anyone on the ground yet.

“How long we take to start up depends a lot on the team. We need local people to support our operation and it can take some time."

The Uber spokesman added it may be a while before the company was fully operational in Cambridge, but did say people had already been attempting to download and use the app in the city, but were disappointed to find the company did not have any drivers in the area.

“We are in over 20 towns and cities in the UK," said the spokesman. “When we launch in a nearby town, people hear about it and launch the app, so we can see what kind of demand there would be.

“We want to be able to give people a reliable experience. We want people to know it's a good option and it is affordable."

The company has, however, come in for criticism.

Dave Wratten is a Cambridge taxi driver. He is also the chairman and director of the Cambridge City Licensed Taxi (CCLT) organisation.

“I have got mixed feelings about it," Dave said. “From what I know from talking to colleagues, it is not very good for drivers.

“I have spoken to a few drivers that work for them in London. In the beginning it's hunky dory and then the conditions change and people end up doing 14-hour days. The same could happen here.

“My concern is whether they are going to have to operate under the same circumstances we are. In Cambridge, we all have to have enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks.

“There are a lot of unknowns. We don't know if they will be recruiting local drivers or bringing more people in. If they're adding drivers, everyone will have to work even harder. It's a busy city with 1,300 registered taxis already."

The Uber spokesman reassured the News that the license issued by the city council includes an enhanced DBS, requiring the same background checks that are required for other black cabs and care workers in the city. They also said working conditions were often beneficial for many drivers who could thrive on the flexibility they could offer.

Uber currently operates in more than 20 towns and cities across the UK including London, Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Newcastle, Sheffield, Bristol, Merseyside, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Nottingham, Portsmouth, Leicester, Belfast, Cardiff, Southampton, Sunderland, Stoke-on-Trent, the Black Country and parts of the Home Counties.

The city council granted Uber a license in March. The company is now looking to recruit staff to help launch in the city. The license is valid for a year.

http://goo.gl/Lkh2aF

---------------------------------------------------------

RUNCORN

A cabby from Runcorn was given a suspended sentenced and had his taxi seized after toxic vodka that could cause drinkers to fall into a coma was found in his vehicle.

Ian Baldwin, 50, of Grangeway, pleaded guilty to 21 offences relating to counterfeit and illicit alcohol and tobacco seized from his taxi, his personal vehicle and a storage unit last December.

He was sentenced at Halton Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

A Halton Trading Standards spokesman said Baldwin was working as a taxi driver in Chester when he was stopped just after leaving his home address during a joint operation by Halton Borough Council and Cheshire Police.

The haul of illicit hand-rolling tobacco and cigarettes along with 26 litres of counterfeit vodka and 108 bottles of illicit untraceable wine had a street value of over £1,700.

http://goo.gl/YlCWNr

----------------------------------------------------------

STOCKPORT

A gang pulled a taxi driver from his cab during a 'bogus fare' robbery in Stockport - before crashing the car and damaging seven others.

The driver had been flagged down by what appeared to be a lone man on Marbury Road, Heaton Chapel , on Tuesday at around 7.45pm.

But when the cabbie stopped four or five men - most of whom were hiding nearby - attacked him and yanked him out of the taxi.

They drove off in the Volkswagen Passat but crashed it around two hours later on Haveley Road, in the Wythenshawe area of Manchester, damaging the other vehicles before fleeing the scene.

The gang is described as white males in their early 20s.

Police , who have recovered the taxi, have appealed for witnesses and say the driver was left with a minor head injury.


http://goo.gl/0dfioB

------------------------------------------------------------

SHEFFIELD

Fares in Sheffield’s black cabs could rise following a request by taxi drivers and the GMB union.

Under the proposals, set out by the union and the Sheffield Taxi Trades Association, night-time rates would start one hour earlier from 7pm, instead of the current 8pm, while the cost of travelling per mile would increase by an average 3.5 per cent.

The changes would mean that, when catching a taxi at 7pm, the meter would start at £3.10 instead of £2.60.

Calculations show short journeys would go up in price by around seven per cent, but the cost of a trip of more than 10 miles would increase by only one per cent on average.

The new charges - which would be the first rise in fares in the city since 2010 - are to be considered by councillors in a meeting at Sheffield Town Hall tomorrow.

Customers paying by card would no longer pay an extra 50 pence. A percentage fee of the fare would apply instead, it is recommended.

However, no percentage figure has yet been suggested. The issue is set to be discussed at the meeting.

The report said: “The use of cards is becoming more frequent and the trade wish to be able to respond to this move in the market.

“Drivers find the payment for use of the card doesn’t cover the cost to the driver for the card machines and administration costs incurred.

“The overall percentages of these rises are low.

“We believe it has been some years since the last increase in fares and drivers have absorbed many rises.”

http://goo.gl/X4zdEc

------------------------------------------------------

BRISTOL

A prostitute told a jury that a punter who didn't have money to pay her for services bludgeoned her with a frying pan.

Tonia Noto said she knew Ayman Yousif as a client and he propositioned her for sex as she worked in Fishponds Road, Bristol Crown Court heard.

But she said when she went to his nearby flat later he didn't have the money to pay her and became agitated, attacking her with a frying pan and screwdriver.

Yousif, 46, formerly of Fishponds Road but now living in Bothwell Street, Edinburgh, denies assault occasioning actual bodily harm in April 2014.

Ms Noto said she had smoked drugs and done business with taxi driver Yousif, whom she knew as Ali, before.

But she said after he wanted to have sex, she twice went to his flat but he had no money to pay her.

She told Bristol Crown Court: "The second time we sat down and talked a little bit.

"Then he started groping me, he touched my breasts and crotch.

"I said I needed him to pay me. He only had £10."

With that Yousif became agitated, she said.

She told the court she backed up against a draining board, feeling for something to defend herself, when Yousif attacked her.

She said: "He picked up a frying pan and repeatedly hit me with it. He was hitting me across my head, I raised my arm and he hit my arm."

Ms Noto recounted how she screamed for help, hoping her partner stood outside would hear her.

Yousif continued to attack her with a frying pan, bit her and also struck her with a screwdriver, she said.

Ms Noto said: "It was just crazy."

Even though Yousif locked his front door and tried to block it with a sofa, Ms Noto managed to unlock the door.

She said her partner then came in and punched Yousif to the floor before police arrived on the scene.

Though she suffered black eyes, a lump on the back of her head and bruising she told police "forget it" when they arrived.

But the court heard she made a complaint later after speaking to the One25 project, a charity which helps street sex workers.

Yousif said the woman came to his flat wanting money to buy drugs, hit him with his frying pan and stabbed him and he defended himself.

He told the jury: "I didn't approach her for sex. I didn't become angry. I wasn't violent towards her,"

The case continues.

http://goo.gl/EbN7m0