Taxi service Uber will start transporting passengers with self-driving cars in the next few weeks, the company has said. 

Initially, the Ford Fusion vehicles will be supervised by a driver, who can take control if necessary, and an observer.

The pilot project is set to start in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the next few weeks, where Uber has a self-driving research lab and is working on autonomous technology.

Uber and Volvo also announced a £228m deal for Volvo to provide SUVs to Uber for autonomous vehicle research.

It is not the only firm exploring the use of self-driving vehicles.

Google last month said it was building its first prototype autonomous vehicle, with no steering wheel, acceleration pedal or brake.

The company is not likely to move into mass production of driverless cars, but says it wants to work with others to increase their widespread use.

http://goo.gl/uY9sg3

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MPs say a "legal loophole" is putting young people at risk by allowing taxi drivers to operate in Rotherham without meeting council-imposed standards.

MPs said drivers licensed by other local authorities could operate in the town even if their application for a Rotherham licence had been rejected.

A 2014 report said 1,400 children had been abused in the town and taxi drivers played a "prominent role".

The issue was raised by the Communities and Local Government Committee (CLGC).
It said swift action was needed by ministers.

'Without delay'

The Professor Alexis Jay report found hundreds of children were subjected to sexual abuse in the South Yorkshire town between 1997 and 2013.
The committee noted the concerns raised relate to a "very small minority" of drivers in Rotherham but they had undermined public confidence.
It concluded there was a need for government departments to introduce statutory guidance in law over taxi licensing "without delay", adding legislation should be considered if this fails to deliver the high standards needed across the country.

"We believe that local authorities must be able to apply particular measures in relation to taxi licensing in their areas, such as requiring taxis to have CCTV installed, without those measures being undermined by taxis coming in from other areas," it said.

Rotherham, which has an estimated 1,100 drivers, introduced new rules requiring drivers to install CCTV cameras in the wake of Prof Jay's findings.
The CLGC made the recommendation following an inquiry into the government's imposition of commissioners in Rotherham in February 2015 and the London borough of Tower Hamlets in December 2014.

The committee's other conclusions included the need for local authorities to learn from the experiences of Rotherham and Tower Hamlets about the need to "encourage and support" whistleblowers and to take their concerns "seriously".

The MPs also suggested that local authorities subject to government intervention should pick up the costs despite tightened budgets.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-so
uth-yorkshire-37124926

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BELFAST

Rural taxi companies are to be given permission to charge customers for periods in which there is no passenger in the car, the Belfast Telegraph can reveal.

The move, part of the biggest shake-up in the industry in a generation, aims to resolve the problem of taxis having to travel long distances to pick up countryside customers.

Taxi drivers currently have to travel to collect passengers without payment - in some cases driving further than the job itself. But under the new regulations aimed at solving a problem the industry refers to as 'dead miles', passengers will have to agree to an extra fee.

One MLA called the new system a "messy resolution" and said the problem should have been resolved much sooner. But Ulster Unionist Ross Hussey also admitted that a failure to find a solution to the issue could have meant rural areas being left without a taxi service.

Infrastructure Minister Chris Hazzard said: "The term 'dead miles' refers to the mileage undertaken by the taxi driver to get to a job and/or return to base from a job. Under the previous proposals, drivers were only allowed to charge when the passenger was in the car."

Mr Hussey added: "Unfortunately, despite the Taxis Act being passed in 2008, the subsequent eight years have been marred with delays and one botched regulation after another. The actions of the DUP and Sinn Fein in particular have meant that progress has been stymied.

"Had the issue of dead miles not been resolved, we could have possibly experienced the unacceptable withdrawal of essential taxi services from swathes of rural Northern Ireland.

"The compromise of both passenger and driver agreeing a slightly increased fare in advance should hopefully get the department out of the hole they found themselves in.

"However, there is no doubt it is a messy resolution, with the likelihood of only causing further confusion and unnecessary administration."

A department spokesman said: "The taxi metering requirements came into force on May 31 this year, including the exemption relating to dead miles.

"But following representations from the taxi industry about the lead-in time for the new requirements, enforcement action will now not commence until October 1."

http://goo.gl/0lR5rG

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GLASGOW

PRIVATE hire drivers who illegally pick up passengers in the street are to be targeted by mystery passengers.

Members of the city council's licensing committee unanimously backed the scheme, which is supported by the police, in a bid to improve public safety.

Under the terms of their licence, private hire cars can only pick up passengers through a pre-arranged booking made through the taxi booking office.

However council bosses say there is substantial evidence that some drivers are picking up people who flag them down creating a "significant risk to public safety."

No record will exist of the journeys meaning drivers invalidate their insurance causing problems for passengers and companies in the event of an accident.

There is also considerable evidence that drivers who pirate for fares overcharge passengers, sometimes four times more than the proper rate.

In the first six months of this year, over half the complaints about private hire drivers which went before the licensing committee related to pirating.

In all cases, this resulted in the drivers having their licences suspended, sometimes for up to six months for repeat offenders.

Frank Docherty, chairman of the licensing committee, said he was concerned the message that pirating is unacceptable was not getting through to drivers.

And he warned the rogue drivers are a scourge and need to be driven off the road.

Mr Docherty added: "Pirate drivers put passenger safety at risk. Like the pirates of old, these drivers are only interested in making a quick buck and to hell with the consequences.

"The council has a very active taxi enforcement team but can't be everywhere at once.

"Unfortunately the drivers who end up in front of the committee may only be the tip of the iceberg.

"Private hire drivers will now be forced to think twice about who they are letting into their car. Do pirate drivers really want to take the chance they are actually taking a trip straight to the licensing committee and months out of work."

Mr Docherty said introducing the mystery passenger scheme would protect both passengers and the legitimate drivers who play by the rules.

Police Scotland told the committee there had been incidents involving unlicensed journeys where passengers had complained about substantial fraud and sexual assault.

Of the 36 complaints against drivers which went before councillors between January and June this year, 21 related to pirate drivers.

A total of 301 complaints were made to the council's taxi enforcement team in that time, a substantial proportion of which related to pirating.

If successful in targeting pirate drivers, the scheme may be extended to deal with issues such as the standard of service for disabled people, identifying drivers who do not use meters to calculate fares and other issues which highlight a failure to comply with licence conditions.

http://goo.gl/eCxSH2

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Taxi drivers in Liverpool are working harder than ever just to make ends meet, a new study reveals.

The research shows Hackney and private hire drivers in the city , including those working for Uber, travel 27,485 miles a year and take an average of 95 fares a week – up 35 fares since similar research carried out in 2013.

The survey of more than 1,000 drivers across the UK, including Liverpool, was commissioned by taxi insurance broker insureTAXI.

Longer hours
More than a third of respondents in Liverpool said they have increased their working hours over the last three years, with 45% citing increased competition as the reason for clocking up more time on the road.

Half of drivers in Liverpool said they’re working longer hours to make ends meet at home.

In an average week, taxi drivers in Liverpool are now working 43 hours and earning £316, making the average hourly rate £7.35 – £0.65 above the current national minimum wage.

On top of this, the research revealed they can expect an average tip of 68p for each fare. Considering the number of fares taxi drivers take on average a week, this means they could earn around £64.60 in tips each week.

Rising costs
But while the research paints a largely positive picture of taxi drivers’ earning potential, there are a number of costs that taxi drivers regularly incur.

On average, taxi drivers in Liverpool spend £100 a week on fuel, £91 a month on general vehicle maintenance and £1,901 a year on their taxi insurance – totalling an average of £8,193 of expenditure each year.

The rising cost of being a taxi driver is a concern for a number of taxi drivers in Liverpool, with 35% stating it’s the biggest threat to their profession.

And 28% think the increase in competition is the biggest threat, while 17% of non-Uber drivers think Uber is the biggest threat.

http://goo.gl/aKxQz9