Uber Lobby Smears Sadiq Khan

London’s new Mayor has announced measures to support the capital’s black cab trade, while taking steps to tackle air pollution: there will be more taxi ranks, more use of bus lanes, grants to help cabbies move towards zero emissions vehicles, and lots of charging points to help them charge up those electric taxis of the future. And there will be a requirement for private hire drivers to demonstrate competent use of English.

So far, so progressive, but for those who shill for driver and rider matching service Uber, this is nothing less than an affront to the purity of the free market dogma that they hold so dear. Never mind that black cab drivers are almost universally one-man and one-woman small businesses, and that Uber is an aggressive corporate driven by a war chest counted in billions of US Dollars, this has to be framed as unfair.

And so it has come to pass, as uber-creep Christian May, who has inexplicably been gifted the editor’s chair at freesheet City AM, has told “Khan bungs a massive subsidy to the black cabs and heaps new regulations on Uber and private hire. Disappointing”. The man who bridled at suggestions aired on BBC Newsnight he was taking bribes is now directly accusing the Mayor Of London of, er, giving out bribes.

May’s paper has wasted no time in backing behind Uber, as City AM Technology Editor Lynsey Barber has penned “Uber accuses Sadiq Khan of favouring London's black cabs”, adding “In an email sent to customers, Uber claims that thousands of minicab drivers could lose their livelihoods with a knock on effect on waiting times and availability of cars”. The whole text of the Uber email was appended to the article - in bold.

May’s one-time flatmate, odious flannelled fool Master Harry Cole (aged 17 3/4) has, by no coincidence at all, echoed the Uber line. “Ah. He ran his campaign out of a Transport union building now Khan caves into to union vested interests … Uber: ‘While black cabs will get £65m from the taxpayer, the Mayor is piling extra costs and red tape on to licensed private hire drivers’”. Extra costs like having to learn English. Yeah, right.

London’s Mayor, through Transport for London, has a responsibility for the black cab trade, which he is using to drive measures for improving the capital’s air quality. Electric buses presently being introduced on to Central London routes will also contribute. We know what the result of relying on the market to provide this benefit has been: no action at all

Those who use minicabs - including Uber - have registered concerns with the Mayor, such as the inability of some drivers to communicate in English. He is also addressing this problem. Instead of taking this on board, Uber’s useful idiots in the media are whining that it’s not fair, and that there should be less of those rotten regulations.

That would be the regulations that stop Uber from pleasing themselves. But it isn’t about them, it’s about the people who Sadiq Khan represents. He has a duty to them, and has discharged that duty as he has seen fit. That the response of the Uber useful idiots has been nothing more than smears tells you all you need to know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cDRqllIGDE&feature=youtu.be

https://goo.gl/V4yTwe

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The City of Ottawa has responded to a massive $215-million lawsuit filed by the taxi industry over the new rules that will allow ride-hailing companies like Uber to operate legally at the end of this month.

In its statement of defence against the suit filed in August by Capital Taxi and Marc Andre Way, whose family owns the largest number of taxi plates in the city, the city says it has no responsibility to protect the taxi industry from any financial losses that might arise from the regulatory changes.
   

Because the city allows a limited number of taxis on the streets, new taxi plates are hardly ever issued. For decades, the only way to enter into the city's taxi business was to buy a plate from a current holder — a practice which the city has been aware of and has done nothing to stop in its 50 years of regulating the industry.

Now that unlimited cars-for-hire can enter the market, however, those taxi plates have lost their value. And the suit filed in August — the largest in the history of Ottawa — alleges that the city and the taxi industry were in a "relationship of proximity in which the City's failure to take reasonable care would foreseeably cause loss or harm to Class members."

But the city says it has no such responsibility to taxi plate owners.

Buying and selling those taxi plates "created a speculative and artificial secondary market for time-limited taxicab service licenses" that the city had nothing to do with other than register the plate transfer, according to its statement of defence.

https://goo.gl/ivP58R

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BIRMINGHAM AIRPORT

A 'system failure' caused delays to 18 of the airline's flights, with hundreds of passengers finding themselves waiting around at check-in desks and baggage carousels.

Flights to Lisbon, Larnaca and Nice were among those affected, as well as the inbound flight from Malaga.

Muhammad Nasim, from Tettenhall, was waiting to pick up passengers at the airport, and left his taxi in the short stay car park.

He parked up at 4.50pm, 40 minutes after his passengers' scheduled flight was due to arrive, but due to delays, he didn't get back to the vehicle with his customers until 5.50pm.

Short stay parking at the airport starts from £1 for ten minutes but rises to £7 for 20 minutes and an additional £5 for every five minutes thereafter.

His fare for the pick up was £40, so he ended up losing out on £13 plus petrol.

Mr Nasim said: "It's unacceptable, it just isn't good enough. I've been trying to get a refund but no-one will speak to me.

"The airport have told me to get in touch with NCP because apparently it isn't their problem. I've spoken to NCP who said they are going to get back to me, but not to expect any refund.

"I'm not the only person it happened to. I saw one old guy who was almost in tears. He had a bill for £80. People haven't got the money to just pay all that. There was probably people who were putting it on credit cards.

"I think it's very harsh in the circumstances to charge people that kind of money, it's not our fault.

"I think they should put a number out that people can call to claim their money back. It isn't right for them to keep that money."

Birmingham Airport confirmed there was a ground staff issue that caused the delay on the day and Monarch apologised to customers.

A Monarch spokesman said: “Monarch is extremely sorry for the delays to flights in and out of Birmingham Airport. These have been caused by a systems issue experienced by Monarch’s handling agent. This has now been resolved.”

“We would like to apologise to customers for the inconvenience.”

https://goo.gl/sY5sEn

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Disabled people in Leeds are being treated like “second-class citizens” by taxi and private hire firms, a campaigner has claimed.

Nathan Popple, who has severe disabilities due to cerebral palsy, claims to have been quoted £108 for a one-way trip in a wheelchair accessible car for a 5.6 mile journey from his Adel home to Armley.

The 18-year-old is behind the Accessible Leeds website, which rates services in the city on how they cater for disabled people.

The quote came after his wheelchair accessible car became unusable after an accident.

He claims to have been rejected travel by private hire drivers in Leeds, while drivers of Hackney carriages, or black cabs, often fail to stop for him or refuse to help him in or out of their vehicles.

In a letter of complaint sent to operators, MPs and Leeds City Council leaders, he said major firms in the city “treat disabled people as second-class citizens”.

He continued: “Complaints about these companies need to be taken seriously and real action needs to be taken against them.

“At the minute Leeds feels like a no-go area for disabled people.”

Mr Popple said that despite many private hire firms advertising that their vehicles are wheelchair accessible, prices are “awful” for disabled people.

He claims other private hire firms offered the Adel to Armley return trip for £60 or £30 but offered either limited times or refused advanced bookings.

“There are endless stories of taxis not showing up, driving away or refusing to stop for disabled people, refusing to state a collection time or simply overcharging,” he said.

“Disabled people have a massive amount to give to our communities and to our city. I am not asking for special treatment, I am asking for fairness.”

A spokeswoman for Leeds City Council said: “We are always very concerned to hear about taxi and private hire drivers in Leeds who do not treat all passengers equally and will be investigating Mr Popple’s complaints.”

She explained that all new taxi or private hire licence applicants receive customer care training that emphasises fair treatment for all, although the council has no control over charges levied.

The council can revoke private hire licences if complaints are received and proven. Hackney carriage drivers must also abide by the Equality Act 2010 or face possible prosecution.

Neither the Leeds Private Hire Drivers Association nor Unite the Union’s Leeds Hackney carriage branch were available to comment when contacted by Yorkshire Post Newspapers.

https://goo.gl/vm4ZHo