A man has been charged with the rape of teenager in Yeovil on Saturday night, (January 28).

Police say Florin Daniel Grenlus, 46, who works as a taxi driver, has been charged with raping a 19-year-old woman.

Grenlus, of Greenhill Road in Yeovil, appeared before Yeovil Magistrates' Court this morning, (Monday, January 30), and was remanded in custody to next appear before Taunton Crown Court on February 27.

Police have appealed for information.

A spokesman said: "If you have information for a member of the inquiry team, please call 101 and give the call handler the reference number 5217020794."

http://www.somersetlive.co.uk/taxi-driver-charged-with-rape-of-teenager-in-yeovil-on-saturday-night/story-30097487-detail/story.html#Atgf0aLOWjrzPe0j.99
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ARGENTINA

While Uber is dealing with fallout from its response to Trump's Friday immigration order, when it tweeted it would pause surge pricing, which was taken as a form of "strike breaking," whilst simultaneously profiting off the situation, and its actions were seen as seeking to grab market share from striking taxi drivers, leading to a #DeleteUber meme spreading across social networks, it has a more tangible problem in Argentina, where Buenos Aires prosecutor Martin Lapadi moments ago requested the arrest of local Uber executives, and ordered the shut down of the company's mobile application.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-01-30/argentine-judge-orders-arrest-local-uber-executives-shut-down-uber-mobile-app

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Police in Hull have warned the public to avoid bogus taxis after seizing a suspect car on Saturday night.

The car was believed to be acting as an unlicensed taxi and was seen picking up members of the public in Newland Avenue.

The vehicle was stopped on suspicion of committing road traffic offences and the driver is being investigated under suspicion of being an unlicensed taxi driver. The car was also impounded by police while the investigation continues.

Police say the incident highlights growing concern about the use of unlicensed taxis in Hull - in particular for women trying tio find lifts home after socialising. Drivers using their own cars regularly use social media to tout for fares.

PC Julie Fenton, a community police officer based at Osborne Street, said: "I am aware of unlicensed vehicles travelling in and around Hull offering to take people home after a night out. This is an extremely worrying trend which can put vulnerable people at risk of becoming victims of crime.

"When people have had a few drinks and it is cold they are desperate to get home as soon as possible. I've seen women flagging down vehicles asking them for lifts home and it's really worrying.

http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/police-seize-bogus-taxi-on-newland-avenue-after-spotting-it-picking-up-passengers/story-30097486-detail/story.html#k2ZgxUt22lB7iwFc.99

A man who threatened a taxi driver with a fake gun before robbing him has been jailed for more than six years.

James Oliver Blockley, 32, of Champion Close in Leicester, carried out the offence in August last year at around 11pm.

He stepped into the road and pointed a gun at the taxi driver, threatened him and took his vehicle. He also threatened two other motorists, one of whom had children in the car.

The taxi had a tracking device fitted and officers were able to trace where Blockley was, which led to his arrest, a short while later.

He was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison for possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear, robbery, dangerous driving and breach of a restraining order.

He had previously pleaded guilty to the offences during a hearing in November 2016.

http://bit.ly/2jbR7pA
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Uber’s arrival has led to more taxi jobs, but the transport firm’s model means drivers at traditional cab firms now earn less.

That’s according to a working paper from University of Oxford researchers, which finds no evidence that the rollout of Uber and its ride-hailing app has led to fewer jobs for traditional taxi drivers since it introduced its “sharing economy” model in the US in 2010. But the number of self-employed drivers, including those who work for Uber, has increased almost 50 per cent since the app’s introduction in US cities.

“Employment, if anything, expands,” says Carl Benedikt Frey, one of the paper’s co-authors.
Drawing on statistics from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the paper also finds that traditional taxi drivers in cities where Uber operates have seen their earnings decline. The researchers found that such drivers have seen their hourly income fall by up to 10 per cent on average. Meanwhile, the hourly takings of self-employed drivers have risen by the same amount.

http://bit.ly/2kwepDz
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A tribunal hearing between three taxi drivers and cab company Addison Lee is likely to fuel further calls for clarity in the laws defining employment status.

The Central London Employment Tribunal has opened a case brought by three drivers who were dismissed after joining a protest against the company.

Addison Lee had attempted to delay the start of the tribunal until November, by which point other similar cases would have been heard, but the tribunal set a date for 4 July.

Gary Pearce, regional officer at union GMB, of which the drivers are members, said: ‘Everything points to the drivers being employees and no doubt will result in yet another decision exposing bogus self-employment practices by employers in the private hire industry.’

The drivers’ contracts were terminated hours after a GMB-organised protest in central London in May last year. Members were protesting against an increase in commission levels from Addison Lee and changes to terms and conditions for drivers.

Pearce added: ‘Any attempt to classify the drivers as self-employed will simply not wash with the employment tribunal. GMB will not allow Addison Lee to go unpunished for dismissing drivers whose only crime was to legitimately bring their plight to the attention of the public and the parent company of Addison Lee, The Carlyle Group.’

Earlier this year, the Law Society said people working in sectors including private hire taxi companies, known as the 'gig economy', should be considered to have 'employed' status.

The Society was responding to a call for evidence by the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy committee on how employment rights apply within a changing work environment.

GMB had previously raised concerns with Addison Lee including increased commission, fixed rate insurance and reduced fares.

An Addison Lee spokesperson said the company does not comment on ongoing litigation.

http://bit.ly/2jkPuBc

SINGAPORE — Taxi drivers will now be able to rent taxis on a pay-per-drive basis, as SMRT Taxis on Thursday (Jan 26) rolled out its taxi-sharing scheme aimed at making better use of its fleet - more than a hundred of which are sitting idle - as well as providing drivers with greater work flexibility.

Under the SMRT Taxi Share scheme, those with a valid Taxi Driver Vocational Licence can rent these taxis on an hourly basis, for a minimum of three hours.

http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/smrt-taxi-rolls-out-taxi-sharing-scheme

THIS WEEK IN PARLIAMENT.

Louise Haigh Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport) (Digital Economy)

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to respond to the Law Commission's report into taxi and private hire regulation, published in May 2014.

Hansard source
(Citation: HC Deb, 23 January 2017, cW)

 Andrew Jones Andrew Jones Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government is considering all the recommendations in the Law Commission’s report on the regulation of private hire services in England and Wales. The Government has already acted to introduce legislation to bring forward some of the recommendations. A formal response to the Law Commission will be announced once scrutiny of the comprehensive report is completed.

NORTH SHIELDS

A taxi firm drove more than 70 fares in uninsured vehicles because they were operating in the wrong authority area.

Family-run Central Taxis illegally used two vehicles licenced in Northumberland in the North Shields area, a court was told.

The company, which was originally based in North Shields, had expanded into a Blyth office but left it unmanned and diverted all customer booking calls back to North Shields.

They then used two Northumberland-registered taxis - a Mercedes saloon and a Skoda Rapid saloon - for at least 78 fares in North Shields, rendering their insurance void, a court heard.

After receiving complaints, an inspector from North Tyneside Council’s taxi licencing department visited their offices in June 2016 and caught them red-handed.

However, instead of clearing-up their act, the company, which has been trading for 60 years, was caught again by the same inspector just 13 days later.

Now, Graeme Kennedy, who heads-up family-run Central Taxis, has been fined £1,000 after he admitted four charges under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 and two of driving without insurance.

During a hearing at North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court, Peter Rowbottom, prosecuting on behalf of the council, said an inspector was first sent to Central Taxis on June 10 2016.

He said: “Information is received by the Taxi Licencing Department that Northumberland licenced vehicles have been seen operating in the North Shields area.

“An inspector attends the office of Central Taxis in Railway Terrace and sees a Mercedes is picking-up a passenger outside.

“He establishes that both the vehicle and driver are not licenced in North Tyneside but by Northumberland County Council. He enters the office and inspects the records.

“He found the booking was made in North Shields but the vehicle is from and registered in Northumberland.”

The inspectors also found in the records that the vehicle had done a further 54 jobs in the North Shields area.

Mr Rowbottom said an inspector was sent back out to Central Taxis’ offices on June 23.

He said: “The inspector visits Central Taxis’ offices in Blyth. He finds it closed and all locked-up, so he rings the Blyth office and it’s answered by a call taker in North Shields.”

The court was told the inspector went to the offices in North Shields and again saw a Northumberland-plated taxi operating.

Mr Rowbottom said: “The inspector spoke to the passenger in the taxi and she said she booked the journey in North Shields, not Blyth.”

Again, records for the vehicle were checked and it was found that, between June 1 and June 25, 24 journeys had been booked and undertaken in the North Tyneside area.

Mr Rowbottom added: “The council got in touch with Enterprize Insurance company and they said those journeys would have been void because, they said, the driver doesn’t hold the appropriate licence.


“Well, they don’t, because they’re licenced for Northumberland but they’re operating in North Tyneside.”

Mr Kennedy, representing himself, said they had never intended to put members of the public at risk.

He said: “I’m not some boy racer trying to avoid insurance. In that past five years, we have spent more than £500,000 on insurance. The company is in £50,000-worth of debt and I couldn’t afford to pay more staff at the Blyth office.”

Central Taxis was also ordered to pay £175 costs and a £100 victim surcharge.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/north-shields-taxi-firm-rapped-12497096
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SOUTH WALES

Parents of a five-year-old girl claimed she tried to walk home alone after being left outside a closed school by a taxi.

Little Phoebe Allen had to walk on narrow country roads as she headed home alone from Talley CP School, which had been closed for an inset day, before managing to find a Good Samaritan to take her the three miles to her mum.

Phoebe's mother, Rachel, said she was not informed of the inset day, and is now withdrawing her children from the 44-pupil Carmarthenshire school near Llandeilo.

She told the South Wales Evening Post : "It was just like any other day, I got her fed, washed, and ready to go," she said. "I walked her to the bus stop and she got on the minibus. The driver waved and I went inside.

"Later, there was a knock on the door and a woman said 'I think I've got your daughter in my car'."
Mrs Allen added: "The woman was loading her own children into the car when Phoebe found her and asked if the woman could drive her home.
"She picked the right person, and she didn't try to walk the whole way, thank goodness.

"I can't believe the school could do that. My daughter could have died, been hit by a car, kidnapped, got lost in the cold, anything could have happened to her. She's only five."
Dad, David, added: "Phoebe's so clever, sometimes too clever.

"It's hard to believe the school didn't inform the transport company."

The transport is organised by Carmarthenshire Council, whose Head of Transport, Steve Pilliner said: "The council is sorry to hear of this matter and is in the process of fully investigating."

A spokeswoman from taxi firm M and J Llangadog Cabs said the firm was not at fault, adding: "It is the parents' job to inform us of inset days.
"Why was she at the bus stop that day?"
In the Welsh SWWITCH home to school transport code of conduct it states that transport operators should "never drop the pupils at the school without formally handing them over to a responsible member of staff".

When asked why this had not been done on Monday, January 16, the spokeswoman added: "Sometimes there's people about, sometimes there's not."

Rachel and David are taking both Phoebe and their nine-year-old son, Oliver, out of Talley CP School to attend a different primary.

"It was my daughter's life at risk, she's never going back there," said Rachel.

Sheila Speake, school governor and grandmother of three children in the school, said: "There were three school letters in November, December, and January about the inset day, also on school website and on the school community website, and on the school notice board in the school."

She added one of the letters contained details about a school trip to London, which was why there was an inset day, including details of the closure, which, she says, "suggests they had been informed about the inset day".
At the time of publication, Talley CP School had not responded to questions .

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/five-year-old-girl-tried-9686418

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AUSSIE LAND

Taxi drivers could donate a staggering $2.3million to support One Nation in Queensland's upcoming state elections after Pauline Hanson vowed to take on Uber.

Taxi drivers reportedly plan to donate $720 each to Ms Hanson's political party following a rank-and-file meeting in Brisbane on Tuesday.

The huge donation could equate to more than $2.3million if all 3,265 licensed taxi drivers unite behind the right-wing party.

According to the ABC, taxi drivers believe the money will be raised in the next few months.

Cabbie Peter Conohan said 3,000 t-shirts had been printed with the slogan: 'I support taxis, Pauline Hanson's One Nation.'

'We've all had enough,' he said. 'Pauline is a worker, she voices her opinion very verbally when everyone else has put their head in the sand.

'We will put a slush fund forward ... to support Pauline Hanson in her effort to leave a footprint with the Government and help the taxi industry.'

http://dailym.ai/2jXKXsc

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Struggling taxi drivers in Argyll have refused the opportunity to increase fare prices for fear it will drive more customers away.

Every year the council’s licensing committee meets to discuss the potential of allowing drivers the chance to put up their charges.

And this year all 133 taxi operators of the view that the market was so depressed fares should stay put – unless something happened to make fuel prices jump substantially.

Representatives from Cowal, Oban and Kintyre reported that business is so poor that many operators are already discounting the maximum fares to customers.

Taxi drivers from three Oban firms were all in agreement yesterday that prices should not go up.
Fraser Galt of Lorn Taxis said: “Business is terrible so putting the fares up would be a bad idea. It has not been good at all.

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/highlands/1147307/argyll-taxi-drivers-put-the-brakes-on-fare-hikes/

A taxi driver from Derbyshire has been denied a new licence after being told he was 'not a fit and proper person'. Nisar Alam lost his taxi driver's licence in 2012 after being convicted of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court heard how Mr Alam had asked a friend to take four speeding tickets he had received in the space of three months, a court heard.

http://bit.ly/2j8ped4

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BIRMINGHAM
A TAXI driver has been jailed for five years – after he was caught delivering a loaded gun to Birmingham as a “Christmas present”.
Armed police found a nine millimetre self-loading pistol containing seven bullets when they stopped a Toyota driven by Khalid Sempebwa.

Birmingham Crown Court heard he was paid £120 to deliver the weapon from London to Birmingham as a gift.
He stashed it in a footwell, the court was told.
Sempebwa, 60, of High Road, Tottenham, pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm.
John Edwards, defending, said: “This was really an act of crass stupidity by this gentleman.

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/taxi-driver-jailed-delivering-loaded-12493935
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 HailO/ MyTaxi rebrand.

 As you may have heard, Hailo is going to become mytaxi in the coming months. Exciting times!
In advance of the mytaxi launch, we need your correct postal address to send you a mytaxi launch information package.
Your pack will include all the information you’ll need to make the move from Hailo to mytaxi, and we don’t want anyone to miss out.
To make sure it arrives, we need you to update your information.
Here’s how you do it:

https://blog.hailoapp.com/2017/01/09/update-your-address-for-the-mytaxi-launch/

DERBY

Shocking statistics reveal almost half of the 2,800 private hire taxi drivers operating in Derby have not been cleared to work by Derby City Council.

Figures obtained from other authorities show more than 1,300 cabbies have gained licences elsewhere, meaning they have not passed Derby City Council's knowledge test. The council is powerless to check drivers or vehicles in the area if they have qualified with other authorities.

The Derby Telegraph revealed last week that 254 licensed drivers had travelled as far as Rossendale in Lancashire, which has no such test, to gain their qualification but further investigation showed this was just part of the problem.

Gedling Borough Council, in Nottinghamshire, showed a total of 765 drivers with a Derby home address had obtained licences from the authority.
About 1,500 private hire drivers in the city have taken and passed the Derby test.

Derby councillor Baggy Shanker, who responsible for taxi said

A loophole in the law allows drivers with a hackney carriage licence, who can pick up fares on the street, to operate to as private hire drivers anywhere in the country. Private hire drivers are only permitted to pick up passenger who have made a prior booking,

http://bit.ly/2jHCd7q
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UBERK becomes a VERB

So successful has Uber been that the brand is becoming a noun, even a verb. No longer do people get a taxi. They get an Uber. Or they Uber it to the airport.
The company has inveigled its way into popular culture with staggering speed. It appears in hip hop songs, in films, in TV programmes. Just as with its cars, Uber is everywhere.
Its $20m (£16m) legal settlement with America’s Federal Trade Commission is a reminder that there is a dark side to the cultural phenomenon it has become.

http://ind.pn/2j29k7l

Andrew Jones Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs) provide a particularly important service for many disabled people, helping them to remain independent and to complete journeys which may not be possible using other forms of transport.

I recognise that the availability of wheelchair accessible taxis and PHVs varies across Great Britain, particularly in rural areas. I know too, however, that they can sometimes be difficult to access for some ambulant disabled people. As such we encourage local licensing authorities to use their existing powers to ensure that a range of vehicle categories are represented in their taxi and PHV fleets.

We have also introduced powers in the Deregulation Act 2015 to enable the sub-contracting of PHV services across local authority boundaries, helping to ensure that wheelchair accessible vehicles are available wherever they are required.

(Citation: HC Deb, 16 January 2017, cW)
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Five Dundee taxi drivers had action taken against them after sexual allegations were made against them, the Tele can reveal.

The information has come to light following a freedom of information request by the Tele to Dundee City Council.

Last year, there were 41 taxi drivers in Dundee who had action taken against them by the council as a result of allegations made against them by passengers.

As well as the five cases alleging “inappropriate behaviour of a sexual nature”, there were seven allegations of breach of the peace and six alleged road traffic offences.

There was a total of 11 allegations of other behaviour issues, which were not specified.
In addition, there were a further 12 cases involving other issues which included medical issues and smoking in taxis.

All five of the drivers accused of inappropriate sexual behaviour were male.

The Tele understands that while decisions are made on a case-to-case basis, in most instances drivers are suspended immediately when an allegation of a sexual nature is made.

All hearings on the misconduct of the drivers were held in private at Dundee City Council’s licencing committee.

Stewart Hunter, convener of the council’s licensing committee, said public protection was “at the forefront” of any decision made, adding that the allegations were taken very seriously.
He continued: “I cannot comment on individual cases but council policy is to wait on criminal proceedings to finish before a decision is made.
“We take very seriously any allegations and take appropriate measures to protect the public.

“The safety of any passenger getting into a taxi in Dundee is our No 1 priority.”

There is a limit on the amount of taxi driver licences the council grants, which is set at 575.
At the moment, according to the council, there are 589 taxis operating in Dundee.

https://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/fp/dundee-taxi-drivers-suspended-sexual-claims/

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UBERK Pay 20 Million Dollar Court order

The ride-hailing company Uber has agreed to pay $20 million to settle allegations that it exaggerated prospective earnings in seeking to recruit drivers, according to documents filed with a U.S. federal court on Thursday.

The company had on its website that UberX drivers made more than $90,000 in New York and $74,000 in San Francisco when the real earnings were considerably less, the Federal Trade Commission said in a court filing.

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/01/19/uber-to-pay-20-million-to-settle-us-allegations-it-misled-drivers-about-earnings.html

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SAN ANTONIO - For the first time in San Antonio, an Uber driver is facing charges of violence. He is accused of raping a young woman after driving her home.

According to an arrest report from the San Antonio Police Department, the incident happened in October 2016.

The woman was at an unnamed bar. The report states she was so drunk that she passed out in the bathroom. Bar staff helped her outside, where an Uber was waiting.

The Uber driver, a man police identified as Gabriel Vasquez, reportedly helped the woman inside her apartment because she needed help walking. The report states he "escorted her to her bed and began to undress her." He is then accused of raping her.

“You'd like to think that when you're getting into an Uber, you're entering a safe place,” said local Uber user Hattie Piske, who is not connected to this incident. However, she said she is one many San Antonio women shuddering at the thought of this happening.

The 22-year-old victim alerted police and Uber the next day, according to SAPD. Uber said the trip Vasquez gave the 22-year-old was his last Uber ride, and he no longer drives for Uber.

Police said Vasquez did not have any previous complaints.

http://bit.ly/2iIq5px

FLYING TAXI

Airbus plans to test a prototype for a self-piloted flying car as a way of avoiding gridlock on city roads by the end of the year, the aerospace group's chief executive has revealed.

Airbus, which has a major base at Filton, last year formed a division called Urban Air Mobility, which is exploring future concepts such as a vehicle to transport individuals or a helicopter-style vehicle that can carry multiple riders.

The model of the proposed service would be for people to book the vehicle using an app, similar to car-sharing schemes such as Uber.

Read more: Airbus sees deliveries up in 2016, despite suffering slump in new orders
"One hundred years ago, urban transport went underground, now we have the technological wherewithal to go above ground," Airbus CEO Tom Enders told the DLD digital tech conference in Munich.

http://bit.ly/2k2F6Pi
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A new livery for all Hackney carriage taxis in the East Riding has been approved.

It will be carried out in two phases with new and replacement vehicles taking effect from 1 May 2017 and all existing licensed vehicles gradually becoming part of the livery by December 2020.
It's been agreed by the cabinet at the county council.

A report says:
"The implementation of a livery is an important feature of supporting the public safety and safeguarding standards we require under our licensing policy to protect those at risk and these form the framework by which we undertake our statutory responsibilities in respect of taxi vehicle licensing. These considerations are particularly important in light of the findings of the report into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham and other similar Inquiries in which licensing protections was a key area of concern.

A livery will also create an East Riding brand, allowing customers to differentiate between taxis licensed in different areas and support the high professionalism of the local trade."

The colour scheme is a white base with pantone green markings. This colour scheme will closely identify and link the East Riding of Yorkshire taxi livery with the East Riding of Yorkshire Council.

http://bit.ly/2jAa3xB

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Where was the first taxi rank in London?

The answer is: on the Strand near Somerset House.

Horse-drawn vehicles for private hire had been around in one form or another since medieval times. But no one had attempted to operate from a designated waiting place, or rank, until the 17th century. The pioneer was a Captain John Baily, a veteran of one of Sir Walter Raleigh's expeditions.
From 1634, he managed a rank of four horse-drawn carriages, available for hire from the Strand. Baily's cabmen wore a distinctive livery, and charged customers a fixed tariff depending on distance.

http://londonist.com/london/history/where-was-london-s-first-taxi-rank

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Licensed taxi drivers across the region have been ordered by Scottish Borders Council to provide proof they have the right to work in the UK.

The demand, which applies to all new and renewal applications for the one-year permits, comes from Scottish Borders Council, which currently licenses 356 drivers and 103 operators.

Last week these operators and 31 private hire car operators received an email from Mike Wynne, SBC’s licensing standards and enforcement officer, instructing them that drivers’ “additional documents” must be submitted and witnessed with all licence applications.

Mr Wynne cited the recently enacted Immigration Act 2016 under which people who do not have permission to be in the UK face sanctions, including having their bank accounts frozen and driving licences seized.

“Under the provisions of the Act which came into force on December 1, 2016, SBC will not be able to issue a taxi or private hire car driver licence to any person unless a check has first been made to confirm the person is not disqualified by reason of his or her immigration status from driving a taxi or private hire car,” stated Mr Wynne.

“This means all applicants for taxi or private hire car driver licences, including UK passport holders, will need to attend their nearest SBC contact centre or the licensing office at Newtown St Boswells in person with original documents demonstrating they have the right to work in the UK.

“Council staff will require to check the validity of these original documents in the presence of the applicant before the licence can be issued and the council is required to retain copies.”

If drivers are British citizens they must provide a current passport or birth certificate along with a National Insurance card or an up-to-date P60/P45 containing a National Insurance number. If the driver is an EU national, a passport or national identify card is required. And if the driver is neither a British citizen nor an EU national, he or she must provide a passport and “residence permit confirming your immigration status”.

One Galashiels taxi operator described the move as “politically-driven bureaucracy”, adding: “I’ve no idea why taxi drivers have been targeted.

“To get a licence to drive a taxi you already need to prove your date of birth, have a driving licence and undergo a police national computer check.

“In other words, the current vetting system works well in the Borders.”

http://bit.ly/2k5VqD0

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MERSEYSIDE

Online taxi service Cabfind has named a new managing director.

Lee Wasnidge has been appointed by global transport company Transdev to strengthen Cabfind’s mobility solutions.

He joined originally joined Transdev as strategy director after more than seven years at Northern Rail as regional director for the north-west and then transition director.

Merseyside-based Cabfind combines online booking services with value-added innovation and operational efficiencies, using a nationwide network of private hire and executive vehicles,

Its client base includes travel management companies, businesses, SMEs and individual users. Cabfind has specialist expertise in the rail, media and logistics sectors.

Wasnidge said: “The transport sector is going through a massive period of change thanks to technology-driven applications which offer exceptional opportunities to broaden our appeal and application.

“I will be looking to strengthen Cabfind’s ground-breaking services, work closely with our supply chain and deliver outstanding service to our customers.”

http://travolution.com/articles/101321/online-taxi-service-cabfind-names-lee-wasnidge-as-md

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LOST IN LONDON..THE MOVIE

For taxi driver Les Dartnell, the punter who flagged him down in Piccadilly in the early hours was just another welcome fare on a slow night back in June 2002.

Welcome, that is, until he started behaving weirdly and demanding to be let out of the cab, barely minutes into the journey.

‘I said “That’s fine mate, but we’re in the middle of a road with four lanes of traffic so let me pull over first”,’ Mr Dartnell recalled.

‘I didn’t have a clue then who this bloke was, but I was happy for him to get out because he was acting very strangely.’

What happened next is the subject of a film, Lost In London, starring Hollywood A-listers Woody Harrelson, Owen Wilson, and country singer Willie Nelson, to be shot on the streets of the capital from 2am tomorrow and streamed live to more than 500 cinemas in the U.S. (and just one here — the Picturehouse Central in London).

Mr Dartnell’s passenger was Harrelson — then a 40-year-old actor whose career was in a slump, following his celebrated turn in the TV series Cheers and the controversial film Natural Born Killers.

http://dailym.ai/2jNTVWp

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TUNBRIDGE WELLS

A taxi driver is facing a prison sentence after admitting taking more than 250 videos up the skirts of young women and schoolgirls as they shopped.

Grandfather Mark Durden, 60, preyed on shoppers using an iPhone at the Royal Victoria Place shopping centre in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent because he had a schoolgirl fetish.

Durden, of Lamberhurst, Kent, pleaded guilty at Sevenoaks Magistrates' Court to committing an act of outraging public decency by taking images up the skirts of women, without their knowledge, over the course of three years.

David Holman, prosecuting, said: 'He was found out by the police following a report from Topshop.

'A team leader at the Tunbridge Wells store in Royal Victoria Place gave a statement saying they had noticed the same person was coming in regularly from 3.30pm onwards.'

Mr Holman read out the statement from the Topshop employee, which said: 'My attention was caught as he was clearly not in the shop to purchase anything.

'He was looking at young girls, mainly in school uniform, and following them around the shop.

'It was creepy and made me feel uncomfortable.'

CCTV footage was obtained of Durden and he was arrested on June 10 last year.

Mr Holman said: 'During the arrest he was recorded having a conversation with his wife in which he said he had been taking pictures up young girls' skirts, using a 'thing' in a bag in Tunbridge Wells.

http://dailym.ai/2iE3HNS

IHail  preparing Launch here in U.K.

The iHail app will soon be with us.

Already available in the Google/ Apple and windows store.

It is already operational in the USA and more recently Australia.

IHail's parent Company , after several layers, is Cabcharge/Comfort Del Gro.

Their UK presence includes  Comcab, City Sprint

and Onward Travel the Private Hire Company with the Edinburgh Airport contract.

This is the problem with the U.K. Hackney trade, you will be competing with P.Hire on the same platform.

Update will follow.

A rolling protest by black cab drivers brought large parts of the City of London to a standstill during rush hour.

Following a 3pm protest at Bank junction on Tuesday afternoon - as part of an ongoing row over its planned closure to cars - the taxis travelled to Old Street for an unplanned demonstration.

The busy Old Street junction was grindlocked until it reopened shortly after 5pm, when there were reportedly delays of up to an hour, with motorists advised to avoid the area if possible.

The protest then moved on to London Wall, where delays of up to 40 minutes were reported, before it came to an end.

http://bit.ly/2j85HdI

LIVERPOOL...DELTA CARS

Married dad taxi driver forced male passenger to perform sex act on him in a moving cab

Dad-of-two Khaldon Mohammed, from Liverpool, asked the victim "do you like d**k?" before "suddenly" unzipping his jeans and focring man into lewd act

The driver, 30, claimed at Liverpool Crown Court that the passenger had instigated sex and he had agreed "out of curiosity".

But he was jailed for six-and-a-half years today after a jury convicted him, the Liverpool Echo reports

During a three-day trial, prosecutor Arthur Gibson told the court the victim had called a friend immediately after the journey and told her: “I need you.”

Mr Gibson said: “His voice was shaking, he went silent and then became hysterical, screaming down the phone ‘I’ve been raped’.”

His friend called police and when officers arrived, a policewoman described the man “crying hysterically” and retching when recalling what happened.

Mr Gibson asked the jury why, if Mohammed was telling the truth, the man “feigned distress”.

The court heard the passenger got into Mohammed’s taxi in 2015 after a night out, and was drunk but “not so drunk that he did not know what he was doing.”

The man told police that Mohammed had initiated conversation, but the passenger could not hear from the back so was invited to climb into the front passenger seat.

Mr Gibson said: “The usual banter took a strange and what is clearly now a sinister turn, because the defendant started to ask him about his sexual orientation and came out with the question ‘do you like d**k?’”

He said the journey continued before Mohammed “suddenly” unzipped his jeans, “pulled” the man’s head down and “forced him” to perform a sex act.

Mr Gibson said the driver pushed the victim away when they stopped at red traffic lights, because people were around, before pulling his head down again.

He said after Mohammed finished, the journey ended and the man got out and ran into his home.
When arrested, Mohammed told police the victim repeatedly put his hand down his trousers and groped him against his will, but insisted no sex acts took place.

The court heard Mohammed, who worked for private hire firm Delta, later changed his story and claimed a consensual sex act had taken place. He said he had been “embarrassed” to admit it and feared “losing my wife and kids.”

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/married-dad-taxi-driver-forced-9633847

Conclusion of opening statement in alleged

car clocking trial.

CHESTER CROWN COURT. FRIDAY 13.

The defendants have each pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud. They are John Murphy, 66, the company’s major shareholder, his daughter and shareholder Laura Murphy, 27, her partner Christopher Lunt, 37, finance director Kevin Batty, 55, mechanic Trevor Jones, 57, shareholder and director Paul Arslanian, 37 and Simon Williams, an MoT tester.

On resumption in the afternoon Mr Richard Pratt QC further addressed the members of  the Jury and His Honour, Judge Cummings QC at Chester Crown Court, he said: “each defendant denies playing a part in the alleged conspiracy, if such a conspiracy did happen no defendant has to prove they didn’t conspire.“

“You have to ask yourself did he or she know it was going on, just because a criminal enterprise is going on does not mean they are part of the conspiracy, but knowing it was taking place will help though.”

He then went on to explain each of the defendant’s roles in the prosecutions allegations.

“John Murphy, the leading light of PCS Events and associate companies, he has an 85% control in a hands on way of the company. You would think he had the most to gain.”

“Would anyone else want to do this behind his back?”added Mr Pratt.

“Documents that will be produced in evidence will demonstrate his control. You will see his signature on company documents and as a guarantor.”
“Mr Hart will give evidence that it was John Murphy he dealt with when he found suspect mileage on vehicles he had bought.”

“Mr Hart spoke to John Murphy. He showed John Murphy that his company had sold 2 “clocked cars” if he (John Murphy) did not know about car clocking he knew in December 2010 early 2011″.

“His company was required to take back cars. If he did not know about car clocking then he was innocent. But he knew now. Surely as the majority shareholder he would be questioning how this had happened.”

“Then we have more compromised cars returned from Stockton Heath Car Sales, so twice we have a batch of cars coming back to PCS”.

Mr Pratt told the jury that in 2013 after the Trading Standards raid Mr Murphy was provided, via his solicitor Mr Blackburn, further evidence of clocked cars.

A series of e-mails was sent from Mr Jackson, lead investigator for Trading Standards. They contained information from Fuel card companies, namely BWOC, UK Fuels and Fuel Card Services the jury was told.

“On the 11th November 2013 mileage charts were sent to Mr Murphy’s solicitor with details of specific vehicles that Trading Standards had suspicion about the mileages. Also service records showing mileages going up, then down”.

“What did Mr Murphy do now that he had been given hard information on clocked mileage?”
“He sells some of those vehicles!”

One example was a vehicle that in November 2011 had 77k on the odometer; the next time it was seen it had 17k.

Warning bells should be there, Mr Pratt said.
Mr Pratt then told the jury of the existence of a driver’s defect sheet submitted by a driver named Vickerstaff, it recorded the mileage at 58 thousand miles.

Later it was 41 thousand miles as evidenced by the Mercedes STAR system.

The jury was then told in January 2014 the vehicle was sold by PCS for £11,500 to Lostock Car Centre Northwich. On the 18th January a Mr Thorpe bought the vehicle for £14,000.

An invoice from PCS to Lostock Car Sales had a signed declaration saying the correct mileage was 67,149. Mr Thorpe bought the vehicle with the same mileage reading the court heard.

Mr Pratt added: “The vehicle was sold by Christopher Lunt; we will say with the knowledge of John Murphy.

“This was a PCS vehicle, so you could say he was entitled to sell it, it had not been impounded. But after receiving back “clocked cars” on two occasions he still sells a car on with a declaration that the mileage was correct.

“What does it tell you about his state of mind? Even when told by Trading Standards he carries on selling vehicles!

“His name appears throughout as signatory on company documents, we say he is part of this fraud.”

Paul Arslanian former secretary and now director of PCS and the step- son of John Murphy.

Mr Pratt told the jury: “He, as director has certain legal obligations. He signs important documents and signs as guarantor. He is a 5% shareholder.

“We will see documents relating to contracts for hiring vehicles he is bound to be aware that the mileages agreed would be unrealistic.  He knew they would be clocked”.

The jury were then told that Kevin Batty has been employed by PCS since November 2010 as finance manager and played a part in all financial parts of the company.

Mr Pratt said: “He would know about Stockton Car Sales and Trucks 2 Go. He is bound to be aware of such matters, documents found in his office show he knew vehicles were taken back.
“If he was honest he would make sure he would protect the company. There is no evidence he did anything. Is he plausible?”

The jury was told about Christopher Lunt, workshop and fleet manager played an active role in selling cars.

“Lunt made misrepresentations on a number of clocked cars. He sold clocked cars through his eBay account. He was trusted within the company”, added Mr Pratt.

Laura Murphy account manager, authorised signatory on the company bank account.
“She would have some knowledge of clocked cars”, said Mr Pratt.

“One piece of correspondence found in the raid will be produced in evidence” did she have knowledge?

“On the 31/12/2010 a vehicle was sold by John Murphy to Christopher Hart of Trucks 2 Go, C.D.R Trading.

An exchange of letters between Laura Murphy and the DVLA will be shown to the court.

These letters the court was told relate to a Mercedes E class that Ms Murphy tells DVLA was given to a trader to sell on their behalf. But was returned un- sold.

“Due to a different keeper being on the log book she wanted that name removing and put back into the name of PCS Events Ltd”, added Mr Pratt.
Because no reply was forthcoming, Mr Pratt told the jury: “Laura Murphy wrote again to DVLA requesting that PCS Events be reinstalled on the log book as it had been returned unsold by Mr Hart”.

“What really had happened was that Mr Hart had sold the vehicle! The purchaser a Mr Gribbin had made enquiries about the car and found it to be clocked. No wonder people at PCS would want a person removed from the log book who had knowledge of car clocking”, Mr Pratt told the Jury.

“Laura Murphy made a full and willing part in the conspiracy.”

Trevor Jones mechanic and principally concerned with maintenance and would have intimate knowledge of the vehicles and their mileage the court heard.

“He is the authorised user of the companies STAR diagnostics system.”

“Fraud cannot take place without him knowing”, added Mr Pratt.

Simon Williams VOSA approved MOT tester. Provided 40 MoT certificates for PCS between 2011 and 2013 at K Motors Leyland near Preston. He ceased working there in July 2013.

Mr Pratt, told the jury: “The manager of K Motors will say” there is no record of any PCS cars going there, no record of PCS as a customer. Nothing!”
MoT’s had false mileage; we the prosecution will say he agreed to provide those MoT certificates, added Mr Pratt.

The defendants were interviewed in early 2014 and the summer and autumn.

John Murphy had a prepared type written statement.

He acknowledged he was an 85% shareholder. The statement declared that Paul Arslanian and Kevin Batty were the management of the company and Christopher Lunt had responsibility to manage the cars.

“He knew nothing of car clocking and denied he had been involved in the sales to Mr Hart or having spoken to him”, Mr Pratt told the jury.
Paul Arslanian was interviewed on the 19th May 2014.

Mr Pratt: “He had a prepared type written statement.  He declared that John Murphy handled all the company affairs and Christopher Lunt sold the cars”.

“Kevin Batty had a prepared type written statement he declared that all financial information was provided by Laura Murphy.

Christopher Lunt and Trevor Jones made no comment to all questions.

Simon Williams interview has already been dealt with.

All the defendants deny the charges. The trial continues.

http://bit.ly/2jAefuq

No Comments are allowed online Please, for Legal Reasons.
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DERBY

Three men caught with £20,000 of cocaine in a bogus taxi on on the M1 have been jailed for more than 27 years.

Naeem Iqbal, Ishmal Khan and Yasser Shan were arrested in January 2016 in connection with the plot to bring the Class A substance into the East Midlands from the Thames Valley area.

The investigation into the group, led by the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) and supported by Derbyshire Constabulary and Thames Valley Police, stepped up in August 2015 when 0.25kg of high purity cocaine was found under the front passenger seat of a VW Passat taxi.

The car was being driven north on the M1 in Derbyshire near Mansfield by Shan, accompanied by Iqbal.

The men were accused of making similar, regular trips through the area between July and August of that year under the cover of a Derby taxi cab to courier the drugs from the south - but police found not one fare had been taken.

Khan and Shan previously pleaded guilty at Derby Crown Court to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. Iqbal was found guilty following a trial.
On Friday, January 13, Naeem Iqbal, 32, of Douglas Street in Normanton, Derby, was sentenced to 12 years, Ishmal Khan, 44, of Whurley Way in Maidenhead, Berkshire, was sentenced to nine years and seven months, while Yasser Shan, 34, of Bromford Lane in Erdington, Birmingham, was handed five years and six months.

A fourth man, from the Thames Valley area, was acquitted of the offence.

http://bit.ly/2iVE2wi

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A Wirral man has been jailed for nine years after raping a woman at New Ferry by-pass.

Murat Ayuc was handed the sentence and an extended five-year license at Liverpool Crown Court following the incident in June last year.
Ayuc, 49, picked up his victim from Birkenhead town centre, where she had been socialising, and committed the offence after driving her to Rock Ferry.

Detective Inspector Paul Grounds from Merseyside Police’s specialist Unity team said: “We welcome today’s sentence, which we hope will give the victim some closure as she comes to terms with this despicable crime.

“I would like to commend the victim for her bravery in coming forward and supporting the investigation.

“She has shown great strength in giving evidence against Ayuc that has resulted in his conviction.
“I hope that her determination serves as inspiration for others going through similar circumstances.

“It serves as a reminder that those people going out and enjoying themselves need to be safe. Watch out for each other and ensure you all get home safely.

“I would like to take this opportunity to reassure anyone who has suffered a sexual offence that if you too can find the courage to come forward and speak to us, we will deal with you sensitively and make sure that reports are properly and thoroughly investigated.”

http://bit.ly/2jmhg43

 Manchester United has signed taxi app Uber as a global sponsor partner. 

No figure was announced for the sponsorship that will see Uber designated as the Official Ride of Manchester United.

The deal is the “first partnership of its kind for the club”, said a press release. It will include a dedicated Uber pick-up and drop off zone which will be set up at Old Trafford.

More motivating for Uber in the deal is the global reach of Man Utd’s brand. Uber will be able to offer users a number of Man Utd experiences including behind-the-scenes content in more than 30 countries around the world where it operates.

“Uber makes it easier for people around the world to connect to what they care about and now we’re excited to give that connection to Manchester United fans,” said Amy Friedlander Hoffman, Head of Business Development – Experiential Marketing at Uber.

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with Manchester United to not only make match day transportation more seamless, but to deliver fans incredible experiences throughout the season, no matter where they are supporting from.”

http://www.insideworldfootball.com/2017/01/12/taxi-man-utd-uber-added-global-partnership-portfolio/

Comment: It is believed complaints about the activities of the SOME of the Trafford Hackney trade influenced this decision:

 'Ripped off by £10-a-mile taxis'
UNITED fans claim they are being ripped off by taxi drivers charging sky-high fares for journeys back to the city centre. Black cab drivers are demanding up to £20 for a journey of less than two miles between Old Trafford and Deansgate.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/ripped-off-by-10-a-mile-taxis-952210

http://bit.ly/2jebgu0
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 KARHOO RISES FROM THE ASHES

 It looks like one of the more notable stalls in the world of on-demand rides is going to get another change to see if it can drive ahead. TechCrunch has learned and confirmed that Karhoo — a failed on-demand offering that aggregated drivers and ride options from hundreds of existing fleets of car services in an Uber-like app — has been brought out of administration.

It will be relaunched by Boris Pilichowski and Nicolas Andine as co-CEOs, with full financial backing from RCI Bank and Services, the financial services division of the car giant Renault. Pilichowski and Andine had been running Karhoo just before it went bankrupt, taking over from founder Daniel Ishag.

The plan will be to open for business globally sometime this year, although no definite launch date has been set.

While the new owners are not publicly revealing financial terms, a source has passed us a report from Karhoo’s administrators with more details. The document alleges that the new Karhoo was acquired by a group called Flit Technologies, led by “two former employees” of Karhoo with full backing from RCI Bank and Services, for around $1 million ($500,000 for Karhoo, $500,000 towards paying creditors), plus a commitment of $15 million in further investment.

The development comes after the administrators originally received bids from between 30 and 40 interested groups, the report said.

There are other interesting details in the administrators’ document. For example, while it had been reported originally that Karhoo had raised $250 million in funding, apparently it had only actually raised around $52 million. In any case, it was all spent, with the monthly burn rate at the startup going as high as $6 million a month at its peak, and then down to $2.5 million when Karhoo went into cost-control mode.

Renault buying into Karhoo is part of a larger trend we’ve been seeing of automotive companies buying into the growing world of on-demand transportation startups, in part to hedge their bets about what the future of automotive ownership and driving will look like. Others have included VW investing $300 million in Gett, Daimler buying a majority of Hailo, and GM putting $500 million in Lyft.

Up to now Renault has largely been absent from those investment and acquisition plays, but it has been eyeing up a moment to make its move.

“In 2016 we formed a range of partnerships to support our development strategy on auto-mobility services and solutions for our customers,” said Gianluca De Ficchy, CEO of RCI Bank and Services, in a statement.

“The acquisition of the start-up Karhoo appeared as a sudden opportunity that we did not want to miss and the acquisition was completed rapidly. We have met the highly-motivated teams, and I have every confidence in Karhoo’s business model; it is innovative and underpinned by a first-class technological platform. We will also be able to capitalize on this platform as part of our activities for the Alliance brands.”

The reasons for Karhoo’s original problems were numerous. As detailed in the administrators’ report, among them, it took two years for the company to get its app off the ground, while the startup continued to consume resources; it had problems with overcharging in some cases and offering too many rides for no charge in other cases; and it had poor fraud protection in place.

So how can suppliers and customers know that Karhoo will work this time around? For one, the app finally did get built, and it won’t launch again until all the kinks have been ironed out. And while Uber has dominated in many markets through sheer will, early mover advantage and finance, many want to see strong competitors to keep the market on an even keel. Having players backed by large automakers gives some insurance to the market that there will be financing there, but also alternatives for how the business model is implemented.

“There is a need in ground transportation for someone to aggregate all the independents and allow them to compete and we are determined to make sure Karhoo fills that need,” the co-CEOs said in a statement. “Karhoo was amazingly successful in ferrying hundreds of thousands of people around the world but lacked a corporate backer, but with RCI Bank and Services, we now have that.”

While Karhoo had about 200 employees, the new operation will be kicking off with only 35 people, with the majority based in the U.K. The company had forged links with hundreds of car service companies to built out its service. Whether these groups will be willing to work with Karhoo again remains to be seen.

https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/12/karhoo-rides-again-nissanrenault-buys-failed-on-demand-ride-startup/
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 New York "Taxi King" Gene Freidman could receive a free ride to jail after he allegedly failed to comply with all terms of a bankruptcy court order compelling him to turn over 46 of his taxis to a court-appointed trustee.

Chapter 7 trustee Gregory Messer petitioned the Brooklyn, N.Y., bankruptcy court on Tuesday to hold Freidman in contempt of court for failing to hand over 23 of the cabs by a Monday deadline. A contempt hearing tentatively has been set for Jan. 19 before Judge Carla E. Craig.

Craig threatened to incarcerate Freidman if he didn't turn all the taxis and medallions over at a Dec. 28 hearing that set the terms of the vehicle surrender. Freidman previously had said that he wanted to turn the cabs over to the city's Taxi & Limousine Commission.
"I am ordering him to turn them over. He cannot decide that he ought to turn them over to the TLC. He has to turn them over," Craig said from the bench in December. "If he does not, he will be incarcerated. I am not kidding about this."

Freidman owns 830 medallions, more than anyone else in New York. He put holding companies that own 46 of those medallions into Chapter 11 in July 2015, blaming the rise of ride-sharing startups such as Uber and Lyft for their decline. The cases -- administered jointly under Hypnotic Taxi -- were taken out of Freidman's hands in September after he failed to produce a realistic reorganization plan and attempted to abandon the cabs outside the Queens office of creditor Citibank.

As a Chapter 7 trustee, Messer is required to sell the taxis for the purpose of bringing in as much money as possible for the bankruptcy estate. He won permission to seize the cabs after Freidman failed to make a $92,000 payment on the medallions.

Under the terms of the surrender, Freidman was ordered to deliver the taxis to a lot on Long Island, where they would then be operated by a different taxi management company and sold off piecemeal to avoid flooding the open market with taxi medallions.

The trustee now says Freidman changed his tune on the turnover process by making unsubstantiated claims that he did not own some of the taxis covered by the surrender order, that eight of them were nonoperational and that five of the vehicles had been repossessed.

"Remember money is money, but jail is jail!" Freidman said in an email to Messer's lawyers on Saturday about the turnover dispute and contempt motion. "People go to jail, but eventually they get out!"

Freidman said in a motion to stay the turnover order pending an appeal that the order violated his due process rights by compelling him to turn over vehicles not owned by the debtor holding companies.

Gary F. Herbst of LaMonica Herbst & Maniscalco, counsel to Messer, said via email that Freidman now will turn the remaining cabs over on Thursday and Friday -- but the contempt hearing remains on the calendar.

"The trustee has made arrangements with Mr. Freidman to pick up the rest of the vehicles," Herbst said.

Freidman did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did his lawyer, David M. Bass of Cole Schotz.

The collapse of yellow cabs' supremacy in New York has sent Freidman's fortunes tumbling down. He was evicted from his Manhattan office space in September for falling behind on rent, five months after he was ordered by the New York attorney general's office to pay $250,000 in fines and damages for not keeping accurate receipts and slow-paying his drivers on their credit card fares.

https://www.thestreet.com/story/13952463/1/gene-freidman-could-get-ride-to-jail-in-taxi-turnover-flap.html
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DELTA CARS LIVERPOOL

 A taxi driver went on trial accused of forcing a male passenger to perform a sex act while driving his car.

Private hire taxi driver Khaldon Mohammed, 30, of Gwendoline Street, Toxteth , denies raping the customer in his taxi in Aigburth in 2015.

him, but only by groping his genitals.

Arthur Gibson, prosecuting, said: “He now says it is true the customer performed a sex act on him, but that it was at all times consensual.

“Your task is decide who is telling the truth and who is telling lies.”

He said the customer was a gay man who had gone out and drunk around six bottles of lager, plus single glasses of champagne and whisky.

Mr Gibson said the man described himself as being drunk, but not so drunk that he did not know what he was doing.

The customer said he ordered a takeaway to be delivered to his home and then called Delta Taxis.

The man said he got in the back of the car and Mohammed started a conversation, but he couldn’t hear him, so the driver invited him to climb into the front passenger seat.

Mr Gibson said: “The usual banter took a strange and what is clearly now a sinister turn, because the defendant started to ask him about his sexual orientation and came out with the question ‘do you like d***?’”

He said the journey continued, before Mohammed “suddenly” unzipped his jeans, “pulled” the man’s head down and “forced him” to perform a sex act.

Mr Gibson said the driver pushed him away when they stopped at red traffic lights, because people were around, before pulling his head down again.

He said after Mohammed finished, the journey ended and the man got out and ran into his home.

When arrested, Mohammed told police the man repeatedly put his hand down his trousers and groped him against his will, but insisted no sex acts took place.

Mohammed accepted he did not try to get the man out of his car, or seek help from his taxi firm or the police, despite driving past a police station.

However, Mr Gibson said that account was “untrue”, as the taxi driver now accepted a consensual sex act did take place, saying it was instigated by the customer.

He said he consented even though he had never had sexual relations with a man before and explained he was previously “too embarrassed” to admit it.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/taxi-driver-accused-forcing-male-12445718
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REDBRIDGE


A taxi cab driver accused of sexually assaulting a woman while taking her to Redbridge appeared in court this morning.

Richard Murali, 54, of Wadeville Avenue, Chadwell Heath, had his first hearing at Barkingside Magistrates Court charged with sexual assault.

Mr Murali, a cab driver who works in Romford, spoke only to confirm his name, age and address.

Represented by Patrick Kelly and Arora Lodhi Heath Solicitors, the defendant is also charged with driving without insurance.

He was granted conditional bail and is due at Snaresbrook Crown Court on February 8.

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