LIVERPOOL

Scores of taxi drivers descended on Goodison Park in protest against Everton’s decision NOT to follow in the footsteps of Liverpool FC by banning the S*n from the club .

A taxi convoy parked up outside the Everton stadium emblazoned with ‘total eclipse of the S*n’ messages, while drivers stood at the side of the road with leaflets to spread the message.

Banners were also tied to the railings of the club, reading “S*n not welcome here at the people’s club.”

In a video taken at the protest a driver said: “We are gathered here today in protest against Everton Football Club’s decision not to follow the lead set by Liverpool and ban the S*n.

“We believe Everton set a brilliant example since the Hillsborough disaster 28 years ago and supported Liverpool, we believe they should be doing exactly the same again now.

“We are calling on Everton Football Club to listen to the fans, to listen to the people of their city and to remove every single facility that’s afforded to the S*n.”

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/protest-outside-goodison-park-over-12750530
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Hundreds of Hong Kong taxi drivers besiege government offices demanding franchise scheme be scrapped

More than 300 taxis descended on the Legislative Council and surrounding areas on Friday morning demanding the government scrap a proposal for franchised taxis that they say could cripple the industry.

By 11.30am on Friday, 50 cabs were parked outside government headquarters in Admiralty, 30 were outside the nearby Citic Tower and more than 250 had positioned themselves around Central Pier and along Lung Wo Road opposite the General Post Office.

The government’s plan seeks to allow an additional 600 franchised taxis to charge up to 50 per cent more in fares by providing upgraded services. The protest came as a Legco transport panel was set to discuss the scheme at a meeting scheduled for 11.45am on Friday. However, the discussion was postponed to next week after the meeting overran.

Shouting slogans such as “withdraw the proposal” and “prescribe the right medicine”, dozens of members of the Anti-Taxi Franchises Concern Group at Legco demanded the government shelve the trial franchise scheme, while submitting petitions to lawmakers.

The group’s spokesman Mark Fu Chuen-fu stressed that the creation of an additional 600 franchised taxis would do nothing to resolve public discontent over poor cab service standards, such as bad manners, refusing hires and cherry-picking passengers.

http://bit.ly/2mANze6
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OXFORD

 POLICE got an unusual surprise after a drug dealing cabbie was found using Kinder Eggs to hide bags of mephedrone in his taxi.

The 10-month scheme to sell the drugs was brought to an end after officers arrested Banbury taxi driver Abad Hussain on February 25 last year.
The 40-year-old, of Grimsbury Drive in the town, was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on Friday having already pleaded guilty last month to possessing and supplying the class B drug, also known as m-cat or meow meow.

When he was first arrested by police they found 14g of the drug, with a street value of about £400, on his person, before discovering the boxes of Kinder Eggs in the glove compartment of his taxi, containing traces of the drug.

http://bit.ly/2mPdu2x 
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Thousands of Spanish taxi drivers have gone on strike in Madrid and Barcelona to demonstrate against what they believe is unfair competition from shared ride businesses like Uber and Cabify.

The services face protests worldwide for offering to match private vehicle owners with customers seeking a lift.

It has caused anger in the Spanish capital where the taxi sector is heavily regulated.

Taxi driver Concepcion Guardado said they were not against competition, but that rules had to be respected.

“What we don’t want is these people not following the legislation and trying to compete with us as they did with UberPOP, an application using tourism vehicles without the appropriate licence,” she said.

Taxi drivers’ unions are calling for tighter restrictions on shared ride services.

Uber was banned in Spain in 2014 but began operating again in Madrid last year with a more regulated service. Cabify is available in several cities.

https://yhoo.it/2myW74y
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Transport for London (TfL) will have to pay damages to three people crushed when a diseased London plane fell on their taxi.

Raymond Henry, his then girlfriend Yvonne Allen and driver Amtiaz Meeloo were in the taxi in Tulse Hill, south London in May 2012, when the 20-metre-high tree fell on it.

All three were hospitalised and left with long-term injuries, and sued TfL for damages of at least £25,000 each for personal injury and losses arising from the accident.

At yesterday (15 March) Judge Alan Saggerson found TfL responsible, saying the tree was in a hazardous condition and should have been removed months before it fell, but had not been properly inspected, and ordered TfL to pay damages all three.

Simon Brindle of injury law firm Slater and Gordon, representing Henry and Allen, said TfL had failed to comply with a policy of inspecting street-side trees on "an average annual basis". The tree had last been inspected in February 2011, the two-day hearing heard.

Liability for costs and the damages will be determined at a later date.

TfL's managing director for surface transport Leon Daniels apologised for the injuries and said TfL had "worked hard to ensure lessons have been learned".

http://bit.ly/2mz4f4N
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HYNDBURN

Taxi drivers licensed by Hyndburn Council are undertaking safeguarding training that has been designed with support from specialist officers from Lancashire Police.

The training recognises that taxi drivers have a key role to play in safeguarding young and vulnerable people.

The National Child Sexual Exploitation Awareness Raising Day aims to highlight the issues surrounding child sexual exploitation; encouraging everyone to think, spot and speak out against abuse and adopt a zero tolerance to adults developing inappropriate relationships with children.

The training, which is delivered by Accrington and Rossendale College with funding from the Police and Crime Commissioner, Clive Grunshaw, and Hyndburn Council helps taxi drivers identify the signs to look out for that may indicate a young person is being sexually exploited and what they should do to report any concerns they may have.

http://bit.ly/2myYKmG