Friday 3 March 2017

Liverpool taxi drivers are planning to “bring the city to its knees” by blocking roads in and out of the city centre during the Grand National Festival.

The group say they could have as many as 60 cars involved in the protest between 9am and 1pm on the day of the big race at Aintree on Saturday April 8 - and also Ladies Day,

The demonstration is being organised in anger at the council’s licensing arrangements for private hire and hackney carriage drivers working in the city, which changed last year.

The changes concern criminal records checks, with drivers no longer able to receive a temporary badge in order to work while checks are carried out.

Numerous councils have made changes to the licensing process since high-profile sexual exploitation scandals involving taxi drivers in Rochdale and Rotherham.

But drivers in Liverpool say the changes have caused major problems for them, with reports some have had to leave their homes and sell their cars because of time spent off the road.

The council said the changes should not be a problem as long as drivers are proactive in gathering their documentation - and said they notify drivers 3 months in advance.

Liverpool Taxi drivers held a meeting about the arrival of Delta cabs into the city at Blaze Cafe on Kempston Street .


But private hire driver Ryan Jones from Toxteth, who is leading the protest, said the rule change is impacting hugely on drivers.

The 34-year-old said: “This is a really serious issue, friends of mine have had to leave their homes because they can’t pay the rent or bills while they are off the road waiting for these checks.

http://bit.ly/2m2hxbo
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DENVER -- Jaysun Baez spends more nights sleeping in his car in Denver than he does in his own bed in Colorado Springs.

"The car becomes more of your second home," said Baez, who has been driving for Lyft and Uber for more than three years. "You just get used to it after a while. We learn to adapt."

At the end of their shifts, most Uber and Lyft drivers go home to sleep, but in the holding lot at Denver International Airport, there is a growing number who curl up in their cars to get a few hours of shut eye before starting all over again.
"I found this beautiful memory foam pillow, and that has made all the difference," said Baez, who reclines his front seat and bundles up against the Colorado cold. "Right now, it's 23 degrees outside, but you run the car all night long, and just leave the heat on."

A recent BloombergTechnology report showed drivers such as Baez are part of a national trend -- a "new version" of immigration.

"A lot of us drive into Denver to make the money, whereas if we stay in the cities that we live in the money is just not available," said Crystina Page, a single mother of three teenagers who also commutes from her home in Colorado Springs to drive in downtown Denver.

"I carry these [blankets] with me because it's Colorado. You never know when the weather is going to change," said Page, who started renting a car through Lyft last month.

She needed 70 rides a week in Denver for the rental fee to be waived, so she was sleeping in her backseat four nights a week until she saved enough to get her own car.

And she still plans to sleep in her car in Denver on the weekends for more rides and better rates.
"After working a 12-hour shift, driving in circles in downtown Denver, I don't want to drive two hours to come home and two hours back the next morning," said Page.
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BARROW

TAXI drivers in Barrow have described new local knowledge tests as "insulting".

From next month, taxi drivers in Barrow will face a "local knowledge" test - quizzing them on geography, mental arithmetic and Furness landmarks.

The new test, which has previously been met with scorn by many of the town's 350 cabbies, is being brought in by Barrow Borough Council's licensing department from April 1 - a month today.

Applicants for licences will need to undergo the test and existing drivers would need to take the exam when their licence is up for renewal. Failure to reach the pass mark would result in their licence being revoked

Taxi drivers will have three attempts to take the test - if they fail the third test, they will be banned from resitting it for six months.

Bob Mullen, a taxi driver of 14 years and a representative of Furness Taxi Trade Association, described the test as "insulting".

He said: "Drivers voiced opposition to this from when it was first proposed. "The overwhelming opinion was that this test should be for new drivers only.

"Some drivers have more than 30 years' experience and feel insulted that this hasn't been taken into account and that yet again we have been railroaded into doing something we don't need to do."

Guidance issued from the council states: "Applicants will be tested on their ability to carry out elementary mental arithmetic, as encountered in calculating the change to be paid to a potential customer who overpays a fare.

"All applicants will be tested on their knowledge on the carriage of assistance animals and interaction with disabled customers and any individual who has a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010;

"Applicants will be asked to answer a number of questions as to driving skill, road information and etiquette as set out in the Highway Code.

"Applicants will be tested on their knowledge of Barrow Borough Council geography, recording the shortest routes between locations and identifying where local landmarks are.

The tests will be carried out at the town hall twice a month.

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EDINBURGH

A taxi driver was threatened at knifepoint by a passenger who made off with his Rolex watch in Edinburgh.

The private hire driver picked up a fare on Rannoch Road in Clermiston in the early hours of last Friday.

The 55-year-old took the passenger to an all-night bakery on Morrison Street before dropping him off outside a block of flats on Wardlaw Place in Gorgie.

He then threatened the driver with a knife and demanded he hand over a Rolex watch.
A struggle ensued and the victim's hand was cut before the suspect fled with the watch worth £7500.

He is described as black, 5ft 8in, with a medium build and short dark hair shaved at sides and slightly longer on top.

He had a short beard and was wearing a black Nike Jacket with the Nike logo and lettering, dark trousers and red trainers.

Detective constable Joyce Gunderson said: "In addition to the painful injury to his hand, the victim is also extremely upset at the theft of his very valuable watch and we are eager to hear from anyone who can help us trace both the suspect and the stolen item.

"If you remember seeing any suspicious activity around Wardlaw Place around 5am last Friday, or have any other information relevant to our investigation then please contact police immediately."

Anyone with details can contact Police Scotland on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.


(Comment : Whilst nobody should blame the Victim in any crime.

Who else would drive a PH Car with £7500 on show. ?)
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