The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) will move forward with a proposal to require any car services that accept payment exclusively via credit card to offer a tipping option via the same means, the New York Times reported Monday. The proposal seems designed mostly to force Uber’s hand, requiring the ride hailing service to offer an in-app tipping option, something it’s been reluctant to introduce thus far.

The TLC’s announced proposal will be just an initial step towards implementing the rule, and would still require formal introduction sometime within the next few months, and then a public hearing soliciting feedback from members of the community, and then a vote to decide whether to implement or reject the proposal.

The new proposed new rule comes after the Independent Drivers Guild (IDG), a group that represents Uber drivers in the city, put forward a petition and received over 11,000 signatures supporting the implementation of an in-app tipping option. Under the proposed rules, anyone exclusively accepting cash would be able to continue accepting cash tips and not required to offer a card-based tipping method.

IDG founder Jim Conigliaro, Jr. provided the following statement regarding the TLC’s proposal:

Today’s decision is a vitally important step forward for drivers. In-app tipping will mean a raise of hundreds of millions of dollars for New York City drivers each year. Drivers have long been denied access to the kinds of benefits and labor protections many workers take for granted, such as paid sick leave or the minimum wage. As a result, New York City’s professional drivers have traditionally depended on gratuities for a substantial portion of their income. Cuts to driver pay across the ride-hail industry has made tipping income more important than ever,

Uber, when contacted, offering this comment via a spokesperson regarding the potential new rule:

We have not seen the proposal and look forward to reviewing it. Uber is always striving to offer the best earning opportunity for drivers and we are constantly working to improve the driver experience. That’s why, in New York City, we partnered with the Machinists Union to make sure current and future Uber NYC drivers have a stronger voice and launched a series of new tools and support policies for drivers.

http://tcrn.ch/2oHeLLM

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Taxi drivers in the Ely area could be made to dress smarter for work if a new policy is put into place by East Cambs District Council.

The idea is part of an overhaul of what is called the ‘blue book’ - a bible of do’s and dont’s for drivers with a hackney carriage license in the area.
Stewart Broome, senior licensing officer at East Cambs, said: “Although this blue book has been updated from time to time it is felt that it no longer reflects the modern taxi industry.”

He said it: “Needs to be redrafted in order to prove a robust document which ensures transparency, consistency and above all else promotes public safety and a professional taxi service in the district.”

Ideas for change include:

• Building on an existing dress code.
• Improving safeguarding so drivers join an annual updating service. The current DBS checks are only provided every three years.

• Driver medicals every three years. The current system asks for a medical on application then nothing until the age of 45. Then every five years until the age of 65 when it switches to annual medicals.

• Allowing any GP to carry out medicals.

• Allowing novelty vehicles like fire engines, army vehicles and tuk tuk rickshaws to register.

• Introducing new standards of appearance conditions for vehicles.

Changes which will make it easier for taxi drivers include:

• Vehicle testing to be amended to every year up to the sixth anniversary of the vehicle and not the third.

Mr Broome said: “The taxi trade as a whole accounts for around 40 to 45 per cent of the licensing department’s resources.

“At any given time there are in the region of 350 live records which need maintaining and a dozen new applications going through the system.

“A clear and concise policy is essential to ensure the smooth running of this area of licensing.”
The suggestions aim to strike a balance that will be of benefit to the trade, the public and the council he added.

In a meeting of East Cambs licensing committee on Wednesdayy April 19 members will be asked to approve a 12 week public consultation on the proposed changes.

http://bit.ly/2oojHSh
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