NORWAY

There's no shortage of Uber cars on the road in Oslo, Norway's capital city, but the region remains highly contested in the ongoing fight between between traditional taxi companies and the burgeoning ride-sharing industry.

Police, helped by the local association representing taxi companies, have cracked down in recent months on unlicensed drivers working for Uber's POP service, the company's most affordable option for riders.

To evade detection, drivers often ask for the rider to sit in the front, as I discovered during my trip to Oslo this week.

"The taxi companies represent a big monopoly in Norway," says Christin Staubo, a local resident who works in the tech industry in Oslo.

The UberPOP service is widely used in Oslo, and incorporates surge pricing during busy hours. Staubo said that Uber prices have increased in the past 9 months to become more comparable to the taxi companies.

Despite the prevalence of cars on the road, Uber drivers expressed fears to me that they would lose their license or even their car, if they get caught.
In 2015, local prosecutors interviewed by the Norwegian business newspaper Dagens Næringsliv warned that Uber drivers should "not feel secure," despite Uber's communication team stressing that it's drivers operated within the framework that current laws allow.

Uber has struggled to roll out in the Nordics, as Norway, Sweden and Finland have all put up legal barriers to stop the service. In Denmark, Uber shut down its operation following the introduction of new taxi laws.

The embattled company is awaiting a decision from the European Union on whether it should be considered a transportation company or merely software.

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/02/uber-drivers-in-norway-fear-losing-license-or-car.html 
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CORNWALL

A Camborne taxi driver who was reported by a member of the public driving recklessly along the A30 drove children to school without any insurance, a court heard.

Adam Jason Bagnall, of Nicholas Holman Road in Camborne, was fined £200 and ordered to pay £900 in costs by magistrates for using a licensed taxi without insurance.

Magistrates in Truro also gave the 31-year-old, eight points on his licence at the hearing after being told he had been carrying children on a Cornwall Council passenger transport contract.
The court heard that the council's licensing compliance team had received a complaint from a member of the public in January 2017 over the way the licenced taxi, owned and operated by Bagnall, was being driven. This alleged that the vehicle had been seen driving at speed along the A30 through Shortlanesend towards Redruth, tailgating vehicles until it was able to overtake, on two separate occasions.

On January 26 Andrea Carter, from the council's licensing compliance team, and an officer from the passenger transport unit went to Nine Maidens School where they informed Bagnall that they believed that his licensed vehicle was not insured or taxed. He stated that he did have insurance and tax and he was asked to bring evidence of this to the council's offices at Dolcoath, Camborne.

 Later that morning Bagnall went to the council's office at Dolcoath where he said that, after checking, he realised that the vehicle was not taxed or insured. He had already taken the plate from the vehicle and was issued with a suspension notice for the vehicle.

Following further investigations it was discovered that the vehicle had been uninsured since November 2016.

Bagnall told magistrates that he had "been in a very dark place" following a relationship break up and had not been opening his post.

Following the hearing licensing compliance officer Ms Carter said: "We are very pleased with the outcome of this case. Mr Bagnall undertook serious action in transporting the general public without insurance, especially children, and seemed to have complete disregard for his actions."

Bagnalls' taxi driver licence was revoked by members of the council's miscellaneous licensing committee on February 10.

http://www.cornwalllive.com/camborne-taxi-driver-adam-bagnall-drove-children-to-school-with-no-insurance/story-30306371-detail/story.html
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Manchester Magistrates’ Court has dismissed an appeal brought by a Wyre taxi driver after his licence was revoked for driving offences.
Glenn Holt had brought the appeal on April 26 following revocation of his licence by Wyre’s council in October last year.

A Wyre Council spokesman said Mr Holt had been given warnings at two previous committee hearings where he had been called to account for poor driving.

The authority said the taxi driver had received a number of driving convictions.

After a further speeding offence the committee made the decision to revoke his licence.
Coun Simon Bridge, chairman of Wyre Council’s licensing committee, said: “The safety of the public is paramount and we will not allow this to be compromised in any way.

“Wyre Council requires the highest standards from our taxi drivers and will not hesitate to take action against those who do not meet our expectations.”

Magistrates upheld the revocation of Mr Holt’s driving licence and ordered that he should pay the legal costs of bringing the case to appeal.

http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/crime/court-throws-out-appeal-by-wyre-taxi-driver-1-8523129
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 A Taxi driver told how he “feared for his life” after being ambushed and having rocks and missiles hurled at him, before making a narrow escape.

The Basildon cabbie, who wishes to remain anonymous, picked up two young children at Basildon Station at 9.30pm on Monday night.
The terrifying incident happened after he dropped them in Oak Lane, off Gardiners Way, where the driver of a Nissan Juke blinded him with full beams as about six people hurled missiles at the cab.

He said: “I suddenly couldn’t see a thing, and I heard these missiles raining down on me from behind the vehicle as six shadowy figures threw rocks and metal objects at the car. There was music blaring.

“I don’t know why it happened, I haven’t been involved in any altercations. The children paid up and ran off looking terrified.

“It was scary. I quickly did a three-point turn and raced away at 40mph while the people in the Nissan chased me, but I managed to get away.”
The driver, who was so shaken was unable to see out the end of his shift, told how he feels lucky to be alive.

He added the extent of the damage will cost at least £400 from his own pocket to repair.

He continued: “I was just praying the rocks and metal objects didn’t come through my window as I was speeding off.

“They were chasing me at about 40mph to the top of the lane when I managed to turn off and make a getaway - why would anybody do this?

“There were children there. It’s going to cost at least £400 to fix. There is no way I’m going to go up there again.”

He told the Echo he only reported the incident to police on Tuesday due to being “too shaken up.”
Taxi drivers have urged those who carried out the mindless attack to stop, fearing children could be injured.

Ralph Morgan, spokesman for the Basildon Hackney Carriage Association said: “There are some areas some drivers deem too dangerous to go at night.

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Letter from a JERSEY Driver

I am a licensed taxi driver who is self-employed and forced to ‘affiliate’ or ‘work’ for a recognised taxi company, paying £21 a day in order to operate my taxi before Social Security and income tax, fuel, maintenance and repairs and advertising.

I cannot drop my prices to the level of rank taxis or to ‘Jersey Lifts’ levels – they don’t have to pay £21 a day, and people habitually walk to a taxi rank exclusively situated at the main doors at the Airport and Harbour and all taxi ranks in town.
I am a licensed taxi driver who is self-employed and forced to ‘affiliate’ or ‘work’ for a recognised taxi company, paying £21 a day in order to operate my taxi before Social Security and income tax, fuel, maintenance and repairs and advertising.

I cannot drop my prices to the level of rank taxis or to ‘Jersey Lifts’ levels – they don’t have to pay £21 a day, and people habitually walk to a taxi rank exclusively situated at the main doors at the Airport and Harbour and all taxi ranks in town.

While I have sympathy for yellow-top taxis they are not the ones hard done by here, as they have a constant stream of work that they don’t have to pay for. While I accept that their business may be in decline as a consequence, it is clear for all to see at Liberation Station taxi rank, where there are at least 12 white-top taxis waiting for clients between midnight and 3 am, yet there is a constant queue of clients waiting to go home at the Weighbridge taxi rank and yet Jersey Lifts are actively picking up at the new taxi rank or opposite.

How can these people take bread and butter from taxpayers and blame Income Support for not paying them enough in the first place?

The authorities keep stating that they can’t stop Jersey Lifts, yet they find it very easy to remove a taxi plate from a licensed taxi driver, removing their livelihood while they have taxi insurance and a fully equipped taxi – even to the point that all of the pre-existing taxi companies can actively discriminate against a driver and stop them driving a taxi again.

By reading this story, it appears to me that a vote of no confidence against the Minister for Infrastructure and all his office and the Minister for Home Affairs and the Chief Minister Ian Gorst is needed.