Blackpool taxi driver robbed at knifepoint

The incident happened on the Yeadon Way service station at around 7.30pm. The attacker, a male with his face covered by a scarf, appeared at first to be a customer. But he forced the driver out of the taxi - an electric vehicle - after pulling a kitchen knife out and threatening him.

The male then got in the vehicle and drove off, resulting in a police pursuit of it down the M61 into the Greater Manchester area.

The police helicopter was scrambled and followed the stolen vehicle, reporting its progress from above. Police said the vehicle came to a halt in the Westhoughton area after it ran out of power at about 8.10pm.

A man was detained at the scene.

http://bit.ly/2zumdfm

Comment: Not much of a story, but, I noticed it was an electric Car, leading seller Nissan Leaf and it ran out of power after a 36 mile run at full speed.

What use is that for a Taxi Driver : FFS !
---------------------------------------

A cabbie was caught watching a pop video while driving in Derby.

Derbyshire police tweeted to say the man was caught watching it on his mobile phone while he had passengers in the car.

The taxi driver, who was issued with a ticket, was licensed by Gedling Borough Council.

That may infuriate some Derby taxi drivers as there is an ongoing controversy around some cabbies getting their licences from outside of the city.

Taxis and drivers licensed in Derby undergo checks and their vehicles are subject to tests by the authority.

But increased charges and the introduction of a points-based assessment scheme have led many drivers to look elsewhere for their licences.

The deregulation of taxis allows drivers to get their badges and licences elsewhere and still drive in Derby – weakening the city council’s control over them.

The police have said they will be letting Gedling Borough Council know about what happened with the pop video.

Imtiaz Choudhary commented on the police Twitter post, saying: "The truth is that the public have had bad experiences from these drivers so they treat all the other drivers with disrespect.

"This is unfair on the drivers licensed by Derby City Council who have passed an intense knowledge test to safely transport the public whereas these haven't."

It is not yet known exactly when the pop video incident happened although it was at some point on Saturday evening or Christmas Eve morning.

http://bit.ly/2ptNL4G
-----------------------------------------------------

MINICAB firm Uber have had their license to operate in Swindon renewed – despite making no moves to actually operate in the town.

The US company, which allows customers to book cars through an app and prices journeys based on demand, first applied for an operating license in the town in 2015.

The move was controversial at the time.

Ramin Pahlavan, a co-owner at United Radio Cars, told the Adver: “We do have some concerns. People like their drivers to know the area but Uber drivers do not have to come from Swindon.

“This means any driver from anywhere can pick up in Swindon. Also, the drivers often do not realise the costs which Uber charge.”

A spokesman for V Cars said: “Competition is a good thing and we are confident of taking Uber on. But if Uber put their prices up between say 7am and 9am, drivers will understandably go and work for them to get a higher price.

“This will mean no other company can respond during this period so the customer ends up paying more.”

At the time, an Uber spokesman said: "Millions of people in fifteen towns and cities across the country now use our app to get a convenient, safe and affordable ride at the push of a button.

"For drivers who partner with us it's also a chance to be their own boss as they can decide when and where they work. We look forward to bringing Uber to many more towns and cities across the UK in the coming months."

Two years on from being granted its initial license, Uber are yet to take a single fare in Swindon.

Earlier this year, the trouble-hit firm lost its license to operate in London after Transport for London deemed it “unfit” to run a taxi service. It came amid concerns from unions and black cab drivers about working conditions for Uber drivers.

Uber have appealed against the decision.
Swindon Borough Council said that all new operators have a one year license reviewed after three months. Assuming there are no concerns, the minicab firm is then offered a five year license.

The borough said that they would want to monitor Uber “closely” for 12 months should they start operating in the town.

Uber was approached for comment.

http://bit.ly/2BoVClC 
----------------------------------------------

Newcastle City Council's Licensing Authority has conducted a series of operations to target private hire and non-Newcastle licensed drivers who pick up illegally on the street.

The council says the problem gets worse at Christmas as more and more people visit the city.
Eight drivers were recently prosecuted, fined and ordered to pay legal costs after being caught during test purchase operations.

Anyone caught plying for trade illegally face fines, legal costs, victim surcharges and points on their licence, which in some cases can lead to them being disqualified from driving.

During an operation last night, licensing officer, Jonathan Bryce, stopped a taxi driver who had a license to operate in an area outside of Newcastle. He was parked in a loading bay and had no booking in place.

He could have been approached by a member of the public, he could have picked them up without a hiring in place and that’s what we aim to identify through our test purchase basis - we approach vehicles, we ask if they’re free and we go to a pre-determined location and we take formal action against them for not only the invalid insurance aspect, but also the unlicensed activity that takes place.

– JONATHAN BRYCE, NEWCASTLE CITY COUNCIL

More concerning for the police was that when they approached the driver they saw him viewing pornography on his phone.

PC Stu Dixon said this was concerning because it is "inappropriate" for a taxi driver to do this in a public place and "it's not the kind of behaviour we expect from a person who is taking our vulnerable people home from the city this evening".

City Centre Neighbourhood Inspector Steve Wykes explained incidents of this nature are the reason why the police are supporting the council in this operation. He said public safety is key.

It’s really important, of course, for the community to know they are getting into safe taxis, whether that be safety in respect of the standard of the vehicle that they’re getting into or safety in respect of the conduct of the driver and so this is really about confidence, its about protecting people, its about doing the right thing for the people here in the region.

– INSPECTOR STEVE WYKES, NORTHUMBRIA POLICE

In conjunction with Northumbria Police’s Neighbourhood Policing Teams and the Traffic Unit more than 900 drivers have additionally been stopped and had their vehicles checked as part of operations in 2017.

Newcastle has a vibrant night-time economy which is something we are really proud of, but we want to make sure that the city is safe and ensure that people aren’t put at risk by travelling in unsafe and potentially unlicensed vehicles. Our message is simple: taxi drivers who put people at risk by working illegally will be prosecuted and could ultimately lose their livelihoods.

– CLLR NICK KEMP, NEWCASTLE CITY COUNCIL

http://bit.ly/2BCVdQW