Police issue formal warnings to Leeds taxi drivers who came to 'complete stop' during protest
Police say they were forced to hand out formal warnings to some drivers who brought their vehicles to a halt during a 'go slow' protest.
More than 100 private hire taxis took part in the demonstration in the middle of Leeds this morning over a number of concerns over safety and traffic issues.
They drove from Kirkstall through the city centre loop at a maximum speed of 15 miles per hour - causing significant disruption to rush hour traffic in the process.
Now West Yorkshire Police have hit out at a number of protesters who brought their vehicles to a complete stop on the route as part of the protest.
The force has not revealed exactly how many drivers stopped or how many warnings they issued.
But in a statement, Chief Inspector Nick Ireland of the city’s community safety partnership Safer Leeds, said: “This morning’s protest by private hire drivers in Leeds caused significant disruption to traffic, particularly on Kirkstall Road and around the city centre loop.
“The police will always facilitate peaceful and lawful demonstrations, and a policing operation, including the use of specialist police motorcyclists, was in place with the aim of allowing the protesters to make their point while keeping disruption to the public to a minimum.
“We previously held discussions with the drivers who stated it was their intention to drive slowly in traffic at 15mph.
"The situation this morning was not helped by the number of protesters who had to be formally warned by officers for bringing their vehicles to a complete stop, obstructing the highway.
“We will be continuing to liaise with the group around any further demonstrations and will ensure that suitable measures are in place, although we recognise that protests of this type during peak traffic times will always cause disruption.”
This protest was organised by Leeds Private Hire Drivers Organisation (LPHDO).
Speaking to Leeds Live this morning, drivers stressed that the 'go slow' convoy was organised in the hopes that Leeds City Council and West Yorkshire Police would work with them to address concerns raised by private hire cabbies.
Among the issues were fears that the branded stickers that private hire cars have to display are increasingly making cabbies a target for vandals chucking stones at their vehicles.
Addressing the protesters before setting off this morning, Asif Afzal, chairman of the LPHDO, urged those taking part to "drive within the constraints of the law" during the peaceful protest.
He also told the group staging their demonstration to make themselves heard in the “most professional manner" they could.
http://www.leeds-live.co.uk/news/leeds-news/leeds-taxi-protest-traffic-police-14023129
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A Liverpool cabbie has given his view on why issues of “cherry picking” and over-charging are damaging the city industry.
This weekend the ECHO reported on more claims of Liverpool fans being either ignored by taxi drivers or quoted huge fares after matches at Anfield.
One city cabbie has got in touch to offer his explanation for the practices he says are giving the industry a bad name.
The 52-year-old driver, who asked not to be named, has been running his own cab in the city for three years and said that like the majority of drivers he is an honest and hard-working member of the trade.
He said he believes that some drivers are carrying out illegal behaviours because changes to government legislation has allowed large numbers of private hire cars to work in the city and take up custom.
But he said that is no excuse for ripping people off.
The driver told the ECHO: “Its a massive issue in the city and it’s embarrassing.
“I put this down to the apathy of some taxi drivers in Liverpool.
“A lot of these guys are middle aged men who used to earn a lot more money years ago than they do now.”
He said the government’s Deregulation Act, which allows private hire vehicles to operate across the whole country, has potentially lowered cabbies’ earnings by up to 25%.
He added: “These guys are either leaving the industry or they are starting to over-charging and cherry picking.
“Its totally illegal but they have many more problems than they used to have - with other taxis and private hires coming in to the city all the time.
“But under no circumstances can you condone any of the things they are doing.”
Responding to claims that some drivers are quoting Liverpool fans as much as £40 to get from Anfield to the city centre , the driver agreed that such things do take place and are out of order.
He said: “I took someone from Anfield to Lime Street the other day and they paid £5.50 - when we do it properly we are cheaper than private hires.”
Looking to the future, he added: “Hopefully, once we are able to get rid of all this mess and end the cherry picking and overcharging then the public will be able to make an informed choice.
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Syracuse police arrested a former Uber driver and taxi driver in two separate sex offense investigations.
Ibrahim M. Aden, 34, is accused of trying to sexually assault a Syracuse University student in September. Aden was driving an Uber at the time. While driving a taxi cab in October, Aden is accused of sexually abusing a 22-year-old woman, police said.
Aden was charged Thursday with second-degree unlawful imprisonment and second-degree harassment for the Uber incident, and first-degree sexual abuse for the taxi cab incident, police said.
At about 2:30 a.m. on Sept. 17, an 18-year-old SU student reported to police that she requested a ride to her home from Ostrum Avenue utilizing the Uber App on her phone. The victim reported that on the ride home, the driver reached back and started to rub her leg and thigh area, police said.
The driver then reportedly drove to a secluded parking lot and began to make lewd comments to her. The victim was able to run away from the vehicle to her home, and called for the police.
The incident was posted on Facebook by a SU parent and the post was shared hundreds of times before it was deleted. Uber removed the driver's access to the app and cooperated with the investigation, according to a statement from the company in September.
Syracuse police said after Aden was suspended by Uber he was then employed by Yellow Taxi Company, which is where he worked when the second incident took place.
A 22-year-old woman told police that she was walking in the 1200 block of West Fayette Street at about 1:30 a.m. Oct. 29 when she was approached by a taxi cab. The driver of the cab offered the victim a ride home, indicating that he would not charge her, police said.
The victim reported that she sat in the front seat, and during the ride home, the driver grabbed her hand and pulled it towards his lap. The victim stated that the driver had his pants unzipped, and continued to push her hand into his lap, police said. The victim demanded that the driver stop the car and she ran home to call police.
Detectives from the Syracuse Police Department Abused Persons unit working on the investigations determined that the suspect from both of the incidents was the same person. After several interviews, and collecting evidence about these events, detectives were able to identify Aden, police said.
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A TAXI driver admitted drink driving with a passenger in his cab at the time.
Fifty-six-year-old Thomas Montgomery was stopped by police after going through a red light in Paisley on Sunday.
When breathalysed he was found to be almost two and a half times the drink driving limit.
Montgomery was arrested and detained in police custody in connection with alleged road traffic offences.
He admitted the offences at Paisley Sheriff Court today and was disqualified from driving for 18 months as well as being fined £400.
Sergeant Mark Miller from the Divisional Road Policing Unit based at Greenock said: “The message could not be clearer – never drink and drive, and if you are caught doing so there are serious consequences.
“Thomas Montgomery put the safety of himself, his passenger and other road users at risk and getting behind the wheel whilst under the influence of alcohol completely unacceptable.
“Our festive road safety campaign is well underway with officers specifically targeting drink and drug driving.”
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INDIA
INDIA
KOCHI: After a brief hiatus, the feud between autorickshaw-taxi and online cab drivers has reared its ugly head yet again with a section of autorickshaw and taxi operators at both the railway stations in the city resorting to a flash strike on Monday, inconveniencing passengers.
The issue began after the railway authorities reportedly gave permission to the online cab drivers to park their vehicles on the station premises in the morning. The autorickshaw and taxi drivers blocked the online cabs that turned up at the Ernakulam Junction railway station in the morning in protest against the Railways' decision to grant parking space for Uber cabs along with other autorickshaws and taxies at the station.
According to Shaji, a representative of the City Auto Union, a few online cabs were parked in front of the railway station in the morning disregarding the auto-taxi stand. "They were canvassing passengers by offering travel packages, which invited the wrath of auto-taxi operators at the railway station.
Following this, the members of various auto-taxi unions affiliated to CITU, INTUC, AITUC, BMS, STU and TUCI called a flash strike," he said.
"The District Auto-Taxi Coordination Committee has decided to continue with the strike until the Railways come up with a solution to this issue," said M B Srumanthadan, secretary, Ernakulam District Auto-Taxi Coordination Committee.
According to the auto-taxi operators, during the Sabarimala pilgrimage season, they get relatively more rides than the rest of the months.
"We are prepaid taxi drivers operating as per government-fixed charges. However, the Uber charges vary from morning to night. It will affect the services provided by the traditional operators," said Sanil, a taxi driver.
"We heard the Railways had arrived at an agreement with Uber for three months and, based on this, they were canvassing passengers. Each taxi driver pays a minimum of `4,000 every six months for using the space allotted to them on the station premises, he said. If Uber operates from here without any fixed charge, there is no point in paying the amount to the authorities," said,
Pradeep Kumar, CITU district joint secretary.
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