LONDON

An Addison Lee private hire driver has hand a heart attack whilst behind the wheel of his vehicle on one of London’s busiest roads.

The unnamed driver fell ill on Euston road, not far from London St Pancras station. The passenger of the Addison Lee vehicle frantically took to the wheel of the Ford Galaxy, bringing it to a halt outside the British Library.

Once the vehicle had stopped, the passenger jumped out and was able to flag down a passing ambulance.

According to a report by Lucas Cumiskey in the HamHigh,  paramedics pulled the driver out of his window and performed CPR and shocked his chest.

He was then taken in the ambulance straight to hospital.

A spokesperson for Addison Lee released a statement saying:
“One of our drivers unfortunately suffered a heart attack while on a journey today.

“We have established contact with the driver’s family who are aware that he is in a stable condition and currently recovering in hospital.
“Thankfully, the driver brought the car to a halt safely on the side of the road, ensuring no one was hurt in the incident.

“We are grateful to the passenger who flagged down a passing ambulance before leaving the vehicle by the time our team arrived – we are currently following up with the passenger to check on their well being.

“We will continue to monitor the driver’s condition and provide assistance as needed.”
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New students in Northampton are being offered easy tips for staying safe at night time as part of an ongoing personal safety campaign.

As new students get used to the town, they are being encouraged to use an approved safer route home and make use of support provided by taxi marshals and Northampton Street Pastors during nights out in the town centre.

This support is being provided as part of the extended “Night Out? Do it right” personal safety campaign, which was launched in the town back in March 2017.

The campaign originally focused on providing young people with advice about taxi and private hire car use as well as safety tips such as planning how you will get home, saving an ICE (In case of emergency) contact on their phone and using anti-spiking bottle caps.

The 2018 extension of the campaign will see students being offered a signposted route from the town centre, back to the new Waterside campus during Freshers’ week.

A download of the route is also available from the borough council’s website as an easy reminder.
In addition, a new taxi marshal scheme is being trialled in the town during busy pay day weekends, starting from Friday, 28 September.

The taxi marshals will be on hand at the Georges Row taxi rank to help manage queues and offer help to vulnerable people on nights out, alongside Northampton Street Pastors who are also out in the town during payday weekends and Bank Holidays.

The Street Pastors support pub and security staff, as well as Northamptonshire Police, by providing a calming and reassuring presence in Bridge Street, Abington Street and Wellingborough Road. They also provide practical support such as signposting to relevant organisations or contacting the family and friends of people who or vulnerable or have become separated from their friends.

Councillor Anna King, Cabinet member for community engagement and safety, said: “The Night out? Do it right” campaign has been hugely successful in promoting common sense tips to young people and others who enjoy an evening out in the town.

“With the new University of Northampton Campus opening this September, we felt we needed to do all we can to ensure that the new students feel safe and settled in the town, as quickly as possible.

“We hope that the introduction of the safer route home and taxi marshals, and the continuation of the support from Northampton Street Pastors, aids this process as well as providing essential assistance to everyone involved in our night time economy.”

https://goo.gl/ntjkVr
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PORTUGAL

  Striking taxi drivers blocked traffic in major Portuguese cities Wednesday and converged on parliament to protest a law that sets working conditions for rival app-based ride-sharing companies such as Uber.

The drivers have been on strike for the past week in Lisbon, Porto and Faro to demonstrate opposition to a law that consolidates the position of Uber, Spanish-based Cabify, and Estonian rival Taxify.

Bus lanes were blocked in Lisbon, traffic snarled by 500 cabs near the parliament, and tourists forced to find other ways of reaching town from the airport.

"All we want is a fair law," cab driver Fernando Pereira told AFP.

Florencio de Almeida, head of the taxi association Antral, complained that the new legislation "legalises unfair competition. It is made to order for companies like Uber."

His group seeks limits on the number of vehicles such companies can operate, and he vowed not to budge unless the government provided "guarantees" to that effect.

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa told lawmakers his government would not yield either, arguing that "there is an unjust situation, but in favour of taxis."

One measure in the new law introduces a five-percent tax on commissions that ride-sharing companies earn by setting up drivers with clients.

In neighbouring Spain, where tension between the two groups is also strong, Uber and Cabify drivers plan to protest Thursday against a government decree they say will rescind their licences and threaten 60,000 jobs.

https://www.expatica.com/pt/news/country-news/Portugal-transport-taxis-demonstration_2117116.html
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BRUSSELS. WOULD BE PRIME MINISTER TRY'S TO DO A RUNNER

Jeremy Corbyn clearly had a lot on his mind when he arrived in Brussels today – as he completely forgot to bring some Euros to pay the taxi.

 Talk about an economic crisis.

The Labour leader’s blushes were only saved when an aide did a last minute whip-round outside the EU headquarters.

It seems the cabbie was refusing to drive inside the gates until Mr Corbyn coughed up the money.

He risked being late for his meeting with the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, until the aides stepped in. Labour aide Jack McKenna could be heard saying: ‘Does anyone have any euros?’

 Seumas Milne, Mr Corbyn’s director of strategy and communications, laughed as another aide handed over the money.

 Mr McKenna later joked on Twitter: ‘Brussels taxis accepting card payments just became Labour’s seventh Brexit test and must now be at the heart of any future deal.’