Pembrokeshire

A taxi driver was left in a critical condition and his four passengers were seriously hurt after a crash with a 4x4 ambulance which was on an 999 call.


The crash happened at about 00:25 BST on the junction of Upper Nash and the A477 between Milton and Pemboke Dock, Pembrokeshire.



 No arrests have been made.

Pembrokeshire councillor Paul Dowson, was first on the scene, arriving moments after the crash.
"It looked more or less like a head-on crash," he said.

"I couldn't believe there was anyone still alive. The front of the ambulance was smashed up.
"The ambulance driver crawled out of his car and tried to see to the driver of the taxi. He told me to get some gloves from the car.

"We had to climb through the back window of the taxi and I was hanging out of the back."

Mr Dowson, who had just finished working as a door supervisor at a wedding, said he and the ambulance driver attempted to help the injured passengers until the emergency services arrived.



He said the taxi driver had to be cut free from the wreckage and was taken to hospital as were the other passengers of the car. 

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MIDDLESBORO

Taxi driver who was caught on camera narrowly missing woman and children at zebra crossing loses licence

A taxi driver from Middlesbrough who narrowly missed running over a woman and young children when he overtook on a zebra crossing has been fined £1,000 and had his licence revoked by Middlesbrough Council.

Yaseen Rehman, 45, was caught on camera speeding past a waiting car while a childminder was halfway across the road with the young children she cares for.

Rehman was inches from mowing down the pedestrians and appeared at Teesside Magistrates Court to face charges of driving without due care and attention and failing to accord precedence at a crossing.

The incident took place outside of a primary school during the morning of April 24.

As reported in TeessideLive, Councillor Julia Rostron said that Middlesbrough Council’s taxi drivers carry out an important public service which demands great responsibility towards passengers and other members of the public.

She went on to say that the actions of Rehman left them no choice but to revoke his licence, preventing him from continuing work as a taxi driver.

Rehman was fined £880 and ordered to pay costs of £151.
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NEW YORK

Could New York's beleaguered cabbies may get another boost from the city council?

A raft of new bills will be heard, aimed at assisting both the New York taxi industry as well as a Uber drivers.

Of the City Council’s for-hire vehicle committee's nine proposals which are under consideration, The Corey Johnson proposal which would add a surchage onto both taxi fares as well as jobs taken on ride-hailing apps Uber and Lyft stands out.

Any monies raised from the surcharge will be put into a fund to assist drivers in paying for health insurance cover.

At present there is an 80 cents surcharge added to all taxi fares, 50 cents of that figure goes to funding the MTA and 30 cents goes toward helping pay for wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs).

A $2.50 surcharge will begin next year if a fare is taken below 96th Street in Manhattan.

Whilst some taxi drivers see this as a positive move, there are others who are less than impressed, with drivers who already have health cover concerned that it will just become another way of "milking" the industry.

Other bills which are under consideration are plans to create a system which may help financially assist taxi medallion owners.

Another proposal is a bill to stop companies such as Uber and Lyft from taking money out of drivers pay to cover debts.

The list of proposals will be heard on Monday.
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CARLISLE


Six people have been taken to hospital tonight following a serious crash in Carlisle city centre.

Three pedestrians including a 79-year-old, a white taxi and black Ford Fiesta car were involved, police say.

The collision happened at about 7pm outside the Border Rambler pub.

As an investigation began, police at the scene told that News & Star that the Ford Fiesta mounted the pavement and collided with a number of pedestrians outside the entrance to the popular pub.

But Cumbria Police said in a statement: "Police are dealing with a road traffic collision on Botchergate, outside the Rambler pub.

"This is not being treated as a deliberate act.

"Injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

"All parties involved are currently being supported by emergency services and the police are not looking for anyone else in connection to the incident."

Six people have been taken to hospital tonight following a serious crash in Carlisle city centre.

Three pedestrians including a 79-year-old, a white taxi and black Ford Fiesta car were involved, police say.

The collision happened at about 7pm outside the Border Rambler pub.

As an investigation began, police at the scene told that News & Star that the Ford Fiesta mounted the pavement and collided with a number of pedestrians outside the entrance to the popular pub.