NEWCASTLE TOXIC CHARGE

More than 1,000 people have backed by petition by taxi drivers to stop a clean air toll being imposed on Newcastle's roads.

The Newcastle Hackney Carriage Drivers Association fears that council bosses are set to impose a charge of up to £12.50 a day for vehicles entering the city centre, in a bid to cut pollution levels.

Drivers say that any such move would force a hike in bus and taxi fares, and have urged resident to "fight against the injustice".

Newcastle, Gateshead, and North Tyneside councils have until December 31 to put forward proposals for tackling emissions in three hotspots - the Central Motorway between the Tyne Bridge and the Swan House roundabout, stretches of the A1 past Swalwell, Whickham and Blaydon, and the Coast Road near Wallsend.

Newcastle City Council's cabinet member for transport has reiterated that no decisions have been made over whether a charging zone is needed, how much would be charged, or which vehicles would affected.

Any alternative plans the councils put forward must be as quick and effective in addressing the pollution problem as a charging zone, which would only target the most-polluting vehicles - likely to include taxis - and not newer cars.

A change.org petition, started by Hackney Carriage driver John Hirst after the council wrote to all of the city's drivers about the plans, states: "If you enter the city centre by vehicle we have been informed you will pay between £9/ £12.50 per day.

"Bus companies will also be charged for entering the congestion charge area too but this will be at a greater rate. This will mean it's extremely likely there will be an increase in bus fares.

"Taxi and Private Hire vehicles will also pay the congestion charge - drivers who are already struggling to make a living in Newcastle will then be expected to pay a further £350 per month. This cannot be justified and fares will increase. The public will, therefore, pay for the increase in fares.

"Lorries will also be charged at much higher rate. This means an increase in food supplies costs meaning the public pay more."

Mr Hirst added that the taxi and private hire industry "cannot justify paying ridiculous amounts" to purchase new emission-free vehicles.

Coun Arlene Ainsley, cabinet member for transport and air quality at Newcastle City Council, said: "At this stage we do not yet know whether we will need to introduce a charging clean air zone, how much it would be or which types of vehicles would be hit by the charges.

"We do know that Government does not expect a potential charge to be implemented before 2021.

"This will cause concern for many private hire and hackney drivers whose vehicles are so closely linked to their livelihood. With that in mind we took the decision to write to every single licensed driver in Newcastle, to make sure they are aware of what Government is making us look at. We will continue to keep private hire and hackney drivers informed.

https://goo.gl/D4pLiv 
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BANBURY

THREE taxi drivers had their licences suspended as part of an operation designed to keep members of the public safe on festive nights out.

Cherwell District Council and Thames Valley Police carried out 38 checks on taxis in Banbury and Bicester last weekend to ensure they were following the conditions of their licences.

The suspensions were for a non-roadworthy tyre, incorrect display of a licence plate and a missing roof light.

Andrew McHugh, Cherwell’s executive member with responsibility for licensing, said: “We are pleased that the vast majority of our taxi drivers are offering a safe and accountable service to their passengers.

"However, the fact that we have just suspended three licences shows that we take breaches of conditions extremely seriously and will take enforcement action wherever necessary.

“We advise people travelling by taxi in our district to check that the vehicle is carrying a white or green council plate to the rear and that the driver is displaying his photo ID inside the car.

"They can then enjoy their journey in the knowledge that their driver has been through our rigorous checks and training.”

The operation was part of the Departure Zone campaign which advises revellers how to stay safe while out on the town, addressing topics such as illegal tobacco, drinks spiking, and the dangers of underage drinking.

Council licensing officers checked vehicles' plates matched drivers' registration documents, while ensuring the latter were up to date.

They also checked hackney meters were sealed and roof lights switched on and offered advice on other faults including no-smoking signs, a faulty front bumper and minor faults with indicator lights.

The council is planning to run further spot-checking operations at regular intervals over the coming months.

Police and council representatives will station themselves at hubs in Banbury and Bicester again this weekend as part of the campaign, which is using the hashtag #PartySafeHomeSafe.

The first hub is in Sheep Street, Bicester, on Friday, December 14, with the second at Banbury's Parsons Street and Market Place on Saturday, December 15.

They will be offering freebies and tips on topics such as illegal tobacco, drinks spiking, and the dangers of underage drinking.

https://goo.gl/YKRQng
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  UBERK NATIONAL

NHS nurses in England will be able to access free taxi rides to and from work over the festive period.

Using an official NHS email address, nurses can register to claim two £10 Uber codes to use when public transport is either closed or limited on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. 

The offer will be available to all NHS staff as part of Uber’s initiative to ensure they spend less time travelling and more time with their loved ones during the festive season.

Uber is expecting the demand to be high as NHS England 2017 figures revealed 350,000 NHS staff went to work on Christmas Day last year.

This included 97,000 nurses, 53,000 nursing assistants, 176,000 care workers, 12,000 ambulance drivers and 12,000 midwives.

Health secretary Matt Hancock said: “Everyone wants to be home with their families for Christmas Day but so many of our selfless NHS staff give up their holidays to care for those who need it most.

“It’s great that Uber have agreed to step in and offer a free ride home this Christmas and I hope this makes life a little easier for our dedicated NHS workers,” he added.

Jamie Heywood, Uber’s general manager for Northern and Eastern Europe, said: “NHS staff will have enough to worry about this Christmas, so we’d like to at least try to take care of their travel.

“During a time when it isn’t always easy to get from A to B, we hope that this offer will help them get home to their families sooner,” he added.

NHS staff can claim their two free Uber trips by visiting www.uber.com/nhs and entering their official email address by 9am on 24 December.

The codes can be redeemed from 24 December to 26 December.

https://goo.gl/sxunp7

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 LEICESTERSHIRE

A taxi driver who left two passengers in ‘grave danger’ has lost his licence to operate in North West Leicestershire.

The two women were left on an unlit stretch of the A46 dual carriageway near Glenfield in poor weather at 1am following a dispute in the taxi about the fare.

The passengers reported the incident to North West Leicestershire District Council (NWLDC) and the driver was called to appear in front of its licensing committee on Tuesday 20 November.

The committee members advised they were ‘deeply concerned’ about the driver’s actions, which had left the two people in ‘grave danger’ by the side of a busy road in the dark with no safe way getting home. They found that, regardless of any dispute about the fare, drivers have a duty to prioritise the safety and wellbeing of the customers.

The driver’s licence to operate in North West Leicestershire was revoked.

NWLDC is currently working with partner organisations to promote the Celebrate Safely campaign in the lead up to Christmas. This campaign promotes the public’s use of licensed taxis as a means of getting home safely as opposed to using unlicensed vehicles or drink-driving.

This case underlines NWLDC’s commitment in ensuring that the licensed taxi drivers in the district are fit and proper, and are prioritising public safety.

Councillor Robert Ashman, Chairman of the Licensing Committee, said: “This was an alarming case where two intoxicated passengers were left in darkness by a busy stretch of road in very real danger of being hurt by another vehicle.                                                                          

“We accept there may have been a dispute over the fare but there is no circumstance where a licensed driver should abandon passengers in a situation that potentially puts their lives in danger.

“We acknowledge drivers can encounter difficult passengers, but as licensed drivers they are aware of how they can deal with issues that arise. The actions of this driver clearly did not meet this standard and as a result we have revoked the licence.”

Councillor Alison Smith MBE, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Community Services at NWLDC, said: “While we encourage people to use licensed taxis as part of our Celebrate Safely Campaign, we also need to make sure customers are safe. We also ask that both our taxi drivers and customers respect each other. 

“Our licensing team has an important duty to ensure that licensed drivers understand their responsibilities in getting customers home safely and this case sends a strong message.

“I would like to encourage people to be respectful of our taxi drivers this Christmas – they do a great job and don’t deserve under any circumstances to be harassed or abused. Drivers are well aware that a police station can be the perfect place to drop off these kinds of customers!”

https://goo.gl/PMeGdh