The number of licensed taxis on Northern Ireland's roads has reached its lowest level in 10 years.
New official figures show that at the end of March, there were 8,761 licensed taxi vehicles.
That is down by 2% compared to the same time last year, and by nearly 7% compared to three years ago.
The downward trend may be due to changes in the taxi driver test introduced in 2014.
The figures, from the Department for Infrastructure, show an even sharper fall in the number of licensed taxi drivers.
The number of taxi driver licences in force at the end of March was 10,268, down 9% year-on-year.
Five years ago there were more than 15,000 licensed drivers.
"This reduction may have been exacerbated by the introduction of a new taxi driver theory and practical driving test, which was introduced on 31 October 2014," the Department for Infrastructure said.
The figures also point to consolidation in the taxi industry, with the number of operator licences continuing to fall.
https://bbc.in/2JNxlgQ
--------------------------------
LEEDS
A woman is suing Uber for £50,000 over claims her driver groped her breasts on a ride home from a night out.
The passenger, 33, is believed to be the first person in the UK to lodge such a claim against the taxi giant.
She claims the incident happened after she ordered an Uber following a night out with friends in Leeds city centre in December 2015.
Shortly after they set off the driver groped her breasts on two occasions, the woman alleges.
Her lawyers claim she has been left with psychiatric problems, including depression and a 'specific phobia', reports The Sun.
The alleged victim has lodged a claim at London's High Court for between £30,000 and £50,000. MailOnline has contacted Uber for comment.
The US-based taxi firm has been plagued by problems since it launched in San Francisco in 2011.
It had its licence revoked by Transport for London in 2017 after numerous safety complaints.
Transport bosses in the capital ruled it was not fit for purpose, but the firm won an appeal and was granted a one-year extension.
It will rule again in September whether it should be allowed to continue.
At the start of 2018 more than 2,500 Uber drivers had been investigated for suspected offences including sex assaults, stalking and dangerous driving.
An official memo last January revealed there were many more unreported cases.
It said 1,148 London-licensed Uber drivers were accused of 'category A' offences such as sexual incidents, stalking and dangerous driving.
More than 1,400 drivers were the subject of repeated complaints for lower-level misbehaviour, such as discriminatory comments and 'inappropriate interpersonal conduct' toward passengers.
This week Uber sought to crackdown on passengers misbehaving, threatening to kick people out if they cause trouble.
The company said that starting Wednesday, riders with a rating from drivers that is significantly below average could lose their ability to ride.
But before that happens they will get tips on how to improve ratings by being polite, not leaving rubbish in vehicles and not asking the driver to violate the speed limit.
Uber says it will get several chances to improve their rating before getting the boot.
It is not clear exactly how low a users' rating has to drop in order for them to be in danger of deactivation.
'Respect is a two-way street, and so is accountability,' Kate Parker head of safety brand and initiatives, wrote in a blog post.
'Drivers have long been required to meet a minimum rating threshold which can vary city to city.
'While we expect only a small number of riders to ultimately be impacted by ratings-based deactivations, it’s the right thing to do,' she added.
https://dailym.ai/2We25OF
----------------------------------
BEDFORD
Taxi drivers plying their trade in Bedford are being encouraged to keep their cabs in tip-top condition to make sure that they do not fail their annual safety checks.
The call came at yesterday's (Tuesday) meeting of Bedford Borough Council’s General Licensing Sub-Committee, which met to discuss taxi drivers’ protests that they are paying over the odds for various fees, including £83 for getting cabs re-tested after they fail annual check ups.
Gill Anderson, the council’s manager for registrations & land charges, said: “There is disquiet in the trade with the retest fees but our view is that vehicles should be presented ready to pass the test. Minor issues can be dealt with the same day but if it fails, the driver has to re-book.”
One of the issues with re-booking is that with 600 licensed drivers working in Bedford, it can take weeks to get a new slot. This means that a cab that has failed its check up will be off the streets and the driver will be losing money.
The council allows drivers to book a pre-check test before the annual test is due. But the sub-committee heard that hardly any drivers use the pre-checks, preferring to take it to the wire.
Members of the sub-committee of four councillors were told that 25 private hire and Hackney cabs failed their checks in the period February to early May. Some had multiple issues, including fog lamps not working, fuel leaks, and damage.
There were no taxi drivers present at the meeting but Gurdeep Dosanjh, the secretary of the Bedford Hackney Carriage Association, spoke to the Local Democracy Reporting Service afterwards.
He said the trade was facing rising costs and tough competition, including from drivers who travel in from outside of town and use SatNavs, instead of having to pass the local knowledge tests.
“We haven’t had an increase in the minimum fare for six years,” he said.
“The majority of the council fees are in line with other areas but they charge things like £41 for a photocopy of a taxi licence and £83 for a re-test, which is out of line.”
But Mr Dosanjh said taxi drivers were keen to talk to the council about issues, and were not planning to strike. “We do things democratically,” he said.
The meeting heard that the council is looking to streamline the licensing and safety checks process, to make it cheaper, and enable fees to be reduced.
And Cllr Phillippa Martin-Moran-Bryant said: “I would like to thank the trade for contacting the council and raising their concerns, and to our officers for talking to the trade.”
https://bit.ly/2WdLBWP
(Comment to the Bedford Trade, Licensing Authorities are forbidden by Law from using Fee's to generate a Profit. They can only charge the aggregate cost of fulfilling thier licensing obligation's.
Make an F.O.I. request for the Licensing Accounts and the Ring fence surplus account.
If a Large surplus exsist's report this to the Ombudsman and if no response to the Court's.
A copy of Manchester's successful F.O.I, can be found here.)
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/taxi_and_private_hire_licensing_2
-------------------------------------
A Preston taxi driver who filmed a hate-filled rant against Muslim converts to Christianity remains under investigation - five months after his arrest for religious harassment.
The 41-year-old hackney carriage driver was arrested five months ago on Wednesday, December 19, after he posted an 'obscene video' online.
The video went viral and was reported to Lancashire Police by a Preston woman who expressed concern over the video's 'extremist views'.
Prior to his arrest, more than 2,000 people signed a petition calling for his licence to be permanently revoked by Preston City Council.
The taxi driver was arrested under suspicion of religiously aggravated harassment before being released on bail "pending further investigation" until Wednesday, January 16.
His bail was then further extended until Sunday, March 10.
On March 19, Lancashire Police informed the Post that the man remained under investigation.
Today (May 29) - following a five-month investigation into the alleged offence - the force has confirmed that the controversial taxi driver is still under investigation.
On Wednesday, January 9, the driver handed in his hackney carriage licence after he was summoned before Preston City Council's Taxi and Miscellaneous Committee for review.
He later released a second video in which he apologised for his "offensive" comments.
Lancashire Police did not confirm when the investigation is likely to be concluded.
https://bit.ly/2Mdni6S
Wednesday 29 May 2019
LONDON
A brand new form of public transport has been launched in Sutton, with the start of a 12-month ‘on-demand’ bus trial.
Using mobile and predictive technology, GoSutton is aimed at finding out whether flexible demand responsive transport services can play a role in boosting public transport use. Increasing public transport use, walking and cycling to 80 per cent of journeys by 2041 is a key aim of the Mayor’s Transport Strategy, which aims to make London’s streets safer, more inviting and less polluted places.
Sutton was chosen as the trial location as it has high car use and has been difficult to serve with traditional public transport. The borough has 24 well-used bus routes and nine railway stations. However, due to its relatively low housing density and its historic development planned around people using private transport, it has not always been practical to run a dedicated bus service in certain areas. This trial aims to explore how creative methods, like demand responsive travel, can add to the traditional bus network, improve the links with existing public transport and reduce car usage.
The fully accessible buses, which can seat up to 14 people, all have USB charging points and free Wi-Fi on board. They will operate in a defined area, rather than following a linear route. Customers travelling on the new buses will be able to book a seat in real time using the GoSutton app, or on the phone. The system will be powered by advanced algorithms, which enable multiple passengers to seamlessly share a single vehicle. The technology directs passengers to a nearby “virtual bus stop” for pick-up and drop-off, and dynamically routes the vehicle in real-time, allowing for quick and efficient shared trips without lengthy detours.
The technology behind the new service is designed to serve customers in the most efficient way – ensuring that separate vehicles are not deployed to serve the same passengers at the same stop.
Fare levels will reflect the unique nature of the service, priced at a flat £3.50, with each additional passenger on a group booking paying £2. It will be fully accessible, with Freedom Passes accepted and all vehicles able to accommodate a wheelchair. The buses also meet the tough emission standards of the Mayor’s world-leading Ultra Low Emission Zone.
TfL will work with Go-Ahead and ViaVan to deliver the trial. Go-Ahead has years of experience in running buses in the capital, while app-based ViaVan brings expertise from the tech sector.
Michael Hurwitz, TfL’s Director of Transport Innovation, said: “We are growing the bus network in outer London, as well as improving the capital’s Tube and rail service, but we also need to innovate and explore new ways of encouraging people out of their cars and onto more sustainable forms of transport. This trial will help us determine whether a more flexible, on-demand bus service complementing traditional routes could help us achieve the goal of making our streets better places for everyone.”
Heidi Alexander, Deputy Mayor for Transport, said: “On-demand buses are an innovative new form of public transport designed to be even more convenient, particularly in areas of outer London where it can be harder to get around. This trial will help us determine whether expanding demand responsive technology can reduce car use and help clean up our toxic air.”
All drivers on the service will be established bus drivers who have completed enhanced customer training. Drivers will continue to receive the same terms and benefits as when driving a traditional London bus, including the London Bus Driver Minimum Wage and the guarantee of a pay grade equivalent to their level of service and experience if they change operator.
Manuel Abellan, Chair of Sutton’s Environment & Transport Committee, said: “Sutton Council is delighted this new kind of bus service is coming to our streets.
“We need ambitious ways of expanding public transport options in Sutton to get people out of their cars and improve local air quality. This on-demand service is exactly what we need in Sutton.”
A second 12-month trial is planned in Ealing later in 2019 after a consultation takes place to gather the public’s views. It is planned that this service will be run by bus operator RATP and technology partner MOIA, who currently power ride sharing in Germany. Both trials will look at how to maximise the occupancy of the vehicles and if this could have a role in improving the value for money of services and adding to the existing transport network.
https://bit.ly/2VYUNJP
----------------------------------
A brand new form of public transport has been launched in Sutton, with the start of a 12-month ‘on-demand’ bus trial.
Using mobile and predictive technology, GoSutton is aimed at finding out whether flexible demand responsive transport services can play a role in boosting public transport use. Increasing public transport use, walking and cycling to 80 per cent of journeys by 2041 is a key aim of the Mayor’s Transport Strategy, which aims to make London’s streets safer, more inviting and less polluted places.
Sutton was chosen as the trial location as it has high car use and has been difficult to serve with traditional public transport. The borough has 24 well-used bus routes and nine railway stations. However, due to its relatively low housing density and its historic development planned around people using private transport, it has not always been practical to run a dedicated bus service in certain areas. This trial aims to explore how creative methods, like demand responsive travel, can add to the traditional bus network, improve the links with existing public transport and reduce car usage.
The fully accessible buses, which can seat up to 14 people, all have USB charging points and free Wi-Fi on board. They will operate in a defined area, rather than following a linear route. Customers travelling on the new buses will be able to book a seat in real time using the GoSutton app, or on the phone. The system will be powered by advanced algorithms, which enable multiple passengers to seamlessly share a single vehicle. The technology directs passengers to a nearby “virtual bus stop” for pick-up and drop-off, and dynamically routes the vehicle in real-time, allowing for quick and efficient shared trips without lengthy detours.
The technology behind the new service is designed to serve customers in the most efficient way – ensuring that separate vehicles are not deployed to serve the same passengers at the same stop.
Fare levels will reflect the unique nature of the service, priced at a flat £3.50, with each additional passenger on a group booking paying £2. It will be fully accessible, with Freedom Passes accepted and all vehicles able to accommodate a wheelchair. The buses also meet the tough emission standards of the Mayor’s world-leading Ultra Low Emission Zone.
TfL will work with Go-Ahead and ViaVan to deliver the trial. Go-Ahead has years of experience in running buses in the capital, while app-based ViaVan brings expertise from the tech sector.
Michael Hurwitz, TfL’s Director of Transport Innovation, said: “We are growing the bus network in outer London, as well as improving the capital’s Tube and rail service, but we also need to innovate and explore new ways of encouraging people out of their cars and onto more sustainable forms of transport. This trial will help us determine whether a more flexible, on-demand bus service complementing traditional routes could help us achieve the goal of making our streets better places for everyone.”
Heidi Alexander, Deputy Mayor for Transport, said: “On-demand buses are an innovative new form of public transport designed to be even more convenient, particularly in areas of outer London where it can be harder to get around. This trial will help us determine whether expanding demand responsive technology can reduce car use and help clean up our toxic air.”
All drivers on the service will be established bus drivers who have completed enhanced customer training. Drivers will continue to receive the same terms and benefits as when driving a traditional London bus, including the London Bus Driver Minimum Wage and the guarantee of a pay grade equivalent to their level of service and experience if they change operator.
Manuel Abellan, Chair of Sutton’s Environment & Transport Committee, said: “Sutton Council is delighted this new kind of bus service is coming to our streets.
“We need ambitious ways of expanding public transport options in Sutton to get people out of their cars and improve local air quality. This on-demand service is exactly what we need in Sutton.”
A second 12-month trial is planned in Ealing later in 2019 after a consultation takes place to gather the public’s views. It is planned that this service will be run by bus operator RATP and technology partner MOIA, who currently power ride sharing in Germany. Both trials will look at how to maximise the occupancy of the vehicles and if this could have a role in improving the value for money of services and adding to the existing transport network.
https://bit.ly/2VYUNJP
----------------------------------
Tuesday 28 May 2019
MANCHESTER
Would-be mugger attacks elderly woman before being chased away by taxi driver
Shocking footage shows a would-be robber wrestling an elderly woman to the ground as he tries to steal her gold bangles before being chased from the scene.
Police released the footage in a bid to find the attacker who targeted the woman in her 70s in Fallowfield, Manchester, shortly after midday on May 9.
The suspect was riding past on a bicycle when he got off and tried to snatch the jewellery from the woman's wrists.
A taxi driver who saw the attack managed to pull his car over and chase the man away on-foot.
He then alerted another taxi driver to the attack but the offender was able to escape on his bike.
The would-be thief didn't manage to steal any items from the woman.
Greater Manchester Police said the suspected thief is described as white, of skinny build and aged in his early 20s.
Constable Daniel Cox of GMP’s City of Manchester Division called the incident "a shocking attack on an elderly woman, carried out in broad daylight in full view of other members of the public.
“I’d like to thank the passing taxi driver whose quick-thinking actions meant this brazen offender didn’t manage to steal anything.
“We know that everyone in the community will share our disgust at this incident.
"While the elderly woman was left with only superficial bruising to her wrist and pain to her hip, the psychological effects of crimes such as this can be considerable.
“We’re confident that there are several people who saw this crime take place.
"There are also likely to be witnesses who saw the offender on his bike shortly before and after the incident."
https://www.itv.com/news/2019-05-28/mugger-caught-on-cctv-trying-to-steal-jewellery-before-being-chased-away-by-taxi-driver/
------------------------------------
SWANSEA
A former taxi driver from Swansea has pleaded guilty to multiple child rapes.
Vincent Matthews, of Cwrt Cilmeri, Morriston, admitted six counts of raping a girl under 13 and two counts of attempted anal rape on the same victim.
He appeared at Swansea Crown Court on Tuesday for a plea hearing in front of Judge Paul Thomas QC.
Judge Thomas told the court he wanted a report into 56-year-old Matthews before sentencing him.
He added he wanted to establish whether the defendant should be classed as a dangerous offender - a definition in law which will impact on the length and form of sentence.
Sentencing was adjourned to June 21.
The defendant, who was represented by barrister Susan Ferrier, was further remanded into custody until that date.
https://bit.ly/2KbeEmT
---------------------------------
BURNLEY
Police are appealing for information after a taxi driver was robbed at knifepoint in Burnley.
Police were called around 12-30am yesterday (Monday, May 27th) following reports of an incident in Talbot Street.
A taxi driver had been waiting for a fare when a man opened the passenger door and sat down in the car.
The man, who had approached from Ormerod Road wearing a face covering and carrying a knife, threatened the driver, taking his mobile phone and £70. He then made off towards Brown Square in the direction of the canal, with the victim uninjured.
Detectives are investigating and are appealing for witnesses to come forward.
DC Phil Scott, of Burnley CID, said: “We have launched an investigation following a knifepoint robbery in Burnley. The taxi driver was threatened and had cash and a mobile phone stolen.
“Did you see what happened, or see anyone acting unusually in the area around the time of the offence? Please come forward if you can help with our enquiries.”
Anyone with information can contact police on 01282 472932 or email 3969@lancashire.pnn.police.uk quoting log 0056 of May 27.
Alternatively independent charity Crimestoppers can be reached anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.
Would-be mugger attacks elderly woman before being chased away by taxi driver
Shocking footage shows a would-be robber wrestling an elderly woman to the ground as he tries to steal her gold bangles before being chased from the scene.
Police released the footage in a bid to find the attacker who targeted the woman in her 70s in Fallowfield, Manchester, shortly after midday on May 9.
The suspect was riding past on a bicycle when he got off and tried to snatch the jewellery from the woman's wrists.
A taxi driver who saw the attack managed to pull his car over and chase the man away on-foot.
He then alerted another taxi driver to the attack but the offender was able to escape on his bike.
The would-be thief didn't manage to steal any items from the woman.
Greater Manchester Police said the suspected thief is described as white, of skinny build and aged in his early 20s.
Constable Daniel Cox of GMP’s City of Manchester Division called the incident "a shocking attack on an elderly woman, carried out in broad daylight in full view of other members of the public.
“I’d like to thank the passing taxi driver whose quick-thinking actions meant this brazen offender didn’t manage to steal anything.
“We know that everyone in the community will share our disgust at this incident.
"While the elderly woman was left with only superficial bruising to her wrist and pain to her hip, the psychological effects of crimes such as this can be considerable.
“We’re confident that there are several people who saw this crime take place.
"There are also likely to be witnesses who saw the offender on his bike shortly before and after the incident."
https://www.itv.com/news/2019-05-28/mugger-caught-on-cctv-trying-to-steal-jewellery-before-being-chased-away-by-taxi-driver/
------------------------------------
SWANSEA
A former taxi driver from Swansea has pleaded guilty to multiple child rapes.
Vincent Matthews, of Cwrt Cilmeri, Morriston, admitted six counts of raping a girl under 13 and two counts of attempted anal rape on the same victim.
He appeared at Swansea Crown Court on Tuesday for a plea hearing in front of Judge Paul Thomas QC.
Judge Thomas told the court he wanted a report into 56-year-old Matthews before sentencing him.
He added he wanted to establish whether the defendant should be classed as a dangerous offender - a definition in law which will impact on the length and form of sentence.
Sentencing was adjourned to June 21.
The defendant, who was represented by barrister Susan Ferrier, was further remanded into custody until that date.
https://bit.ly/2KbeEmT
---------------------------------
BURNLEY
Police are appealing for information after a taxi driver was robbed at knifepoint in Burnley.
Police were called around 12-30am yesterday (Monday, May 27th) following reports of an incident in Talbot Street.
A taxi driver had been waiting for a fare when a man opened the passenger door and sat down in the car.
The man, who had approached from Ormerod Road wearing a face covering and carrying a knife, threatened the driver, taking his mobile phone and £70. He then made off towards Brown Square in the direction of the canal, with the victim uninjured.
Detectives are investigating and are appealing for witnesses to come forward.
DC Phil Scott, of Burnley CID, said: “We have launched an investigation following a knifepoint robbery in Burnley. The taxi driver was threatened and had cash and a mobile phone stolen.
“Did you see what happened, or see anyone acting unusually in the area around the time of the offence? Please come forward if you can help with our enquiries.”
Anyone with information can contact police on 01282 472932 or email 3969@lancashire.pnn.police.uk quoting log 0056 of May 27.
Alternatively independent charity Crimestoppers can be reached anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.
Monday 27 May 2019
MAMCHESTER
There are severe delays on Metrolink tonight after a tram and taxi were involved in a crash in the city centre.
The incident happened on Windmill Street, near to the Manchester Central complex, on Monday evening.
An eyewitness at the scene said the black Volkswagen taxi looked 'hardly damaged' and nobody looked to be 'seriously hurt'.
But Metrolink tweeted at around 6.30pm to confirm there had been a road traffic collision, with 'severe' delays on the Bury line.
There are also severe delays on the Rochdale via Oldham line.
Src= MEN
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Cab drivers across Glasgow will be tested on their English and knowledge of the city amongst tough new measures proposed to tackle a shocking rise in passenger complaints.
Members of Glasgow City Council’s licensing committee are expected to introduce a policy, as suggested by Unite – Glasgow Cab Section, which means taxis and private hire car drivers will need to complete an SQA qualification before they can take passengers.
Figures have also revealed the number of complaints made against cab companies in the city had more than doubled in five years. Between 2014 and 2018 the number of incidents rose from 430 to 1038.
The number of private hire car drivers has also increased.
The move will make Glasgow the second local authority in Scotland after Dundee to introduce the testing.
In February Konstantinos Theodoropoulos was denied a cab licence because he couldn’t identify the City Chambers despite being inside the building opposite.
The council’s licensing committee deals with complaints of pirating, cherry-picking hires and over-charging fares. Drivers have also refused to assist wheelchair users or carry guide dogs.
A report submitted to the council reveals that the course would cost between £300-£400 per driver.
While it is hoped the level of customer service will be improved concerns have been raised by some representatives that the time to complete the course could be “detrimental” and impact the number of people willing to enter the trade.
Alex Wilson, chairman of the licensing board, said: “We are hoping the qualification will raise the standards of our drivers. It is going to replace the existing customer care course which is really outdated.
“The qualification will include a language test and suitable ways to help passengers with disabilities and mental health problems. There is already a code of conduct in place for taxi drivers but this new policy will include private hires.
“It will be mandatory for every new driver to complete. Existing drivers will have to complete it before they renew their licence. Applicants will have to know where key locations are – including the City Chambers.”
Read more: Glasgow City Council blocks plans to launch female-only taxi service
Calum Anderson of the Glasgow Cab Section said he was happy that the council had “embraced” the union’s idea. He added: “The standards of private hire car drivers and taxi services are going down. It is ridiculous taxis and cab drivers can gain a licence without a qualification or any training. If someone is required to do training, it means they will take time and effort to achieve their qualification.
“I am hoping it will deter anyone from coming into the profession for just a casual exercise. ”
https://bit.ly/2MdqXBB
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MEDWAY
A taxi firm has invested £200,000 in technology in a bid to fight off competition from Uber drivers.
Long established Vokes in Medway, which now incorporates Windmill Taxis and Rainham Cabs, has installed an automated dispatch system accepting bookings by app, web and by phone.
Customers are also able to track their taxi via a smartphone and are made aware of the cabbie’s name and car registration number.
Over the last three years, the international online firm Uber has impacted on independent Medway licensed cabbies, competing for trade and income.
Uber supporters have cited modern technology as the reasons why clients use them.
Mark Robinson, a partner at Vokes, said over the past year it had transformed from a traditional operator to a “high tech service provider”.
Mr Robinson, said: “Our new systems do everything Uber does and very much more - all under the watchful eye of the local authority.
"All our drivers have to meet the very high standards set by Medway Council, all intended to ensure a safe, consistent and reliable service to the general public.”
Uber is not licensed to act as a hackney carriage, a licence issued by the council, within the Towns.
Users simply book their journeys using a smartphone app and the firm is free to operate at will within Medway without breaking the law.
There are thought to be about 200 drivers working for the internet giant. Some come from outside the area with insufficient geographical knowledge.
Medway’s licensed drivers, who are self-employed, have to undergo regular stringent health, safety and driving checks and demonstrate that they know their patch.
Mr Robinson said: “To overcome a licensed taxi or private hire driver in Medway is no easy task.
"Our drivers are really hurting, many claiming that their income is down by as much as 30%.
"To overcome this, they are working longer hours but it’s fair to say that a few have given up the trade and if the situation doesn’t change we expect more to follow.
“Taxi services are an important part of Medway’s transport policy and we need more drivers, not less, entering the trade.”
https://bit.ly/2wqcSX0
-----------------------------------------
EDINBURGH
A TAXI driver has been charged by police after a car park row with Edinburgh Airport boss Gordon Dewar.
The bizarre scene saw Dewar reportedly lying on the bonnet of 59-year-old Iain Hunter’s cab.
The row took place after Hunter dropped off a passenger
Dewar had allegedly been trying to crack down on cabs touting for business at the airport’s drop-off point last Tuesday morning.
The two men clashed when cabbie Hunter picked up three passengers in the disabled bay after dropping off a university student fare.
Scots woman, 58, dies on Ryanair plane at Majorca airport as she flew home to Edinburgh days before her birthday
Speaking to The Scotsman, Hunter said: “She was obviously going back home after university and she had loads of bags so I dropped her off in the disabled bay because there is nowhere else to park – it’s just a shambles.
“I got her bags on a trolley and three guys approached me, said they were only going to the Gyle and got in.
“All of a sudden this guy stuck his head through my window and said I can’t do that. I asked who he was and he said it didn’t matter who he was.”
Airport chief Dewar confronted Hunter
“I told him I’m a taxi driver and that if he’s an official of the airport he should identify himself.
“He said he was going to take my photo and I told him he’s not allowed to do that – just a photo of my vehicle not me. He said he could do what he wants.
“I went to pull off to the right and he stood in front of me. Then I tried to the left and he did the same.
“Then he just lay across my bonnet.
“It went on for five or six minutes.
Police say Hunter has been charged
https://bit.ly/2I6V1Ka
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DUBLIN AIRPORT
Pick-up and luggage charges should be reintroduced at Dublin Airport to encourage more taxi drivers to provide services at the gateway, according to the Irish Taxi Drivers' Federation.
The call by the federation's president, Joe Herron, comes as Dublin Airport launches a consultation process aimed at improving the frequently criticised taxi service there.
Mr Herron said that any shortages of taxis at the airport, particularly during the evenings, is usually because drivers can get more fares working in the city centre.
"If there is work in the city centre, it is not advantageous to travel out to the airport," said Mr Herron.
He suggested that a pick-up fee could be €2 per passenger, for instance, and that a luggage fee could be introduced at 50 cent per bag, for example.
A €1.50 airport pick-up charge and 70 cent luggage fee were abolished by the then taxi regulator in 2006, sparking protests by taxi drivers.
A spokesman for Dublin Airport, which is operated by the semi-State DAA, said it would not pre-judge the outcome of the consultation process.
He said the consultation is inviting views from stakeholders including licence holders, taxi firms, transport and tourism bodies, business groups, consumer representatives, disability groups and other users.
"There are some sectoral issues that are affecting the provision of taxis generally at peak times in Dublin and these are also likely to be discussed within the remit of the consultation," he added.
Services such as a premium product, ride-sharing, and even a minimum fare are all possible outcomes from the consultation.
"We want to work collaboratively with all stakeholders to deliver an improvement in the overall taxi product at the airport," said the spokesman.
Dublin Airport has experienced a surge in passenger numbers in recent years. Last year, 31.5 million passengers used the gateway, compared to just under 30 million in 2017.
Mr Herron pointed out that on top of their normal running costs - which the National Transport Authority reckons are about €23,500 a year for an experienced taxi driver in a standard vehicle - taxi drivers must pay €440 a year to secure a permit to operate at Dublin Airport.
There are currently about 1,450 permit holders. On a typical day, between 800 and 900 permit holders operate at the airport.
Not being able to pay by credit or debit card is the single biggest gripe among taxi passengers at Dublin Airport. Queues and poor taxi journey experiences are next highest on the list, according to a survey by the DAA.
Irish Independent
There are severe delays on Metrolink tonight after a tram and taxi were involved in a crash in the city centre.
The incident happened on Windmill Street, near to the Manchester Central complex, on Monday evening.
An eyewitness at the scene said the black Volkswagen taxi looked 'hardly damaged' and nobody looked to be 'seriously hurt'.
But Metrolink tweeted at around 6.30pm to confirm there had been a road traffic collision, with 'severe' delays on the Bury line.
There are also severe delays on the Rochdale via Oldham line.
Src= MEN
----------------------------------------
Cab drivers across Glasgow will be tested on their English and knowledge of the city amongst tough new measures proposed to tackle a shocking rise in passenger complaints.
Members of Glasgow City Council’s licensing committee are expected to introduce a policy, as suggested by Unite – Glasgow Cab Section, which means taxis and private hire car drivers will need to complete an SQA qualification before they can take passengers.
Figures have also revealed the number of complaints made against cab companies in the city had more than doubled in five years. Between 2014 and 2018 the number of incidents rose from 430 to 1038.
The number of private hire car drivers has also increased.
The move will make Glasgow the second local authority in Scotland after Dundee to introduce the testing.
In February Konstantinos Theodoropoulos was denied a cab licence because he couldn’t identify the City Chambers despite being inside the building opposite.
The council’s licensing committee deals with complaints of pirating, cherry-picking hires and over-charging fares. Drivers have also refused to assist wheelchair users or carry guide dogs.
A report submitted to the council reveals that the course would cost between £300-£400 per driver.
While it is hoped the level of customer service will be improved concerns have been raised by some representatives that the time to complete the course could be “detrimental” and impact the number of people willing to enter the trade.
Alex Wilson, chairman of the licensing board, said: “We are hoping the qualification will raise the standards of our drivers. It is going to replace the existing customer care course which is really outdated.
“The qualification will include a language test and suitable ways to help passengers with disabilities and mental health problems. There is already a code of conduct in place for taxi drivers but this new policy will include private hires.
“It will be mandatory for every new driver to complete. Existing drivers will have to complete it before they renew their licence. Applicants will have to know where key locations are – including the City Chambers.”
Read more: Glasgow City Council blocks plans to launch female-only taxi service
Calum Anderson of the Glasgow Cab Section said he was happy that the council had “embraced” the union’s idea. He added: “The standards of private hire car drivers and taxi services are going down. It is ridiculous taxis and cab drivers can gain a licence without a qualification or any training. If someone is required to do training, it means they will take time and effort to achieve their qualification.
“I am hoping it will deter anyone from coming into the profession for just a casual exercise. ”
https://bit.ly/2MdqXBB
----------------------------------
MEDWAY
A taxi firm has invested £200,000 in technology in a bid to fight off competition from Uber drivers.
Long established Vokes in Medway, which now incorporates Windmill Taxis and Rainham Cabs, has installed an automated dispatch system accepting bookings by app, web and by phone.
Customers are also able to track their taxi via a smartphone and are made aware of the cabbie’s name and car registration number.
Over the last three years, the international online firm Uber has impacted on independent Medway licensed cabbies, competing for trade and income.
Uber supporters have cited modern technology as the reasons why clients use them.
Mark Robinson, a partner at Vokes, said over the past year it had transformed from a traditional operator to a “high tech service provider”.
Mr Robinson, said: “Our new systems do everything Uber does and very much more - all under the watchful eye of the local authority.
"All our drivers have to meet the very high standards set by Medway Council, all intended to ensure a safe, consistent and reliable service to the general public.”
Uber is not licensed to act as a hackney carriage, a licence issued by the council, within the Towns.
Users simply book their journeys using a smartphone app and the firm is free to operate at will within Medway without breaking the law.
There are thought to be about 200 drivers working for the internet giant. Some come from outside the area with insufficient geographical knowledge.
Medway’s licensed drivers, who are self-employed, have to undergo regular stringent health, safety and driving checks and demonstrate that they know their patch.
Mr Robinson said: “To overcome a licensed taxi or private hire driver in Medway is no easy task.
"Our drivers are really hurting, many claiming that their income is down by as much as 30%.
"To overcome this, they are working longer hours but it’s fair to say that a few have given up the trade and if the situation doesn’t change we expect more to follow.
“Taxi services are an important part of Medway’s transport policy and we need more drivers, not less, entering the trade.”
https://bit.ly/2wqcSX0
-----------------------------------------
EDINBURGH
A TAXI driver has been charged by police after a car park row with Edinburgh Airport boss Gordon Dewar.
The bizarre scene saw Dewar reportedly lying on the bonnet of 59-year-old Iain Hunter’s cab.
The row took place after Hunter dropped off a passenger
Dewar had allegedly been trying to crack down on cabs touting for business at the airport’s drop-off point last Tuesday morning.
The two men clashed when cabbie Hunter picked up three passengers in the disabled bay after dropping off a university student fare.
Scots woman, 58, dies on Ryanair plane at Majorca airport as she flew home to Edinburgh days before her birthday
Speaking to The Scotsman, Hunter said: “She was obviously going back home after university and she had loads of bags so I dropped her off in the disabled bay because there is nowhere else to park – it’s just a shambles.
“I got her bags on a trolley and three guys approached me, said they were only going to the Gyle and got in.
“All of a sudden this guy stuck his head through my window and said I can’t do that. I asked who he was and he said it didn’t matter who he was.”
Airport chief Dewar confronted Hunter
“I told him I’m a taxi driver and that if he’s an official of the airport he should identify himself.
“He said he was going to take my photo and I told him he’s not allowed to do that – just a photo of my vehicle not me. He said he could do what he wants.
“I went to pull off to the right and he stood in front of me. Then I tried to the left and he did the same.
“Then he just lay across my bonnet.
“It went on for five or six minutes.
Police say Hunter has been charged
https://bit.ly/2I6V1Ka
--------------------------------------
DUBLIN AIRPORT
Pick-up and luggage charges should be reintroduced at Dublin Airport to encourage more taxi drivers to provide services at the gateway, according to the Irish Taxi Drivers' Federation.
The call by the federation's president, Joe Herron, comes as Dublin Airport launches a consultation process aimed at improving the frequently criticised taxi service there.
Mr Herron said that any shortages of taxis at the airport, particularly during the evenings, is usually because drivers can get more fares working in the city centre.
"If there is work in the city centre, it is not advantageous to travel out to the airport," said Mr Herron.
He suggested that a pick-up fee could be €2 per passenger, for instance, and that a luggage fee could be introduced at 50 cent per bag, for example.
A €1.50 airport pick-up charge and 70 cent luggage fee were abolished by the then taxi regulator in 2006, sparking protests by taxi drivers.
A spokesman for Dublin Airport, which is operated by the semi-State DAA, said it would not pre-judge the outcome of the consultation process.
He said the consultation is inviting views from stakeholders including licence holders, taxi firms, transport and tourism bodies, business groups, consumer representatives, disability groups and other users.
"There are some sectoral issues that are affecting the provision of taxis generally at peak times in Dublin and these are also likely to be discussed within the remit of the consultation," he added.
Services such as a premium product, ride-sharing, and even a minimum fare are all possible outcomes from the consultation.
"We want to work collaboratively with all stakeholders to deliver an improvement in the overall taxi product at the airport," said the spokesman.
Dublin Airport has experienced a surge in passenger numbers in recent years. Last year, 31.5 million passengers used the gateway, compared to just under 30 million in 2017.
Mr Herron pointed out that on top of their normal running costs - which the National Transport Authority reckons are about €23,500 a year for an experienced taxi driver in a standard vehicle - taxi drivers must pay €440 a year to secure a permit to operate at Dublin Airport.
There are currently about 1,450 permit holders. On a typical day, between 800 and 900 permit holders operate at the airport.
Not being able to pay by credit or debit card is the single biggest gripe among taxi passengers at Dublin Airport. Queues and poor taxi journey experiences are next highest on the list, according to a survey by the DAA.
Irish Independent
Saturday 25 May 2019
Police in Greater Manchester are appealing for information following a serious collision between a car and a motorcycle in Heywood.
A silver Toyota Avensis was traveling west along Pilsworth Road at around 6.05am on Friday 24 May 2019.
When the vehicle turned right into the entrance of Heywood Distribution Centre, it collided with white Honda motorcycle.
The motorcyclist, a man in his 30s, was taken to hospital with life-changing injuries, where he remains receiving treatment.
Police are appealing for anyone with information or dash-cam footage to come forward.
Police Constable Andrew Page of GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit said:
This was a serious collision that has left a man with life-changing injuries and our thoughts remain with him and his family as he continues to recover in hospital.
This collision occurred on a main road and while it was relatively early in the morning, we believe there may be a number of people who saw the vehicles prior to the incident.
If you have any information or dash cam footage that can assist us, please get in touch as soon as possible.
Information can be left with GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit on 0161 856 4741 or via the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
-------------------------------------------
Snowflake council chiefs in Shakespeare’s home town have banned a cabbie from displaying the UNION JACK and Polish flag in his taxi – because it’s not "welcoming."
Greg Rojewski, 44, was ordered to remove a sticker – which shows both national flags intertwined – after the council received a complaint.
Polish-born Greg has lived and worked in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warks., since 2004 and put the sticker in his taxi three years ago.
He said it was intended to tell customers he was Polish and could therefore speak the language if passengers struggled with speaking English.
But Stratford District Council ordered him to remove the sticker, saying that only “appropriate livery” could be displayed.
Greg, who is single and has a girlfriend in Poland, said: “It is crazy to ban me from displaying the flags. It’s discrimination.
“There is another taxi with a St George’s flag on the back window but I am the one who is told to remove my sticker.
“The sticker isn’t political, I had it made to help Polish customers who might not know how to speak English.
“I have found it is very useful to people, especially if they have hospital appointments because they don’t have to worry about being misunderstood.
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/patriotic-cabbie-banned-showing-union-16325782
-----------------------------
TOKYO (Reuters) - Toyota Motor’s Japan Taxi, born in a government committee and designed to be an all-things-to-all-people cab, has become a high-priced icon of Tokyo’s budget-busting 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Launched in 2017, the indigo car is the realisation of a government project to put a taxi on Japan’s roads that could carry wheelchair users, luggage-laden travellers and foreign visitors of all sizes.
It includes a wheelchair ramp, heated seats, smartphone chargers, an array of anti-collision sensors and even virus-killing air conditioning. But the liquefied petroleum gas-hybrid taxi doesn’t come cheap, selling for 3.5 million yen (25,198.5 pounds) - almost a third more than the Crown model it replaces.
“We wanted to build something that tried to please as many people as possible,” Hiroshi Kayukawa, the chief engineer who oversaw Japan Taxi’s development, told Reuters at Toyota’s headquarters in Toyota City.
The effort has not been without some wrong turns. Many drivers complained that the Japan Taxi wheelchair ramp was awkward and took too long to deploy. Operators worry about costs after transport ministry subsidies expire.
And the taxi’s complex design - conceived by a Transport Ministry committee with representatives from carmakers, taxi companies and advocates for the disabled - has scuttled at least one attempt to export it.
“I would give it 70 out of 100,” said Hiroaki Kaneko, a 20-year veteran driver for Hinomaru Kotsu, one of Tokyo’s leading taxi companies. “As a universal taxi I would give it 50.”
Although it wasn’t built with the 2020 games in mind, Toyota rolls it off the line with Olympics and Paralympic logos plastered on each side.
The carmaker hopes that Olympic sheen will help it replace a third of Tokyo’s 30,000 taxis before the Games. The event, which starts in July 2020, is expected to cost more than twice the initial estimate of 734 billion yen ($6.67 billion).
“We thought the Olympics would be a good way to increase the appeal of the car. We want to get it adopted as quickly as possible,” Kayukawa said.
A rush of pre-Olympic orders for the cab is helping Toyota generate sales for what the company says is a money-losing project.
Only 1,000 Japan Taxis are built each month, far below the number Toyota would normally consider viable, and a small fraction of the 28,000 cars the company produces every day globally.
A spokesman said the company’s rationale for the project was not profit, but “to contribute to the creation of a rich society by supporting the movement of many people with taxis.”
Government subsidies are giving taxi firms incentives to buy the vehicles.
Hinomaru Kotsu has already replaced half of its 620 taxis. By September two-thirds of the fleet will be Japan Taxis, said Satoshi Touma, who is in charge of vehicle management.
Hinomaru, like other operators, gets a transport ministry universal taxi payment and an eco-friendly vehicle subsidy from the Tokyo Metropolitan government. Combined, they cover most of the taxi’s extra cost, Touma said.
But those subsidies “will disappear once the Olympics end,” Touma added.
Overseas, Japan Taxi’s unsubsidised price tag dissuaded Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing, according to a Toyota executive who spoke to Reuters.
Didi, which “loved the fact that you can carry your small suitcase right on” and other purpose-designed features, asked Toyota about the taxi last year, the source said. But it decided it was too difficult to pare back the design and reduce costs, said the executive, who was not authorised to speak to the media and requested anonymity.
Thursday 23 May 2019
NEW YORK
Mayor Bill de Blasio has ordered a review of predatory practices in the New York City taxi business, following a scathing report in the New York Times detailing how powerful industry leaders inflated medallion prices and exploited drivers as local officials willfully ignored warning signs about the collapsing market.
"The review will set down strict new rules that prevent broker practices that hurt drivers," the mayor said in a statement on Monday. "It's unacceptable to prey on hardworking New Yorkers trying to support their families and we'll do all that we can to put an end to it."
After reaching a high of $1 million in 2014, the price of a medallion has plummeted in recent years, with the city's largely immigrant drivers facing the brunt of the consequences. Close to 1,000 medallion owners have filed for bankruptcy, and at least eight professional drivers have taken their own lives in the last 18 months.
But while that collapse has been widely blamed on the arrival of rideshare companies, a two-part Times investigation traces much of the devastation to lax oversight and reckless lending practices of shady brokers and big banks, which apparently saw an opening to take advantage of immigrant drivers. In some cases, drivers making $30,000 a year said they were duped into signing contracts with hidden fees that left them on the hook for millions. Those contracts were fueled by practices "strikingly similar to those behind the housing market crash," according to the paper, and created a system that one analyst likened to "modern-day indentured servitude,"
In response to the reporting, de Blasio has announced a multi-agency investigation to be overseen by the Taxi and Limousine Commission, the Department of Finance and Department of Consumer Affairs over the next 45 days. New York Attorney General Letitia James will also probe the "disturbing reports" to see if lenders engaged in illegal activity.
Beyond the egregious lending activity, the Times exposé suggests that federal, state, and city officials worsened the crisis, then essentially abandoned financially ruined drivers. Under Mayors Bloomberg and Mayor de Blasio, the city made more than $855 million through selling taxi medallions and collecting taxes on private sales. Even as concerns about the medallion bubble swirled, the Taxi and Limousine Commission, a city agency ostensibly in charge of regulating the industry, declared the investment "better than the stock market."
While that regulatory neglect has roots in the early 1990s, the ruinous policies were continued by de Blasio, according to the Times. A close ally of the taxi industry, the current mayor and presidential candidate continued the practice of placing "political allies inside the Taxi and Limousine Commission and [directing] it to sell medallions to help them balance budgets and fund priorities." According to Politico, four of the mayor's ten major bundlers in his 2013 campaign had ties to the taxi industry. When the medallion market crashed, de Blasio opted not to fund a bailout.
On Monday, Council Member Ritchie Torres alleged that his own efforts to probe the industry were stymied by the de Blasio-controlled agency. "The T.L.C. hasn't just been asleep at the wheel, they have been actively stonewalling," he said.
http://gothamist.com
---------------------------------
A Barcelona-based association of taxi drivers on Thursday announced it would lodge a legal complaint against ride-hailing services Uber and Cabify for fraud and other offences.
In all the Elite Taxi group, which represents 2,000 drivers, will take on 11 firms and 15 individuals, as well as US-based Uber and Spanish company Cabify, according to Alberto Alvarez, spokesman for the association.
The legal complaint, to be lodged in Madrid next week, is just the latest attempt by registered taxi drivers in several countries to stop potential customers using the new, less regulated, services which they believe provide unfair competition.
The accusations will include fraud but also money-laundering, tax infringements and flouting workers' rights.
Rideshare companies maintain that drivers are able to thrive and maintain work flexibility, and that their business model would not work if drivers were treated as wage-based employees.
In late 2017, the Elite Taxi association obtained a judicial victory when the European Court of Justice ruled that Uber is an ordinary transportation company instead of just an online app and should be regulated as such.
Last year Spanish taxi drivers went on strike for several days, calling in the authorities to restrain the activities of the ride-hailing operators.
In several Spanish cities, including Valencia and Barcelona, new rules have been adopted including requiring customers of ride-hailing services to book a ride at least 15 minutes in advance.
https://phys.org/news/2019-05-barcelona-taxi-drivers-lodge-legal.html
Mayor Bill de Blasio has ordered a review of predatory practices in the New York City taxi business, following a scathing report in the New York Times detailing how powerful industry leaders inflated medallion prices and exploited drivers as local officials willfully ignored warning signs about the collapsing market.
"The review will set down strict new rules that prevent broker practices that hurt drivers," the mayor said in a statement on Monday. "It's unacceptable to prey on hardworking New Yorkers trying to support their families and we'll do all that we can to put an end to it."
After reaching a high of $1 million in 2014, the price of a medallion has plummeted in recent years, with the city's largely immigrant drivers facing the brunt of the consequences. Close to 1,000 medallion owners have filed for bankruptcy, and at least eight professional drivers have taken their own lives in the last 18 months.
But while that collapse has been widely blamed on the arrival of rideshare companies, a two-part Times investigation traces much of the devastation to lax oversight and reckless lending practices of shady brokers and big banks, which apparently saw an opening to take advantage of immigrant drivers. In some cases, drivers making $30,000 a year said they were duped into signing contracts with hidden fees that left them on the hook for millions. Those contracts were fueled by practices "strikingly similar to those behind the housing market crash," according to the paper, and created a system that one analyst likened to "modern-day indentured servitude,"
In response to the reporting, de Blasio has announced a multi-agency investigation to be overseen by the Taxi and Limousine Commission, the Department of Finance and Department of Consumer Affairs over the next 45 days. New York Attorney General Letitia James will also probe the "disturbing reports" to see if lenders engaged in illegal activity.
Beyond the egregious lending activity, the Times exposé suggests that federal, state, and city officials worsened the crisis, then essentially abandoned financially ruined drivers. Under Mayors Bloomberg and Mayor de Blasio, the city made more than $855 million through selling taxi medallions and collecting taxes on private sales. Even as concerns about the medallion bubble swirled, the Taxi and Limousine Commission, a city agency ostensibly in charge of regulating the industry, declared the investment "better than the stock market."
While that regulatory neglect has roots in the early 1990s, the ruinous policies were continued by de Blasio, according to the Times. A close ally of the taxi industry, the current mayor and presidential candidate continued the practice of placing "political allies inside the Taxi and Limousine Commission and [directing] it to sell medallions to help them balance budgets and fund priorities." According to Politico, four of the mayor's ten major bundlers in his 2013 campaign had ties to the taxi industry. When the medallion market crashed, de Blasio opted not to fund a bailout.
On Monday, Council Member Ritchie Torres alleged that his own efforts to probe the industry were stymied by the de Blasio-controlled agency. "The T.L.C. hasn't just been asleep at the wheel, they have been actively stonewalling," he said.
http://gothamist.com
---------------------------------
A Barcelona-based association of taxi drivers on Thursday announced it would lodge a legal complaint against ride-hailing services Uber and Cabify for fraud and other offences.
In all the Elite Taxi group, which represents 2,000 drivers, will take on 11 firms and 15 individuals, as well as US-based Uber and Spanish company Cabify, according to Alberto Alvarez, spokesman for the association.
The legal complaint, to be lodged in Madrid next week, is just the latest attempt by registered taxi drivers in several countries to stop potential customers using the new, less regulated, services which they believe provide unfair competition.
The accusations will include fraud but also money-laundering, tax infringements and flouting workers' rights.
Rideshare companies maintain that drivers are able to thrive and maintain work flexibility, and that their business model would not work if drivers were treated as wage-based employees.
In late 2017, the Elite Taxi association obtained a judicial victory when the European Court of Justice ruled that Uber is an ordinary transportation company instead of just an online app and should be regulated as such.
Last year Spanish taxi drivers went on strike for several days, calling in the authorities to restrain the activities of the ride-hailing operators.
In several Spanish cities, including Valencia and Barcelona, new rules have been adopted including requiring customers of ride-hailing services to book a ride at least 15 minutes in advance.
https://phys.org/news/2019-05-barcelona-taxi-drivers-lodge-legal.html
Wednesday 22 May 2019
Addison Lee and Audi have announced a six-month pilot partnership to incorporate the Audi e-tron into the taxi firm’s fleet as it moves towards a zero-emissions future.
The driver service says it will provide five of the low carbon SUVs to its customer offering, which it hopes will help customers, drivers and the business understand the opportunities made available and the challenges posed by running a fully electric service.
The trial aims to provide operational insights into real-world EV operating performance and considerations, with a goal to influence decisions regarding a wider potential EV rollout in coming years.
Last year the taxi service joined forces with autonomous software specialist Oxbotica to digitally map London’s roads and infrastructure, including the locations of curbs, traffic lights and islands, ahead of plans to introduce self-driving taxis to the capital city by 2021.
Andy Boland, CEO of Addison Lee Group, said: “Integrating electric vehicles into transport networks will be central to helping cities hit air quality targets and reduce emissions.
“As our partnership with Audi and our wider low carbon initiatives demonstrate, we are committed to playing our part in helping to rapidly improve air quality in London and across the UK.”
www.energylivenews.com
---------------------------------------------
LIVERPOOL
Police have launched an appeal after a taxi driver claimed he was sexually assaulted by a passenger while driving through Liverpool city centre.
The incident is said to have happened while the driver was heading down Pembroke Street during the early hours of the morning. The driver, said to be in his 30s, claims that a customer sexually assaulted him as he was driving.
The ECHO understands the driver forced the man out of the taxi after the incident. He later reported the matter to police, which is said to have happened at around 12.40am on May 12.
A police spokesman said: "Merseyside Police are currently investigating an allegation of sexual assault following an incident that took place on 12th May.
"The incident was reported to have happened in the early hours of Sunday morning at around 00:40am on Pembroke Street, Liverpool when a taxi driver, a man in his 30s, was reportedly sexually assaulted by a male passenger. Officers are continuing to investigate the incident and are working with the taxi driver to identify the person responsible."
Detective Inspector Graeme Towndrow said: “Anyone that has also been a victim of a similar incident is urged to get in contact so we can investigate and bring offenders to justice.
“No one should be made to feel uncomfortable or scared going about their daily business. Taxi drivers are key within the Merseyside community and we’ll do everything we can to support everyone living, working and visiting Merseyside.”
www.liverpoolecho.co.uk
-------------------------------------------
EDINBURGH
Councillors have been accused of creating a “false economy” for cabbies as taxis being brought into the Capital for the first time will be able to meet less strict emission standards than touted - due to a lack of affordable second hand vehicles on the market.
Under a rule change agreed by the city council’s regulatory committee, taxis being licensed in Edinburgh for the first time, which were expected to meet high Euro 6 standards by April 2020, will now only have to meet more pollutant Euro 5 rules. Current licensed taxis must be upgraded to Euro 6 standards by March 2023.
The city council’s regulatory committee agreed to relax the rules after granting around 150 exemptions since the rules were introduced in October 2018. Licensing officials said that around half of the requests for exemptions, which are heard behind closed doors, have been approved by councillors – including some for Euro 2 standards.
Regulatory services manager Andrew Mitchell told councillors that relaxing the grace period would give the taxi trade “some breathing space”.
He added: “Committee have allowed Euro 2, 3 and 4 vehicles to operate beyond the deadline.
“On reflection, I think some relief for the second hand market maybe proportionate. At present, buying a Euro 6 at second hand is just not an option.”
Earlier, councillors heard from solicitor Jonny Nisbet, speaking on behalf of the taxi trade, who warned that cabbies were left with the option that “either you find an exemption or you find a brand new vehicle”.
Last week, the council’s transport and environment committee pressed ahead with draft proposals for a low emission zone (LEZ). Under the plans, taxis would have until the end of 2021 to meet Euro 6 standards in order to enter the city centre.
Vice-convener of the transport and environment committee, Cllr Karen Doran, said: “I don’t know how can we make an argument that it’s financially viable for someone who can’t afford a Euro 6 now to buy a Euro 5 and then a year later buy a Euro 6.
“I don’t actually understand how this policy is going to work or how it’s going to help taxi drivers in any way.”
More than 500 taxis have already been upgraded to meet the new conditions.
Cllr Steve Burgess said: “My concern is what that does in terms of incentivising a move in the taxi fleet to less polluting vehicles.
www.edinburghnews.
-----------------------------------------
EAST MIDLANDS
A taxi driver has spoken out against what he has described as the "absolutely ridiculous" decision to change the parking tariff at East Midlands Airport's rapid drop-off point.
On Monday, May 20, the airport changed the fee from 10 minutes for £2 to five minutes for £2.
Drivers are then charged an additional £1 per minute after the five minutes has passed.
An East Midlands Airport spokesman has said the decision to change the tariff is to reduce the congestion that builds due to drivers spending more than five minutes at the drop-off point, which is right outside the airport's arrivals and departures entrances.
But Tony Parkinson, 44, of Bilborough, who has been driving taxis for 23 years, now feels he can't do his job "properly" due to having to rush customers to avoid "extortionate" fees.
The taxi driver who works for a private firm, regularly does airport runs up and down the country and claims his colleagues and members of the public will be left out of pocket by the decision.
He said: "It's an absolutely ridiculous decision that they can't warrant.
"There was no forewarning for it. I did a drop off on Sunday night when it was £2 for 10 minutes and then on Monday day it was £2 for five minutes.
"I pride myself on my customer service. I feel like I'm not able to do my job properly now and have to rush people out the taxi and to the door so I don't get charged extortionately. It's just a money-making scheme.
Andy Tyler Smith, East Midlands Airport’s customer services and security director, said: “Passengers being dropped off at the forecourt are subject to a charge. This is designed to reduce traffic congestion at the airport and surrounding roads, making the site safer, while encouraging increased use of alternative, more sustainable transport options.
"The rapid drop off parking provides the most convenient access to the airport’s terminal. Over 80 percent of current users are in and out of rapid drop off in less than five minutes.
"Reducing the 10 minute wait to five minutes will continue to improve the effectiveness of this facility allowing more vehicles to get in and out quicker.
“Drivers who wish to wait longer can park free of charge for one hour in 'Long Stay 2' which is situated near the airport bus stop at the west side of the airport site.
"A frequent, free bus service takes passengers to and from the main terminal entrance within 5 minutes or, by foot, it’s a 15 minute walk.
"Vehicles carrying disabled passengers who have a Blue Badge can park free of charge for 30 minutes in 'Short Stay 1', the closest car park to the both departures and arrivals.”
https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/local-news/taxi-driver-says-cant-job-2891646
-------------------------------------
Tuesday 21 May 2019
News broke today that some ranks in London are being closed to Hackneys and designated for on Demand Buses.
These "Opportunities" are being allowed and sponsored by the 'Bus services Act 2017 (new-powers-and-opportunities)
GoAhead and Via Van are two of the Companies taking this opportunity in London shortly.
Via Van are part owned by Gett Taxi through their Merc Benz connection.
This made me think of Gett Taxi a couple of years back, here in Manchester. You will remember they ran a Bus service (by Taxi)
from Lapwing Lane to Town along the Oxford rd corridor.
They were paying a large amount of money to MCR Hack's (sometimes Salford and Trafford also) driver's to sit along that route morning and afternoon, quite often not even doing one journey. It seemed madness, a waste of money and no surprise when it ended one day without warning.
Now everything makes sense, they were collecting Data from each journey carried out, this data was added to their 'City Mapper' software.
It is now also inevitable that on Demand Buses will shortly be here in Manchester.
I note they have popped up all around the Country, since the new 2017 Bus Act. I list a few.
https://taxileaks.blogspot.com/2019/05/will-you-stand-and-fight-or-will-you.html
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/jun/29/oxford-buses-turn-to-uber-style-apps-in-on-demand-experiment
https://www.kentsciencepark.com/park-life/transport-location/
http://www.slidebristol.com/why-slide
https://citymapper.com/news/1232/more-cab-choices-with-gett
https://www.arrivabus.co.uk/arrivaclick/arrivaclick-in-liverpool/
------------------------------------------------------------------------
If that was not enough, I also stumbled upon the first GREATER MCR, Autonomous Pod/Taxi trials which will take place THIS YEAR:
" Mobility as a Service” (MaaS) is a concept that relates to the integration of various forms of transport services (e.g. taxi, public transport and cycle hire) into a single customer experience, which is accessible on demand and uses a single payment application. The proof of this concept in practice is being tested in Greater Manchester through the MaaS4EU project.
Autonomous, and semi-autonomous, vehicles are emerging as a disruptive innovation, and are being developed with urgency by multiple car and technology manufacturers, such as Google and Tesla. CAVs could reduce congestion in urban areas, by exploiting the ability to safely drive closer together and therefore take up less road space.
The development and use of CAVs in Greater Manchester is being trialled between Stockport Station and Manchester Airport. The project involves deploying platoons of 3 electric powered, autonomous GTM sports cars to travel 10km, from Stockport train station to terminal 2 of Manchester Airport (and vice versa), via a newly developed section of the A6 to Manchester Airport Relief Road, and 3 autonomous pods to take passengers from a car park to the passenger terminals of Manchester airport over a distance of 2km.
Trials for the autonomous pods and platoons are scheduled to take place in 2019,
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Now as I said, I stumbled across this and to be quite frank....I wish I had not.
Please stop this Autonomous Express...I want to get off.
These "Opportunities" are being allowed and sponsored by the 'Bus services Act 2017 (new-powers-and-opportunities)
GoAhead and Via Van are two of the Companies taking this opportunity in London shortly.
Via Van are part owned by Gett Taxi through their Merc Benz connection.
This made me think of Gett Taxi a couple of years back, here in Manchester. You will remember they ran a Bus service (by Taxi)
from Lapwing Lane to Town along the Oxford rd corridor.
They were paying a large amount of money to MCR Hack's (sometimes Salford and Trafford also) driver's to sit along that route morning and afternoon, quite often not even doing one journey. It seemed madness, a waste of money and no surprise when it ended one day without warning.
Now everything makes sense, they were collecting Data from each journey carried out, this data was added to their 'City Mapper' software.
It is now also inevitable that on Demand Buses will shortly be here in Manchester.
I note they have popped up all around the Country, since the new 2017 Bus Act. I list a few.
https://taxileaks.blogspot.com/2019/05/will-you-stand-and-fight-or-will-you.html
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/jun/29/oxford-buses-turn-to-uber-style-apps-in-on-demand-experiment
https://www.kentsciencepark.com/park-life/transport-location/
http://www.slidebristol.com/why-slide
https://citymapper.com/news/1232/more-cab-choices-with-gett
https://www.arrivabus.co.uk/arrivaclick/arrivaclick-in-liverpool/
------------------------------------------------------------------------
If that was not enough, I also stumbled upon the first GREATER MCR, Autonomous Pod/Taxi trials which will take place THIS YEAR:
" Mobility as a Service” (MaaS) is a concept that relates to the integration of various forms of transport services (e.g. taxi, public transport and cycle hire) into a single customer experience, which is accessible on demand and uses a single payment application. The proof of this concept in practice is being tested in Greater Manchester through the MaaS4EU project.
Autonomous, and semi-autonomous, vehicles are emerging as a disruptive innovation, and are being developed with urgency by multiple car and technology manufacturers, such as Google and Tesla. CAVs could reduce congestion in urban areas, by exploiting the ability to safely drive closer together and therefore take up less road space.
The development and use of CAVs in Greater Manchester is being trialled between Stockport Station and Manchester Airport. The project involves deploying platoons of 3 electric powered, autonomous GTM sports cars to travel 10km, from Stockport train station to terminal 2 of Manchester Airport (and vice versa), via a newly developed section of the A6 to Manchester Airport Relief Road, and 3 autonomous pods to take passengers from a car park to the passenger terminals of Manchester airport over a distance of 2km.
Trials for the autonomous pods and platoons are scheduled to take place in 2019,
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Now as I said, I stumbled across this and to be quite frank....I wish I had not.
Please stop this Autonomous Express...I want to get off.
Monday 20 May 2019
FRANCE
Taxis gathered early on Monday morning, blocking the roads near the city's main airports, Charles de Gaulle and Orly, as well as around the business district of La Défense.
The result was car chaos as traffic jams also grew around Boulevard Raspail in central Paris and commuters struggled to get into the French capital.
A “go-slow” protest was also being held on the A4, beginning at Lognes, a town in the greater Paris region of Ile-de-France, while on the A106 an estimated 200 taxis were protesting at Chevilly-Larue and there were about 50 taxis at Chilly-Mazarin.
So, what's the protest all about?
The taxi drivers, driving instructors and ambulance workers are voicing their opposition to the LOM - the new transport law currently under consideration in the French parliament.
A spokesperson for the taxi division of the SUD union, Adil Karami told the French press that the new law would "destroy the balance between traditional taxis and private minicabs (VTCs)."
Karim Asnoun from the taxi division of the hard left CGT union said the new law "plans to give VTCs the same rights of taxis, such as the freedom to use bus lanes and social security agreements without subjecting them to the same constraints."
www.thelocal.fr
-----------------------------------------------------------
BERLIN (AP) — New parents got the fright of their lives in Germany after accidentally forgetting their newborn in the taxi taking them home from hospital.
The driver swiftly called police and after a quick check-up from an ambulance crew the baby and its grateful parents were reunited.
https://thepublicsradio.org
------------------------------------------------
DUBLIN HAILO DRIVER
A TAXI DRIVER who sexually assaulted three young women in Dublin over little more than a fortnight has been jailed for five years.
Mansoor Uddin, 41, of Castleway, Adamstown, Lucan, previously pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to carrying out the trio of attacks between January 30, 2016 and February 16, 2016.
She also referred to the fact that the Pakistan native refused to stop his taxi when asked and carried out the attacks in places where he knew help was not at hand.
He also touched her chest area and rubbed her cheek, telling her that she was "the most beautiful girl of the night" and had "a beautiful heart".
The second victim, a 20-year-old woman, got into Uddin’s cab in an upset state having had an argument with her boyfriend.
He wiped away her tears and rubbed her face and lip before brushing his hand down the right side of her body.
The third woman, an 18-year-old school girl, got into his taxi just an hour later before he immediately began rubbing her leg and told her how soft her skin was.
Detectives also used GPS co-ordinates from the HAILO taxi app, which confirmed that Uddin had travelled the three routes his victims told them about.
src=Irish Post
Taxis gathered early on Monday morning, blocking the roads near the city's main airports, Charles de Gaulle and Orly, as well as around the business district of La Défense.
The result was car chaos as traffic jams also grew around Boulevard Raspail in central Paris and commuters struggled to get into the French capital.
A “go-slow” protest was also being held on the A4, beginning at Lognes, a town in the greater Paris region of Ile-de-France, while on the A106 an estimated 200 taxis were protesting at Chevilly-Larue and there were about 50 taxis at Chilly-Mazarin.
So, what's the protest all about?
The taxi drivers, driving instructors and ambulance workers are voicing their opposition to the LOM - the new transport law currently under consideration in the French parliament.
A spokesperson for the taxi division of the SUD union, Adil Karami told the French press that the new law would "destroy the balance between traditional taxis and private minicabs (VTCs)."
Karim Asnoun from the taxi division of the hard left CGT union said the new law "plans to give VTCs the same rights of taxis, such as the freedom to use bus lanes and social security agreements without subjecting them to the same constraints."
www.thelocal.fr
-----------------------------------------------------------
BERLIN (AP) — New parents got the fright of their lives in Germany after accidentally forgetting their newborn in the taxi taking them home from hospital.
Hamburg police said Monday that the couple took the baby's one-year-old sibling out of the car, paid the driver and said goodbye — then realized someone was missing as the taxi pulled away.
Dad's attempt to catch the cab on foot failed and the driver, unaware of his sleeping stowaway, parked the taxi in an underground garage to go for lunch.
It wasn't until the driver picked up a fare at the airport that the underage passenger made its presence known.
https://thepublicsradio.org
------------------------------------------------
DUBLIN HAILO DRIVER
A TAXI DRIVER who sexually assaulted three young women in Dublin over little more than a fortnight has been jailed for five years.
Mansoor Uddin, 41, of Castleway, Adamstown, Lucan, previously pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to carrying out the trio of attacks between January 30, 2016 and February 16, 2016.
The father-of-three had his taxi licence revoked after he admitted to the charges back in February this year.
His sentencing was adjourned until this month as a previously ordered psychological report has not been completed.
Handing Uddin a five-year prison sentence today, Judge Sinéad Nà Chulacháin said she considered the vulnerability of his victims and the element of "planned targeting" involved in reaching her judgement.
She also referred to the fact that the Pakistan native refused to stop his taxi when asked and carried out the attacks in places where he knew help was not at hand.
Fortnight of attacks
The court previously heard how Uddin's first victim, a 19-year-old German national, continually pushed his hand away as he rubbed her knee and leg while driving.
The woman bit Uddin's finger when he touched her face and told him she wanted to get out of the taxi before escaping.
He wiped away her tears and rubbed her face and lip before brushing his hand down the right side of her body.
The third woman, an 18-year-old school girl, got into his taxi just an hour later before he immediately began rubbing her leg and told her how soft her skin was.
The teenager pushed him away before he attempted to get his hand into her underwear, smiling and telling her she was "really young" when she told him her age.
Uddin then became angry when the girl unsuccessfully tried to take a photo of his identification after accepting a call from a friend – leaning across her and opening her door before ordering her to get out of his taxi.
Gardaà used CCTV footage, a database of registered public service vehicles and a computer generated likeness from the first victim to identify Uddin.
src=Irish Post
Sunday 19 May 2019
LONDON
Kapten, the French ride-hailing app backed by Daimler and BMW, has today launched in London, coupled with a feisty ad campaign taking a swipe at Uber’s tax arrangements.
It follows Kapten (formerly called “Chauffeur Prive”) obtaining a license from TfL, London’s transport regulator, to operate its private-hire vehicle (PHV) service in the U.K. capital city. The company first launched in France in 2012, growing quickly in Paris, and has since expanded to Lisbon and Geneva.
Specifically, Kapten’s new billboard ad campaign calls out Uber for avoiding local sales tax: “Others avoid paying VAT in the UK – that’s not uber cool.” In contrast, Kapten says it pay taxes locally in every market in which it operates. The ad then goes on to tell Londoners that using Kapten “might just be your best decision today.”
In a press release driving home the point, Kapten notes that Uber has faced criticism in the U.K. for paying little tax to the U.K. government and avoiding VAT on top of its service fee due to the U.S. company’s Dutch tax location.
“Uber had an estimated £1bn of ride bookings in the U.K. in 2018. If 20 percent VAT was added to its 25 percent commission, the U.K. Exchequer would get an additional £50m per year,” says Kapten.
Meanwhile, Kapten’s newly launched London service should be available in zones 1 to 5 as of today. The ride-hailing app is also launching with a 50%-off offer on rides. After launch, Kapten claims that its low pricing will still mean fares are on average 20% cheaper than competitors.
“Trips in the congestion charge zone will be at least £2 cheaper than Uber due to congestion and clean-air fees,” says the French company, promising to cover the congestion charge on behalf of its drivers for the rest of 2019.
Adds Mariusz Zabrocki, London general manager of Kapten, in a statement: “There has been one dominant, over-confident ride-hailing player in London and it’s time to shake things up. We believe London’s private-hire drivers, commuters and residents deserve better. Each time a Londoner takes an Uber ride, 60p is lost that could finance the NHS, schools and other parts of the U.K.” economy.
-----------------------------------
The New York City taxicab industry has been suffering, with a series of suicides plaguing taxi drivers over the past year as they struggle with debt and financial strife.
While New York City has long blamed Uber and Lyft for the industry’s woes, a New York Times investigation found the fault lies with industry leaders.
An investigation by The New York Times shows industry leaders artificially drove up the price of taxi medallions. From 2002 through 2014 the paper found the price of a medallion increased to more than $1 million from $200,000. During that time frame, around 4,000 drivers purchased medallions.
They left a bubble that eventually burst in their wake. During the course of more than ten years, the paper reported the industry leaders ushered taxi drivers into loans that they couldn’t pay back and took hundreds of millions of dollar before the bubble collapsed. The bankers, brokers, lawyers, fleet owners, and debt collectors made tons of profits, with medallion brokers able to buy yachts and waterfront properties. But their actions resulted in taxi drivers, many immigrants, losing their life savings, suffering under crushing debt they couldn’t pay back.
The New York Times noted that more than 950 medallion owners have filed for bankruptcy while thousands more are barely surviving. “The whole thing was like a Ponzi scheme because it totally depended on the value going up,” said Haywood Miller, a debt specialist who has consulted for both borrowers and lenders in the report. “The part that wasn’t fair was the guy who’s buying is an immigrant, maybe someone who couldn’t speak English. They were conned.”
The paper likened the practices in the taxi industry to the housing bubble that ultimately led to the Great Recession in 2008 and 2009. Mortgage lenders and brokers put people in mortgage loans they couldn’t afford to pay back. When the interest rates on the loans reset foreclosures skyrocketed. Taxi drivers took on debt they couldn’t afford and didn’t understand the terms to get the medallions and are now paying the price.
https://www.pymnts.com/loans/2019/taxi-medallion-loans-uber-lyft-drivers/
----------------------------------------
NEWCASTLE (STAFFS)
Cabbies have warned of further strikes if controversial licensing changes go ahead.
Taxi drivers in Newcastle say they could also register with other local authorities to get around Newcastle Borough Council’s new taxi policy.
The council is due to approve the re-written policy on June 11, It includes new rules for vehicles testing, a reduction in the age-limit for vehicles and a new English language test, to be provided by the council.
Black cab and private hire drivers brought chaos to Newcastle town centre when they refused to pick up passengers on a Friday night in March.
Drivers and managers warn there could be further disruption if the council does not listen to their concerns.
Trevor Colclough, right, of Sid’s Private Hire in Chesterton says drivers have ‘no confidence in the council’ to provide the English test and feels the current BTEC examinations at Stoke-on-Trent College are sufficient.
“We’ve completely lost trust in the council,” said Mr Colclough. “We’ve got no confidence in the council and we want the college to do the test because they’re unbiased. It should not be done in-house by the council.”
Mr Colclough added: “I’m fearful of more industrial action after June 11 if this doesn’t get sorted.
The council’s income from taxis last year was £360,435. Sid’s says it contributes about £50,000 a year to that, and warns a large chunk of public money could be lost if there is a mass exodus of cabbies.
Taxi drivers claim to have the following issues with Newcastle Borough Council's new taxi licensing policy for 2019/20:
Operators claim they will have to keep logbooks of service history for self-employed drivers - at a great cost of time and effort to their businesses;
Vehicles can't be licensed past four years old for their first time and beyond seven years in total;
Switching to electric vehicles is too expensive and they'll lose money when charging;
A new type of testing system won't be as efficient as the Stoke-on-Trent College BTEC qualification they already have;
They don't like the penalty points scheme;
They say they'll have to wait between five and eight weeks for an appointment to renew their licences;
It'll cost customers more;
It will reduce service and safety standards;
It will send drivers out of the borough for licences.
Shahraz Yaqub, business development manager at Autocab, says passengers will also be affected by the changes. He said: “Public safety will be impacted because there is now going to be drivers going out of the borough to get registered in places like Wolverhampton.
“Because there’s no restriction on cross-border operating, Newcastle Borough Council will have no say on the drivers operating in their borough.
“Ultimately, the costs of all this will be passed on to the customer.”
Stephen Sweeney, cabinet member for finance at the borough council, said: “The council is committed to communicating with all stakeholders involved in developing the new taxi licensing policy and has gone to great lengths to keep an ongoing and open dialogue with representatives from the Hackney carriage and private hire trade.
“The council has met with taxi drivers on numerous occasions, extended the consultation twice at their request and officers have amended some of the proposals.
"Councillors agreed to a further meeting before they make a decision on 11 June and are allowing two representatives from the trade to address councillors and put forward their points at the meeting.
“In these circumstances, and as the draft policy is still being finalised, the council feels that threats of further strike action are premature and unfortunate.”
https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/stoke-on-trent-news/taxi-drivers-warn-more-strikes-2877094
---------------------------------
Blackpool's landau fleet has lined up for its annual inspection with all 44 cabs bar one passing stringent safety and mechanical tests.
All the resort's famous horse-drawn carriages must pass MoT-style examinations while the horses are checked over by vets before operators can be licensed to work on the Promenade for another year.
Master wheelwright Phill Gregson examined the carriages on behalf of the council at Blackpool South car park.
Blackpool Council licensing officer Ryan Ratcliffe said: "They all passed the inspection bar one which didn’t attend the inspection, however there were some mitigating circumstances and it will be tested at a later date.
"A few had to come back with a few bits and pieces that had to be rectified, but apart from that it all went smoothly."
The fleet is made up of 24 Cinderella-style carriages and 20 traditional carriages.
Colin Nicholls, who operates a Cinderella landau, said : "The inspections are important and are similar to having an MoT done for your car.
"The inspector looks at things like the axels and makes sure the hood is intact and also checks the harness fittings for the horse.
"All the horses are micro-chipped and checked over by the council's vet. As well as the annual inspection, they carry out spot checks.
"We're more than happy with this and it keeps us on our toes. We all help each other out and everyone is now looking forward to the season."
Conditions of the licence include that horses cannot work for more than seven hours a day which includes an hour's break.
The animals are all micro-chipped so inspectors can check each horse is only working its permitted hours.
All carriages must be fitted with a dung catcher when they are on the public highways to prevent manure spilling onto roads.
All horses must have been examined by a vet in the previous 12 months and issued with a certificate of fitness approved by the council.
Vets papers relating to the horse in harness should be available for inspection on request by an authorised officer.
A horse which is harnessed to or used in connection with a licensed hackney carriage shall not be used for more than seven hours of work in any one day.
If in harness for seven consecutive hours, the horse shall during that period have a break of not less than one hour and shall be fed and watered.
No horse shall be harnessed to or used in connection with the licensed vehicle unless it is fitted with an identifying microchip, the number of which has been notified to the licensing service.
All carriages must be fitted with a dung catching device while the carriage is in use on any public highway.
Lights and signals (where so directed) should be fitted to the carriage at all times and should be capable of being lit by the driver.
The table of council-approved fares must be displayed in the carriage.
When carrying fare-paying passengers, only the licensed driver is allowed to accompany them.
Src- Blackpool Gazette
Kapten, the French ride-hailing app backed by Daimler and BMW, has today launched in London, coupled with a feisty ad campaign taking a swipe at Uber’s tax arrangements.
It follows Kapten (formerly called “Chauffeur Prive”) obtaining a license from TfL, London’s transport regulator, to operate its private-hire vehicle (PHV) service in the U.K. capital city. The company first launched in France in 2012, growing quickly in Paris, and has since expanded to Lisbon and Geneva.
Specifically, Kapten’s new billboard ad campaign calls out Uber for avoiding local sales tax: “Others avoid paying VAT in the UK – that’s not uber cool.” In contrast, Kapten says it pay taxes locally in every market in which it operates. The ad then goes on to tell Londoners that using Kapten “might just be your best decision today.”
In a press release driving home the point, Kapten notes that Uber has faced criticism in the U.K. for paying little tax to the U.K. government and avoiding VAT on top of its service fee due to the U.S. company’s Dutch tax location.
“Uber had an estimated £1bn of ride bookings in the U.K. in 2018. If 20 percent VAT was added to its 25 percent commission, the U.K. Exchequer would get an additional £50m per year,” says Kapten.
Meanwhile, Kapten’s newly launched London service should be available in zones 1 to 5 as of today. The ride-hailing app is also launching with a 50%-off offer on rides. After launch, Kapten claims that its low pricing will still mean fares are on average 20% cheaper than competitors.
“Trips in the congestion charge zone will be at least £2 cheaper than Uber due to congestion and clean-air fees,” says the French company, promising to cover the congestion charge on behalf of its drivers for the rest of 2019.
Adds Mariusz Zabrocki, London general manager of Kapten, in a statement: “There has been one dominant, over-confident ride-hailing player in London and it’s time to shake things up. We believe London’s private-hire drivers, commuters and residents deserve better. Each time a Londoner takes an Uber ride, 60p is lost that could finance the NHS, schools and other parts of the U.K.” economy.
-----------------------------------
The New York City taxicab industry has been suffering, with a series of suicides plaguing taxi drivers over the past year as they struggle with debt and financial strife.
While New York City has long blamed Uber and Lyft for the industry’s woes, a New York Times investigation found the fault lies with industry leaders.
An investigation by The New York Times shows industry leaders artificially drove up the price of taxi medallions. From 2002 through 2014 the paper found the price of a medallion increased to more than $1 million from $200,000. During that time frame, around 4,000 drivers purchased medallions.
They left a bubble that eventually burst in their wake. During the course of more than ten years, the paper reported the industry leaders ushered taxi drivers into loans that they couldn’t pay back and took hundreds of millions of dollar before the bubble collapsed. The bankers, brokers, lawyers, fleet owners, and debt collectors made tons of profits, with medallion brokers able to buy yachts and waterfront properties. But their actions resulted in taxi drivers, many immigrants, losing their life savings, suffering under crushing debt they couldn’t pay back.
The New York Times noted that more than 950 medallion owners have filed for bankruptcy while thousands more are barely surviving. “The whole thing was like a Ponzi scheme because it totally depended on the value going up,” said Haywood Miller, a debt specialist who has consulted for both borrowers and lenders in the report. “The part that wasn’t fair was the guy who’s buying is an immigrant, maybe someone who couldn’t speak English. They were conned.”
The paper likened the practices in the taxi industry to the housing bubble that ultimately led to the Great Recession in 2008 and 2009. Mortgage lenders and brokers put people in mortgage loans they couldn’t afford to pay back. When the interest rates on the loans reset foreclosures skyrocketed. Taxi drivers took on debt they couldn’t afford and didn’t understand the terms to get the medallions and are now paying the price.
https://www.pymnts.com/loans/2019/taxi-medallion-loans-uber-lyft-drivers/
----------------------------------------
NEWCASTLE (STAFFS)
Cabbies have warned of further strikes if controversial licensing changes go ahead.
Taxi drivers in Newcastle say they could also register with other local authorities to get around Newcastle Borough Council’s new taxi policy.
The council is due to approve the re-written policy on June 11, It includes new rules for vehicles testing, a reduction in the age-limit for vehicles and a new English language test, to be provided by the council.
Black cab and private hire drivers brought chaos to Newcastle town centre when they refused to pick up passengers on a Friday night in March.
Drivers and managers warn there could be further disruption if the council does not listen to their concerns.
Trevor Colclough, right, of Sid’s Private Hire in Chesterton says drivers have ‘no confidence in the council’ to provide the English test and feels the current BTEC examinations at Stoke-on-Trent College are sufficient.
“We’ve completely lost trust in the council,” said Mr Colclough. “We’ve got no confidence in the council and we want the college to do the test because they’re unbiased. It should not be done in-house by the council.”
Mr Colclough added: “I’m fearful of more industrial action after June 11 if this doesn’t get sorted.
The council’s income from taxis last year was £360,435. Sid’s says it contributes about £50,000 a year to that, and warns a large chunk of public money could be lost if there is a mass exodus of cabbies.
Taxi drivers claim to have the following issues with Newcastle Borough Council's new taxi licensing policy for 2019/20:
Operators claim they will have to keep logbooks of service history for self-employed drivers - at a great cost of time and effort to their businesses;
Vehicles can't be licensed past four years old for their first time and beyond seven years in total;
Switching to electric vehicles is too expensive and they'll lose money when charging;
A new type of testing system won't be as efficient as the Stoke-on-Trent College BTEC qualification they already have;
They don't like the penalty points scheme;
They say they'll have to wait between five and eight weeks for an appointment to renew their licences;
It'll cost customers more;
It will reduce service and safety standards;
It will send drivers out of the borough for licences.
Shahraz Yaqub, business development manager at Autocab, says passengers will also be affected by the changes. He said: “Public safety will be impacted because there is now going to be drivers going out of the borough to get registered in places like Wolverhampton.
“Because there’s no restriction on cross-border operating, Newcastle Borough Council will have no say on the drivers operating in their borough.
“Ultimately, the costs of all this will be passed on to the customer.”
Stephen Sweeney, cabinet member for finance at the borough council, said: “The council is committed to communicating with all stakeholders involved in developing the new taxi licensing policy and has gone to great lengths to keep an ongoing and open dialogue with representatives from the Hackney carriage and private hire trade.
“The council has met with taxi drivers on numerous occasions, extended the consultation twice at their request and officers have amended some of the proposals.
"Councillors agreed to a further meeting before they make a decision on 11 June and are allowing two representatives from the trade to address councillors and put forward their points at the meeting.
“In these circumstances, and as the draft policy is still being finalised, the council feels that threats of further strike action are premature and unfortunate.”
https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/stoke-on-trent-news/taxi-drivers-warn-more-strikes-2877094
---------------------------------
Blackpool's landau fleet has lined up for its annual inspection with all 44 cabs bar one passing stringent safety and mechanical tests.
All the resort's famous horse-drawn carriages must pass MoT-style examinations while the horses are checked over by vets before operators can be licensed to work on the Promenade for another year.
Master wheelwright Phill Gregson examined the carriages on behalf of the council at Blackpool South car park.
Blackpool Council licensing officer Ryan Ratcliffe said: "They all passed the inspection bar one which didn’t attend the inspection, however there were some mitigating circumstances and it will be tested at a later date.
"A few had to come back with a few bits and pieces that had to be rectified, but apart from that it all went smoothly."
The fleet is made up of 24 Cinderella-style carriages and 20 traditional carriages.
Colin Nicholls, who operates a Cinderella landau, said : "The inspections are important and are similar to having an MoT done for your car.
"The inspector looks at things like the axels and makes sure the hood is intact and also checks the harness fittings for the horse.
"All the horses are micro-chipped and checked over by the council's vet. As well as the annual inspection, they carry out spot checks.
"We're more than happy with this and it keeps us on our toes. We all help each other out and everyone is now looking forward to the season."
Conditions of the licence include that horses cannot work for more than seven hours a day which includes an hour's break.
The animals are all micro-chipped so inspectors can check each horse is only working its permitted hours.
All carriages must be fitted with a dung catcher when they are on the public highways to prevent manure spilling onto roads.
All horses must have been examined by a vet in the previous 12 months and issued with a certificate of fitness approved by the council.
Vets papers relating to the horse in harness should be available for inspection on request by an authorised officer.
A horse which is harnessed to or used in connection with a licensed hackney carriage shall not be used for more than seven hours of work in any one day.
If in harness for seven consecutive hours, the horse shall during that period have a break of not less than one hour and shall be fed and watered.
No horse shall be harnessed to or used in connection with the licensed vehicle unless it is fitted with an identifying microchip, the number of which has been notified to the licensing service.
All carriages must be fitted with a dung catching device while the carriage is in use on any public highway.
Lights and signals (where so directed) should be fitted to the carriage at all times and should be capable of being lit by the driver.
The table of council-approved fares must be displayed in the carriage.
When carrying fare-paying passengers, only the licensed driver is allowed to accompany them.
Src- Blackpool Gazette
Saturday 18 May 2019
BRISTOL
There has been a road traffic collision on the M32.
The incident happened at around 2pm and appears to have involved the driver of a double decker bus and the driver of an Uber taxi.
Images taken by eyewitnesses show people who appear to have abandoned the bus, walking down the side of hard shoulder.
Traffic is backed up on the southbound carriageway, heading in to the city, from just past junction 3 for Easton and St Paul's.
The queue is backing up back to junction 2 for Eastville and Horfield.
src- Bristol post
----------------------------------
CAMBRIDGESHIRE
Taxi driver who fought six years to expose illegal funding at FACT receives apology - and £30,000 compensation - from Cambridgeshire County Council
The financial agreement was announced last night by county council bosses after they also revealed that both chief executive Gillian Beasley and council leader Steve Count had apologised to Dave Humphrey.
"The council has now agreed with Mr Humphrey on a final settlement of £30,000 to compensate for his lost earnings over this time," said a council statement.
The money was also "in recognition of the adverse effects that his work to bring this issue to a conclusion has caused him".
Mr Humphrey's efforts - heavily supported throughout by the Cambs Times - led to the commissioning by the county council of an independent study that confirmed multiple irregularities dating back many years over payments made to the Fenland Association of Community Transport (FACT) and its Huntingdon and Ely subsidiaries.
Our campaign in support of Mr Humphrey - whose evidence of wrong doing had also included the taxi industry's own commissioned report by a forensics accounting specialist - exposed how hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money had been paid out to FACT in what was found to be unlawful.
This newspaper successfully defended legal action initiated by the then board and management of FACT as we fought to bring the allegations of wrong doing into the open.
The county council admitted last night that "if we make mistakes, we apologise; we learn from them and we try to put things right".
Part of the outcome of the county council's own commissioned inquiry, the PKF report, led to over 50 changes being made to the funding of FACT.
It also led to the immediate departure of former manager Jo Philpott and, later, to the departure from the FACT board of some trustees, including former councillor Kit Owen.
Hundreds of thousands of pounds may yet be required to be paid back to the county council once more investigatory work has been done on public sector funding and whether grants have been given to FACT in breach of regulations.
The county council said last night "it always seeks to be a transparent and responsible council. Our aim is always to do the best for local people and to spend public money appropriately".
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The council explained that after she was she was appointed in 2015 as chief executive, and after discussions with council Leader Steve Count, Gillian Beasley set up the independent audit into the council's dealings with community transport providers FACT/HACT and ESACT.
"This was as a result of a long running campaign by local taxi drivers and in particular Dave Humphrey, the taxi drivers' association chairman," said the statement.
"The association believed taxi drivers and private hire companies were being unfairly disadvantaged in bidding for transport contracts from the council - a view confirmed when the results of the independent PKF report was heard by the council's audit and accounts committee last July",
The council says that inquiry showed they had made mistakes in the way it procured community transport and in its dealings with FACT/HACT and ESACT which had disadvantaged other local transport providers.
Some of the reporting by the Cambs Times of the issues at Fenland Association for Community Transport. Pictiure: ARCHANTSome of the reporting by the Cambs Times of the issues at Fenland Association for Community Transport. Pictiure: ARCHANT
"It also highlighted a number of failings in the way FACT/HACT and ESACT worked and was managed," says the statement.
"The report also set out an action plan for improvements aimed at both the council and FACT/HACT and ESACT
"The council apologised for its own part in this, and outlined how it had already made many of the suggested actions and gave timescales for completing the others.
"It worked with FACT/HACT and ESACT to ensure immediate changes were made within the community transport operator's organisation."
Some of the reporting by the Cambs Times of the issues at Fenland Association for Community Transport. Pictiure: ARCHANT Some of the reporting by the Cambs Times of the issues at Fenland Association for Community Transport. Pictiure: ARCHANT
The statement noted that "Gillian Beasley and Cllr Count also made a personal apology to Mr Humphrey and the taxi drivers association for the time it had taken for their concerns to be properly considered and acted upon.
"They promised that the council would look at making compensation to Mr Humphreys, for the time he had lost from his own business while involved in collecting evidence, and preparing and pursuing the case which eventually led to the independent audit".
Gary Christy, the new chairman of FACT, said the organisation was co-operating fully with a major investigation into alleged fraud now under way by Cambridgeshire Police.
Police have used IT experts to analysis payment data and to verify expenditure of an organisation that enjoyed a multi million pound turnover.
Police also seized computer records of the former FACT management team.
https://bit.ly/2Js3lHq
----------------------------------
LUTON
A man stopped by police with a kilo of cocaine in the back of a taxi has been jailed for more than four years.
Thomas Large, 26, of Bute Street, Luton, was arrested after taking a taxi from Luton to Milton Keynes, where he picked up a package after visiting a block of flats.
Officers intercepted the taxi on Dunstable Road, Luton. Large was sitting in the back seat, with the drugs wrapped up in a carrier bag beside him.
Large was also found with £160 and two mobile phones in his possession.
Further enquiries at his home address recovered more drugs as well as drug dealing paraphernalia.
https://bit.ly/2WcnC9R
There has been a road traffic collision on the M32.
The incident happened at around 2pm and appears to have involved the driver of a double decker bus and the driver of an Uber taxi.
Images taken by eyewitnesses show people who appear to have abandoned the bus, walking down the side of hard shoulder.
Traffic is backed up on the southbound carriageway, heading in to the city, from just past junction 3 for Easton and St Paul's.
The queue is backing up back to junction 2 for Eastville and Horfield.
src- Bristol post
----------------------------------
CAMBRIDGESHIRE
Taxi driver who fought six years to expose illegal funding at FACT receives apology - and £30,000 compensation - from Cambridgeshire County Council
The financial agreement was announced last night by county council bosses after they also revealed that both chief executive Gillian Beasley and council leader Steve Count had apologised to Dave Humphrey.
"The council has now agreed with Mr Humphrey on a final settlement of £30,000 to compensate for his lost earnings over this time," said a council statement.
The money was also "in recognition of the adverse effects that his work to bring this issue to a conclusion has caused him".
Mr Humphrey's efforts - heavily supported throughout by the Cambs Times - led to the commissioning by the county council of an independent study that confirmed multiple irregularities dating back many years over payments made to the Fenland Association of Community Transport (FACT) and its Huntingdon and Ely subsidiaries.
Our campaign in support of Mr Humphrey - whose evidence of wrong doing had also included the taxi industry's own commissioned report by a forensics accounting specialist - exposed how hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money had been paid out to FACT in what was found to be unlawful.
This newspaper successfully defended legal action initiated by the then board and management of FACT as we fought to bring the allegations of wrong doing into the open.
The county council admitted last night that "if we make mistakes, we apologise; we learn from them and we try to put things right".
Part of the outcome of the county council's own commissioned inquiry, the PKF report, led to over 50 changes being made to the funding of FACT.
It also led to the immediate departure of former manager Jo Philpott and, later, to the departure from the FACT board of some trustees, including former councillor Kit Owen.
Hundreds of thousands of pounds may yet be required to be paid back to the county council once more investigatory work has been done on public sector funding and whether grants have been given to FACT in breach of regulations.
The county council said last night "it always seeks to be a transparent and responsible council. Our aim is always to do the best for local people and to spend public money appropriately".
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Watch more great local videos
The council explained that after she was she was appointed in 2015 as chief executive, and after discussions with council Leader Steve Count, Gillian Beasley set up the independent audit into the council's dealings with community transport providers FACT/HACT and ESACT.
"This was as a result of a long running campaign by local taxi drivers and in particular Dave Humphrey, the taxi drivers' association chairman," said the statement.
"The association believed taxi drivers and private hire companies were being unfairly disadvantaged in bidding for transport contracts from the council - a view confirmed when the results of the independent PKF report was heard by the council's audit and accounts committee last July",
The council says that inquiry showed they had made mistakes in the way it procured community transport and in its dealings with FACT/HACT and ESACT which had disadvantaged other local transport providers.
Some of the reporting by the Cambs Times of the issues at Fenland Association for Community Transport. Pictiure: ARCHANTSome of the reporting by the Cambs Times of the issues at Fenland Association for Community Transport. Pictiure: ARCHANT
"It also highlighted a number of failings in the way FACT/HACT and ESACT worked and was managed," says the statement.
"The report also set out an action plan for improvements aimed at both the council and FACT/HACT and ESACT
"The council apologised for its own part in this, and outlined how it had already made many of the suggested actions and gave timescales for completing the others.
"It worked with FACT/HACT and ESACT to ensure immediate changes were made within the community transport operator's organisation."
Some of the reporting by the Cambs Times of the issues at Fenland Association for Community Transport. Pictiure: ARCHANT Some of the reporting by the Cambs Times of the issues at Fenland Association for Community Transport. Pictiure: ARCHANT
The statement noted that "Gillian Beasley and Cllr Count also made a personal apology to Mr Humphrey and the taxi drivers association for the time it had taken for their concerns to be properly considered and acted upon.
"They promised that the council would look at making compensation to Mr Humphreys, for the time he had lost from his own business while involved in collecting evidence, and preparing and pursuing the case which eventually led to the independent audit".
Gary Christy, the new chairman of FACT, said the organisation was co-operating fully with a major investigation into alleged fraud now under way by Cambridgeshire Police.
Police have used IT experts to analysis payment data and to verify expenditure of an organisation that enjoyed a multi million pound turnover.
Police also seized computer records of the former FACT management team.
https://bit.ly/2Js3lHq
----------------------------------
LUTON
A man stopped by police with a kilo of cocaine in the back of a taxi has been jailed for more than four years.
Thomas Large, 26, of Bute Street, Luton, was arrested after taking a taxi from Luton to Milton Keynes, where he picked up a package after visiting a block of flats.
Officers intercepted the taxi on Dunstable Road, Luton. Large was sitting in the back seat, with the drugs wrapped up in a carrier bag beside him.
Large was also found with £160 and two mobile phones in his possession.
Further enquiries at his home address recovered more drugs as well as drug dealing paraphernalia.
https://bit.ly/2WcnC9R
Tuesday 14 May 2019
LONDON
Taking a ride in a traditional black cab in London is usually much more expensive than using a ride-share service like Uber. It can cost double.
But the cab drivers say they offer much better value for money because they can get you to your destination much more quickly and more efficiently, avoiding sudden traffic jams, roadwork or one of the many protest marches that regularly disrupt traffic flow in the British capital. And they provide a mine of information for their passengers. They can do this, they claim, because of “The Knowledge,” their total command of the layout of the city.
“When someone asks for a destination, you’ve got the whole of London in your head. That’s 36 square miles. That’s quite a big area,” black cab driver Sean Paul-Day told Marketplace on a recent trip through the heart of the metropolis.
“To get the license to drive a black cab is a very stringent process,” he said.
“I had to commit to memory 25,000 streets and 50,000 points of interest, like pubs, clubs, galleries, monuments and museums. Only when you can show that you can navigate proficiently between those points are you allowed to work as a taxi driver in London.”
Paul-Day must have a phenomenal memory, yes?
Black cab driver Sean Paul-Day:
“I’ve got the whole of London in my head.”
“No better than anyone else’s,” he insisted. “It’s quite amazing what we can remember when we put our mind to it.”
He’s being too modest. The mental effort required to learn the names and location of every street, avenue, mews and cul-de-sac within a 6 mile radius of Trafalgar Square, as well as 50,000 points of interest, is mind boggling.
The scale of the task becomes apparent when you enter a small, nondescript, prefabricated office building on an industrial estate on the far eastern outskirts of the city. These are the unassuming headquarters of the London Knowledge School, one of a number of schools training the black cab drivers of the future. Inside, more than a dozen aspiring drivers pore over large maps of the capital for up to eight hours a day, memorizing the whole higgledy-piggledy hodgepodge of the metropolis and testing each other on the quickest routes through the maze.
“Take me from Tate Modern to West End Central police station, please,” asks one of the students while another closes his eyes, furrows his brow and reels off the itinerary.
“Leave on left, Holland Street, right into Summer Street, right into Southwark Street, forward into Stamford Street…”
Doing The Knowledge and then sitting more than a dozen grueling exams can take anything from three years up to a decade, depending on whether the student is devoted full time to the task. The dropout rate, unsurprisingly, is high: 70%. But is The Knowledge still necessary?
Won’t GPS do just as well?
“The Knowledge beats GPS every time,”
says Chris Campbell, owner of the London Knowledge School.
“Absolutely not,” said Chris Campbell, the owner of the school. “There have been a number of tests in which a London black cab driver has been pitted against GPS, and the cab driver, with his intimate knowledge of London, the pitfalls, the places, the little intricacies, has beaten the GPS every single time.”
Whether ever-improving technology will one day outpace the knowledgeable cab driver is another matter, but Campbell argues that The Knowledge performs another useful function: It’s a test of character.
“You need real grit and determination and perseverance to get through it,” he said. “That makes for a more dependable driver.”
Once qualified, cab drivers earn an average of $45,000 to $50,000 a year. Not spectacular, but in spite of that and the rigors of The Knowledge, there’s no shortage of wannabe drivers at Campbell’s school.
“I’m doing it because I want to be my own boss,” Brett Lynch, a security van driver, told Marketplace. Black cab drivers are all independent, self-employed sole traders who own or rent their cabs. “I want to be able go out and work when I want. Work for however long I want to work for. I want to be able to spend more time with my two young sons. It’s the flexibility that appeals to me,” Lynch said.
In spite of the attractions of the job, many licensed black cab drivers feel that life is getting tougher for them in the British capital.
“Our biggest beef,” said Angie Clarkson of the United Cabbies Group, which represents around 2,500 of the 20,000 drivers, “is that the authorities in this town have allowed more than 100,000 untrained ride-share drivers to swamp the streets of the capital. They cause a lot of congestion, and we don’t believe they offer anything like the reliable service we offer. They certainly don’t have The Knowledge,” she said.
The British authorities clearly favor increased competition, and many Londoners seem pleased to pay the lower fares of the ride-share operators, however unfair that may seem to the black cab drivers.
But you won’t find many cab drivers complaining about the years they spent learning the layout of the city.
“I definitely don’t regret doing The Knowledge,” said driver Paul-Day.
“London is an incredibly fascinating city, and only when you’ve done The Knowledge do you start to relate to your surroundings here, all the architecture and the landmarks. I think if you were glued to a GPS system, which keeps you on these rigid, structured routes, I don’t think that would be any fun at all,” Paul-Day said.
He said no one could regret learning that all-important skill — in driving as in life — of knowing where you’re going.
https://bit.ly/2Hk2F4k
----------------------------------------
French taxi drivers blocked Nice airport Tuesday over a dispute with online ride-hailing services, snarling traffic for hours as film-makers and movie moguls tried to reach the nearby Cannes film festival.
Traffic in and out of the airport's two terminals was disrupted and a woman taxi driver was knocked down, with the driver's union threatening to stage another blockade on Friday.
The injured driver was taken to hospital but told AFP no bones had been broken after she was hit by a rival working for a ride-hailing service.
But she is filing a complaint with police after being left "covered in bruises".
A police source told AFP tensions between the rival drivers traditionally escalate ahead of the world's biggest film festival, which runs from May 14 to 26.
"It's always the same during the Cannes festival, the taxis line up in front of the private hire cars and it becomes a game of cat-and-mouse, it's not a brawl but it can get really crowded and things can get out of hand," he said.
Fabrice Cavallera, who heads the Nice taxi drivers' union, said they suspended the protest mid-afternoon but would resume the strike on Friday if the authorities did not impose restrictions on their ride-sharing rivals.
As part of an anti-fraud drive, taxi drivers have been faced with a series of impromptu checks, which they say private hire drivers have so far escaped.
Police were called in to break up the protest. Some drivers said travellers were forced to walk part of the way to the airport in order to avoid missing their flight.
May is a busy month for Nice's Cote d'Azur airport which sees a 15 percent increase in numbers due to the Cannes film festival and the Monaco Grand Prix.
https://bit.ly/2JGHj2I
--------------------------------------
WALSALL
Police are searching for these two men after a taxi driver was slashed across the head with a machete in a terrifying attack.
The driver was targeted outside the Bradford Arms pub on Pleck Road, Walsall, as he attempted to pick up a customer.
Police have now released CCTV images in a bid to trace those wanted in connection with the attack on April 29.
The victim arrived at around 8.15pm, but five people got into his taxi.
When the driver told the customers he was not licensed to carry that many people, one of the group punched him in the face several times and threw his mobile phone on the ground.
The taxi driver was then hit with a machete, causing an injury to his head.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police via Live Chat at west-midlands.police.uk between 8am and midnight or call 101 anytime quoting 20WS/102360B/19 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on
0800 555 111.
https://bit.ly/2JEPlcB
-------------------------------------------
BRIGHTON
Restrictions on out of town drivers working for taxi app Ola were promised if it gets a licence in Brighton and Hove.
An agreement between the authority and Ola would restrict any out of town drivers to picking up two fares within 24 hours before going back to their own area.
The memorandum of understanding was presented by Ola at a licensing panel meeting at Hove Town Hall on Monday, May 13.
The issue was raised after problems in the past with drivers licensed by Transport for London (TfL) and other local authorities operating in the city for Uber.
Ola is in the process of rolling out across the country, including seeking a licence with TfL.
Councillor Jackie O’Quinn asked about the company’s expansion, raising the issue of two pick ups.
She said: “We’ve had very serious problems with TfL when another company was given a licence.
“We were inundated with a lot of drivers which didn’t do a lot for good relations with the local trade.”
She wanted to make sure the restrictions were legally tight enough to prevent future problems and support the city’s taxi trade.
Ola’s operations director Karl Lutzow confirmed any driver attempting to pick up more than two fares outside their area would be invisible to the system until they returned to their patch.
In Brighton and Hove all licensed drivers must follow the city’s stringent regulations – known as the Blue Book – when operating as a taxi driver.
Councillor O’Quinn also asked if Ola would accept a one-year licence rather than five years.
Mr Lutzow asked for any such restriction to start once the company was ready to start operating, as at this stage it has not recruited drivers.
https://bit.ly/30m4YeU
---------------------------------------
GLASGOW
A WOMEN-ONLY taxi app designed to make female passengers feel safe has been thwarted by licensing chiefs for excluding men.
Glasgow City Council threw out Margo Welsh’s proposal to start Rosy and Pink Cars, offering female drivers to female passengers and their children.
She came up with the idea after seeing “the amount of sex attacks in this day and age”. But councillors dismissed her plan as “sexism” against men.
Now, the committee has been branded “inappropriate” by her lawyer.
“There’s definitely a need for this,” said Ms Welsh. “Loads of taxi companies are predominately male. It’s another option for women.”
She added: “I spoke to my family who said do you want to be driving men around at night? I wanted to be taking grannies to bingo and kids to school, rather than a stag do.”
But licensing convener Alex Wilson said: “If it was the other way round we would be looking at discrimination against females.”
“The whole not picking up male passengers is a concern to me. I don’t think we should discriminate at all.
Councillor Robert Connelly added: “It is essentially sexism towards males. It doesn’t sit right with me.”
Ms Welsh, who has vowed she won’t give up on her plan, was denied the opportunity to use her tenement flat in the north of the city as a booking office. She said: “I was a wee bit intimidated, I felt they were laughing, that my idea was ludicrous.”
“To say men are being discriminated against, I just don’t feel that.
“I’ve spoken to beauticians, women in supermarkets, even firemen. One said if his daughter is going to a nightclub he’d rather it was a female driver.”
Councillors criticised Ms Welsh for securing a private hire car licence herself, only not to use it or hand it back as required. Bailie John Kane said: “You’ve not even bothered reading your terms and conditions.” Ms Welsh admitted that was an “oversight”, when she couldn’t afford the insurance.
The committee questioned why male children could only use the service up to the age of 11. They also said driver conditions mean no passengers should be refused a journey, apart from in certain circumstances such as when they’re too drunk
“There had to be a cut off point,” Ms Welsh said. “I’ve got a son and when they get to high school age they can be boisterous. It was for the safety of drivers.”
Her lawyer Stephen McCaffrey said he disputed conditions would be breached by the app, adding councillors disliked the concept itself. “I have appeared before many committees over the last ten years throughout the UK. The hearing this morning was the most hostile and dismissive I have ever been before.”
“I accept that there may well be concerns about discrimination given it is female only app but felt the manner in which that was voiced and expressed was unprofessional and entirely inappropriate to say the least.”
A Council spokesman said the committee were not satisfied would avoid being discriminatory.
“It is a standard practice for licensing applications to be scrutinised and robustly questioned by committee members, particularly if there are concerns.”
https://bit.ly/2JlCEEh
Taking a ride in a traditional black cab in London is usually much more expensive than using a ride-share service like Uber. It can cost double.
But the cab drivers say they offer much better value for money because they can get you to your destination much more quickly and more efficiently, avoiding sudden traffic jams, roadwork or one of the many protest marches that regularly disrupt traffic flow in the British capital. And they provide a mine of information for their passengers. They can do this, they claim, because of “The Knowledge,” their total command of the layout of the city.
“When someone asks for a destination, you’ve got the whole of London in your head. That’s 36 square miles. That’s quite a big area,” black cab driver Sean Paul-Day told Marketplace on a recent trip through the heart of the metropolis.
“To get the license to drive a black cab is a very stringent process,” he said.
“I had to commit to memory 25,000 streets and 50,000 points of interest, like pubs, clubs, galleries, monuments and museums. Only when you can show that you can navigate proficiently between those points are you allowed to work as a taxi driver in London.”
Paul-Day must have a phenomenal memory, yes?
Black cab driver Sean Paul-Day:
“I’ve got the whole of London in my head.”
“No better than anyone else’s,” he insisted. “It’s quite amazing what we can remember when we put our mind to it.”
He’s being too modest. The mental effort required to learn the names and location of every street, avenue, mews and cul-de-sac within a 6 mile radius of Trafalgar Square, as well as 50,000 points of interest, is mind boggling.
The scale of the task becomes apparent when you enter a small, nondescript, prefabricated office building on an industrial estate on the far eastern outskirts of the city. These are the unassuming headquarters of the London Knowledge School, one of a number of schools training the black cab drivers of the future. Inside, more than a dozen aspiring drivers pore over large maps of the capital for up to eight hours a day, memorizing the whole higgledy-piggledy hodgepodge of the metropolis and testing each other on the quickest routes through the maze.
“Take me from Tate Modern to West End Central police station, please,” asks one of the students while another closes his eyes, furrows his brow and reels off the itinerary.
“Leave on left, Holland Street, right into Summer Street, right into Southwark Street, forward into Stamford Street…”
Doing The Knowledge and then sitting more than a dozen grueling exams can take anything from three years up to a decade, depending on whether the student is devoted full time to the task. The dropout rate, unsurprisingly, is high: 70%. But is The Knowledge still necessary?
Won’t GPS do just as well?
“The Knowledge beats GPS every time,”
says Chris Campbell, owner of the London Knowledge School.
“Absolutely not,” said Chris Campbell, the owner of the school. “There have been a number of tests in which a London black cab driver has been pitted against GPS, and the cab driver, with his intimate knowledge of London, the pitfalls, the places, the little intricacies, has beaten the GPS every single time.”
Whether ever-improving technology will one day outpace the knowledgeable cab driver is another matter, but Campbell argues that The Knowledge performs another useful function: It’s a test of character.
“You need real grit and determination and perseverance to get through it,” he said. “That makes for a more dependable driver.”
Once qualified, cab drivers earn an average of $45,000 to $50,000 a year. Not spectacular, but in spite of that and the rigors of The Knowledge, there’s no shortage of wannabe drivers at Campbell’s school.
“I’m doing it because I want to be my own boss,” Brett Lynch, a security van driver, told Marketplace. Black cab drivers are all independent, self-employed sole traders who own or rent their cabs. “I want to be able go out and work when I want. Work for however long I want to work for. I want to be able to spend more time with my two young sons. It’s the flexibility that appeals to me,” Lynch said.
In spite of the attractions of the job, many licensed black cab drivers feel that life is getting tougher for them in the British capital.
“Our biggest beef,” said Angie Clarkson of the United Cabbies Group, which represents around 2,500 of the 20,000 drivers, “is that the authorities in this town have allowed more than 100,000 untrained ride-share drivers to swamp the streets of the capital. They cause a lot of congestion, and we don’t believe they offer anything like the reliable service we offer. They certainly don’t have The Knowledge,” she said.
The British authorities clearly favor increased competition, and many Londoners seem pleased to pay the lower fares of the ride-share operators, however unfair that may seem to the black cab drivers.
But you won’t find many cab drivers complaining about the years they spent learning the layout of the city.
“I definitely don’t regret doing The Knowledge,” said driver Paul-Day.
“London is an incredibly fascinating city, and only when you’ve done The Knowledge do you start to relate to your surroundings here, all the architecture and the landmarks. I think if you were glued to a GPS system, which keeps you on these rigid, structured routes, I don’t think that would be any fun at all,” Paul-Day said.
He said no one could regret learning that all-important skill — in driving as in life — of knowing where you’re going.
https://bit.ly/2Hk2F4k
----------------------------------------
French taxi drivers blocked Nice airport Tuesday over a dispute with online ride-hailing services, snarling traffic for hours as film-makers and movie moguls tried to reach the nearby Cannes film festival.
Traffic in and out of the airport's two terminals was disrupted and a woman taxi driver was knocked down, with the driver's union threatening to stage another blockade on Friday.
The injured driver was taken to hospital but told AFP no bones had been broken after she was hit by a rival working for a ride-hailing service.
But she is filing a complaint with police after being left "covered in bruises".
A police source told AFP tensions between the rival drivers traditionally escalate ahead of the world's biggest film festival, which runs from May 14 to 26.
"It's always the same during the Cannes festival, the taxis line up in front of the private hire cars and it becomes a game of cat-and-mouse, it's not a brawl but it can get really crowded and things can get out of hand," he said.
Fabrice Cavallera, who heads the Nice taxi drivers' union, said they suspended the protest mid-afternoon but would resume the strike on Friday if the authorities did not impose restrictions on their ride-sharing rivals.
As part of an anti-fraud drive, taxi drivers have been faced with a series of impromptu checks, which they say private hire drivers have so far escaped.
Police were called in to break up the protest. Some drivers said travellers were forced to walk part of the way to the airport in order to avoid missing their flight.
May is a busy month for Nice's Cote d'Azur airport which sees a 15 percent increase in numbers due to the Cannes film festival and the Monaco Grand Prix.
https://bit.ly/2JGHj2I
--------------------------------------
WALSALL
Police are searching for these two men after a taxi driver was slashed across the head with a machete in a terrifying attack.
The driver was targeted outside the Bradford Arms pub on Pleck Road, Walsall, as he attempted to pick up a customer.
Police have now released CCTV images in a bid to trace those wanted in connection with the attack on April 29.
The victim arrived at around 8.15pm, but five people got into his taxi.
When the driver told the customers he was not licensed to carry that many people, one of the group punched him in the face several times and threw his mobile phone on the ground.
The taxi driver was then hit with a machete, causing an injury to his head.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police via Live Chat at west-midlands.police.uk between 8am and midnight or call 101 anytime quoting 20WS/102360B/19 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on
0800 555 111.
https://bit.ly/2JEPlcB
-------------------------------------------
BRIGHTON
Restrictions on out of town drivers working for taxi app Ola were promised if it gets a licence in Brighton and Hove.
An agreement between the authority and Ola would restrict any out of town drivers to picking up two fares within 24 hours before going back to their own area.
The memorandum of understanding was presented by Ola at a licensing panel meeting at Hove Town Hall on Monday, May 13.
The issue was raised after problems in the past with drivers licensed by Transport for London (TfL) and other local authorities operating in the city for Uber.
Ola is in the process of rolling out across the country, including seeking a licence with TfL.
Councillor Jackie O’Quinn asked about the company’s expansion, raising the issue of two pick ups.
She said: “We’ve had very serious problems with TfL when another company was given a licence.
“We were inundated with a lot of drivers which didn’t do a lot for good relations with the local trade.”
She wanted to make sure the restrictions were legally tight enough to prevent future problems and support the city’s taxi trade.
Ola’s operations director Karl Lutzow confirmed any driver attempting to pick up more than two fares outside their area would be invisible to the system until they returned to their patch.
In Brighton and Hove all licensed drivers must follow the city’s stringent regulations – known as the Blue Book – when operating as a taxi driver.
Councillor O’Quinn also asked if Ola would accept a one-year licence rather than five years.
Mr Lutzow asked for any such restriction to start once the company was ready to start operating, as at this stage it has not recruited drivers.
https://bit.ly/30m4YeU
---------------------------------------
GLASGOW
A WOMEN-ONLY taxi app designed to make female passengers feel safe has been thwarted by licensing chiefs for excluding men.
Glasgow City Council threw out Margo Welsh’s proposal to start Rosy and Pink Cars, offering female drivers to female passengers and their children.
She came up with the idea after seeing “the amount of sex attacks in this day and age”. But councillors dismissed her plan as “sexism” against men.
Now, the committee has been branded “inappropriate” by her lawyer.
“There’s definitely a need for this,” said Ms Welsh. “Loads of taxi companies are predominately male. It’s another option for women.”
She added: “I spoke to my family who said do you want to be driving men around at night? I wanted to be taking grannies to bingo and kids to school, rather than a stag do.”
But licensing convener Alex Wilson said: “If it was the other way round we would be looking at discrimination against females.”
“The whole not picking up male passengers is a concern to me. I don’t think we should discriminate at all.
Councillor Robert Connelly added: “It is essentially sexism towards males. It doesn’t sit right with me.”
Ms Welsh, who has vowed she won’t give up on her plan, was denied the opportunity to use her tenement flat in the north of the city as a booking office. She said: “I was a wee bit intimidated, I felt they were laughing, that my idea was ludicrous.”
“To say men are being discriminated against, I just don’t feel that.
“I’ve spoken to beauticians, women in supermarkets, even firemen. One said if his daughter is going to a nightclub he’d rather it was a female driver.”
Councillors criticised Ms Welsh for securing a private hire car licence herself, only not to use it or hand it back as required. Bailie John Kane said: “You’ve not even bothered reading your terms and conditions.” Ms Welsh admitted that was an “oversight”, when she couldn’t afford the insurance.
The committee questioned why male children could only use the service up to the age of 11. They also said driver conditions mean no passengers should be refused a journey, apart from in certain circumstances such as when they’re too drunk
“There had to be a cut off point,” Ms Welsh said. “I’ve got a son and when they get to high school age they can be boisterous. It was for the safety of drivers.”
Her lawyer Stephen McCaffrey said he disputed conditions would be breached by the app, adding councillors disliked the concept itself. “I have appeared before many committees over the last ten years throughout the UK. The hearing this morning was the most hostile and dismissive I have ever been before.”
“I accept that there may well be concerns about discrimination given it is female only app but felt the manner in which that was voiced and expressed was unprofessional and entirely inappropriate to say the least.”
A Council spokesman said the committee were not satisfied would avoid being discriminatory.
“It is a standard practice for licensing applications to be scrutinised and robustly questioned by committee members, particularly if there are concerns.”
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