THIS WEEK IN PARLIAMENT

Rehman Chishti Conservative, Gillingham and Rainham

"To be the best place to grow and start a business means having consistent rules and regulations.

 My brilliant local Medway Licensed Taxi Drivers Association has raised a real concern about Uber operating in Medway without having the same rules and regulations as association members. Will the Minister meet me and that brilliant association to look at those rules and regulations, to ensure that they are fair?

 "I declare an interest: I have relatives in that trade."

    (Citation: HC Deb, 30 April 2019, c107)

Andrew Stephenson Assistant Whip, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy)

My hon. Friend is a huge champion of his constituency, and particularly its small businesses. That meeting would probably be more appropriate with the Minister for small business, the Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, my hon. Friend Kelly Tolhurst, and I am sure that she will be happy to take such a meeting.
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Andrew Rosindell Conservative, Romford

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to tackle the use of (a) taxis and (b) private hire vehicles being used to transport victims of child sexual exploitation.

     (Citation: HC Deb, 30 April 2019, cW)

Nusrat Ghani Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport), Assistant Whip (HM Treasury)

The Department for Transport has consulted on draft statutory guidance to be issued to taxi and private hire vehicle licensing authorities on how their extensive existing powers should be used to protect children and vulnerable adults from harm when using these services.

The consultation closed on 22 April and the responses are now being analysed
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 UBERK AUSTRALIA


A class action filed on behalf of thousands of taxi and hire-car drivers against Uber alleges the global rideshare company operated illegally in Australia.

Maurice Blackburn Lawyers says more than 6,000 people have joined the action, covering drivers across Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia.

It alleges Uber’s operations in Australia were illegal because the company knew its drivers were not properly licensed and did not have proper accreditation.

“Make no mistake, this will be a landmark case regarding the alleged illegal operations of Uber in Australia and the devastating impact that has had on the lives of hard-working and law-abiding citizens here,” Maurice Blackburn’s national head of class actions, Andrew Watson, said.

“It is not acceptable for a business to place itself above the law and operate illegally to the disadvantage of others.”

The class action alleges that Uber adopted a program to avoid enforcement activities, and as a result had an unfair competitive advantage against taxi and hire-car operators and drivers who did comply with the law.

“Uber Inc adopted a policy to operate in any market where the regulator had tacitly approved doing so by failing to take direct enforcement action, effectively in complete disregard for any regulations which existed,” a summary of the class action’s pleadings said.

Nick Andrianakis, the class action’s lead plaintiff and a taxi driver from the inner-Melbourne suburb of Brunswick, says Uber took away his livelihood.

“My father owned and drove cabs, so it’s been an industry and job that’s in my blood and that I’ve loved my whole life – then suddenly that was all taken away because of the impact of Uber’s illegal activities,” he said.

“I can clearly remember the day it all became too much – I just stopped driving that day and had to go home to be with my wife. It’s a shocking thing to think of a life’s work being stripped away from you, but this is what’s happened to thousands of people nationwide.”

An Uber spokeswoman said the company had not received any notification of a class action.

“Over 3.8 million Australians regularly use Uber as a reliable choice to get from A to B and governments across the country have recognised ridesharing as part of the transport mix,” she said.

“We are focusing our efforts on delivering a great service to riders and drivers in the cities where we operate.”

The class action was filed in the Victorian supreme court on Friday, and the costs of the case are being underwritten by a third party litigation funder.

https://bit.ly/2LmOAqY
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 OXFORD

 Black cab drivers have been doing a double-take at Gloucester Green market after a rival pulled up selling meatballs.

Joel Coupland has bought a TX 2 black cab and converted it into a mobile food stall at the Oxford market which runs on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Taxi drivers waiting opposite for a fare are a captive audience and they have been eyeing up the beef and pork meatballs served with rice.

Mr Coupland, from Gloucestershire, who runs The Black Cab Company, which has a five-star food hygiene rating, said: "People notice the black cab and they like the novelty - then they come and try the food.

 Black cab driver Adnan Hamid, 36, from Oxford, said: "It's mind-boggling to see meatballs being sold out of a black cab.

"We have asked Mr Coupland to make us some halal chicken meatballs and he said he would."

The first electric-petrol hybrid black cab arrived in the city last month and more could follow.

This could lead to more black cabs being converted to sell food.

https://bit.ly/2vBrW3m 
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