Charging minicabs a fee to drive in central London when black cabs are exempt discriminates against vulnerable workers and passengers, a court has heard.

London’s black cabs do not pay the Congestion Charge – a £15 daily fee that aims to reduce traffic in central London – but Uber, Addison Lee and other private hire drivers do.

Minicabs were previously also exempt – but the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, scrapped the policy last year.

But that decision has been challenged in a Court of Appeal case brought by a gig economy workers’ union over the past two days.

While 88 per cent of black cab drivers are white, 94 per cent of minicab drivers are of black, Asian or ethnic minority (BAME) heritage.

This means the new policy indirectly discriminates against BAME workers, according to the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain.

It also impacts female drivers, who are more likely to work part time, and older or disabled passengers who have reduced travel options, the court heard.

Ben Collins, the IWGB lawyer, said minicab drivers were “working very long hours to make ends meet and provide for their families” and “every penny counts”.

Some 71 per cent of minicab drivers live in the most deprived parts of London, and they make on average £23,000 a year or less, he told the court.

And forcing them to pay the charge could see them lose income, or force them to work longer hours, he warned.

But City Hall says the number of private hire vehicles in the city centre has risen sharply, and discouraging access was necessary to drive down traffic.

Around a third of private hire vehicles, some 38,000, carry out trips in the charge zone, alongside London’s 21,000 black cabs – with 18,000 minicabs entering each day.

Marie Demetriou, for the Mayor and TfL, said the increase has been “beyond what was imagined” when the Congestion Charge was introduced in 2003 – but the number of black cabs has remained “pretty static”.

Removing the exemption for minicabs was not a tactic “plucked from the air” but “the mechanism for reducing congestion”, she argued.

But Mr Collins warned the charge for private hire drivers could increase congestion.

He said it may encourage drivers to loiter in the zone once they’ve entered “in the hope of finding a passenger” to recoup costs, rather than making a short trip through it.

The Congestion Charge rose 30 per cent last Monday (June 22) from £11.50 to £15 a day.

Operating hours have been extended to include weekends, and from 7am to 6pm previously to 7am to 10pm now – meaning the cost to minicab drivers could now be over £100 a week.

The changes are a temporary measure during the Covid-19 outbreak, and Ms Demetriou told the court it was an “extraordinary” step, not relevant to the claim.

https://www.guardian-series.co.uk

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United Private Hire Drivers are asking Glasgow City Council to allow drivers to install protective screens in their cars.

Glasgow City Council have been accused of 'dragging their feet' over plans to introduce protective screens for private hire cars.

United Private Hire Drivers (UPHD) have said that the council is one of only two local authorities who have to decided not to allow drivers to install the screens in their vehicle.

Unlike black Hackney-style cars, private hire vehicles don't any have protection from or for their customers.

As well as transporting members of the public, some companies have contracts with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to take patients and medication to and from the hospital.

United Private Hire Drivers, which represents drivers all over Scotland, has said that three drivers have died of Covid-19 in Glasgow since the outbreak began.

A member of staff at the company, who own Glasgow Private Hire and Renfrewshire Cabs, told Glasgow Live that drivers are picking up hospital patients but not being told whether they are positive for the virus.

The worker who asked to remain anonymous, said: "Our company has a contract with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to provide managed transport services to the organisation - this includes patient and staff transport as well as other courier services for samples, medicine, equipment and more.

"The management team originally indicated that when NHSGGC staff contact our Control Room staff to book a taxi for a patient who has tested positive for COVID-19, that we should not inform the driver.

"Our staff did not follow this instruction and thus informed the driver sent for the hire. This was later backtracked by one of our managers after the fact and that we would not be transferring any customer with a confirmed positive case of coronavirus."

Drivers have said that maintaining a two-metre distance in a car is virtually impossible.

Alfie Wellcoat, Vice Chair Glasgow UPHD, said: "Drivers are having to chose between staying at home and losing money to protect themselves and their family, or go to work and put their lives at risk.

"We've been discussing installing the protective screens with all local authorities but so far, Glasgow City Council have been dragging their feet."

All private hire drivers require permission from the city's licencing board to make any modification to their cars.

Glasgow City Council are currently seeking further guidance on whether the screens prevent the spread of the virus and if they pose a safety issue for passengers, if the car is to crash.

A spokesman for the council said: "We fully understand the anxiety that anyone may feel when working in close proximity to members of the public during the Covid-19 crisis.

"At this stage no-one can confirm whether such screens do restrict the spread of the virus and we have other concerns about the safety implications of such temporary modifications to vehicles.

"We have written to the Scottish Government to seek clarification on how private hire vehicles can operate safely during the covid-19 outbreak. The matter has also been raised by Solar, the body that represents all licensing authorities in Scotland."

https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/

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LEEDS

A passenger stole a taxi driver's cab then rammed a police car during a dangerous pursuit through Leeds city centre.

A judge told Sohail Khan he had an "arrogant disregard" for public safety during the incident as he was jailed for 10 months.

Leeds Crown Court heard Khan was a passenger in a taxi travelling on Whitehall Road on July 9 last year when the vehicle was stopped by police.

Stephen Littlewood, prosecuting, said the taxi driver pulled over and got out of the car to speak to officers.

An officer then noticed Khan acting suspiciously inside the vehicle and place something into the glove box.

The officer told the 23-year-old defendant to get out of the taxi but he locked the doors and climbed into the driver's seat.

Khan then drove off in the taxi and was followed by the officers.

Mr Littlewood said Khan went around a roundabout five times before heading towards Domestic Street in Holbeck.

He went around another roundabout several times before driving the wrong way on a one-way road.

The officers abandoned the pursuit because of the danger it posed to members of the public.

Khan was spotted driving the car back on Whitehall Road a short time later and the pursuit resumed.

The defendant drove on the wrong side of the road but had his path blocked by two other taxis.

Mr Littlewood said the taxi drivers refused to move out of Khan's way when they realised he was involved in a police chase.

Khan tried to drive between the two cars, causing damage to all three vehicles.

He was then blocked in by a police car but Khan tried to ram his way out.

The officers approached Khan in the taxi on foot but he refused to get out and continued to rev the engine.

Mr Littlewood said the officers smashed the window of the vehicle and managed to arrest Khan.

The incident lasted ten minutes in total.

Khan, of Burlington Road, Beeston, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, having no insurance and having no licence.

He has a previous convictions for dangerous driving.

Matthew Harding, mitigating, said Khan pleaded guilty to the offence at an early stage and was sorry for what he had done.

Mr Harding said Khan came for a supportive family and was afraid of going to prison.

Jailing Khan, Judge Robin Mairs said: "You demonstrated a complete and arrogant disregard for any other driver.

"You were quite willing to risk the loss of life or limb and it is only by good fortune that that did not happen."

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk

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Travelling in Cheltenham licensed taxis or private hire vehicles is set to become safer as the authority's cabinet is expected to approve a new policy on partition screens in the vehicles.

On July 7, Cheltenham Borough Council's cabinet will consider a proposed policy to allow taxi and private hire drivers to install partition screens in their vehicles, as a means to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission between themselves and their passengers.

Whilst there is no evidence to suggest that a partition screen between drivers and passengers will provide 100 per cent protection against transmission of the coronavirus, there is evidence to show that the use of physical barriers is effective in lowering the risk of infection and spread of the coronavirus.

The proposed policy that Cabinet will consider next week, is part of the authority's recovery work for Cheltenham. There is recognition that the COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly severe on the livelihoods of hackney carriage (taxi) and private hire licence holders. A policy that will allow taxi and private hire drivers to make journeys safer will provide the public with reassurance and provide confidence that measures are being taken to try and keep them safe when taking a taxi or private hire vehicle.

It is also designed to provide taxi and private hire drivers with the confidence they need to return to work. Office of National Statistics data has shown that licensed drivers have a greater risk of mortality relating to COVID-19. The ability to install properly designed and installed partition screens, together with other safety measures such as good hygiene and the appropriate use of PPE, are measures being encouraged by the authority to support licensed drivers.

Councillor Andrew McKinlay, cabinet member for development and safety, said: "The council is committed to supporting the town's recovery.

"The principal concern of the council is the safety and wellbeing of the public. This policy, if adopted, will make taxi journeys safer for people and should give greater confidence to people wanting to visit the town, that steps are being taken to better protect their health and wellbeing.

"The draft policy will not impose a mandatory requirement to install partition screens in taxis, recognising that a flexible approach is appropriate, particularly since there is no formal Government guidance on this matter. However, members of the public can exercise their right of choice if they would prefer to take a taxis fitted with a screen, instead of automatically taking the one at the front of a taxi queue."

https://www.punchline-gloucester.com

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