More than £1million has been awarded to taxi owners in Glasgow to help comply with Low Emission Zones.

More than 100 taxis have now been successfully retrofitted with LPG engines. This is in preparation for Scotland’s Low Emission Zones (LEZs) which will be introduced by May 2022.

The Scottish Government funding is to retrofit non-LEZ compliant vehicles with Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme (CVRAS) approved solutions, that meet the minimum proposed standards of the LEZs.

Grants of up to £10,000 are available to cover up to 80 per cent of the cost of a retrofit solution.

Michael Matheson, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity, said: “LEZs are crucial to protecting public health by improving air quality. With every taxi trip potentially eliminating the need for another private vehicle entering the city centre – it’s clear to see why having LEZ compliant taxis is an important and valued part of the sustainable travel mix.

“Funding will again be available in April 2021 and I encourage any taxi driver who is interested to find out more about the support on offer.”

An LPG engine is cheaper to run for taxi drivers, provides a quieter and smoother experience for passengers and provides cleaner air with reduced carbon dioxide emissions.

Taxi owner Donald Wilson said: “My taxi was retrofitted in early January 2020 and since then, I have had no issues to date and my fuel costs have been reduced by an average of 20 per cent.

https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/19174133.glasgow-taxi-drivers-awarded-10k-grants-help-comply-low-emission-zones/

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NOTTINGHAM

Taxi drivers have expressed their support for a new 20mph speed limit which could end up covering every road in Nottingham city centre.

Nottingham City Council will be starting a consultation on a number of traffic calming proposals, including the introduction of a 20mph limit across the city, as well as the permanent closure of the Victoria Embankment to motor vehicles.

Consultations on seven key proposals will be running until April 2.

Portfolio holder for transport, councillor Adele Williams, said the plans could help cut down on emissions as well as make neighbourhoods safer and quieter.

Speaking to Nottinghamshire Live, a number of taxi drivers generally welcomed the plans for the new 20mph limit.

Azeem Hanif, the chairman of the United Private Hire Drivers union, said: "I think it is a mix of both, from a road safety perspective it is a great idea.

"But we have also got to consider the wider impact of traffic flow. When we are back to normal life it is going to be a real challenge. I think there could be a wider knock-on effect.

"The other question is what is the city going to do to enforce it? "It will make an impact getting to jobs, that slight length of time is going to make an impact to delivery time, but road safety is a great thing. Rather than being five minutes it will be seven minutes, so it would not be that bad.

"The vast majority of people would be in favour of it because we are heavily populated with narrow streets."

https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-news/nottingham-taxi-drivers-back-plans-5180178

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DUBAI residents will look twice when the familiar curved silhouette of the famous London black cab appears on the roads of the emirate.

Aptly called “London taxi,” the vehicle launched in February and is being trialled at Dubai International Airport.

The eye-catching taxi features the famous black color and curved design of the British cab.

Managed by Dubai Taxi Cooperation, the eco-friendly taxis are based on a hybrid design using electricity and fuel.

“It is part of our strategic plan to boost the limousine sector and the taxi sector with a wonderful and a reliable car,” Mansoor Rahma Al-Falasi, CEO of Dubai Taxi Cooperation, told Arab News.

He said the new taxi will offer customers a greater choice of services.

“The London taxi is one of the newest features in our fleet.”

Along with its dual engine, the London taxi also has an accelerated braking system and a battery that can be recharged in only 30 minutes.

The cab’s roomy interior includes six seats in a separate cabin and access for disabled passengers.

The taxi is fitted with satellite-based navigation, voice command system, forward-collision warning system, blind-spot monitoring and lane departure warning system in addition to WiFi.

https://www.arabnews.com/node/1827736/offbeat

 A BODY that represents taxi drivers and an MP have called for more support for the industry in Bolton.

The Bolton Private Hire Association as well as MP Yasmin Qureshi and Bolton Labour councillors all say drivers have not received anywhere near enough financial support over the pandemic from Bolton Council.

A spokesman from the Private Hire Association told The Bolton News: “We are in discussions with the council at the moment over financial support but it’s been very slow.

“The pandemic has been here nearly a year and we’ve not received support yet.

“The government has been putting pressure on councils to offer support, which has been done in places like Bury, but Bolton hasn’t been given anything yet.

“With there being no entertainment business at the moment, late night bars etc, the night drivers are really struggling and trying to pick up business during the day, which just makes it harder for everyone.

“It’s been a massive struggle for all drivers just trying to provide a service to the community.

“We have no choice but to continue to work in lockdown despite less demand, taking people to hospitals and care homes when they don’t feel safe taking a bus, it’s a risk for us too.

Bolton South East MP Yasmin Qureshi is calling on Bolton Council to offer more support to taxi drivers, with the Bolton Labour group of councillors also backing these calls.

She told The Bolton News that she had been contacted by many taxi drivers who had been hit especially hard by empty towns during Bolton’s long lockdown affecting their trade, with a lack of support packages from the council.

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/19158225.bolton-taxi-drivers-yet-receive-coronavirus-support/

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JERSEY

A FORMER taxi boss who was found with almost 900 indecent images of children on his computer – a third of which were in the most serious category – has been jailed for 2½ years.

Ian Martyn Le Gallais (53) appeared before the Royal Court yesterday after the police raided his house in December 2019 and seized his devices. During initial interviews he denied downloading indecent images, but a total of 526 were subsequently found on his computer with another 489 on a back-up storage drive.

Crown Advocate Emma Hollywood, prosecuting, added that analysis of Le Gallais’s devices showed he had been chatting to like-minded individuals online about how they would sexually abuse children. Officers found 40 different Skype chats in which the defendant had shown a keen interest in young children.

Advocate Hollywood added that Le Gallais’s crimes were not victimless, as the viewing and downloading of indecent images of children fuelled and encouraged their production. She then moved for a sentence of three years.

Advocate Julian Gollop, defending, said although his client did not dispute the facts, the proposed sentence put forward by the Crown was too high. In his reasoning, Advocate Gollop said that the sexual abuse Le Gallais had spoken about with others online was ‘pure fantasy and pure roleplay’. He urged the court to recognise that his client had not been charged with any contact offences.

He also referred to similar cases previously heard by the Royal Court, including that of a former honorary police officer in 2016 who was found to have double the number of images on his devices, was sharing the files and was in a position of trust. Advocate Gollop added that despite these additional aggravating factors, the Crown had moved for a sentence of three years – the same as his client.

He also said Le Gallais, who previously owned a taxi company, had submitted a guilty plea, had provided the PINs for his devices and was of good character, with only a small number of historic motoring offences on his record. Advocate Gollop then called for a sentence of between two and 2½ years.

Lieutenant-Bailiff Anthony Olsen, presiding, said the prosecution had provided descriptions of seven images from Le Gallais’s devices to the court and the children noted within them had been subjected to degrading and vile acts of abuse. He added that after reading the descriptions, both he and the Jurats had felt shocked and saddened.

‘Images such as these are depictions of the most appalling sex crimes committed against children and that is the evil of this offence,’ he said.

He then announced the sentence of 2½ years in prison and added Le Gallais’s name to the Sex Offenders Register for seven years.

The defendant was also made subject to a restriction order which prevents him from living in a household with anyone under 18 and contacting anyone under 16 – among several other conditions.

Jurats Elizabeth Dulake and Steven Austin-Vautier were also sitting.

https://jerseyeveningpost.com/

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BARCELONA

A 24-year-old man has died after the electric scooter he was riding crashed into a taxi in the Exiample neighbourhood of Barcelona on Friday night, March 12. According to the Barcelona City Council, the fatal accident occurred at around 9pm at the junction of Calle Ausias Marc and Paseo de Sant Joan and a full investigation will be conducted into the incident.

The young man collided with a taxi on the busy road, according to officials; he suffered serious injuries and was rushed to hospital but sadly he died a short time later. The Accident Prevention and Investigation Unit (UIPA) of the Guardia Urbana have taken over the investigation.

www.euroweeklynews.com

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BRADFORD

A TAXI driver who dealt drugs from his vehicle to boost his income has been jailed for 21 months.

Iftiqar Ali, who had been a licensed cabbie since 2017, was caught with a £10,570 stash of the Class C sleeping pill type drugs, Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday.

Ali, 52, had Diazapam tablets in his hand after he was stopped by the police on Shay Lane in Halifax on February 28 last year.

A search of his home turned up a stash of Diazapam, Etizolam and Tamazepam, prosecutor Imran Khan told the court.

Ali, of Frank Street, Halifax, pleaded guilty to three offences of possessing Class C drugs with intent to supply.

Mr Khan said his taxi was pulled over by the police at 7.45pm because intelligence had been received that he may be drug dealing.

Ali’s hand had to be prised open to reveal the tablets and he shouted to another taxi driver in a language the police officers did not understand. Cash to the value of £530 was found in the vehicle.

Ali had 14 previous convictions for 33 offences. They were driving offences and matters of dishonesty, the court heard, and all were many years ago.

His barrister, Shufqat Khan said the father-of-three was deeply ashamed and regretful about what he had done.

Ali had been a drug user in the past but he had rid himself of the addiction by 2007 with the help of his supportive family. But he was left with anxiety and panic attacks and turned to prescribed sleeping pills instead.

From 2010, he could no longer get them from his doctor so he sourced them himself, Mr Khan said. That meant he knew how to obtain them to supply to others.

Ali had been a taxi driver since 2017 but that employment was now lost to him. He was a hard-working man and had obtained new work packing at a factory.

He had caused his family great distress by his actions and had left home as a consequence, Mr Khan said.

Recorder Taryn Turner told Ali it was a very serious matter that called for immediate custody.

He was dealing in drugs as a sideline because he wasn’t making enough money from taxi driving.

“Members of the public were exposed to the risk of you offering to supply them with drugs,” Recorder Turner said.

Ali’s passengers would have included elderly and vulnerable people and children.

“The court is disgusted and horrified,” Recorder Turner said.

www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk

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 OLDHAM

Every taxi driver in the borough could receive £1,000 to help them get over the impact of Coronavirus after Oldham Council agreed a potential funding package of more than £1.3m.

The council has launched the Discretionary Business Grants for Taxis scheme to help drivers across the borough. 

The scheme would see eligible drivers receive a one-off payment.

It is aimed at hackney carriage and private hire taxi drivers who are licensed by Oldham Council.

Councillor Barbara Brownridge, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Culture, said, said: “Taxi drivers, like many other traders and small businesses, have been hugely impacted by the current lockdown.

“We’ve listened to what the drivers have been telling us and acted. Hopefully, this new grant will help provide a lifeline to them.

“This is a great scheme that will help support the trade as we know many have drivers experienced hardship over the last 12 months.

“Working within the Government guidelines, we will ensure these grants get allocated quickly to help people, and the borough, recover from the financial impact of Coronavirus.

“As a council we have ensured thousands of eligible businesses have had quick access to millions of pounds of vital funding to help them through this most difficult time.”

To be eligible for the Discretionary Business Grants for Taxis scheme drivers must hold a current driver’s licence with the council; and have all DBS, DVLA and medical checks in place (or be in the process of renewing a licence).

As part of the funding package each driver will also receive a free internal safety screen, cleaning materials and sanitiser to help fight the spread of the disease.

Licensed drivers will be contacted with details of how to apply.

https://www.oldham.gov.uk/news/article/2012/oldham_taxi_and_private_hire_drivers_offered_13m_support_package

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Calderdale Council has been criticised for not providing support grants to help taxi companies through the pandemic.

Taxi firms have spoken out following a report that ‘named and shamed’ Calderdale Council as one of the minority of councils that have not provided support to taxi firms through the pandemic.

The report by Private Hire and Taxi Monthly showed that while 102 councils provided aid to taxi companies, 66 did not, including Calderdale.

The pandemic badly hit the taxi industry, with a drop in demand leading to less work for the drivers.

A spokesman at one Hebden Bridge taxi firm said: “The council don’t help, they don’t care to be honest. They don’t like to help anybody.”

A Halifax taxi firm also told us that they had received no support from the government, and had heard nothing from them about support.

The company we spoke to employed 25 drivers before the pandemic, but now they only have three drivers working.

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/west-yorkshire-news/calderdale-council-shamed-not-providing-19992342

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WOLVERHAMPTON

Cab drivers have previously protested about the authority, saying it was issuing too many licences.

BBC Midlands Today reporter Audrey Dias, who looked into Department for Transport figures, said Wolverhampton would face a bill of more than £36m if every driver it licensed was able to claim the grant.

Wolverhampton had 18,110 licensed taxi and private hire drivers in March 2020, compared to 6,340 in Birmingham, she said.

Driver Ebrahim Suleman also said Wolverhampton Council had a "responsibility" to help the drivers.

Mr Ahmed said up to 80% of those licensed in Wolverhampton did not live there.

He was joined in his call to the council by another driver, Ebrahim Suleman, who also said Wolverhampton Council had a "responsibility" to help the drivers.

The government said it was up to local authorities to decide who qualified for Additional Restrictions Grant funds but the Wolverhampton authority said it was designed to support self-employed drivers who lived in the city.

"The council is not able to extend the scheme outside the city of Wolverhampton boundary. Therefore, drivers living elsewhere should contact their local authority to see what support might be available to them," a spokesman said.

He added in turn it would consider applications from drivers "licensed by a different authority" who lived in the city.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-56331605

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 This week in the Lords

Lord Blencathra Chair, Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee, Chair, Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee

My Lords, everyone knows that Uber is a thoroughly disreputable and exploitative company, and I warmly welcome the Supreme Court’s decision. 

Will the Minister now ensure that Uber does not weasel out of its obligation to all drivers, past and present? Will he also encourage HMRC to go after it for its billions in back taxes, and will he bring forward urgent legislation to make sure that all companies in the so-called gig economy are no longer able to exploit the lowest-paid workers in this country? That is a thoroughly Conservative view of these things.

(Citation: HL Deb, 1 March 2021, c989)

Lord Callanan Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy)

The noble Lord knows the tremendous admiration that I have for him, but I have to disagree with him on this. The thoroughly Conservative thing is that there is choice and competition in the market, and Uber has provided tremendous choice and competition, particularly in London. It is not just Uber—there are other apps as well. The monopoly previously enjoyed by black cabs was bad for the consumer. They were overpriced and Uber has been a thoroughly good thing for the market in London—so I disagree with the noble Lord on that one.

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Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council has announced the one-off grant payment of £500 for taxi drivers from monies allocated from Central Government.

Councillor Parwaiz Akhtar is the Chair of the taxi drivers’ forum. He said: "I am delighted the Council is helping the taxi trade at this extremely difficult time.

"Like a lot of businesses, they are struggling to make ends meet. It is important to support the trade now so there is a viable trade ready to go when restrictions start to be lifted."

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/19127446.grant-available-taxi-drivers-cover-losses/

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Leeds City Council has announced details of a multi-million pound package of measures designed to provide much-needed support to hard-pressed taxi and private hire drivers and operators.

The council is making £2.5m available to fund free three-year taxi and private hire licence renewals for drivers, delivering a timely boost to a trade that has been particularly badly affected by Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.

Taxi and private hire drivers and operators with a Leeds business address will also be able to apply for £500 grants following the reopening later this month of a coronavirus support scheme for businesses with low fixed property costs. Support was also available for those working in the trade when the scheme was originally open last year.

Across the board, schemes being put in place by the council mean more than £7.5m worth of support is on offer to taxi and private hire drivers and operators.

https://southleedslife.com/financial-support-for-taxi-and-private-hire-trade/

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Oxford City Council will provide grants of up to £540 to help taxi drivers pay for licences.

The new grants – known as the home and mobile workers grant – will provide financial help for individuals who are legally required to obtain a licence to be able to operate their business.

The largest of these groups in Oxford are taxi drivers, who are legally required to get both a driver and vehicle licence from the City Council to be able to operate.

The driver licence ensures that drivers have a good driving record, are mentally and physically fit, and would not take advantage of customers. The vehicle licence ensure the taxi is safe to operate.

The grants will cover the cost of one one-year driver licence and/or one one-year vehicle licence for Oxford’s taxi drivers. This includes both new licences and renewals, and private hire and Hackney Carriage licences.

The one year cost for renewing a Hackney Carriage driver licence in Oxford is £122 and renewing the vehicle licence costs £415.

The City Council will fund the grants using the Additional Restrictions Grant, a discretionary fund that the Government provided to local authorities to support businesses severely impacted by the pandemic.

https://www.oxford.gov.uk/news/article/1738/oxford_city_council_provides_grants_to_help_taxi_drivers_pay_for_licences

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LEICESTER

The city council has abandoned an attempt to cut its annual multi-million pound spending on taxi journeys in the face of opposition from cab firms.

The authority pays out around £10 million each year on taxi trips, mostly transporting young people with special educational needs to school and back.

Officials have spent around a year negotiating with taxi firms about a new deal that would have seen the £7.5 million cost of home to school transport, for around 1,000 children, reduced by £1 million.

However the council says that taxi firms agreed to undertake new contracts, but now refuse to do the runs for the pricing offered - forcing it to extend the old deals for another year.

The council’s strategic director of social care and education Martin Samuels said: “The council currently spends around £10 million a year on taxis - right across the range of all its services.

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/council-backs-down-battle-taxi-5049287

WEST MIDLANDS

A taxi driver who made racist and intimidating remarks to a passenger before threatening to throw her out of his car has lost his licence. 

The unnamed man’s disqualification came after Sandwell’s licensing committee said his behaviour showed he wasn’t ‘a fit and proper person’ to hold a dual private hire and Hackney Carriage permit.

Minutes of its November meeting show the passenger had alleged the driver had been intimidating and made racial comments during a pre-booked journey.

She also claimed at one point he said he threatened to drop her off in an area she didn’t know.

Refusing to continue, he returned the woman to her home address despite being advised by his taxi base to continue to his destination.

Appearing at the review meeting the driver, who was referred to as Mr ‘ P’,  admitted he’d made racist comments but said they were about passengers in general and were not aimed at the woman.

He explained he’d been waiting for the passenger for five minutes who he claimed displayed inappropriate behaviour, including unsuitable language and encouraged him to break the speed limit during the journey.

Revoking his permit, councillors said they saw no reasons to ignore established guidelines and said he was not a fit and proper person to hold a licence in Sandwell.

They added, as a professional driver for over 10 years, he had: “Displayed discriminatory behaviour towards a passenger and his interview with a Taxi Licensing Enforcement officer corresponded with the passenger’s witness statement.”

Mr ‘P’ was advised of his right to appeal to a magistrates court.

https://www.halesowennews.co.uk/

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Uber Eats couriers say they have been fired because the company’s “racist” facial identification software is incapable of recognising their faces. The system, which Uber describes as a “photo comparison” tool, prompts couriers and drivers to take a photograph of themselves and compares it to a photograph in the company’s database.

Fourteen Uber Eats couriers have shared evidence with WIRED that shows how the technology failed to recognise their faces. They were threatened with termination, had accounts frozen or were permanently fired after selfies they took failed the company’s “Real Time ID Check”. Another was fired after the selfie function refused to work. Trade unions claim this issue has affected countless more Uber Eats couriers across the country, as well as private-hire drivers.

https://www.wired.co.uk

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North Yorkshire Police looks set to take action to remove out of town Uber drivers who attempt to operate illegally in York.

Wendy Loveday, the chair of the Private Hire Association, has told YorkMix she has had meetings with a senior officer.

Police now agree with her that as Uber doesn’t hold a local licence for York it is breaking the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 (Section 46)

This says “no person shall in a controlled district operate any vehicle as a private hire vehicle without having a current licence under section 55 of this Act“

Wendy Loveday says that North Yorkshire Police took legal advice after she pointed this out. She says it means that Uber drivers from out of town should not be picking up fares in the city because they do not hold a proper licence to work here.

Uber was stripped of its licence in December 2017 when the City of York council gambling, licensing and regulatory committee voted by seven to three, with two abstentions, not to renewed it.

York was the first authority to flat out deny Uber clearence to operate on its streets.

https://yorkmix.com

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SOME taxis could be banned from using bus lanes in Southampton as city bosses try to crack down on air pollution.

Taxis and private hire vehicles licensed outside of Southampton could be allowed to access bus lanes in the city only from 7am to 9.30am and from 4am to 6.30pm on weekdays and only if the vehicle was first registered on or after January 2006 if petrol and September 2015 if diesel.

A public consultation on the proposals will run from January 29 to February 22 and comes after initial plans to totally ban taxis from bus lanes in the city sparked criticism.

Civic chiefs said the move will improve air quality and will not be "detrimental" to businesses.

But the plans have so far sparked mixed views with some traders raising concerns.

Clive Johnson, honorary chairman of Radio Taxi Southampton, said he fears the  changes will result in more pollution and higher fares for the public.

"They should save tax payers' money and not trying to make money on more fines. Put it back on the back burner", Mr Johnson said as he stressed that businesses have been hit by the pandemic.

https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/

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A shrinking private hire market has caused once strong used hybrid prices to tumble and legislative changes have compounded the issue.

Used hybrid values have nose dived as their traditional market of private hire drivers has suffered during the pandemic.

Second-hand examples of conventional, non-plug-in hybrids, such as the Toyota Prius, have traditionally been popular with the sector and commanded strong prices due to their low running costs and suitability for urban areas, but Covid-19 has hit operators hard and caused a big drop in demand for vehicle replacements.

Valuation specialist Cap HPI said hybrid values fell by 10.1% in January 2021, while plug-in hybrid prices dropped by 6.7%. "A lot of this is driven by the private hire market, which was decimated last year," said Cap HPI's head of valuations, Derren Martin, "certain models like the Prius and Auris, a lot of their sales go to that sector and if you're a taxi driver or an Uber driver, you're not going to replace your car."