London

Comment: A couple of press releases for Electric Taxis, which of course are not Taxis, but Minincabs. The Company operating them are called Thriev, they have a simple website which gives you very little information. When I tried to book a car (experiment) my anti virus software ware warned me, an attempt was being made to track me.

I also note they work in conjunction with a company called taxihail.com (an app). I am not certain, but , I believe offering Taxis in London when you only have minicabs is unlawful.

A FLEET of electric taxis will start operating in London today, two months after the capital got its first fully electric buses.

Chinese firm BYD manufactured the 20 vehicles which have been bought by chauffer service Thriev.

The new cars ­– the e6 model – come four years ahead of mayor Boris Johnson’s deadline for emission-free vehicles.

From 1 January 2018 Johnson wants all new taxis in London to create no emissions, the mayor said late last year.

The incoming rules are part of a wider range of green initiatives implemented by the mayor.

As part of the roll-out of e6 cars in London, Thriev will be installing charging points at its Edgware Road facility.

The fleet of 20 is expected to be joined by another group of 50 vehicles.

Minicab firm Green Tomato Cars signed a memorandum of understanding with BYD in October 2013 to take the larger order, expected to come in the second quarter of this year.

In December the first all-electric buses came to London’s streets as two of the transports started on two different routes in the capital.

Manufacturer BYD is 9.9 per cent owned by investment titan Warren Buffett. The company is a major rechargeable battery producer, also operating in mobile phones and keypads.
http://www.taxihail.com/


ROTTERDAM, Netherlands--(BUSINESS WIRE)--January 28, 2014-- 
BYD has teamed up with Thriev to provide twenty (20) BYD e6 electric sedans for London's emission-free, chauffeur fleet -- vehicles officially launch on Feb 3(rd) , 2014. Last month, the Mayor of London announced that from January 1(st) , 2018 and forward, all new taxis would need to be zero-emissions in order to receive an operating license. Today's announcement means that the London private hire market is nearly four years ahead of schedule. Thriev (www.thriev.com) offers low-cost, zero-emission, chauffeured cars to corporate and private clients in London. The company is rolling out an electric car program complete with intelligent AC power interfaces, EVs and state-of-the-art smart car/charger scheduling systems. Part of the deal with BYD is that Thriev will equip its Edgware Road facility, west London, with BYD's purpose-designed charging equipment, which allows fast charging of the e6 in just two hours.

Initially, the e6 fleet is being supplied on a lease arrangement, although both BYD and Thriev expect this to be the beginning of a long-term relationship fulfilling a joint BYD and Thriev vision for a 'green city solution' -- the transitioning of key public and personal transport vehicles from petrol and diesel power to pure electric. In December 2013, two fully-electric, full-size 12-meter BYD buses operated by Go-Ahead Group, entered service on two central Transport-for-London routes -- part of a Europe-wide initiative to introduce emissions-free buses to major city centre operations. Both the e6 car and eBus from BYD share the same proven and reliable Battery-electric technology. They use BYD's internally developed Iron-Phosphate (or "FE") batteries, proven in over 100 million miles of taxi and 14 million miles of bus passenger transport in China as well as many parts of the world.

Commenting on the agreement with Thriev, Isbrand Ho, BYD Europe's Managing Director, said, "We have been looking at various options to bring our e6 and its proven emissions-free technology to London. We are convinced that in Thriev we have found the right partner to do this -- we share many of the same objectives of providing safe, reliable and efficient green transport in cities." Arvind Vij, CEO and a co-founder of Thriev, said, "We think that BYD's e6 model will meet all our requirements to offer passenger comfort, good range and rapid charging. We share BYD's desire to provide practical, zero-emission solutions and look forward to a long-term partnership."

http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20140128-906030.html
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Huddersfield taxi drivers targeted in police crackdown

On the roads West Yorkshire Roads Policing Officers and Taxi Licensing officers stopped more than 40 vehicles resulting in police making one arrest for dangerous driving

Law breakers have been targeted by police in Huddersfield following a multi-agency operation to target those suspected of breaching taxi or tobacco licences and food safety standards.

On the roads West Yorkshire Roads Policing Officers and Taxi Licensing officers stopped more than 40 vehicles resulting in police making one arrest for dangerous driving.

Five taxi drivers had their licences suspended and three motorists were found to have no insurance. Kirklees Council Licensing partners issued confiscation of up to 65 shisha pipes and tobacco from a shisha bar suspected of breaching licensing regulations.

Kirklees Council’s Environmental Services officers also uncovered food safety offences at a restaurant and health and safety offences at a licensed premises.

Inspector Danny Groiser, of the Huddersfield South Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “I want to thank partner agencies for their support in what was a large scale and very productive operation which has delivered a real message to those seeking to operate outside of the law.

“Aside from the huge amount of support we had from partner agencies, I’m sure residents appreciated seeing enhanced police resources in the town centre including Special Constables, drugs dogs and handlers and the West Yorkshire Roads Policing Unit.

He added: “The seizures, arrests and action taken against defective and uninsured taxis show that staging such a big operation has really paid off and we will look to repeat this action again in the coming weeks. In other operations streets near pubs and clubs were also patrolled with drugs dogs and the licences of door staff were checked to ensure they were in order.

Agencies involved in the operation on January 29 included the Immigration Service, HMRC, Kirklees Council staff, VOSA, and West Yorkshire Police Special Constables, Roads Policing Officers and other police staff.
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Wolverhampton.

Boshir Ali’s crime was so shocking that his sentence was increased to 10 years.

The prosecution successfully argued that his original jail term of seven years and nine months was too lenient – and three judges agreed at the Court of Appeal in London on Friday.

The 35-year-old struck outside Babylon night club – in North Street, Wolverhampton, and was caught when he inexplicably called the victim the day after the attack from his own phone, giving detectives a vital breakthrough.

He trapped the victim by putting an eight-inch yellow sticker down the passenger door of his car to make it look like a cab.

It was parked outside when the victim, who had been drinking, came out of the club by a workmate who believed that it was a licenced taxi and helped her to get inside not realising he had left her at the mercy of a maniac.

Ali was supposed to drive her home to Wednesbury but took the drunk victim to a secluded car park where she was raped. Then he dumped the young woman near home where she fell out of the vehicle, grazing her knees.

The next morning she was too embarrassed to speak but took her mother’s mobile phone and typed into it: ‘The taxi man raped me’. Police were called and when officers checked the mobile of the victim they discovered a call made to it on the day after the attack from a number she did not recognise. Inquiries revealed it belonged to Ali from Wellington Road, Tipton, who was arrested soon after. It is not known why he wanted to ring her and unclear how he got the number, although it is possible he made a note of it after picking the phone up while she was in his car.

The defendant denied the offence, claiming that the woman had agreed to sex, but he was convicted of rape by a jury.


The Solicitor General, Oliver Heald QC, who referred the case to the Court of Appeal, said after its ruling: “It has agreed that the original sentence of seven years nine months was unduly lenient and have therefore replaced it with 10 years. I hope that the public will be reassured by this decision.”

Comment; I was shocked to see the evil man only looks like an ordinary Asian bloke.