Manchester

Kabx launches new taxi app

Kabx promises users that they will  be able to “jump the queue” and track their taxi on a smartphone’s GPS as it makes its way to its location.

A new taxi app means you can hail a cab anywhere within the M60 ringroad – and it will be with you in five minutes...

Kabx promises users that they will  be able to “jump the queue” and track their taxi on a smartphone’s GPS as it makes its way to its location.

The company boasts that 2,000 taxis, from the region’s biggest and most trusted cab firms, are already signed up and promises that from now on “we’re round the corner” will mean exactly that.

Kabx works by matching the caller with the taxi nearest to their location via GPS.

Unlike its rivals, Kabx says it has partnerships directly with private hire companies, so has a much bigger fleet of cabs available to its users compared to similar taxi apps.

The Kabx app tells customers  instantly how many minutes away the nearest taxi is. If they then decide to book, they can watch the taxi make its way on a map in real-time.

Customers can book the closest cab to them in 2-3 taps and get a quote of the cost plus the option to pay by cash or card.

“The key differentiator of our app is the size of our network,” said James Kelly, Kabx marketing manager.

“Having so many cars allows us to pick up most customers in under five minutes, far faster than the nearest competitor.

“Our coverage in Manchester is over 2000 cars, which allows us to provide an almost ‘on demand’ service anywhere within the M60 area.

“We have strong partnerships with the biggest taxi firms here in Manchester so it is an ideal place to launch.

“We estimate our average time to pick up in this area as under five minutes even at busy times, which we will soon be able to replicate in all the major towns in the UK.

“Our response time will often be as quick as three minutes. Additionally, our prices are the same as they would be should you call for a taxi, so are usually cheaper than many of our competitors.”

The Kabx taxi app is available on both Apple and Android app stores.

Kabz follows hot on the heels of Uber, which launched in Manchester in May.

The San Francisco-based firm is purely-app based and does not take phone bookings.

Its creators says the software offers a number of innovative features, such as the ability for passengers to easily share their current location and ETA with others.

The privately-owned firm, whose investors include Google, says its rates are 30% cheaper than a black cab.


http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/business/enterprise/kabx-launches-new-taxi-app-7448121?
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Ajab Khalil jailed for trying to murder his own brother in Southampton

A Hampshire taxi driver was savagely attacked by his own brother with a knife in an attempt to murder him.

Ajab Khalil has repeatedly refused to explain the reason for the unprovoked attack in Southampton and has been jailed for 14 years.

Sangar Khan, a self-employed cabbie, told a court of the desperate struggle as he tried to fend off Khalil before housemates saved him.

Mr Khan suffered several wounds in the frenzied assault by Ajab Khahil, 30, a heavy cannabis user, the trial at Winchester Crown Court heard.

The six-man and six-woman jury took three hours to unanimously convict Khalil of attempted murder.

Sentencing, the judge, Mr Justice Royce, described Khalil as a very dangerous man.

He said: “Why you did what you did remains a mystery. When you were a child he (Mr Khan) played a prominent part in bringing you up after your father died early. He showed you nothing but kindness and help.”

Khalil, an illegal immigrant, refused to speak to police, give instructions to his barristers or evidence at the trial. He did finally concede to his counsel Matthew Jewell that he was drunk and had been heavily using cannabis.

The court heard that Mr Khan, who works in Winchester, is now anxious, scared and suffers occasional nightmares. He can only work six hours a day because of ongoing pain.

The judge said: “He is worried about his brother coming back even if he is deported and not knowing why his brother should attempt to kill him.

“He regards you as a very dangerous person. He fears that if you are released it will not stop you coming after him as you have demonstrated ability to get back into this country notwithstanding you have been deported.”

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/11349317._/?

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TWO men have been arrested over allegations that a taxi driver was held against his will and forced to drive around County Durham.

The cab driver was allegedly threatened by his passengers before he finally managing to escape in Newton Aycliffe and raise the alarm.

He banged on a house door in to get the householder to call police.

The car is then believed to have been driven off, and crashed into other vehicles.

The incident is thought to have started in Durham city centre shortly before midnight when the taxi driver picked up a fare on the slip road near the Gala Theatre at the bottom of Claypath.

Police said that initially, the pair asked to be taken to Consett.

The driver, thought to be from the Tyneside area, told officers that the passengers had taken over his vehicle.

A spokesman for Durham Police said: “Police received calls from residents in Moore Lane, Newton Aycliffe shortly after 2am today reporting a white Ford Focus taxi was being driven erratically up and down the street.

“Within minutes other residents from adjoining Mellanby Crescent contacted police to say the taxi had collided with a number of parked vehicles.

“A further call was then received by a resident who said a man had knocked at their door claiming to be the driver of the taxi.

“He stated he had picked up a fare in Durham consisting of two men who after initially asking to be taken to Consett had then taken over his vehicle, made threats against him and his family and had forced him to drive to various locations over a period of nearly three hours before eventually finishing in Newton Aycliffe."

At least three cars were damaged as taxi was driven through the streets, one of which was hit with such force that it was shunted around ten feet into two other vehicles.

One of the owners of the vehicles affected, said: "I only had the car four months but the insurance will sort it out. I am a bit gutted. At least no-one was inside."

Another added: "My car is a write-off. I don't think it can be repaired. I took all the impact and was pushed into the other cars."

Two men were detained near the scene and were last night being questioned at Durham City police station.

The arrested men, a 22-year-old from Spennymoor and a 24-year-old from Trimdon, were being questioned on suspicion of aggravated vehicle taking, robbery and false imprisonment. They are currently in custody at Durham city police office.

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/11350124._/?
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HAILO yesterday announced its taxi app would be integrated into Citymapper, the travel app for Android and iOS.

Users will now be able to book and pay for Hailo’s fleet of 14,000 black cabs using Citymapper.

It is the first time Citymapper users have had the option of booking travel, and the first time Hailo has been integrated into another app. The rollout will cover London, New York, Barcelona, Madrid, Washington and Boston.


http://www.cityam.com/1405645190/hailo-taxi-app-join-citymapper?
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Carlisle.

A taxi driver accused of sexually attacking a passenger has denied inventing a string of lies to cover his alleged crime and continued to insist it was the woman who made an advance on him.
Dariusz Kowalczyk, 48, was giving evidence at Carlisle Crown Court where he denies orally raping the woman.

Speaking through an interpreter the Polish national said that he had driven the woman at the centre of the case to Scotby after picking her up outside a nightspot in the city centre on March 18 last year.

He said: “I’d been working for almost 12 hours I was exhausted.

“I was on my way back from Currock, I drove past the vicinity of my house, I said to myself ‘one more job and I will go home’.”

Kowalczyk said that when they arrived in Scotby the fare was around £8 or £9 but when he asked her for the money the woman changed her mind and said she wanted to go back to Carlisle.

Prosecuting barrister Timothy Brennand suggested that Kowalczyk had “wanted something different” rather than money.

The cabbie replied that they did not have sex in Scotby and during the journey back to Carlisle the woman had climbed into the front passenger seat and started touching him while he was driving.

Kowalczyk said that the woman had been talking in a sexualised manner throughout the journey and he thought she was a prostitute he had met in December 2012. He said: “When she changed seats I did recognise her – it was her [the prostitute].”

The prosecutor suggested that he had switched off both his radio and taxi meter was because he did not want the controller to know where he was.

Kowalczyk said: “I was tired and I wanted to go home. It’s a common way of doing it among taxi drivers – you just switch your meter off so there’s no conversation needed.”

Mr Brennand said that Kowalczyk’s evidence amounted to a “set of lies” but he said: “No it’s not, it’s true, all I’ve said is true.”

He added that he had felt ashamed over the whole episode, especially when his wife found out and he later lost his job.

http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/1.1148898?