Manchester

Drunk taxi driver banned: Raziq Hussain twice the legal limit

Hussain was first seen cutting a corner in Whitley Road in Collyhurst
A taxi driver who was found to be twice the drink-drive limit after being seen weaving down a road has been banned from driving.

Raziq Hussain's Hackney cab was stopped after driving on the wrong side of Oldham Road in Manchester in December.

The 32-year-old, of Eastbourne Street, Oldham, registered double the legal limit when he was breathalysed.

Manchester magistrates heard he had been taking fares. He was fined £110 and banned from driving for 16 months.

Greater Manchester Police said Hussain was first seen cutting a corner on Whitley Road in Collyhurst in the early hours of 19 December.

After being stopped, he registered 71mg of alcohol per 100ml of breath when breathalysed at the roadside, double the legal limit of 35mg.

He told officers he had not drunk alcohol since he started work at 18:00 GMT and had taken several fares that night.

Speaking after sentencing, Sgt Matt Bailey-Smith said Hussain's profession was the "significant aggravating factor" in his case.

"His actions were reckless and risked the safety and welfare of every fare he took that evening as well as innocent motorists and pedestrians," he said.

Along with his ban and fine for driving with excess alcohol, Hussain was also ordered to pay costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £20.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-30783913
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 Germany's highest court has declined to hear a complaint brought by online taxi service Uber over a ban on its activity in the city of Hamburg, dealing a blow to the company.

The Federal Constitutional Court said the complaint was "not accepted for a decision due to lack of admissibility," a spokesman for the court said on Friday, adding that the court had given no further justification for its position.

Hamburg's transport office sent Uber an injunction in July last year that said its drivers needed special licences to transport passengers. An administrative court in Hamburg subsequently rejected Uber's urgent motion against the ban.

Uber customers order and pay for a taxi with its application on their smartphones. Instead of having taxis prowl city streets looking for customers, Uber allows smartphone users to summon a nearby car to pick them up.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/09/us-uber-court-germany-idUSKBN0KI1B920150109
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Falmouth

Police are warning of the dangers of using unlawful taxi services after a surge of people using social media sites to attract potential customers.

“People are getting into non-licensed vehicles, potentially risking their safety” said Superintendent Keith Perkin.

“They may as well climb into a strangers car, not knowing anything about the driver. They don’t know whether the driver can drive legally, with no idea whether they have been drinking and how much. And, in the event of an accident they will not be protected by insurance. Not only that, the person is making themselves extremely vulnerable.”

“Social media sites make the practice attractive to people who want to save a few pennies, but they are putting themselves at risk and in the long run, it could cost them a lot more” added Supt Perkin.

Registered taxis go through stringent tests to ensure they are safe to carry people on board and their vehicles are regularly checked for safety.

Officers are asking the public to remember three simple rules: pre-book, use only registered taxi companies and travel with a friend if you can.

A police spokesman said: "The only way to know a taxi is safe is to book it directly with the taxi company via phone, online or in person. This guarantees that your trip will be carried out by a licensed, insured driver in a licensed, insured vehicle. It also means that a record is kept of your journey, the driver and the vehicle used, so in the event of any problems, the driver can be traced.

"If you are at a pub or club and you don’t have the number of a taxi company, ask staff if they can recommend one. Try to travel home with a friend and where possible, ask for the drivers name and make a note of the vehicle registration.

"Charging people for taxi services when not licensed to do so is illegal and local authorities are looking into any reports received."


http://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/11717315._/