The council said it was "disappointed" by the decision.
The new rules come after the Jay report into child sexual exploitation (CSE) in the town, which said taxis had been used by abusers to traffic victims.
The strike action by both private hire and hackney carriage drivers will run from 18:00 BST on Saturday until 06:00 on Sunday.
The town has around 50 hackney carriage taxis and 800 private hire vehicles.
Drivers are concerned about the costs of the rule change and the impact on their personal lives when many also use their vehicles as private cars.
Abdul Tariq, chair of the Rotherham Private Hire Association, said: "Why is the majority being penalised for the actions of a minority?
"We appreciate what has happened and we can't imagine how the victims [of child sexual exploitation] are feeling but that doesn't mean the trade is corrupt."
Commissioner Mary Ney, who is responsible for licensing for Rotherham Council, said: "By making these changes the council is ensuring the protection and safety of the public and rebuilding public confidence in the taxi trade, which currently has a poor reputation.
"The proposals within the new policy are all geared to raising the bar in terms of the standards expected by the public and to ensure the public and particularly young people can feel safe using the service"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-33285373
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NEWBURY
THERE were raucous scenes at a packed council meeting this week as councillors reversed a decision which taxi drivers argued would have increased fares.
In March, West Berkshire Council approved changes to the maximum tariffs that could be set by a driver while using a meter, from a three-tariff system to five-tariff.
Three letters of objection were then sent to the council, together with a petition signed by 46 drivers opposed to the measure, out of a taxi population of 173.
As a result of the objections, the council then had to reconsider the matter at a licensing committee meeting held in Newbury on Tuesday.
At the meeting, council officers said there were a wide range of options available, including setting a different tariff, maintaining the proposal passed in March or, having heard all the arguments, keeping the status quo.
The officers’ new recommendation was to not set a tariff at all and let market forces prevail.
Council officer Brian Leahy said: “This recommendation didn’t come easily. I looked at the problems of enforcement, the problems for the trade, and the problems for the customers.”
Four objectors from a large assembly of drivers from Newbury and Thatcham then argued their case.
Paul Westbrook, of Westbrook Cars, said: “The new tariff will discriminate against the people it is supposed to help. The elderly who can’t go very far and can’t carry their shopping ... will be discouraged from coming into town.
“It will lead to active competition and bad feelings at all times of the day because people will come up and ask ‘what tariff are you using’.
“The driver will be at risk of attack because people will say ‘are you robbing me?’
“It will lead to bad feeling across the trade, and if people don’t understand three tariffs they have no chance of understanding five tariffs.”
One independent taxi driver, Mohammed Hussain, highlighted the dangers of the job, and said: “I work most of the night and I have had so many problems in the last five years.
“I have been attacked, both racially and physically so many times just because of the fare. People get into the cab and they ask about the fare and I try to explain it to them.
“We are really concerned about our safety. If you are going to change the tariff you are going to have to think about our safety.”
The room then burst into spontaneous applause from the assembled drivers.
On debating the issue, Paul Bryant (Con, Speen) said: “I find myself very reluctant to support the new tariff because it’s not supported the way we thought it was.”
He then said to loud applause from the crowd: “I would like to formally propose that we keep the status quo.
“It’s well understood by people and the trade, it’s reasonable, it has been in place for quite some time and I think it’s got the support of what seems to be a fairly large number of the trade.”
The issue went to a vote which was passed unanimously by councillors, to the delight of the taxi drivers present.
http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/news/home/14922/Taxi-drivers-force-West-Berkshire-Council.html
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Controversial taxi app Uber has held preliminary discussions about launching a Nottingham operation, it can be revealed.
The private hire firm has brought other cities to a standstill after protests against its introduction.
The app works by allowing people to order a cab and with customers able to find out how much their journey will cost and how long their taxi will take to arrive.
But retired cabbie Bryan Doherty, 70, of Bakersfield, said he was concerned about the impact of the app on his former colleagues.
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Mr Doherty, who was on the roads for 15 years, said: "You've seen protests elsewhere when they've put this Uber on and I don't think anyone who drives taxis for a living is going to be happy with this.
"If they are going to come in and drive the prices down, it's going to do some serious damage to the people who drive taxis for a living.
"The system works well now – hackney cabs for when you want a taxi straight away and private hire for when you book one. Why are they trying to change this?"
But Daniel Harrington, a 22-year-old student from Dunkirk, said he would "love" Uber to start in the city.
He said: "I know people in London who couldn't do without Uber and it would be great for people round here when they are getting taxis.
"It's about time they set up in Nottingham – other big cities are getting it and it's good that we're getting a slice of that too.
"I just hope it isn't too long before it's up and running."
Richard Antcliff, of Nottingham City Council, said: "They have not yet formally applied for an operator's license but did have a preliminary meeting with us.
"We had a number of questions and issues to discuss with them with regards their operation and were pleased with their response.
"Should they apply it is likely that the decision will then rest with the licensing committee."
The app is currently operational in 57 countries worldwide, with Birmingham, Manchester and London already covered.
A spokesman for Uber added: "Uber's ambition is to be in every major city in the UK, this includes Nottingham.
"At this stage we don't have any fixed plans or a timeline, but we believe we can add value to the existing transportation network in the city."
http://www.nottinghampost.com/Controversial-taxi-app-Uber-talks-launch/story-26788648-detail/story.html
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BRIGHTON
Detectives are trying to trace the driver of a car who could provide vital information in the murder of a University of Brighton student.
German national Janet Müller's body was found in a burning car in Ifield on March 13.
Officers launched a murder investigation and days later arrested a man in connection with her death.
But now they need to trace the driver of a car, believed to be a Ford Mondeo taxi, to help them with their investigation.
It is thought the driver may have been approached by Janet on the Kingsway, Hove, near the junction with Medina Villas at 1.12am on March 13.
Detective Chief Inspector Karen Mizzi, who is leading the investigation for the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team, said: "We urgently need to identify the driver of this car, as they may be able to provide vital information to the investigation.
"We have released images of Janet after she left Millview Hospital of her walking in Portslade - in a subway at 10.33pm on Thursday, March 12; the second in Station Road at 12.28am and the final one walking east towards Brighton and crossing Sackville Gardens near the BP garage at 12.55am.
"This new information places her just a few streets away near to Medina Villas.
"If you are that driver, please get in touch. Equally if you saw her in the area around those times or perhaps a little later, please contact me.
"Even if you think you may have seen her or that your sighting was only brief, please do call as your information could prove very important to us."
Anyone with information is asked to email 101@sussex.pnn.police.uk or call 101, quoting Operation Madeira
Christopher Jeffrey-Shaw, 26, of Lakeside, Beckenham, London, has been charged with her murder. He will next appear at Guildford Crown Court on Friday July 3.
http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/13357444._/
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