The number of licensed taxis on Northern Ireland's roads has reached its lowest level in 10 years.

New official figures show that at the end of March, there were 8,761 licensed taxi vehicles.

That is down by 2% compared to the same time last year, and by nearly 7% compared to three years ago.

The downward trend may be due to changes in the taxi driver test introduced in 2014.

The figures, from the Department for Infrastructure, show an even sharper fall in the number of licensed taxi drivers.

The number of taxi driver licences in force at the end of March was 10,268, down 9% year-on-year.

Five years ago there were more than 15,000 licensed drivers.

"This reduction may have been exacerbated by the introduction of a new taxi driver theory and practical driving test, which was introduced on 31 October 2014," the Department for Infrastructure said.

The figures also point to consolidation in the taxi industry, with the number of operator licences continuing to fall.

https://bbc.in/2JNxlgQ
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 LEEDS

A woman is suing Uber for £50,000 over claims her driver groped her breasts on a ride home from a night out.

The passenger, 33, is believed to be the first person in the UK to lodge such a claim against the taxi giant.

She claims the incident happened after she ordered an Uber following a night out with friends in Leeds city centre in December 2015.

Shortly after they set off the driver groped her breasts on two occasions, the woman alleges.

Her lawyers claim she has been left with psychiatric problems, including depression and a 'specific phobia', reports The Sun. 

The alleged victim has lodged a claim at London's High Court for between £30,000 and £50,000. MailOnline has contacted Uber for comment. 

The US-based taxi firm has been plagued by problems since it launched in San Francisco in 2011.

It had its licence revoked by Transport for London in 2017 after numerous safety complaints.

Transport bosses in the capital ruled it was not fit for purpose, but the firm won an appeal and was granted a one-year extension.

It will rule again in September whether it should be allowed to continue.

At the start of 2018 more than 2,500 Uber drivers had been investigated for suspected offences including sex assaults, stalking and dangerous driving.

An official memo last January revealed there were many more unreported cases.

It said 1,148 London-licensed Uber drivers were accused of 'category A' offences such as sexual incidents, stalking and dangerous driving.

More than 1,400 drivers were the subject of repeated complaints for lower-level misbehaviour, such as discriminatory comments and 'inappropriate interpersonal conduct' toward passengers.

This week Uber sought to crackdown on passengers misbehaving, threatening to kick people out if they cause trouble.  

The company said that starting Wednesday, riders with a rating from drivers that is significantly below average could lose their ability to ride.

But before that happens they will get tips on how to improve ratings by being polite, not leaving rubbish in vehicles and not asking the driver to violate the speed limit.

Uber says it will get several chances to improve their rating before getting the boot.

It is not clear exactly how low a users' rating has to drop in order for them to be in danger of deactivation.

'Respect is a two-way street, and so is accountability,' Kate Parker head of safety brand and initiatives, wrote in a blog post.

'Drivers have long been required to meet a minimum rating threshold which can vary city to city.

'While we expect only a small number of riders to ultimately be impacted by ratings-based deactivations, it’s the right thing to do,' she added.

https://dailym.ai/2We25OF
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BEDFORD

Taxi drivers plying their trade in Bedford are being encouraged to keep their cabs in tip-top condition to make sure that they do not fail their annual safety checks.

The call came at yesterday's (Tuesday) meeting of Bedford Borough Council’s General Licensing Sub-Committee, which met to discuss taxi drivers’ protests that they are paying over the odds for various fees, including £83 for getting cabs re-tested after they fail annual check ups.

Gill Anderson, the council’s manager for registrations & land charges, said: “There is disquiet in the trade with the retest fees but our view is that vehicles should be presented ready to pass the test. Minor issues can be dealt with the same day but if it fails, the driver has to re-book.”

One of the issues with re-booking is that with 600 licensed drivers working in Bedford, it can take weeks to get a new slot. This means that a cab that has failed its check up will be off the streets and the driver will be losing money.

The council allows drivers to book a pre-check test before the annual test is due. But the sub-committee heard that hardly any drivers use the pre-checks, preferring to take it to the wire.

Members of the sub-committee of four councillors were told that 25 private hire and Hackney cabs failed their checks in the period February to early May. Some had multiple issues, including fog lamps not working, fuel leaks, and damage.

There were no taxi drivers present at the meeting but Gurdeep Dosanjh, the secretary of the Bedford Hackney Carriage Association, spoke to the Local Democracy Reporting Service afterwards.

He said the trade was facing rising costs and tough competition, including from drivers who travel in from outside of town and use SatNavs, instead of having to pass the local knowledge tests.

“We haven’t had an increase in the minimum fare for six years,” he said.

“The majority of the council fees are in line with other areas but they charge things like £41 for a photocopy of a taxi licence and £83 for a re-test, which is out of line.”

But Mr Dosanjh said taxi drivers were keen to talk to the council about issues, and were not planning to strike. “We do things democratically,” he said.

The meeting heard that the council is looking to streamline the licensing and safety checks process, to make it cheaper, and enable fees to be reduced.

And Cllr Phillippa Martin-Moran-Bryant said: “I would like to thank the trade for contacting the council and raising their concerns, and to our officers for talking to the trade.”

https://bit.ly/2WdLBWP

 (Comment to the Bedford Trade, Licensing Authorities are forbidden by Law from using Fee's to generate a Profit. They can only charge the aggregate cost of fulfilling thier licensing obligation's.
Make an F.O.I. request for the Licensing Accounts and the Ring fence surplus account.
If a Large surplus exsist's report this to the Ombudsman and if no response to the Court's.
A copy of Manchester's successful F.O.I, can be found here.)

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/taxi_and_private_hire_licensing_2
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A Preston taxi driver who filmed a hate-filled rant against Muslim converts to Christianity remains under investigation - five months after his arrest for religious harassment.


The 41-year-old hackney carriage driver was arrested five months ago on Wednesday, December 19, after he posted an 'obscene video' online.

The video went viral and was reported to Lancashire Police by a Preston woman who expressed concern over the video's 'extremist views'.

Prior to his arrest, more than 2,000 people signed a petition calling for his licence to be permanently revoked by Preston City Council.

The taxi driver was arrested under suspicion of religiously aggravated harassment before being released on bail "pending further investigation" until Wednesday, January 16.

His bail was then further extended until Sunday, March 10.

On March 19, Lancashire Police informed the Post that the man remained under investigation.

Today (May 29) - following a five-month investigation into the alleged offence - the force has confirmed that the controversial taxi driver is still under investigation.

On Wednesday, January 9, the driver handed in his hackney carriage licence after he was summoned before Preston City Council's Taxi and Miscellaneous Committee for review.

He later released a second video in which he apologised for his "offensive" comments.

Lancashire Police did not confirm when the investigation is likely to be concluded.

https://bit.ly/2Mdni6S