Amendments made yesterday July 21.
God knows if they help us, as usual the whole thing is as clear as mud. Have a butcher's.
Monday, 21 July 2014
Thursday, 17 July 2014
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?
------------------------------------
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._/?
-------------------------------------------------------
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._/?
-----------------------------------------
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?
--------------------------------------------------------------
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?
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?
------------------------------------
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._/?
-------------------------------------------------------
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._/?
-----------------------------------------
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?
--------------------------------------------------------------
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?
Wednesday, 16 July 2014
A taxi driver was arrested following a series of taxi licensing checks in Aylesbury town centre yesterday.
The driver of the private hire vehicle was taken into custody after he failed to provide a private hire driver licence.
Five vehicles were stopped during the operation and four drivers were issued with warnings.
The cautions were given for not wearing their private hire driver badge and having an expired first aid kit while one vehicle was displaying an expired private hire vehicle licence plate.
The new plate was later found in his boot.
The checks were jointly carried out by the Aylesbury town centre neighbourhood policing team along with officers from the licensing department of Aylesbury Vale District Council.
http://www.bucksherald.co.uk/news/crime/taxi-driver-arrested-in-licensing-operation-1-6182342
-------------------------------------------------
TEESIDE
A taxi driver’s life was ruined after he was robbed at knifepoint by a night-time passenger.
Karl Andrew Barnes was jailed for more than four years after he heard how his crime affected its vulnerable victim.
The cabbie said it left him a “changed person”, so scared he had to give up his livelihood.
The dad’s wife wants the family to leave the UK because she no longer feels safe.
Barnes, 23, grabbed his keys, turned off his car’s ignition and said: “Give me the money.”
He held a knife to the taxi driver’s chest, Teesside Crown Court heard today.
The drunken passenger was picked up from Dovecot Street, central Stockton on January 30.
He asked the driver to stop on Coulthard Court, South Bank then emerged from a home and came to the driver’s window.
The taxi driver thought he’d be paid as he wound his window down, said prosecutor Peter Sabiston.
Instead Barnes demanded his cash and his phone and spouted racial abuse at him.
He robbed the driver of £130 and the phone before he ran off at about 12.40am.
He’d fetched the knife from an acquaintance’s home on that street, the court was told.
http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/karl-barnes-ruins-taxi-drivers-7437661
-----------------------------------------
Woman, 18, in court over knife attack on Telford taxi driver
A teenager appeared in court today to face charges after a taxi driver was cut in a knife attack in Telford.
Chloe Louise Watts, 18, of Sutton Hill, Telford did not enter a plea at Shrewsbury Crown Court.
She and a 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were originally charged with attempted murder.
They were arrested following an attack in Mossey Green, Ketley Bank, after which a taxi driver in his 40s needed 11 stitches to his hand.
But today Watts faced lesser charges of attempted robbery, wounding and possession of a blade in a public place.
Her co-defendant appeared at the same court on Monday where he pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding and possessing the knife.
He pleaded not guilty to attempted robbery and the crown prosecution service dropped the charge.
Watts' case was adjourned until Friday, July 25 for the crown to add a charge of assisting an offender.
http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2014/07/16/woman-18-in-court-over-knife-attack-on-telford-taxi-driver/
The driver of the private hire vehicle was taken into custody after he failed to provide a private hire driver licence.
Five vehicles were stopped during the operation and four drivers were issued with warnings.
The cautions were given for not wearing their private hire driver badge and having an expired first aid kit while one vehicle was displaying an expired private hire vehicle licence plate.
The new plate was later found in his boot.
The checks were jointly carried out by the Aylesbury town centre neighbourhood policing team along with officers from the licensing department of Aylesbury Vale District Council.
http://www.bucksherald.co.uk/news/crime/taxi-driver-arrested-in-licensing-operation-1-6182342
-------------------------------------------------
TEESIDE
A taxi driver’s life was ruined after he was robbed at knifepoint by a night-time passenger.
Karl Andrew Barnes was jailed for more than four years after he heard how his crime affected its vulnerable victim.
The cabbie said it left him a “changed person”, so scared he had to give up his livelihood.
The dad’s wife wants the family to leave the UK because she no longer feels safe.
Barnes, 23, grabbed his keys, turned off his car’s ignition and said: “Give me the money.”
He held a knife to the taxi driver’s chest, Teesside Crown Court heard today.
The drunken passenger was picked up from Dovecot Street, central Stockton on January 30.
He asked the driver to stop on Coulthard Court, South Bank then emerged from a home and came to the driver’s window.
The taxi driver thought he’d be paid as he wound his window down, said prosecutor Peter Sabiston.
Instead Barnes demanded his cash and his phone and spouted racial abuse at him.
He robbed the driver of £130 and the phone before he ran off at about 12.40am.
He’d fetched the knife from an acquaintance’s home on that street, the court was told.
http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/karl-barnes-ruins-taxi-drivers-7437661
-----------------------------------------
Woman, 18, in court over knife attack on Telford taxi driver
A teenager appeared in court today to face charges after a taxi driver was cut in a knife attack in Telford.
Chloe Louise Watts, 18, of Sutton Hill, Telford did not enter a plea at Shrewsbury Crown Court.
She and a 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were originally charged with attempted murder.
They were arrested following an attack in Mossey Green, Ketley Bank, after which a taxi driver in his 40s needed 11 stitches to his hand.
But today Watts faced lesser charges of attempted robbery, wounding and possession of a blade in a public place.
Her co-defendant appeared at the same court on Monday where he pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding and possessing the knife.
He pleaded not guilty to attempted robbery and the crown prosecution service dropped the charge.
Watts' case was adjourned until Friday, July 25 for the crown to add a charge of assisting an offender.
http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2014/07/16/woman-18-in-court-over-knife-attack-on-telford-taxi-driver/
Monday, 14 July 2014
Millionaire taxi driver jailed for £51,000 benefit fraud
A former taxi driver who said he was penniless and claimed £51,000 in benefits has been jailed after it emerged he had £1.2m in savings.
Richard Albert Cocks, 65, from Jersey, who lived in a government-funded flat, pleaded not guilty to fraud offences and declared he had no money in any bank accounts.
Cocks's defending lawyer said in mitigation that he had saved every penny he had.
He was jailed for four years.
Prosecuting, Richard Pedley said Cocks arranged to get his income payments in cash to hide his bank accounts.
He said Cocks was very unapologetic when confronted with evidence of his fraud, and felt betrayed by the banks for disclosing the information.
James Bell, defending, said Cocks had worked hard all his life, saved hard, and lived a modest life. He had never bought property, married, had children or gone on holiday.
He was ordered to pay back £51,000 to the social security department, and the Crown's legal costs.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey-28294102
--------------------------------------------------------------
Taxi numbers in Cambridge could be capped in response to congestion and violence concerns
A limit could be put on the number of hackney carriage taxis in Cambridge amid fears about congestion on the city’s streets.
Action is set to be taken by the city council in response to complaints about long queues of vehicles at ranks and warnings that competition between cabbies could boil over into violence.
On Monday the licensing committee is recommended to approve the first steps towards carrying out a survey to establish whether there is no significant unmet demand for more hackney carriages – the only circumstances under which the council can consider capping the number of licences it issues.
Cllr Jeremy Benstead, who chairs the panel, said: “We think it’s worth looking into this again and we are open-minded about it.
“If we have too many taxis all going to the same place, it can cause friction.”
There are currently 308 hackney carriages vying for trade in Cambridge.
This put numbers of the vehicles – which can be flagged down in the street or hired at a rank – at an all-time high.
They are up against 180 private hire vehicles, which cannot be regulated by the council, and another 800 registered in south Cambridgeshire.
Concerns have been expressed about the impact on highway safety of ‘over-ranking’ and taxi drivers have complained they have been forced to work ever longer hours.
A study commissioned by the council last year estimated that hackney carriage drivers now spent 51 per cent of their working time waiting, rather than on a job.
David Wratten, the chairman of trade association Cambridge City Licensed Taxis, welcomed the move.
He said: “We should put a cap on numbers – we need sensible management involving the councils and the trade. Drivers are having to work longer hours to make money.”
A cap on the number of hackney carriages was last in force in 1995, when there were 120 hackney carriages.
The committee is also recommended to approve an average increase of 2.2 per cent in hackney carriage fares, slightly lower than the 2.5 per cent rise requested by the trade.
There was no across-the-board fare increase last year in response to the economic downturn.
http://tinyurl.com/lhe5th3
A former taxi driver who said he was penniless and claimed £51,000 in benefits has been jailed after it emerged he had £1.2m in savings.
Richard Albert Cocks, 65, from Jersey, who lived in a government-funded flat, pleaded not guilty to fraud offences and declared he had no money in any bank accounts.
Cocks's defending lawyer said in mitigation that he had saved every penny he had.
He was jailed for four years.
Prosecuting, Richard Pedley said Cocks arranged to get his income payments in cash to hide his bank accounts.
He said Cocks was very unapologetic when confronted with evidence of his fraud, and felt betrayed by the banks for disclosing the information.
James Bell, defending, said Cocks had worked hard all his life, saved hard, and lived a modest life. He had never bought property, married, had children or gone on holiday.
He was ordered to pay back £51,000 to the social security department, and the Crown's legal costs.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey-28294102
--------------------------------------------------------------
Taxi numbers in Cambridge could be capped in response to congestion and violence concerns
A limit could be put on the number of hackney carriage taxis in Cambridge amid fears about congestion on the city’s streets.
Action is set to be taken by the city council in response to complaints about long queues of vehicles at ranks and warnings that competition between cabbies could boil over into violence.
On Monday the licensing committee is recommended to approve the first steps towards carrying out a survey to establish whether there is no significant unmet demand for more hackney carriages – the only circumstances under which the council can consider capping the number of licences it issues.
Cllr Jeremy Benstead, who chairs the panel, said: “We think it’s worth looking into this again and we are open-minded about it.
“If we have too many taxis all going to the same place, it can cause friction.”
There are currently 308 hackney carriages vying for trade in Cambridge.
This put numbers of the vehicles – which can be flagged down in the street or hired at a rank – at an all-time high.
They are up against 180 private hire vehicles, which cannot be regulated by the council, and another 800 registered in south Cambridgeshire.
Concerns have been expressed about the impact on highway safety of ‘over-ranking’ and taxi drivers have complained they have been forced to work ever longer hours.
A study commissioned by the council last year estimated that hackney carriage drivers now spent 51 per cent of their working time waiting, rather than on a job.
David Wratten, the chairman of trade association Cambridge City Licensed Taxis, welcomed the move.
He said: “We should put a cap on numbers – we need sensible management involving the councils and the trade. Drivers are having to work longer hours to make money.”
A cap on the number of hackney carriages was last in force in 1995, when there were 120 hackney carriages.
The committee is also recommended to approve an average increase of 2.2 per cent in hackney carriage fares, slightly lower than the 2.5 per cent rise requested by the trade.
There was no across-the-board fare increase last year in response to the economic downturn.
http://tinyurl.com/lhe5th3
Uber’s Search for Key Comms Hire Shows Just How Serious It Is About Fighting “Asshole” Taxi
In an interview with me at the Code Conference in May, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick was pretty clear that one of his key goals for the year was to hire a big-gun communications and public relations strategy person for the transportation logistics juggernaut.
The reason? “It’s not Pinterest where people are putting up pins. You’re changing the way cities work, and that’s fundamentally a third rail,” he said in his typically forthright manner. “We’re in a political campaign, and the candidate is Uber and the opponent is an asshole named Taxi.
Thus, the company has been aggressively seeking a senior executive who has run political campaigns, or who has run cities, to battle the entrenched forces mustered by Kalanick’s dreaded taxi industry.
“Nobody likes him, he’s not a nice character, but he’s so woven into the political machinery and fabric that a lot of people owe him favors,” said Kalanick about the adversary such an Uber exec would be up against. “We have to bring out the truth about how dark and dangerous and evil the taxi side is.”
As it turns out, the pugnacious Uber leader was not kidding. He has taken the lead in talking to a series of high-profile political operatives over the last months to take over perhaps the most important position at the company right now as it battles cities like Miami, Austin and Las Vegas to enter those markets.
That includes, perhaps most interestingly, well-known Democratic strategist Howard Wolfson, who sources said has been perhaps the candidate who has gotten furthest along in the job search.
According to several people with knowledge of the situation, the talks between Wolfson and Kalanick — who apparently had developed a good rapport — are over, in part due to Wolfson’s need to stay in New York, where his wife holds a major new job at the Clinton Foundation.
But the aim at someone like Wolfson is interesting nonetheless, since he is a very heavy-duty political player. Most recently, he worked for former mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg, replacing Kevin Sheekey as deputy mayor for governmental affairs. The move to Bloomberg was unusual since Wolfson — who appears all over cable shows and is a regular blogger — was the co-chief strategist and communications director for Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign.
His wife, Terri McCullough, was chief of staff to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and has been director of “No Ceilings: The Full Participation Project,” a major women’s effort spearheaded by Hillary and Chelsea Clinton, since January.
Kalanick is still looking, having talked to other political players such as former Obama White House press secretary Jay Carney (whose name is also being bandied about for the other big job opening in tech PR, at Apple). In addition, said sources, Uber is looking at big corporate names.
While he is not listening to me in any way, there are lots of other names that would fit, including the well-connected Sheekey (who doesn’t know Kevin?) and perhaps Google’s top comms exec, Rachel Whetstone (who doesn’t know Rachel?). The idea, said sources, is to get someone in the mode of Facebook comms and public policy head Elliot Schrage, but stepping up the volume to 11.
Which, for anyone who knows Elliot, would be very loud indeed.
Uber has already made a move in this direction with the recent hiring of Ashwini Chhabra, who was deputy commissioner for policy and planning at New York City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission. He is now in charge of policy development and community engagement at the company.
In addition — like Airbnb, another company with regulatory challenges — Uber has hired a number of top lobbying firms in various cities it has been moving into.
The move to get a top PR honcho is in keeping with Uber’s recruitment of top-level execs for other key jobs.
That has included over the last year an impressive lineup, including former Googler Brent Callinicos as CFO; Emil Michael, formerly COO of Klout, as SVP of business; longtime Amazon exec Jeff Holden as chief product officer; and Ed Baker, who previously ran international growth at Facebook, as head of growth.
“Kalanick needs a counselor, a manager and an executor of his intention to grow everywhere,” said one person close to the situation. “The person he picks will say a lot about Uber’s future.”
http://tinyurl.com/k358pyc
In an interview with me at the Code Conference in May, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick was pretty clear that one of his key goals for the year was to hire a big-gun communications and public relations strategy person for the transportation logistics juggernaut.
The reason? “It’s not Pinterest where people are putting up pins. You’re changing the way cities work, and that’s fundamentally a third rail,” he said in his typically forthright manner. “We’re in a political campaign, and the candidate is Uber and the opponent is an asshole named Taxi.
Thus, the company has been aggressively seeking a senior executive who has run political campaigns, or who has run cities, to battle the entrenched forces mustered by Kalanick’s dreaded taxi industry.
“Nobody likes him, he’s not a nice character, but he’s so woven into the political machinery and fabric that a lot of people owe him favors,” said Kalanick about the adversary such an Uber exec would be up against. “We have to bring out the truth about how dark and dangerous and evil the taxi side is.”
As it turns out, the pugnacious Uber leader was not kidding. He has taken the lead in talking to a series of high-profile political operatives over the last months to take over perhaps the most important position at the company right now as it battles cities like Miami, Austin and Las Vegas to enter those markets.
That includes, perhaps most interestingly, well-known Democratic strategist Howard Wolfson, who sources said has been perhaps the candidate who has gotten furthest along in the job search.
According to several people with knowledge of the situation, the talks between Wolfson and Kalanick — who apparently had developed a good rapport — are over, in part due to Wolfson’s need to stay in New York, where his wife holds a major new job at the Clinton Foundation.
But the aim at someone like Wolfson is interesting nonetheless, since he is a very heavy-duty political player. Most recently, he worked for former mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg, replacing Kevin Sheekey as deputy mayor for governmental affairs. The move to Bloomberg was unusual since Wolfson — who appears all over cable shows and is a regular blogger — was the co-chief strategist and communications director for Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign.
His wife, Terri McCullough, was chief of staff to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and has been director of “No Ceilings: The Full Participation Project,” a major women’s effort spearheaded by Hillary and Chelsea Clinton, since January.
Kalanick is still looking, having talked to other political players such as former Obama White House press secretary Jay Carney (whose name is also being bandied about for the other big job opening in tech PR, at Apple). In addition, said sources, Uber is looking at big corporate names.
While he is not listening to me in any way, there are lots of other names that would fit, including the well-connected Sheekey (who doesn’t know Kevin?) and perhaps Google’s top comms exec, Rachel Whetstone (who doesn’t know Rachel?). The idea, said sources, is to get someone in the mode of Facebook comms and public policy head Elliot Schrage, but stepping up the volume to 11.
Which, for anyone who knows Elliot, would be very loud indeed.
Uber has already made a move in this direction with the recent hiring of Ashwini Chhabra, who was deputy commissioner for policy and planning at New York City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission. He is now in charge of policy development and community engagement at the company.
In addition — like Airbnb, another company with regulatory challenges — Uber has hired a number of top lobbying firms in various cities it has been moving into.
The move to get a top PR honcho is in keeping with Uber’s recruitment of top-level execs for other key jobs.
That has included over the last year an impressive lineup, including former Googler Brent Callinicos as CFO; Emil Michael, formerly COO of Klout, as SVP of business; longtime Amazon exec Jeff Holden as chief product officer; and Ed Baker, who previously ran international growth at Facebook, as head of growth.
“Kalanick needs a counselor, a manager and an executor of his intention to grow everywhere,” said one person close to the situation. “The person he picks will say a lot about Uber’s future.”
http://tinyurl.com/k358pyc
Friday, 11 July 2014
LONDON
Thousands of black cab drivers could be forced to take payment by card within two years.
Around half of the capital cabs currently do not have the facility for debit or credit payment and many drivers are opposed to making such payments mandatory due to the cost of installing card readers.
But Transport for London wants to launch a consultation on making acceptance of cards mandatory from 2016.
If compulsory card payments for cabs are agreed, it will be a further step towards cashless transport after buses went cash free this week According to TfL, 88 per cent of black cab users want card payment as an option.
It is claimed is more convenient and safer as drivers and passengers using cash will not be prey to robbers.
New York made the fitting of card machines for cabbies compulsory in 2008 and has seen card payment increase from 20 percent to 55 per cent as a result.
Leon Daniels, TfL’s Managing Director of Surface Transport, said: “We are always keen to utilise technology to improve the experience of our passengers. Currently around half of the 23,000 taxis in the capital can already accept card payments. We are exploring a proposal to make this a mandatory requirement across the entire taxi fleet from 2016.
"The proposal would also see card transaction fees considered when we calculate overall taxis fares - meaning that passengers would pay the same fare regardless of how they chose to pay. The proposal will be discussed at the TfL Board in September and would be subject to a public consultation.”
For private hire taxis such as Addison Lee, some have adopted smartphone apps or use accounts. Some private hire offices may have card acceptance but there are no official requirements regarding card acceptance in their vehicles.
The proposal comes amid a row between taxi drivers and TfL over their decision to give a license to taxi app Uber. TfL insist that Uber does not operate on a taxi meter , which only can drivers are entitled to do, but this is being challenged in the courts by taxi unions. Drivers blockaded central London in protest at Uber on 11 June
Yesterday the London Assembly’s transport committee heard from one international expert that London was lagging behind in the adoption of new technology.
Matthew Daus, President of International Association of Transportation Regulators and former Commissioner, New York Taxi and Limousine Commission said: “London’s taxis are the gold standard, but London is on the verge of squandering that gold due to its poor record in adopting new technology.”
According to TfL, only three per cent of journeys are booked through a smartphone app such as Uber or Hailo.
The committee heard that London is seventh most expensive out of 72 world cities, with a three mile fare costing £13.53 compared to £5.52 in Paris and £4.99 in New York.
http://tinyurl.com/nl4epsv
-----------------------------------------------------
Sydney.
Four men were charged and arrested for card fraud offenses conducted through card skimming devices placed in taxis in Sydney, Australia.
The detectives from Strike Force Hereford 2 were investigating the activities of several men who were believed to be part of a well-organized credit card skimming group, and on July 1 they arrested four of them at a motel in Chullora.
Upon executing the search warrants, they found about 800 blank cards, a card encoder, a laptop and the necessary connectivity cables for downloading the stolen information on the computer.
The police says that the skimming device looked like a legitimate payment system, which would not raise any suspicion to a taxi customer.
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Four-Charged-and-Arrested-In-Taxi-Credit-Card-Skimming-Operation-450401.shtml
Thousands of black cab drivers could be forced to take payment by card within two years.
Around half of the capital cabs currently do not have the facility for debit or credit payment and many drivers are opposed to making such payments mandatory due to the cost of installing card readers.
But Transport for London wants to launch a consultation on making acceptance of cards mandatory from 2016.
If compulsory card payments for cabs are agreed, it will be a further step towards cashless transport after buses went cash free this week According to TfL, 88 per cent of black cab users want card payment as an option.
It is claimed is more convenient and safer as drivers and passengers using cash will not be prey to robbers.
New York made the fitting of card machines for cabbies compulsory in 2008 and has seen card payment increase from 20 percent to 55 per cent as a result.
Leon Daniels, TfL’s Managing Director of Surface Transport, said: “We are always keen to utilise technology to improve the experience of our passengers. Currently around half of the 23,000 taxis in the capital can already accept card payments. We are exploring a proposal to make this a mandatory requirement across the entire taxi fleet from 2016.
"The proposal would also see card transaction fees considered when we calculate overall taxis fares - meaning that passengers would pay the same fare regardless of how they chose to pay. The proposal will be discussed at the TfL Board in September and would be subject to a public consultation.”
For private hire taxis such as Addison Lee, some have adopted smartphone apps or use accounts. Some private hire offices may have card acceptance but there are no official requirements regarding card acceptance in their vehicles.
The proposal comes amid a row between taxi drivers and TfL over their decision to give a license to taxi app Uber. TfL insist that Uber does not operate on a taxi meter , which only can drivers are entitled to do, but this is being challenged in the courts by taxi unions. Drivers blockaded central London in protest at Uber on 11 June
Yesterday the London Assembly’s transport committee heard from one international expert that London was lagging behind in the adoption of new technology.
Matthew Daus, President of International Association of Transportation Regulators and former Commissioner, New York Taxi and Limousine Commission said: “London’s taxis are the gold standard, but London is on the verge of squandering that gold due to its poor record in adopting new technology.”
According to TfL, only three per cent of journeys are booked through a smartphone app such as Uber or Hailo.
The committee heard that London is seventh most expensive out of 72 world cities, with a three mile fare costing £13.53 compared to £5.52 in Paris and £4.99 in New York.
http://tinyurl.com/nl4epsv
-----------------------------------------------------
Sydney.
Four men were charged and arrested for card fraud offenses conducted through card skimming devices placed in taxis in Sydney, Australia.
The detectives from Strike Force Hereford 2 were investigating the activities of several men who were believed to be part of a well-organized credit card skimming group, and on July 1 they arrested four of them at a motel in Chullora.
Upon executing the search warrants, they found about 800 blank cards, a card encoder, a laptop and the necessary connectivity cables for downloading the stolen information on the computer.
The police says that the skimming device looked like a legitimate payment system, which would not raise any suspicion to a taxi customer.
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Four-Charged-and-Arrested-In-Taxi-Credit-Card-Skimming-Operation-450401.shtml
France is to ban car-share start-ups from using mobile phone apps to attract fares in an attempt to resolve a dispute between taxi drivers and companies like US-based Uber, which they claim are threatening their livelihoods.
After months off strikes and protests by taxi drivers, the French parliament on Thursday voted for a bill that aims to establish ground rules for what it terms “transport cars with driver” – previously referred to in France as “tourism cars with driver” – and “modernise the taxi profession”.
Angry cabbies have tried to stop the spread of Uber and other companies, which allow customers to locate and order cars through apps, in France and many other countries.
A Europe-wide day of action saw traffic blocked in several European countries last month and New York’s cabbies have been fighting the development for months, with car-sharing start-up Lyft being banned from operating in the city on Wednesday.
The bill, moved by Socialist MP Thomas Thevenoud who was named mediator in the conflict by previous prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault in February, would ban non-taxi paid cars from being traced on apps, while allowing registered taxis to be, and forbids them from park near airports or stations while waiting for a fare.
The modernisation drive includes proposals to allow local authorities to decide a colour that would identify taxis in their area and to oblige taxis to instal terminals for bankers’ cards.
It would also stop the sale of licences, which are issued free by the authorities but may currently be sold on for as much as high as 200,000 euros.
The right-wing UMP and the hard-left Left Front abstained on the bill, which must now go to the Senate.
"To ban a technology in 2014 is absurd," commented UMP MP Lionel Tardy.
The development of app-inspired car-sharing companies is partly due to a flood of cheap credit issued by central banks in an effort to revive American and European economies
http://www.english.rfi.fr/americas/20140711-france-ban-car-share-start-ups-using-apps-after-taxi-protests
After months off strikes and protests by taxi drivers, the French parliament on Thursday voted for a bill that aims to establish ground rules for what it terms “transport cars with driver” – previously referred to in France as “tourism cars with driver” – and “modernise the taxi profession”.
Angry cabbies have tried to stop the spread of Uber and other companies, which allow customers to locate and order cars through apps, in France and many other countries.
A Europe-wide day of action saw traffic blocked in several European countries last month and New York’s cabbies have been fighting the development for months, with car-sharing start-up Lyft being banned from operating in the city on Wednesday.
The bill, moved by Socialist MP Thomas Thevenoud who was named mediator in the conflict by previous prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault in February, would ban non-taxi paid cars from being traced on apps, while allowing registered taxis to be, and forbids them from park near airports or stations while waiting for a fare.
The modernisation drive includes proposals to allow local authorities to decide a colour that would identify taxis in their area and to oblige taxis to instal terminals for bankers’ cards.
It would also stop the sale of licences, which are issued free by the authorities but may currently be sold on for as much as high as 200,000 euros.
The right-wing UMP and the hard-left Left Front abstained on the bill, which must now go to the Senate.
"To ban a technology in 2014 is absurd," commented UMP MP Lionel Tardy.
The development of app-inspired car-sharing companies is partly due to a flood of cheap credit issued by central banks in an effort to revive American and European economies
http://www.english.rfi.fr/americas/20140711-france-ban-car-share-start-ups-using-apps-after-taxi-protests
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