UBER Greater Manchester.

Following the spotting of a Uber PH Car at Manchester Piccadilly Station yesterday. It was decided to check if Bury , the area the car was plated, had issued a PH Operators licence to Uber.

It turns out they did, one week ago. Further enquiry's made by the National PH Association at Bury revealed that Oldham had also issued a similar Licence. A request for a Licence has been made to Trafford, this is still being processed.

Tameside have had no approach from Uber, and Wigan Council have never heard of Uber, a spokeman there asked of Uber
"Is it a very Big Meat pie , on a stick" ?

A response from Rochdale is awaited.

Currently Uber have operators licenses for 6 of Manchester's 10 authorities, 7 if we count Trafford.
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Publicity will be cranked up next week, I doubt it will all be to Uber's advantage.

The French Taxi Unions meet on Monday 20th, severe action is expected there.

On Tuesday 21 at 2p.m The London trade, led on this occasion by the United Cabbies Group, intend to protest and block Oxford Street in the Capital.

The UK and Central European papers will be busy next week, no doubt.
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Further news Tonight is that an Application has been made to Newcastle City Council for an operators licence.

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Controversial taxi service Uber could be on its way to Newcastle, with the firm admitting it’s looking at launching in the city.

The American service, which sees passengers request a journey via a mobile phone app and signed up drivers respond, has in the last year become one of the world’s biggest tech firms, operating in 55 countries and more than 200 cities worldwide.

And Newcastle City Council has confirmed that it has issued a licence for the multi-billion dollar company to potentially make the North East’s capital the next stop on its rapid expansion.

“Uber’s plan is to be in every major city in the UK and we have a number of options of where we want to be - including Newcastle,” a spokesman for the firm told The Chronicle.


http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/smartphone-taxi-app-uber-looking-9043831

Last month, our parent company Geely announced that it was investing £250 million to build a new factory at Ansty, near Coventry, to put into production the next generation of the iconic London Black Cab.

The new TX5 will be a plug-in, range extended electric hybrid vehicle and will be available before 1st January 2018 in order to meet the requirements set by The Mayor of London for all new taxis to be Zero-Emissions Capable (“ZEC”) by that date.

Geely would not have had the confidence to make this investment had it not been for the strong support that we have received from the Licensed Hackney Carriage Trade.  Last year we sold more TX4’s in London than in any year since its launch in 2007.   The Chairman of Geely, Li Shufu, has asked me to send you his personal thanks for the confidence and loyalty that you have shown in the iconic London Black Cab. 

In recognition of this loyalty, he has decided that everyone who has purchased a new TX4 since Geely acquired The London Taxi Company (“LTC”) in February 2013 should receive a voucher which will entitle them to £1000 off the price of a new TX5.

 Furthermore, this offer will extend to anyone who buys a new TX4 between now and the TX5 launch date in 2017.  This is our way of saying a big thank you for supporting us. 

http://cabtradenews.org/2015/04/09/letter-to-the-taxi-trade-from-ltcs-peter-johansen/
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Comment:  Is this taking the P*ss. ? ? A grand off a new cab in two years time, if you spend £37 grand now and know that you will not have time to pay for the Cab, before you have to upgrade again, at an undisclosed future price.
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Exeter.

A city councillor has been threatened with legal action following a contentious decision to remove restrictions on the number of hackney taxis.

Members of the licensing committee voted to de-restrict the number of cabbies allowed to collect passengers from city taxi ranks and be hailed in the street.

The verdict was met with anger and consternation by drivers who accused the council of killing their livelihoods.

Since the meeting Labour councillor Gill Tippins has been sent a “dynamite” letter by hackney driver Graham Woollacott in which he claims to serve ‘legal notice’ on her.

The letter, dated March 25, reads: “If de-restriction goes ahead, I will hold you ‘totally responsible’ for any loss in my income, loss of my job, hardship in my home, hardship to my three-year-old son and his education.”

The decision was made without the commission of a survey into unmet demand.

The letter reads: “To de-restrict without carrying out a survey into unmet demand was wreckless and gross negligent (sic) by you, committee members and Exeter City Council.”

It warns unless a survey is undertaken by a ‘reputable independent survey company’ he will also hold her “totally responsible’ for various perceived negative impacts on the taxi industry, drivers and the public.

Mr Woollacott also criticised Cllr Tippins for saying that the “priority” of the committee was the public interest.

The letter goes on to request a variety of documentation from the city council under the Freedom of Information Act related to the taxi trade in Exeter, including paper copies of ‘all’ taxi surveys into unmet demand over the last 20 years.

Conservative councillor Percy Prowse said: “This letter has got dynamite contents. It infers the writer knows something which is why it is phrased in such a way.

“It appears to be the pre-cursor for legal processes, trying to establish a few facts about what the city council did and didn’t know.”

Exeter St David’s Taxi Association has promised to seek a judicial review over the ruling to remove the limit of 66 licensed hackneys.

Hassan Al-Seaidy, 58, who owns two hackney license plates, said: “This decision will affect children whose parents are being punished.

“The taxi drivers worked very hard, but now their plates will be taken away from them.

“The council does not seem to be worried about us and our livelihoods. There are so many questions for them to answer.”

At the meeting on March 16 councillors also decided to enhance quality controls for city taxis, including a distinctive colour scheme.

The new policies will come into effect on June 17.

Cllr Gill Tippins and the city council declined to comment on the letter.

Speaking after the meeting Cllr Keith Owen, lead councillor for environment, health and wellbeing, said the committee had “considered carefully” the arguments for and against de-restriction. He said several members had found it a “difficult” decision to make.

http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/Exeter-taxi-driver-threatens-legal-action-city/story-26303523-detail/story.html?#ixzz3Wk9wSuih 

Comment: Bullshit letter,

Firstly; It has been established many times that a Council can de-limit whenever they wish, as long as they consult with the trade first. (Liverpool 1972)

A council only needs a Survey to keep numbers down, this has been the case since the implementation of the 1985 Transport Act.

Secondly; you cannot take court action against an Individual Councillor, for a Council decision. That much is obvious, if you could take action against an individual the system would never work. Not that it does now anyway.

Good luck to the Exeter Lads, you will need it.
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Police and Crime Commissioner to meet council bosses over taxi licensing safeguarding in Rossendale

Lancashire’s police boss will meet with licensing chiefs to discuss safeguarding within Rossendale’s taxi trade.

Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw is due to meet the council’s chief executive and licensing bosses to discuss issues within the local Hackney and Private Hire trade.

The action comes just weeks after a Rochdale council report claimed that its work to protect vulnerable residents was undermined by a ‘legal loophole’ which allows Hackney Carriage vehicles licensed by one authority to work in another area as a Private Hire vehicle.

Rochdale council claimed Rossendale council also adopted a ‘lower standard’ for its drivers in areas of language skills, area knowledge and safeguarding. Rossendale council said it refuted various aspects of the report.

Mr Grunshaw raised the issue of taxi licensing when he recently met with Rossendale councillors to discuss police and crime plan priorities and funding cuts.

He said: “I met with councillors recently and took part in a workshop with them.

“The main purpose of my visit was to discuss with them my police and crime plan priorities and the continuing impact of funding cuts, although the issue of taxi licensing was raised and that we have agreed to a formal meeting to discuss this issue.”

Coun Gladys Sandiford, who attended the meeting with Mr Grunshaw, said: “The commissioner raised taxi licensing himself at the meeting.

“He had a letter from his correspondent in Leeds complaining vociferously about the number of taxi licences.

“It seems there are a lot of Rossendale taxis in Leeds causing all sorts of problems.”

A Rossendale council spokesman said: “Our chief executive called for this meeting and we are awaiting to hear back from Mr Grunshaw’s office with regards a date he can attend.”

Around 1,200 cabbies are currently using Rossendale council licences to drive outside of the Valley and 2,412 drivers are licensed by the authority.

Rossendale council has confirmed that half of these are using their licences to drive passengers in neighbouring boroughs such as Rochdale, Bradford and Manchester.

Licensing bosses recently recommended introducing a basic skills test for drivers in a bid to cut down on the number of drivers applying for licences.

Foreign convicts could be given jobs as taxi drivers because of a legal loophole preventing employers from checking their records, it has emerged.

Licensing authorities in London are not allowed to carry out background checks on asylum seekers and refugees in case it damages their case.

The gap in the rules is spelled out in a Transport for London document on “private hire driver licensing” applications.

The form states: “With regards to overseas criminal records checks, no such checks will be made in respect of those applicants who declare that they are in possession of or who have applied for refugee or asylum status.”

Conservative MP Nick de Bois told the Daily Express: “They should not be offering licences to those they can’t check on. They could be putting vulnerable members of the public in the hands of thieves, murderers and rapists. It beggars belief.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/11518708/Foreign-convicts-allowed-to-work-as-taxi-drivers-without-disclosing-crimes.html
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NEW YORK (AP) -- Business travelers are bypassing the taxi queue with greater frequency, choosing instead ride-hailing services like Uber Technologies.

A new report by expense management system provider Certify shows that 47 percent of the ground transportation rides by its users in March were through Uber. That's more than tripled from the 14 percent of rides that Uber had just over a year ago in January 2014. 

In a few cities, Uber now tops taxi rides for business travelers.
"While we often see noteworthy market shifts — leading restaurant chains and hotels exchanging leadership positions, for example — it is unprecedented to see one vendor grow to take such a commanding market share within one year's time," says Certify CEO Bob Neveu.

https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/ubers-popularity-surges-business-travelers-040212674.html
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EIRE

More than 100 taxi drivers have been prosecuted for operating a vehicle without a driving licence within the past five years, making it the most common prosecution the National Transport Authority has taken.

The authority, which is the regulatory body for small public service vehicles and handles taxi complaints, took 80 prosecutions against drivers last year.

The body also referred 208 complaints to an Garda Síochána, the bulk of which were connected to road traffic matters which come under that organisation’s remit and complaints against taxi drivers who were not operating the taxi as a public service vehicle at the time.
Last year the authority took 21 prosecutions against drivers without a valid driver licence while a further 16 related to drivers without a valid vehicle licence. Six prosecutions were taken against drivers who had neither licence.

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/over-100-taxi-drivers-prosecuted-for-having-no-driving-licences-1.2166705
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Lynk, Ireland's answer to the Hailo taxi app, is set to make a massive push into the UK market with €25m in private funding as early as next year.

The app, which was developed by taxi fleet management company Global Taxis, employs more than 170 people at its Dublin base.

It has seen phenomenal growth since its February launch and recently merged with Dublin's third largest taxi firm, Blue Cabs, to add 200 new drivers. Lynk now has around 2,800 drivers signed to its fleet.

The app allows bookings in advance of journeys and customers can also make multiple bookings at the same time.

Founder Noel Ebbs, pictured, said the company aims to have 5,000 drivers signed up by the end of the year. He said the company aims to be nationwide by the end of the year and will then focus on expanding abroad.

"We started up with €2.5m of seed capital which came primarily from the host company, which is Global, and private investors. That is enough to take us through Ireland [but] moving abroad we will need more."

When asked where the money would be sourced, he said: "Private funding. I reckon we would need at least 10 times what we had [for Ireland] for the UK."

He added: "By the end of this year we'll be moving into the UK. If we meet targets here, which by all accounts we seem to be well ahead of, we have undertakings that funding will be there."

He said that the backers would be based mostly in Ireland or the UK.

Unlike Hailo, which takes a percentage of every cab fare, Lynk currently makes the majority of its revenue from membership fees paid by drivers who sign up to the service.

The fees are currently in the region of €70 per week, although drivers can reduce this by measures such as signing up a friend to the service.

The company is expecting to hit a turnover of €10m by the end of its financial year, which will be next March. Mr Ebbs said the company is currently on target to achieve that aim.

He admitted that he does not expect the UK expansion to be as rapid as the Irish one, saying that he would be "very happy if we were turning over €25m by the end of the first year".

http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/taxi-app-lynk-to-get-25m-in-backing-for-uk-launch-31122191.html
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HailO

HailO's joke of the year was their piggyback press release. April fools day.

Not a bad effort. However follows of my blogs both here and MCR Blackcabs, will remember my friend Gordon. 

My pal Gordon, has worked the Northern Quarter of Manchester for years. He does not have a thriving business for all his efforts.

As I say, his name is Gordon, but, you can call him 'Flash'

So, hard luck HailO, Gordon and I beat you to it.

A controversial taxi service which uses 

mobile phone apps to book cars is 

coming to Wakefield.

Uber has successfully applied for a private hire operator’s licence from Wakefield Council.

Wakefield is the fifth British city to get the new services, which uses a smartphone app to connect passengers and drivers, cutting out the use of taxi companies.

Taxi drivers around the UK have voiced concerns over the regulation of the app, which they say is effectively a meter, which only black cabs are entitled to use.

No cash changes hands when taxis are booked through Uber, with charges automatically processed through the passenger’s card details.

Last June, a protest was held by cabbies in London bringing roads to a standstill and Leeds taxi drivers also protested last October at the arrival of Uber in the city.

Tom Elvidge, Uber’s general manager in Yorkshire, said 10,000 people in Wakefield had opened the app since it launched in Leeds.

http://www.wakefieldexpress.co.uk/news/business/business-news/mobile-app-taxi-firm-to-arrive-in-wakefield-1-7143133

Comment:

Why have Uber picked Wakefield.? Wakefield borders Leeds southwards into West Yorks.

Uber  have shown their tactics here in Greater Manchester, I believe they will now plan further launches in Barnsley and then Sheffield.

That would then give them control over West Yorkshire, from North to South all along the M1 motorway corridor.

I would advise our West Yorks colleagues to monitor planning applications in Barnsley and Sheffield and perhaps arrange objections.

CONTROVERSIAL smartphone taxi company Uber — which allows people to book a minicab using an app on their mobile phone — is coming to Bolton.

A 12-month licence has been granted by Bolton Council allowing Uber to operate in the borough — and the firm has told The Bolton News it is excited about the prospect of coming to the town.

However, local private hire companies are unhappy, with one taxi boss predicting that firms could join forces to protest against the council.

In June last year, parts of London were brought to a standstill as black-cab drivers held a mass protest against Uber and the Transport for London authority — claiming that the firm was not being governed by the proper taxi regulations.

http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/12867236._/

As I predicted here last year. The Greater Manchester plate is here.

Uber have been issued a Bolton Operators Licence. It is quite obvious there is little attraction for an American Multi National Company to seize an opportunity in Bolton, with the exception of one fact : They now have four Licences, which in an almost straight line, dissect Greater Manchester from North to South.

From October 1, this year it will be legal for all those vehicles to work any of those four area's. 

We already know they have Stockport and Salford vehicles working here, we know Leeds vehicles are showing up here as well. We know Get Taxi are offering jobs to any Hackney (i.e. Liverpool) passing through the area.

From October 1. Arrow Cars will have the legal right to use Cars from four area's to service any of their four Airports, Including Manchester.

I know I spread 'Doom and Gloom', BUT, please wake up.

We are in for a dreadful winter.