A total of 15 firefighters from Aldridge, Bloxwich and Perry Barr joined police to help scour the scene and look for anyone who may have been trapped inside or underneath the vehicle. 

-------------------------------------------------------- 

 Restaurant owner Richard Gladwin is facing the loss of the licence for his fashionable Chelsea diner after a man was arrested brandishing a shotgun in the street and taking aim at a passing taxi driver.

Mr Gladwin, 31, a part-owner of “wild food” restaurant Rabbit, was arrested by armed police after passers-by reported a man walking down King’s Road in the early hours with a shotgun.

There were also reports of a man “in a shooting stance” pointing the gun at a taxi driving past and then walking into the Rabbit restaurant.

http://goo.gl/NkZ0sk

-------------------------------------

 BIRMINGHAM

 
More than 110 cabbies with criminal records - including four once jailed for violence - have been granted licences by Birmingham City Council.

The Hackney Carriage and private hire operators have been allowed to work in the trade despite committing more than 300 offences, which also include possessing drugs, CS gas, dangerous driving and speeding.


A Birmingham Mail investigation has discovered 114 cabbies were granted licences by the council in the last two years after disclosing their criminal pasts.

They include one driver who served four and a half years in jail for wounding with intent to commit GBH in 2009.

Another cabbie given the green light by the council, spent three years in a young offender institution after committing the same offence in 2007.

Others have been jailed for assault, while one driver was fined £250 in 2013 after failing to carry out a booking made by a disabled person, accompanied by their guide dog.

Another who successfully won a licence collected two fines for failing to stop after an accident and driving without due care and attention in 2013.

The city council has defended its licensing committee decisions, and states the cabbies with criminal pasts represent just 1.8 per cent of the 6,250 licences granted each year.

But Mohammed Taj, from Birmingham Black Cab Drivers Association, said: “I am quite surprised that Birmingham City Council has licensed so many ex-cons, many of whom appear to have serious convictions, convictions for violence, which could potentially put the health and safety of the public at risk.

“Having a conviction for violence suggests a person has violent tendencies and you have to ask yourself whether such people should be trusted to remain in a position of trust as taxi drivers, often dealing with vulnerable members of the public.”

http://goo.gl/4KRtY1

-----------------------------------------

 LONDON

 A lack of taxi ranks could leave passengers stranded when the proposed 24-hour operation of some London Underground routes begins, claims Labour London Assembly Transport spokesman Val Shawcross.

Shawcross says that 72 of the 144 stations on the Night Tube network do not have a taxi rank within 250 metres, and that this could leave passengers “struggling to complete their journey”. The issue is said to be particularly acute in outer London, where two-thirds of Night Tube stations do not have taxi ranks. In inner London 64% of stations have one nearby, as well as more frequent night bus services.

TfL plans to add taxi ranks to 26 Night Tube stations, but Shawcross is calling on London Mayor Boris Johnson to ensure all have a taxi rank within 250 metres.

“With the Night Tube start pushed back to autumn, the Mayor has a chance to put his foot on the accelerator and get this sorted,” she said.

“The Night Tube will only get you so far. People need to know that when they get off the Tube there will be a taxi there to help them finish their journey safely if they want it.”

http://goo.gl/zhC98Y

-------------------------------------------------------------

SHROPSHIRE

A private hire taxi driver licensed by Shropshire Council, was sentenced at Telford Magistrates Court yesterday after being caught illegally plying for hire in Telford.

 Manawar Hussian of Birmingham, was caught in Wellington by Licensing Officers from Telford & Wrekin Council when he accepted an un-booked fare after being approached by police special constables posing as prospective customers as part of a joint undercover operation at the end of last year.

 He pleaded guilty to the offences of plying for hire and having no motor insurance for the journey undertaken. Following the successful prosecution by Telford & Wrekin Council Mr Hussain was ordered by the court to pay a total of £2,076 in fines and costs and also received seven penalty points on his driving license.

 Nicky Minshall, Service Delivery Manager for Public Protection, said: “These operations are part of our ongoing efforts to ensure that taxi drivers operating in Telford and Wrekin, and the taxis they drive, comply with the law and are properly insured. “This is a matter of public safety and members of the public are extremely vulnerable if they ‘flag down’ a private hire vehicle which can only accept pre-booked journeys. “We urge anyone in the borough taking a taxi to use one that is pre-booked through a licensed operator or is a Hackney carriage licensed by Telford & Wrekin Council. “We will continue to crack down on all taxi drivers and operators who ignore the rules and we encourage members of the public to report illegal activity to us.

 We can use this information to help determine our enforcement activities.”

http://goo.gl/S5rkaQ
-------------------------------------

 University launches free taxi scheme for students following Cardiff sex attacks.

 

Cardiff University has been making its students aware of its Safe Taxi scheme on social media sites following three sexual assaults in the city in five days.

Two men are being questioned by police following a report of a 'serious sexual assault' near Gorsedd Gardens in Cardiff city centre.

The incidents were reported within a mile of each other. South Wales Police says it is too soon to tell whether the attacks are linked.

http://goo.gl/m5xcuy
-----------------------------------
 

UK taxi law changes: Security advice for passengers

PEOPLE booking private hire services next month may find the company picking them up is not the firm they booked.

Changes to taxi legislation which come into force on October 1 will allow private hire firms to sub-contract customer bookings to other companies, which may or may not be based in the same council area.

The changes have been criticised in some quarters, as they could make it harder for customers to ensure they are being picked up by drivers they know.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council is advising residents to take precautions once the changes come in.

A spokesman said the council's licensing team advises residents to:

Make clear when they make a booking that they want to be collected by a driver from the company they are calling.

To ensure they check when a driver turns up that they are licensed and have their full details.

If at all unsure, phone the company you booked through again, and check the vehicle that has arrived is the one they have sent.

When booking a Private Hire Car with Arrow Cars at Manchester Airport, Please make sure the car is registered in Bristol, North East Derbyshire, Leeds or Manchester.

A TAXI boss has said he would back a zero emissions zone in Oxford that allowed hybrid vehicles.

Zero emission zones only permit vehicles that create no pollutants such as bicycles and electric cars and buses.

But Mark Green, owner of 001 Taxis, said at present electric vehicles were too expensive and do not offer enough mileage without lengthy charge periods.


He has just spent £4m buying 180 hybrid cars for his firm, many of which run on electric power at speeds below 30mph.

And because of speed limits in the centre of Oxford – all 20mph or 30mph – he said this meant they were effectively already running at ‘zero emissions’.


He said: “You would be running at 30mph or below throughout most of the city, so if you allowed these hybrid vehicles you could already have a zero emission zone.

“We have all got to do our bit to help with reducing pollution, but the current problem with electric vehicles is that there are currently no models on the road with the right mileage or cost.

http://goo.gl/FoT63i
----------------------------------------
OXFORD

 A TAXI driver who picked up two women stranded in Oxford wept uncontrollably when he was convicted of raping one of them while she was asleep at his house.

A court heard the young women had been on a night out in the city when they missed their bus home.

Judge Peter Ross told Oxford Crown Court the girls called Abul Chowdhury after two young men tried to get them to stay overnight at a hotel with them.

The judge said: “I accept that you answered a call from the girls. They needed your help.

“They had been duped into going to the Holiday Inn at the Pear Tree roundabout with two young men.”

A jury of six men and six women were told 36-year-old Chowdhury had offered the girls breakfast at his home in Witney. When they arrived at the house in Blakes Avenue, the women went to bed; one in the spare room and the other in Chowdhury’s room.

Prosecuting, Michael Shaw said one of the women woke up to find Chowdhury raping her.

The married father denied the rape and a further count of assault by penetration on the other girl.

But the jury found him guilty of rape by a majority verdict yesterday after nearly six-and-a-half hours of deliberation. He was acquitted of the second charge.

Sarah Buckingham, defending, said her client’s marriage had now broken up and his family was living in Wales.

She added: “He has lived in this country and been industrious and hardworking since 2006.

“It was an isolated incident, no violence was used to carry out the attack.

“No doubt custody will be hard for him.”

Chowdhury descended into uncontrollable sobs after the verdict.

Judge Ross told Chowdhury that he accepted the attack was not pre-planned and he had not lured the women to his home with the offer of breakfast to entrap them.

Jailing him for 10 years, he said: “There was nothing whatsoever that had occurred that night which would have given you the slightest idea that she welcomed any sexual attention.

“Because she was asleep she was particularly vulnerable.”
Judge Ross said Chowdhury had lied to police when he claimed the girl had “raped” him.
     
He added: “You allowed yourself to be overcome by your sexual desire.”

Chowdhury will also have to sign the sexual offenders’ register for life.

http://goo.gl/IL8Y6N
---------------------------------

 A TAXI driver who ignored the night closure at Horseshoe Common and mounted the pavement to get round the barrier has been banned from operating for five weeks.

The driver was one of two to face disciplinary action at a hearing of a Bournemouth Licensing Board sub-committee yesterday.

Council officers told the meeting both drivers were caught driving in the Horseshoe Common area despite it being closed to all vehicles after midnight.


The restrictions have been introduced by the police and council as part of the improvements in the town centre area to help reduce crime and incidents of anti social behaviour, as well as improve road safety around the common.


Earlier this year chair of Bournemouth Taxi Trades Association John Tye publicly resigned from his position over rogue taxi drivers flouting the rules, which he said made him ashamed.

http://goo.gl/cBhO1Z
------------------------------------
STOKE

 PASSENGERS have made almost 1,000 complaints about taxi drivers in just three years – including allegations of drink-driving, a rape and a stabbing.

Other gripes include overcharging, smelly cabs, dangerous driving and abusive cabbies.

In one incident a taxi parked without its handbrake on rolled down a hill and smashed into a car.

More than 800 of the complaints have been made about Stoke-on-Trent cabbies – with half relating to poor 'attitude, behaviour and customer service'. A further 188 complaints have been made about taxi drivers in Newcastle.

It comes after The Sentinel reported this month that Tunstall taxi driver Mohammed Shamraiz was jailed for eight months for sexually assaulting a drunken woman in his cab.

Customers have been left stunned by the scale of the grievances. Wheelchair user Michelle Cooper, aged 54, of Stoke, said: "I know of some people who are being charged three times too much for fares.

"The taxi drivers are hit and miss. You get some really helpful drivers who carry your shopping. But others are very arrogant and rude and treat you worse than a second-class citizen."

Ross Irving, of Cobridge, uses taxis frequently for getting around and on weekends.

The 25-year-old said: "It's a mixed bag. Some are very pleasant and others are miserable and drive dangerously. I've been in a car in Hanley where a taxi driver was doing 60mph in a 30mph road.

Pam Bryan, secretary of the Stoke-on-Trent Area Network for Disability (Stand), said members regularly complained about drivers. She added: "Some private hire firms are absolutely marvellous but others are not. Some drivers will park in disabled bays and when a person complains they get abused."

Details of the complaints made to the borough council include:

A Hackney carriage driver acting aggressively and swearing at a family;

A cabbie being rude to council staff after three failed MOT tests;

Attempted theft of a mobile;

A driver allegedly under the influence of alcohol.

However, taxi drivers today defended their record, saying a complaint doesn't necessarily mean a driver is guilty.

Tariq Mahmood chairman of the Newcastle and Kidsgrove Taxi Association, said: "There are some drivers who do overcharge but that's unfortunately out of my control. Complaints I've dealt with have gone down 90 per cent."

Dave Currie, regional secretary of the National Private Hire Association, added: "Private hire operators in Stoke-on-Trent move about 14-and-a-half million people a year. In terms of the complaints, that's a fraction of that number.

"It always has to be remembered that just because a person complains, it doesn't mean it's always justified."

According to Stoke-on-Trent City Council, there are 184 Hackney carriages, 1,186 private hire vehicles and a total of 1,704 licensed taxi drivers.

Licensing manager Rachel Wallwork said she 'wasn't worried' by the statistics given the amount of drivers in the city.

She added cabbies undergo rigorous training, disclose convictions and have a medical certificate. She said: "Sometimes the driver hasn't done anything wrong. We monitor firms to ensure they have responded to the complaint and each complaint is investigated."

http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/1-000-complaints-cabbies-just-years/story-27848084-detail/story.html

South Manchester Cab driver in Custody over Hit and Run
 
Cops quiz taxi driver over horror city centre hit-and-run

Police are quizzing a cab driver over a hit and run crash which left a high-flying student fighting for her life.

Postgraduate student Melissa Layla Lewis, 22, was left for dead after being hit by a taxi on Sunday.

She had only just moved from London to start a master’s degree in political economy at Manchester University with the aim of becoming a diplomat.

But she is now fighting to survive after being left with critical injuries, Manchester Evening News reports.

Police trying to track the cab driver involved in the smash last night arrested a 55-year-old man at his home in south Manchester.

He was held on suspicion of causing serious injuries by dangerous driving and of failing to stop at the scene of a collision. He remained in police custody for questioning last night.

Speaking earlier in the week, police revealed it was not yet clear whether the driver was fully aware of the crash or the seriousness of Melissa's injuries.

Speaking from Melissa's hospital bedside, her mother Lynda Canning-Lewis described how a passing stranger's actions may have saved her daughter's life.

In a statement, she said: “Melissa had only just moved to Manchester to start her master’s degree with her whole future ahead of her."

22-year-old politics student Melissa Layla Lewis22-year-old politics student Melissa Layla Lewis

The student was found with head injuries on Chester Street off Oxford Road, close to Manchester Metropolitan University buildings, at around 4.45am.

Her mum revealed a passer-by dialled 999 and didn’t move Melissa, potentially saving her life.

“I’d like to thank the person who rang the ambulance and thank them for not moving Melissa, probably saving her life.

“I’d also like to thank all the staff at the hospital and the university for their help and concerns for a student who was about to start with them.”

Officers have been trawling through hours of CCTV footage from cameras surrounding the scene.

Police said they still wanted to speak to anyone who had witnessed the collision.

Anybody with information can call GMP’s serious collision investigation unit on 0161 856 4741 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/cops-quiz-taxi-driver-over-6496558
 

Manchester..Conservative Party Conference.


The Party Conference is here this weekend.

Starts Sunday Through to Wednesday inclusive.

Email Traffic Today suggests the Security Threat is Severe ! A quick look at the MI5 Website confirms this.

So as they used to say on 'Hill Street Blues'

"Lets be careful out there"

 BLACKBURN

 A TAXI chief has hit out at vandals who trashed his hackney cab in what he believes was a targeted attack.

The cab was parked in a car park in Mulberry Walk, Blackburn, when its windscreen and four windows were smashed by vandals, who then sped off in an unknown vehicle.

Umar Talaty, who owns the car, which is used by another driver, said he was furious after the “targeted attack” that left him facing a repair bill of more than £1,500.

Mr Talaty, secretary of Blackburn with Darwen Private Hire Association, said: “They have smashed all the vehicle’s windows and then they have run away.

“The people who live around there said they were shocked to hear the amount of noise.

“Some of them were too scared to go outside to find out what was going on. No other cars in the car park were damaged or anything.

“They specifically damaged the black cab. The cab was targeted.

“Nothing has been taken at all. All the windows have been put through for no apparent reason.

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/13774508.Blackburn_vandals_cause___1_5k_damage_to_parked_black_cab_in__targeted_attack_/?ref=rss
-----------------------------------------
LANCASHIRE
 
 A popular chef was left to die by a hit-and-run motorist acting as an illegal taxi driver.

Tragic Rhys Davies fell asleep in a country lane on his way home, after drinking at his dad Jon’s pub, the Rose and Crown, on Southport Road, Ulnes Walton, following a shift there as a chef.

John Murphy, 48, of Moor Lane, Croston, was returning from taking passengers to Manchester Airport – which he was not insured for – when he struck the Newcastle United fan on New Lane, Ulnes Walton, between 3.40am and 3.58am on August 10 last year.

The 21-year-old was dragged around 50m in the accident, but instead of stopping to help, tracks of radiator fluid showed Murphy did a U-turn, stopped near Rhys’ bleeding body, then drove away.

Rhys’ mum Michelle Lowe, from Coppull, said: “ I can accept that terrible accidents will happen, but Mr Murphy’s disregard for what he did is astonishing.

“The thing I will never understand is how a man with children of his own could leave a fellow human being on his own to die, without stopping and trying to help.

“No sentence is enough for a man like this.

“Rhys has left a massive hole in the lives of his family and friends.
---------------------------------------

Questions over the number of taxi licences in Glasgow

A REVIEW of taxi licence numbers could impact on drivers already operating in Glasgow.

On Wednesday city councillors will be asked to agree to commissioning an independent report regarding taxi licences with demand met by licensing fees.

There are currently 1421 licences issued in the city.

There is a long standing policy that 1428 is the maximum number considered necessary to meet demand in Glasgow.

To that extent the council believes the number of licences should not fall below 1418.

While an assessment of the level of demand for taxi services is carried on a regular basis by the Taxi and Private Hire Car Enforcement Unit, the policy of limiting the number of taxi licences issued by the licensing authority was last reviewed in October 2005.

But taxi bosses say there is no need to change the number of licenses given out by the local authority and taxis are meeting demand in the city.

Stephen Flynn, vice chairman of Glasgow Taxis Ltd, said: “It’s our understanding the council has been taking views on a regular basis, and from a number of sources, regarding the level of supply and demand for taxis in the city.

"It would seem that its consistent view, one which is shared by us, is that the licensed taxi trade continues to admirably provide the required level of service to meet demand and we see no reason for that changing in the immediate future."
-----------------------------------------

Addison Lee, the capital’s largest private hire cab business, says that while it backs the idea of an ultra low emission zone (ULEZ), Transport for London’s (TfL) scheme has not been thought through and is being rushed into place for political reasons.

The company argues that there is no “credible” plan to set up the network of fast recharging points that would be required, and the economic impact on taxi companies that would be forced to suddenly update their fleets has not been considered.

It also claims that the technology the industry is being pushed towards may might not be the best type to reduce emissions.

Research commissioned by Addison Lee, which operates 4,500 vehicles, found that replacing its fleet with alternatively powered vehicles would cost it £200m.

The ULEZ is a great idea and the industry supports reducing emissions but this is regulation being rushed through by the mayor before his term ends

Catherine Faiers, Addison Lee chief operating officer

When taking into account the more than 50,000 private hire vehicles operating in London, the bill would rise to £1.8bn and does not account for the depressed resale values of vehicles as the market is flooded with drivers ditching their old cabs. It claims that passing on the cost of updating the fleet will cause fares to rise by a quarter.

Catherine Faiers, Addison Lee’s chief operating officer, said: “The ULEZ is a great idea and the industry supports reducing emissions but this is regulation being rushed through by the mayor before his term ends.”

Hybrid vehicles were just as effective at cutting pollution as pure electric ones she argued, and that by forcing the industry towards a single technology rather than working with the industry and car manufacturers, innovation that could be more effective was being stifled.

Ms Faiers added: “We are all about efficiency, but faced with regulations as they look like they currently come, we will have to take radical solutions.”

These could include offshoring much of Addison Lee’s 550 back-office staff to countries with cheaper labour, and drivers taking wage cuts to help absorb the cost.

A spokesman for TfL said: “We do not accept the figure stated by Addison Lee for the cost of the private hire trade upgrading to zero emission capable vehicles.

“The proposed licensing requirements only affect vehicles being licensed in London for the first time and existing private hire vehicles would not need to be replaced earlier as a result of the policy.

“However, we are confident our proposals will provide a benefit for all Londoners by supporting the gradual transition of London’s private hire fleet to zero emission capable vehicles.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/transport/11877406/Taxi-customers-face-1.8bn-green-bill.html
-----------------------------------------

DUNDEE taxi marshal plans to be investigated after cabbies pay thousands into scheme
Mark Mackay

The failure of Dundee’s taxi marshal scheme is being investigated by the Scottish Public Service Ombudsman (SPSO).

Councillors hoped the plan would protect drinkers from harm on the streets at weekends, defuse trouble and make problem taxi ranks safer.

Each of Dundee’s 1,300 drivers was required to pay £30 towards the scheme – with payment of the fee incumbent upon anyone seeking a licence renewal.

In June, however, The Courier revealed that despite taking drivers’ cash 14 months earlier, the council had failed to hire a single member of staff.

Now the SPSO has written to Dundee City Council chief executive David Martin to announce that it will examine the debacle and demand answers.

Mr Martin has been asked whether the council has considered refunding the fees paid by licence holders until a “definite plan to implement the scheme” can be brought forward.

The local authority has also been asked to explain why it did not do that in the first instance, rather than take money and then fail to deliver.

Dundee City Council confirmed it had been contacted by the SPSO, with a spokeswoman stating that it would “respond in due course”.

The SPSO’s examination of the scheme has been prompted by complaints made by city taxi drivers, including Gregor Ross, 47, from Carnoustie.

Mr Ross said he was “delighted” to see the watchdog intervene, telling The Courier that there had been “clear failures” on the part of the council.

“This scheme has taken money from the pockets of every single taxi driver in Dundee and I do not believe that is acceptable,” he said.

“If I had paid for a television package and been unable to view any channels I would expect a refund and it should be no different in this case,” he said.

“We have paid for a service that 16 months on has yet to be delivered. I have to question whether it will ever exist.

“There are serious questions to be asked and taxi drivers want to hear the answers.

“I hope that the ombudsman will bring this to a swift end.”

The council has been disappointed by its inability to deliver the taxi marshal scheme, which would have seen staff stationed at key city centre locations at weekends.

Licensing committee convener Councillor Stewart Hunter hoped they would protect worse-for-wear drinkers and help quell trouble at certain taxi ranks, giving drivers the confidence to stop for passengers in some areas.

The council had sought applicants with the skills to defuse trouble – such as retired police officers – but suitable applicants have not been forthcoming.

In July the council said it planned one final recruitment drive before giving consideration to refunding drivers.
----------------------------------------

 SYDNEY

A taxi driver who repeatedly sexually assaulted a 10-year-old deaf girl has been sentenced to at least 10 years in prison.

Osman Chamseddine, 65, sexually assaulted the child numerous times in 2009, as he drove her to her special needs school in western Sydney.

Judge Brian Knox said the offences Chamseddine committed were 'reprehensible' as he handed down the maximum 15-year sentence at Parramatta District Court on Friday.

Chamseddine's wife stood up and asked desperately 'Can I talk please?' once the sentence was handed down.

'I know him (sic) for 30 years,' she said before being subdued by her children.

Chamseddine placed his hands over his mouth and stared as the judge finalised his sentence.

Judge Knox said he was concerned the 65-year-old had always maintained his innocence, adding he 'has not shown any remorse or contrition'.

Chamseddine was found guilty in May of four counts of aggravated sexual intercourse and two counts of indecent assault.

His trial heard how he would drive his van to an isolated spot and ask the profoundly deaf girl, who is now 16, to sit in the front seat with him.

Chamseddine would speak to the girl in a 'flirtatious manner' before reaching across and putting his hands in her vagina.

'There was nothing for her to do,' Judge Knox said, adding she was unable to scream for help.

On other occasions he got into the back of the van and touched her breast and forced her to touch his erect penis.

'He gained her trust through his capacity as a driver,' the judge found, saying her disadvantages made her more vulnerable.

The girl, who cannot be named, was too frightened to reveal the abuse to her parents but later came forward in 2012, telling one of her hearing-impaired high school friends who then informed a teacher.

In a victim impact statement read to the court on her behalf on Friday, the girl said: 'I'm not comfortable in front of any men except my dad.

'I don't trust anyone.'

She said she only started sleeping well after the trial concluded and can only now concentrate in school.

Chamseddine will be eligible for parole in March 2025.
---------------------------------------------


 BOLTON

 A Robber who held a knife to a terrified taxi driver's throat stole his car and smashed it into a wall.

Callum Bates was seen careering around Tonge Moor residential streets in the Toyota Avensis at up to 70mph before writing off the vehicle in Eldon Street, Bolton Crown Court heard.

The hearing was told taxi driver Naeem Iqbal initially thought Bates was joking when he pulled out a kitchen knife and ordered him out of the car on Tonge Moor Road at midday on August 8. Mr Iqbal even tried to take the knife off the drunken passenger.

"But then the defendant put the knife to Mr Iqbal's neck and told him to get out," said Lindsay Thomas, prosecuting. "Mr Iqbal said at this point he felt frightened."

Sentencing Bates to three years in jail, Recorder Andrew Loveridge told him: "Members of the public have to be protected from individuals like you who drink to excess and then place them in serious fear."

Mrs Thomas told the court that a woman named Deborah had requested a Metro Taxis car to go to Marsden House in Bolton just before midday, but when Mr Iqbal arrived Bates got in and asked to be taken to Hall i'th' Wood.

Even though the driver refused his request to sit in the front, Bates, who had a bottle of vodka with him, got in next to him when the car stopped at traffic lights. A short distance later Bates pulled out the knife and drove off in the car with £85 of Mr Iqbal's takings leaving him by the side of the road.

Mrs Thomas said a witness spotted the car speeding down back streets and crashing.

The impact damaged the driver's door and 22-year-old Bates was seen climbing out of the passenger door, clutching the vodka and the cash bag, which he dropped before walking off.

He was arrested just an hour later and found to be more than two and a half times over the drink drive limit.

Mrs Thomas stressed that the robbery has had a "massive impact" on Mr Iqbal, whose car was written off and he could not work for 11 days until a new vehicle was registered. His family also have increased concerns for his safety.

Bates, of Green Way, Hall i'th' Wood, pleaded guilty to robbery, possessing a knife, aggravated vehicle taking and having no licence or insurance.

Colin Buckle, defending, said the offence had been unsophisticated. "He even leaves the money behind when wandering down the street in full view of everyone," said Mr Buckle.

He added that although Bates, whose parents were both drug addicts, had begun offending at the age 12, he had gone for seven years without committing crime.

But an assault while in custody led to a deterioration in his mental health and he began taking drugs and drinking excessively.

Recorder Loveridge, who also banned Bates from holding a driving licence for 18 months, stressed that taxi drivers should be protected.

"People who seek to earn their living from providing services to the public must, in my view, be able to do so free from the threat of violence and fear of attack," said the Recorder.

Metro Taxis boss Nick Astley said he was pleased with the sentence. He said: “When something like this happens it is important that the severity of it is recognised and acted upon and this is a fantastic result. I think three years is a just sentence for the crime and will send a clear message out — hopefully it acts as a deterrent. Drivers do have to put up with a heck of a lot of abuse and the psychological effects of an attack like this can be horrific.”

The robbery is the latest in a number of crimes against taxi drivers in Bolton. 
-------------------------------------

NEW YORK state on Friday took over a failing credit union that put nearly all of its money into loans for yellow-taxi medallions as Uber and similar services continue to gobble up much of the market.

The step was taken because of “unsafe and unsound conditions” at the federally insured Montauk Credit Union, according to the Financial Services Department.

Some 98 percent of the state-chartered institution’s $178.5 million assets are taxi-medallion loans, sources said.

The move could mark the first major fall of lenders who specialize in making medallion loans.

Yellow-cab medallions have plunged in value from $1.05 million in June 2013 apiece to $800,000 this past January.

“It’s indicative of how much owner-drivers are struggling to make ends meet,” said Bhairavi Desai, the executive director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance.

Desai put the blame squarely on Uber, which she says created an unequal playing field — saying she’s spoken to drivers who filed for bankruptcy after their incomes fell by more than 20 percent in the past two years.