NEW YORK
(Reuters) - A group representing 5,000 Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] drivers in New York City filed a lawsuit on Thursday accusing the ride-share company of depriving drivers of various employment protections by misclassifying them as independent contractors.
The proposed class action lawsuit filed in federal court in Manhattan by the New York Taxi Workers Alliance on behalf of 10 drivers is the latest to claim Uber drivers should be considered employees entitled to minimum wage, overtime pay and reimbursements for expenses.
Uber spokesman Matthew Wing said in a statement that the lawsuit was "a thinly veiled stunt" and criticized the Taxi Workers Alliance for suing on behalf of Uber drivers and not its other members.
The group said it filed a separate complaint on Thursday with the National Labor Relations Board claiming arbitration agreements Uber drivers signed illegally prohibit them from bringing class action claims.
The Taxi Workers Alliance criticized a recent deal between Uber and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union to create an "independent drivers guild" for the company's New York drivers, highlighting a sharp divide among labor groups grappling with the rise of the "gig economy."
The group's lawsuit said Uber expanded aggressively in New York beginning in 2011 by promising drivers decent wages. Instead, the group said, most of the drivers' pay went toward car payments, maintenance and surcharges from the company.
"Uber, through its practices and broken promises, severely harmed the thousands of drivers they recruited and have contributed greatly to a 'race to the bottom,'" the lawsuit said. It alleges violations of state and federal employment laws.
Taxi trade groups have opposed Uber's rapid expansion and said the company should be required to fingerprint drivers and make cars accessible to people with disabilities, as required of taxi companies.
In April, Uber agreed to settle a major class action lawsuit that also claimed drivers were actually employees, brought on behalf of 385,000 drivers in California and Massachusetts for up to $100 million.
https://goo.gl/RjFhwl
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BRISTOL
The number of Bristol taxi drivers convicted of violent or sexual offences has tripled in the past year.
Data obtained from a Freedom of Information (FoI) request shows that nine Hackney cab drivers were convicted of serious offences last year, compared to three convictions in 2014.
The number of cabbies charged with criminal offences has also increased by almost 50 per cent in the same period, with fraud, violence, theft and sexual attacks among the incidents listed.
The figures relate to Hackney cab drivers who work in blue vehicles and can be flagged down on the street without a prior booking.
In addition, one private hire cabby – who works for a firm which requires customers to book in advance - was charged and convicted of violent or sexual offences last year.
Some 825 people are licenced to drive Hackney cabs and 993 to drive private hire taxis in Bristol, and while the number of convictions is relatively low, it is on the increase.
Between 2012 and 2015 the number of cabbies charges with violent and sexual offences rose by 150per cent from two to nine.
It is not illegal for taxi drivers to hold criminal convictions, but Government guidelines say that individuals should "not pose a threat to the public" through being dishonest or violent.
Any potential taxi driver with a conviction for a serious offence is expected to remain free from further offences for an "appropriate period", and show "adequate evidence" that they are a "fit and proper person to hold a licence".
http://goo.gl/4nHJfZ
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SMETHWICK
Police are questioning a man on suspicion of attempted robbery after a runaway taxi smashed into the LOUNGE of a house.
The crash drama took place on Victoria Park Road in Smethwick at around 1.15am today after a passenger allegedly tried to steal money from a cabbie.
During the incident the driverless Skoda Octavia taxi smashed through garden railings before hitting the lounge wall, causing extensive damage.
Police said a 26-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempt robbery.
Householder Tony Maragh, 60, was at home with wife Beverley, 54, and two of their four children when the crash took place.
He said: “Not long before it happened because I made a phonecall to Jamaica but they didn’t answer, so I went to bed.
“As soon as I went to bed, I heard an awful crash, like an earthquake and the house vibrated.
“I woke the children and the wife to try and get them out of the house and rushed downstairs and saw the car embedded in the living room.
“Someone was screaming, saying ‘robbed’, ‘robbed’, he wanted help.”
Diesel engineer Mr Maragh, who has lived at the property for 16 years, said the crash had caused structural damage to the window area, which was now boarded up and to the railings.
He said: “We are all shocked and haven’t slept. I can’t leave the house unattended. It’s all caved in.”
A West Midlands Police spokesman said: “Police are investigating an attempt robbery in Smethwick this morning, where the passenger of a taxi tried to steal money from the driver.
“Both have got out of the car and in doing so the car has rolled into a house on Victoria Park Street.
“Nobody was injured; structural engineers are currently assessing damage to the house.
“A 26-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempt robbery, he will be questioned about the incident later today.”
http://goo.gl/M4dyLD
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Friday, 3 June 2016
Thursday, 2 June 2016
The opening shots have been fired in the latest battle in Belfast's taxi warfare.
New regulations mean that this weekend there will be more taxis the public can flag down on Belfast streets than ever before.
A change to the law means that previously private hire only cabs will be able to pick people up straight off the street, as opposed to customers needing to have booked a cab first.
Previously private hire taxis can now operate as public hire from midnight on Friday and Saturday until 6am each following morning.
Belfast's newest taxi operator, the global giant Uber, does not have a licence to operate as public hire at anytime. Therefore customers still need to book.
Instead the company is offering free rides to people over the weekend, which also marks the sixth month anniversary since its launch.
Since launch the company now boasts of over 200 drivers on its books and that one in 10 Belfast people use its app.
From 6am today until 4am Monday, Uber users will get £10 off their ride, meaning most short distance journeys could be free.
It's the latest bid for custom in the increasingly tense battle ground that is the city's taxi industry.
Taxis have been seen around the town advertising that they "don't do surging" in response to Uber's controversial policy of increasing the price as demand rises.
Social networks are also a buzz with rival drivers keen to highlight each others' failings.
Previously Fona Cab owner William McCausland has said the arrival of Uber was a "big threat" however, was confident his 600-strong fleet could match the competition.
He told the Belfast Telegraph his firm had invested some £300,000 in preparation for the new taxi laws which also see cars being fitted with meters and printers as well as advertising fixed prices.
He was unavailable for comment yesterday.
Some in the industry believe the new regulations will lead to confusion among the public.
Belfast Public Hire Taxis spokesman Gerry Maxwell said: "It it ain't broke don't fix it.
"Chaos and havoc are maybe too strong words to use, but you will have everyone vying for a fare.
"When they wrote the new laws, it was fit for purpose then, but not now in 2016. It was rushed
"I've been taxing for 32 years, both as private and public hire. I'm a believer that everyone should stick to their own rules.
"That the public hire can pick people off the street and the private hire are supplied work from their depot - that's what their drivers pay for.
"Drivers are also out of pocket around £1,500 to pay for the equipment, which will increase fares at a time we are trying to reduce ours.
"There's no winners in this, the drivers, the firms and the punters all lose out."
http://goo.gl/Dxbe6Z
New regulations mean that this weekend there will be more taxis the public can flag down on Belfast streets than ever before.
A change to the law means that previously private hire only cabs will be able to pick people up straight off the street, as opposed to customers needing to have booked a cab first.
Previously private hire taxis can now operate as public hire from midnight on Friday and Saturday until 6am each following morning.
Belfast's newest taxi operator, the global giant Uber, does not have a licence to operate as public hire at anytime. Therefore customers still need to book.
Instead the company is offering free rides to people over the weekend, which also marks the sixth month anniversary since its launch.
Since launch the company now boasts of over 200 drivers on its books and that one in 10 Belfast people use its app.
From 6am today until 4am Monday, Uber users will get £10 off their ride, meaning most short distance journeys could be free.
It's the latest bid for custom in the increasingly tense battle ground that is the city's taxi industry.
Taxis have been seen around the town advertising that they "don't do surging" in response to Uber's controversial policy of increasing the price as demand rises.
Social networks are also a buzz with rival drivers keen to highlight each others' failings.
Previously Fona Cab owner William McCausland has said the arrival of Uber was a "big threat" however, was confident his 600-strong fleet could match the competition.
He told the Belfast Telegraph his firm had invested some £300,000 in preparation for the new taxi laws which also see cars being fitted with meters and printers as well as advertising fixed prices.
He was unavailable for comment yesterday.
Some in the industry believe the new regulations will lead to confusion among the public.
Belfast Public Hire Taxis spokesman Gerry Maxwell said: "It it ain't broke don't fix it.
"Chaos and havoc are maybe too strong words to use, but you will have everyone vying for a fare.
"When they wrote the new laws, it was fit for purpose then, but not now in 2016. It was rushed
"I've been taxing for 32 years, both as private and public hire. I'm a believer that everyone should stick to their own rules.
"That the public hire can pick people off the street and the private hire are supplied work from their depot - that's what their drivers pay for.
"Drivers are also out of pocket around £1,500 to pay for the equipment, which will increase fares at a time we are trying to reduce ours.
"There's no winners in this, the drivers, the firms and the punters all lose out."
http://goo.gl/Dxbe6Z
BRADFORD
A TAXI driver has been jailed for two years for sexually abusing a vulnerable young woman stranded in Bradford city centre in the early hours of the morning.
Married father-of-four, Farooq Ahmed, told his distressed passenger his sexual fantasies, pretended he was divorced and touched her bare knee.
His 26-year-old victim was so terrified she locked herself in her house and had never got into a taxi since, Bradford Crown Court heard.
She was off work for three months and had since moved home.
Ahmed, 38, of Birch Lane, West Bowling, Bradford, denied sexually assaulting the woman after picking her up at a taxi rank in Hall Ings, in Bradford city centre, at 4am on April 6 last year.
He was convicted by a jury today by a majority of 10-2.
After the verdict, Ahmed’s barrister, Stephen Uttley, conceded the offence was a serious breach of trust on a vulnerable woman and his client's conduct had shamed his family.
“His licence was suspended once he was charged and his career and source of employment has gone forever,” Mr Uttley said.
During the trial, the jury heard that the young woman twice rang the police asking for help to get home after arguing with her partner on a night out.
The operator advised her to ask a taxi driver to take her home for £4, which was all the money she had with her, and, when she approached Ahmed’s cab, he agreed.
He shared his sexual fantasies on the ten minute taxi ride and told her: “You would benefit from a real man.”
He also gave a false name and pretended to be divorced.
Once outside her home, he lent into the back of the taxi, touched the woman’s bare knee and asked if he could come into her house.
She got out of the cab on the pretext of checking to see if her partner was in. She locked herself in the house and called the police.
Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC told Ahmed that his victim had initially seen him as her saviour but he tried to seduce her.
“In the early hours of April 6, 2015, you sexually assaulted an isolated, vulnerable and distressed 26-year-old woman," he told him.
“You have been a taxi driver for at least 13 years and trusted by Bradford City to drive a Hackney Carriage, plying your vehicle for hire in the city centre.”
The judge also stressed that the “overwhelming majority” of taxi drivers are trustworthy and provide great assistance to the public.
http://goo.gl/bRVc3f
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A call for all taxis in Denbighshire to be black in future looks likely to be shelved after protests from drivers and operators.
Councillors are being asked to reconsider the proposal which forms part of a new draft policy for hackney carriages and private hire vehicles.
Earlier this year the council consulted drivers and owners about the changes which covered everything from the age and size of vehicles to maintenance checks and conduct of drivers.
The authority previously angered cabbies by trying to enforce a strict dress code.
The results of the survey will be discussed by the licensing committee next week and in a report to members Graham Boase, the head of planning and public protection, says: “It is interesting to note that the majority of the responses to the policy have been positive.
“In fact the only areas where there has not been broad agreement relate to the colour requirement for hackney carriages and the requirement for hackney carriage vehicles to be three years old and private hire vehicles to be five years old.”
One operator said the all-black rule seemed to creating work for the sake of it, adding: “The large white light on the roof saying ‘Taxi’ should be enough of a highly visible symbol to show the public that they are entering a Hackney car.”
He quoted a recent report which claimed that black cars were 47% more likely to be involved in road accidents than other colours.
Other drivers pointed out that the all-black rule was now being relaxed even in London and that black vehicles were more expensive, while others complained that they were uncomfortable to sit in during warm weather.
The options being put to councillors are to stick to the all-black policy, to demand a lighter colour, for vehicles to have a different coloured bonnet, roof or boot, or for there to be no colour restriction.
http://goo.gl/GcjWqa
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Coach and taxi drivers from across Cambridgeshire will stage a protest at police headquarters in Huntingdon to press for an investigation into community transport in the county.
Chief Constable Alec Wood has told protest organisers that his operational planning team will be in touch “to discuss safety and other tactical issues”.
Mr Wood was advised of the planned protest on June 14 in an email from the Cambridgeshire, Bus, Coach and Taxi Association (CBCTA).
The email was signed by Mark Holland, chairman of the CBCTA, and four other members of his committee.
Mr Holland told the chief constable they were unhappy with a “very dismissive investigation” carried out previously by Wisbech police.
Since then, said Mr Holland, the organisation had commissioned evidence from other bodies included an “a Home Office approved forensic company” to assess evidence.
He said the results had also been handed to Cambridgeshire County Council but the CBCTA had recently had sight of a council email suggesting “new evidence may be treated in an equally dismissive manner by the Cambridgeshire police”.
Mr Holland said their actions had support not only from all members of his organisation “as well as councillors and members of the public”.
Mr Wood told Mr Holland: “We are of course happy to receive any new information regarding your case which we would look to review.
“I hope this may cause you to deter your protest plans”.
Last month a county council spokesman said: “The council received last a pack of information from the Cambridgeshire Bus, Coach and Taxi Association (CBCT) making various allegations.
“This is something we take very seriously and are currently talking to partners to consider how best to investigate the claims. We have also made the police aware of the documents given the serious nature of some of the allegations.
“In addition we are looking at the claims about what training and licences drivers should have. This is a complex issue and while we are following the lead of other councils in how we deal with this, we are asking the Department for Transport for clarification.
“We will then take the appropriate action if anything changes as a result of this clarification.”
Behind the dispute is a long running battle - that began with taxi drivers in the Fens- concerned over losing business to community transport providers. They claim community transport have become commercial entities far removed from the origins of simply providing community transport for disadvantaged and isolated members of rural communities.
http://goo.gl/iLU45w
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TAXI drivers at Luton Airport vented their fury at the loss of a contract by holding a demonstration this week on roads into the airport.
The unofficial protest caused chaos for commuters as up to 150 hackney carriage drivers 'plied for hire' on roads leading up to the airport - blocking the route for visitors to the airport.
People took to social media to complain about the delays to their journey, with some missing flight connections.
The protest comes shortly after Luton Airport handing a a long term contract with local drivers to operate at the airport over to London-based firm Addison Lee.
Local drivers fear they may lose their job as a result.
Although the demonstration on Wednesday morning was not organised by Luton Hackney Carriage Association, the group is looking at holding an 'official' demonstration.
Waqaas Mohuyddin, 37, a member, said: "The Luton Hackney Carriage Association was not part of any protest that happened.
"If individual drivers want to ply for hire then that is something they are in control of, we cannot stop them. And they are entitled to do that.
"There are discussions ongoing over holding an official demonstration in the upcoming weeks."
He added that the group was pushing for a taxi rank at the airport which could be used for local drivers to ply for hire - which would give customers the 'choice' between local drivers and the new fleet of vehicles from Addison Lee.
A Luton Airport spokesman said: "Our first priority is always our passengers, and we regret the impact this morning's unofficial protest may have had on people's journeys. We worked closely with the police to ensure that normal traffic conditions resumed as quickly as possible.
"The new operator, Addison Lee, continues to make efforts to engage with local drivers to discuss future employment opportunities.
"We are monitoring the situation and working with the authorities to ensure airport operations run smoothly and any further disruption is kept to a minimum."
http://goo.gl/oAlpPj
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A court has heard how a taxi driver from Renfrew was caught with a cocaine haul with a street value of more than £300,000 on the A74(M) near Lockerbie.
Thomas Haggerty, 30, was stopped by police after a tip-off.
At the High Court in Glasgow, he admitted being concerned in the supply of the drug in July last year.
He will be sentenced on 29 June at the High Court in Edinburgh but was allowed bail to support his partner whose father had died suddenly.
The court heard how a search of Haggerty's car at Lockerbie police station revealed two blue packages each containing a kilo of cocaine.
Police also obtained a warrant to search his home later that day, but found nothing incriminating.
In court, Haggerty admitted the offence one mile south of junction 17 Lockerbie.
Advocate depute Stewart Ronnie, prosecuting, said: "About 1.40pm on 28 July, last year, the accused was seen by police driving in the northbound lane of the A74(M).
"Police had intelligence that he was carrying drugs and he was detained.
"He and his car were taken to Lockerbie police station and searched."
The court was told that police drugs experts who examined the cocaine found it to be 59% pure. At the time street cocaine was 15% pure.
Mr Ronnie added: "They are of the opinion that if the cocaine was adulterated to 15% and sold in one gram deals it would realise £312,000."
Defence counsel Tony Graham asked for bail, explaining that Haggerty would like to be able to support his partner.
Mr Graham added: "This is not a man who profited from drugs and nothing incriminating was found in his home.
"He has admitted a single day's supply couriering the drug."
Lord Boyd told Haggerty that he needed background reports before passing sentence.
"It would be unusual at this stage that you should be allowed bail, but I am prepared to admit you to bail," he said.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-36435222
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WIGAN
A woman was raped after getting into a car in Wigan which she believed was a taxi, a jury has heard.
The alleged victim got into the car driven by Lee Watson after he drove up behind her and asked if she needed a taxi, it was claimed.
She was walking home alone after a row while out with her partner and his friend in Wigan town centre on Friday, December 4.
While on Ormskirk Road she made phone calls to her step-daughter arranging to meet her at a takeaway and in the last call she said she was en route in a taxi, said Frank Dillon, prosecuting.
When the woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, did not turn up her step-daughter rang her but the calls went to voice mail.
“She was unable to answer, say the prosecution, because she was being raped in Lee Watson’s car and was unable to reach for her phone,” claimed Mr Dillon. “The prosecution case is that Lee Watson was cruising around, looking for a woman who might be the worse for drink, a woman of whom he could take advantage.”
Watson, 28, of Rivington Street, St Helens, is on trial at Liverpool Crown Court denying rape.
In a video recorded police interview the woman said that she had believed the car was a taxi and got into the back.
She tried to fasten her safety belt but failed and was slumped in the back seat when he reached round and began rubbing her inner thigh.
After stopping in a secluded spot he quickly climbed from the front to the rear of the vehicle and got on top of her and raped her, she claimed.
Mr Dillon said that Watson the dropped her off by the takeaway and her step-daughter saw her clearly drunk in the back of the car without her shoes.
Her step-daughter asked Watson if he could take them home but he said he had another call, “maintaining the pretence that he was a taxi driver,” suggested Mr Dillon.
There were no taxi markings on the vehicle and when asked by the step-daughter he allegedly lied about the victim having allegedly already paid him the £5 fare.
Once outside the vehicle the woman said she had been raped and the police were contacted.
The next day Watson went to work and bragged to his foreman that he had “picked up a female with whom he had then had sex”.
He had similar conversations with other colleagues and showed a ring she had left behind. Meanwhile the alleged victim had discovered that her engagement ring was missing and thought she had left it in his car.
Mr Dillon pointed out to the jury that his conversations showed he believed she was highly intoxicated which must raise the question of whether he reasonably believed she was freely consenting to sex.
On December 8, after the police put out a witness appeal about the rape, Watson contacted them and was arrested. When his home was searched the engagement ring was found.
When interviewed he claimed he had been cruising around looking for a car show. He said his wife had asked him to collect her from a night out in Liverpool. “On his own account, despite that call, he still picked up the woman and still found time to have sex with her,” claimed Mr Dillon.
Watson alleged he had seen her stumble at the side of the road and asked if she was okay and she asked for a lift and got into the back of his car before he could answer. He decided just to drop her off as he was going that way anyway.
He denied saying or implying to her or her step-daughter that he was a taxi driver. He claimed she instigated sexual activity and asked him to take her somewhere for sex so he drove to near some industrial units.
Watson claimed she got into the front, climbed on top of him while facing him and they had sexual intercourse.
Mr Dillon told the jury they would have to consider whether he had been looking to take advantage of a woman worse the wear for drink or was he a Good Samaritan.”
The case continues
http://goo.gl/aOueVh
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CLYDEBANK
A BID to run a non-wheelchair-accessible taxi in Clydebank is to go before councillors next week.
The former Clydebank District Council enforced a 100 per cent wheelchair friendly fleet in the area 20 years ago and exceptions are rare.
Craig Burns, of Queen Mary Avenue, has obtained a medical exemption from operating a wheelchair ramp, according to papers to go in front of the licensing committee next week.
He has requested permission when he changes vehicles in the future to use a Peugeot Partner Tepee or a Fiat Doblo, which have not been adapted to carry wheelchair passengers.
Council papers point out wheelchair passengers require minimal assistance when it comes to deploying ramps, and wheelchair friendly vehicles are much more expensive.
But it also acknowledges the committee granted someone else an exception on the wheelchair rule last December, also on medical grounds.
http://goo.gl/DNv6Hc
A TAXI driver has been jailed for two years for sexually abusing a vulnerable young woman stranded in Bradford city centre in the early hours of the morning.
Married father-of-four, Farooq Ahmed, told his distressed passenger his sexual fantasies, pretended he was divorced and touched her bare knee.
His 26-year-old victim was so terrified she locked herself in her house and had never got into a taxi since, Bradford Crown Court heard.
She was off work for three months and had since moved home.
Ahmed, 38, of Birch Lane, West Bowling, Bradford, denied sexually assaulting the woman after picking her up at a taxi rank in Hall Ings, in Bradford city centre, at 4am on April 6 last year.
He was convicted by a jury today by a majority of 10-2.
After the verdict, Ahmed’s barrister, Stephen Uttley, conceded the offence was a serious breach of trust on a vulnerable woman and his client's conduct had shamed his family.
“His licence was suspended once he was charged and his career and source of employment has gone forever,” Mr Uttley said.
During the trial, the jury heard that the young woman twice rang the police asking for help to get home after arguing with her partner on a night out.
The operator advised her to ask a taxi driver to take her home for £4, which was all the money she had with her, and, when she approached Ahmed’s cab, he agreed.
He shared his sexual fantasies on the ten minute taxi ride and told her: “You would benefit from a real man.”
He also gave a false name and pretended to be divorced.
Once outside her home, he lent into the back of the taxi, touched the woman’s bare knee and asked if he could come into her house.
She got out of the cab on the pretext of checking to see if her partner was in. She locked herself in the house and called the police.
Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC told Ahmed that his victim had initially seen him as her saviour but he tried to seduce her.
“In the early hours of April 6, 2015, you sexually assaulted an isolated, vulnerable and distressed 26-year-old woman," he told him.
“You have been a taxi driver for at least 13 years and trusted by Bradford City to drive a Hackney Carriage, plying your vehicle for hire in the city centre.”
The judge also stressed that the “overwhelming majority” of taxi drivers are trustworthy and provide great assistance to the public.
http://goo.gl/bRVc3f
------------------------------------------------------------------
A call for all taxis in Denbighshire to be black in future looks likely to be shelved after protests from drivers and operators.
Councillors are being asked to reconsider the proposal which forms part of a new draft policy for hackney carriages and private hire vehicles.
Earlier this year the council consulted drivers and owners about the changes which covered everything from the age and size of vehicles to maintenance checks and conduct of drivers.
The authority previously angered cabbies by trying to enforce a strict dress code.
The results of the survey will be discussed by the licensing committee next week and in a report to members Graham Boase, the head of planning and public protection, says: “It is interesting to note that the majority of the responses to the policy have been positive.
“In fact the only areas where there has not been broad agreement relate to the colour requirement for hackney carriages and the requirement for hackney carriage vehicles to be three years old and private hire vehicles to be five years old.”
One operator said the all-black rule seemed to creating work for the sake of it, adding: “The large white light on the roof saying ‘Taxi’ should be enough of a highly visible symbol to show the public that they are entering a Hackney car.”
He quoted a recent report which claimed that black cars were 47% more likely to be involved in road accidents than other colours.
Other drivers pointed out that the all-black rule was now being relaxed even in London and that black vehicles were more expensive, while others complained that they were uncomfortable to sit in during warm weather.
The options being put to councillors are to stick to the all-black policy, to demand a lighter colour, for vehicles to have a different coloured bonnet, roof or boot, or for there to be no colour restriction.
http://goo.gl/GcjWqa
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coach and taxi drivers from across Cambridgeshire will stage a protest at police headquarters in Huntingdon to press for an investigation into community transport in the county.
Chief Constable Alec Wood has told protest organisers that his operational planning team will be in touch “to discuss safety and other tactical issues”.
Mr Wood was advised of the planned protest on June 14 in an email from the Cambridgeshire, Bus, Coach and Taxi Association (CBCTA).
The email was signed by Mark Holland, chairman of the CBCTA, and four other members of his committee.
Mr Holland told the chief constable they were unhappy with a “very dismissive investigation” carried out previously by Wisbech police.
Since then, said Mr Holland, the organisation had commissioned evidence from other bodies included an “a Home Office approved forensic company” to assess evidence.
He said the results had also been handed to Cambridgeshire County Council but the CBCTA had recently had sight of a council email suggesting “new evidence may be treated in an equally dismissive manner by the Cambridgeshire police”.
Mr Holland said their actions had support not only from all members of his organisation “as well as councillors and members of the public”.
Mr Wood told Mr Holland: “We are of course happy to receive any new information regarding your case which we would look to review.
“I hope this may cause you to deter your protest plans”.
Last month a county council spokesman said: “The council received last a pack of information from the Cambridgeshire Bus, Coach and Taxi Association (CBCT) making various allegations.
“This is something we take very seriously and are currently talking to partners to consider how best to investigate the claims. We have also made the police aware of the documents given the serious nature of some of the allegations.
“In addition we are looking at the claims about what training and licences drivers should have. This is a complex issue and while we are following the lead of other councils in how we deal with this, we are asking the Department for Transport for clarification.
“We will then take the appropriate action if anything changes as a result of this clarification.”
Behind the dispute is a long running battle - that began with taxi drivers in the Fens- concerned over losing business to community transport providers. They claim community transport have become commercial entities far removed from the origins of simply providing community transport for disadvantaged and isolated members of rural communities.
http://goo.gl/iLU45w
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
TAXI drivers at Luton Airport vented their fury at the loss of a contract by holding a demonstration this week on roads into the airport.
The unofficial protest caused chaos for commuters as up to 150 hackney carriage drivers 'plied for hire' on roads leading up to the airport - blocking the route for visitors to the airport.
People took to social media to complain about the delays to their journey, with some missing flight connections.
The protest comes shortly after Luton Airport handing a a long term contract with local drivers to operate at the airport over to London-based firm Addison Lee.
Local drivers fear they may lose their job as a result.
Although the demonstration on Wednesday morning was not organised by Luton Hackney Carriage Association, the group is looking at holding an 'official' demonstration.
Waqaas Mohuyddin, 37, a member, said: "The Luton Hackney Carriage Association was not part of any protest that happened.
"If individual drivers want to ply for hire then that is something they are in control of, we cannot stop them. And they are entitled to do that.
"There are discussions ongoing over holding an official demonstration in the upcoming weeks."
He added that the group was pushing for a taxi rank at the airport which could be used for local drivers to ply for hire - which would give customers the 'choice' between local drivers and the new fleet of vehicles from Addison Lee.
A Luton Airport spokesman said: "Our first priority is always our passengers, and we regret the impact this morning's unofficial protest may have had on people's journeys. We worked closely with the police to ensure that normal traffic conditions resumed as quickly as possible.
"The new operator, Addison Lee, continues to make efforts to engage with local drivers to discuss future employment opportunities.
"We are monitoring the situation and working with the authorities to ensure airport operations run smoothly and any further disruption is kept to a minimum."
http://goo.gl/oAlpPj
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A court has heard how a taxi driver from Renfrew was caught with a cocaine haul with a street value of more than £300,000 on the A74(M) near Lockerbie.
Thomas Haggerty, 30, was stopped by police after a tip-off.
At the High Court in Glasgow, he admitted being concerned in the supply of the drug in July last year.
He will be sentenced on 29 June at the High Court in Edinburgh but was allowed bail to support his partner whose father had died suddenly.
The court heard how a search of Haggerty's car at Lockerbie police station revealed two blue packages each containing a kilo of cocaine.
Police also obtained a warrant to search his home later that day, but found nothing incriminating.
In court, Haggerty admitted the offence one mile south of junction 17 Lockerbie.
Advocate depute Stewart Ronnie, prosecuting, said: "About 1.40pm on 28 July, last year, the accused was seen by police driving in the northbound lane of the A74(M).
"Police had intelligence that he was carrying drugs and he was detained.
"He and his car were taken to Lockerbie police station and searched."
The court was told that police drugs experts who examined the cocaine found it to be 59% pure. At the time street cocaine was 15% pure.
Mr Ronnie added: "They are of the opinion that if the cocaine was adulterated to 15% and sold in one gram deals it would realise £312,000."
Defence counsel Tony Graham asked for bail, explaining that Haggerty would like to be able to support his partner.
Mr Graham added: "This is not a man who profited from drugs and nothing incriminating was found in his home.
"He has admitted a single day's supply couriering the drug."
Lord Boyd told Haggerty that he needed background reports before passing sentence.
"It would be unusual at this stage that you should be allowed bail, but I am prepared to admit you to bail," he said.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-36435222
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WIGAN
A woman was raped after getting into a car in Wigan which she believed was a taxi, a jury has heard.
The alleged victim got into the car driven by Lee Watson after he drove up behind her and asked if she needed a taxi, it was claimed.
She was walking home alone after a row while out with her partner and his friend in Wigan town centre on Friday, December 4.
While on Ormskirk Road she made phone calls to her step-daughter arranging to meet her at a takeaway and in the last call she said she was en route in a taxi, said Frank Dillon, prosecuting.
When the woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, did not turn up her step-daughter rang her but the calls went to voice mail.
“She was unable to answer, say the prosecution, because she was being raped in Lee Watson’s car and was unable to reach for her phone,” claimed Mr Dillon. “The prosecution case is that Lee Watson was cruising around, looking for a woman who might be the worse for drink, a woman of whom he could take advantage.”
Watson, 28, of Rivington Street, St Helens, is on trial at Liverpool Crown Court denying rape.
In a video recorded police interview the woman said that she had believed the car was a taxi and got into the back.
She tried to fasten her safety belt but failed and was slumped in the back seat when he reached round and began rubbing her inner thigh.
After stopping in a secluded spot he quickly climbed from the front to the rear of the vehicle and got on top of her and raped her, she claimed.
Mr Dillon said that Watson the dropped her off by the takeaway and her step-daughter saw her clearly drunk in the back of the car without her shoes.
Her step-daughter asked Watson if he could take them home but he said he had another call, “maintaining the pretence that he was a taxi driver,” suggested Mr Dillon.
There were no taxi markings on the vehicle and when asked by the step-daughter he allegedly lied about the victim having allegedly already paid him the £5 fare.
Once outside the vehicle the woman said she had been raped and the police were contacted.
The next day Watson went to work and bragged to his foreman that he had “picked up a female with whom he had then had sex”.
He had similar conversations with other colleagues and showed a ring she had left behind. Meanwhile the alleged victim had discovered that her engagement ring was missing and thought she had left it in his car.
Mr Dillon pointed out to the jury that his conversations showed he believed she was highly intoxicated which must raise the question of whether he reasonably believed she was freely consenting to sex.
On December 8, after the police put out a witness appeal about the rape, Watson contacted them and was arrested. When his home was searched the engagement ring was found.
When interviewed he claimed he had been cruising around looking for a car show. He said his wife had asked him to collect her from a night out in Liverpool. “On his own account, despite that call, he still picked up the woman and still found time to have sex with her,” claimed Mr Dillon.
Watson alleged he had seen her stumble at the side of the road and asked if she was okay and she asked for a lift and got into the back of his car before he could answer. He decided just to drop her off as he was going that way anyway.
He denied saying or implying to her or her step-daughter that he was a taxi driver. He claimed she instigated sexual activity and asked him to take her somewhere for sex so he drove to near some industrial units.
Watson claimed she got into the front, climbed on top of him while facing him and they had sexual intercourse.
Mr Dillon told the jury they would have to consider whether he had been looking to take advantage of a woman worse the wear for drink or was he a Good Samaritan.”
The case continues
http://goo.gl/aOueVh
------------------------------------------------------------------
CLYDEBANK
A BID to run a non-wheelchair-accessible taxi in Clydebank is to go before councillors next week.
The former Clydebank District Council enforced a 100 per cent wheelchair friendly fleet in the area 20 years ago and exceptions are rare.
Craig Burns, of Queen Mary Avenue, has obtained a medical exemption from operating a wheelchair ramp, according to papers to go in front of the licensing committee next week.
He has requested permission when he changes vehicles in the future to use a Peugeot Partner Tepee or a Fiat Doblo, which have not been adapted to carry wheelchair passengers.
Council papers point out wheelchair passengers require minimal assistance when it comes to deploying ramps, and wheelchair friendly vehicles are much more expensive.
But it also acknowledges the committee granted someone else an exception on the wheelchair rule last December, also on medical grounds.
http://goo.gl/DNv6Hc
Wednesday, 1 June 2016
In Japan, taxi chauffeurs often double up as concierges. Step inside most cabs, and your driver will welcome you in, consult with you on which route to take, and make sure you leave no belongings behind.
Yet some fear that Uber’s rise in the country will erode such customs, and leave the country’s fleet of polite, licensed cabbies jobless.
“We are afraid of Uber penetrating the market, as at the moment we’re protected by the law, but we don’t know how that will change in the next few months and years,” Mutsuo Nakazawa, a 25-year long employee at Gojyo taxi company in Tokyo, Japan, told me solemnly over the phone. “We honestly don’t know how they will be incorporated into the existing taxi infrastructure.”
At present, Uber operates mainly in Tokyo. The ride-hailing app’s pilot program in Fukuoka on the northern shores of Kyushu island in Japan was deemed illegal in March 2015 by ministry official Hidetaka Sakai, who accused the service of letting drivers without taxi licenses earn money. This law means independent Uber contractors are banned in Japan; to exist within a legal framework in Tokyo, Uber currently partners with private hire taxi companies, marketing itself as a luxury service.
Uber might be yet to take the Japanese market by storm, but it’s making inroads. In May 2016, Uber collaborated with non-profit Kibaru! Furusato Tangocho and the Kyoto council to pilot a program dedicated to providing senior citizens living in Tango-cho (an area of Kyotongo city in Kyoto prefecture with few public transport options) a means of travelling around. The Uber Japan spokesperson was keen to clarify that the non-profit uses Uber's app to work with 18 of its own drivers—not independent contractors.
Back in Tokyo, Nakazawa fears that Toyota’s recent investment in the ride-sharing company might forecast greyer futures for the city’s taxi companies, each of which has its own school of thought on ensuring the best customer experience.
“In Japan, we place importance on both transporting the customer to their desired location and their overall experience within our taxis,” Nakazawa told me. “We really take the customer’s care very seriously—that’s where I think there might be a difference between Japan and other countries.”
http://goo.gl/JWNTrR
------------------------------------------------
GRANGETOWN
A taxi-driver was threatened with a knife by a passenger in an early hours attack.
Police are appealing for information after the 26-year-old driver was targeted on Tennyson Close in Grangetown .
He had arrived to pick up a fare at around 3.45am on Saturday in his blue Skoda Octavia.
A man got in the passenger seat, took out a knife and held it against the driver’s throat - demanding his takings.
After a struggle with the driver, the man left empty handed in the direction of St Patrick’s Road on a bicycle.
The driver sustained cuts to both hands as a result of the incident and needed treatment at hospital.
Anyone who knows the suspect, or may have seen anyone acting suspiciously around the junction of Birchington Avenue and Slater Road at around 3:35am the same morning, is asked to contact DC Mick Jackson on the non-emergency number 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
http://goo.gl/hlzpVp
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The Glasgow Taxi outing to Troon is a Glaswegian institution
The event which sees children, drivers and their taxis all in fancy dress, is a great Glasgow tradition.
The 71st Glasgow Taxi Outing was launched at Langlands Primary in the south side of the city today.
Two of the drivers dressed as minions and met up with some of the children who will be driven to Troon for a free day of fun on June 15.
There will be 150 drivers transporting 300 children and their parents or grandparents to Troon.
The children who attend have additional support needs and the event, which sees children, drivers and their taxis all in fancy dress, is a great Glasgow tradition.
Kenneth Warren has been taking children from Langlands Primary which is his local school for the past 28 years. And he says despite hard economic situations for some taxi drivers, there is still a lot of love for the outing.
And there is some competition between drivers and schools.
Kenneth said: "I just like seeing the weans having a good time. They love it and the taxi drivers love it too.
"And everybody loves the taxi drivers on the day in Troon.
"I'm decorating my taxi with inflatables this year. I will have penguins and kangaroos and all sorts.
"I haven't decided what costume to wear yet this year. I will have to go to the fancy dress shop and have a look.
"There are competitions for taxi drivers on the day - best dressed taxi and best costume.
"And there are competitions between the schools. Langlands were third last year and we're hoping to better that. We have 18 taxis going from here.
"It's harder now to get taxi drivers to take part. With the economic situation a lot can't afford to take a day off.
"Years ago we had to raffle the places for taxi drivers because so many wanted to take part. We don't have to do that anymore but there are still 150 drivers taking part."
Everybody in Glasgow knows about it and people come out to see us off.
Deputy head teacher Collette Gowing, has been at Langlands Primary for 20 years, and she thinks the taxi outing is a great event.
She said: "Every child in the school gets invited but not everyone goes. They go with their parents and grandparents. Not all them can take time off to go.
"We have a beach day here for the ones that can't go.
"I've been at the school for 20 years ago. I have went on the trip when the teachers used to go and it's a great experience."
http://goo.gl/5IB9Bz
Yet some fear that Uber’s rise in the country will erode such customs, and leave the country’s fleet of polite, licensed cabbies jobless.
“We are afraid of Uber penetrating the market, as at the moment we’re protected by the law, but we don’t know how that will change in the next few months and years,” Mutsuo Nakazawa, a 25-year long employee at Gojyo taxi company in Tokyo, Japan, told me solemnly over the phone. “We honestly don’t know how they will be incorporated into the existing taxi infrastructure.”
At present, Uber operates mainly in Tokyo. The ride-hailing app’s pilot program in Fukuoka on the northern shores of Kyushu island in Japan was deemed illegal in March 2015 by ministry official Hidetaka Sakai, who accused the service of letting drivers without taxi licenses earn money. This law means independent Uber contractors are banned in Japan; to exist within a legal framework in Tokyo, Uber currently partners with private hire taxi companies, marketing itself as a luxury service.
Uber might be yet to take the Japanese market by storm, but it’s making inroads. In May 2016, Uber collaborated with non-profit Kibaru! Furusato Tangocho and the Kyoto council to pilot a program dedicated to providing senior citizens living in Tango-cho (an area of Kyotongo city in Kyoto prefecture with few public transport options) a means of travelling around. The Uber Japan spokesperson was keen to clarify that the non-profit uses Uber's app to work with 18 of its own drivers—not independent contractors.
Back in Tokyo, Nakazawa fears that Toyota’s recent investment in the ride-sharing company might forecast greyer futures for the city’s taxi companies, each of which has its own school of thought on ensuring the best customer experience.
“In Japan, we place importance on both transporting the customer to their desired location and their overall experience within our taxis,” Nakazawa told me. “We really take the customer’s care very seriously—that’s where I think there might be a difference between Japan and other countries.”
http://goo.gl/JWNTrR
------------------------------------------------
GRANGETOWN
A taxi-driver was threatened with a knife by a passenger in an early hours attack.
Police are appealing for information after the 26-year-old driver was targeted on Tennyson Close in Grangetown .
He had arrived to pick up a fare at around 3.45am on Saturday in his blue Skoda Octavia.
A man got in the passenger seat, took out a knife and held it against the driver’s throat - demanding his takings.
After a struggle with the driver, the man left empty handed in the direction of St Patrick’s Road on a bicycle.
The driver sustained cuts to both hands as a result of the incident and needed treatment at hospital.
Anyone who knows the suspect, or may have seen anyone acting suspiciously around the junction of Birchington Avenue and Slater Road at around 3:35am the same morning, is asked to contact DC Mick Jackson on the non-emergency number 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
http://goo.gl/hlzpVp
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The Glasgow Taxi outing to Troon is a Glaswegian institution
The event which sees children, drivers and their taxis all in fancy dress, is a great Glasgow tradition.
The 71st Glasgow Taxi Outing was launched at Langlands Primary in the south side of the city today.
Two of the drivers dressed as minions and met up with some of the children who will be driven to Troon for a free day of fun on June 15.
There will be 150 drivers transporting 300 children and their parents or grandparents to Troon.
The children who attend have additional support needs and the event, which sees children, drivers and their taxis all in fancy dress, is a great Glasgow tradition.
Kenneth Warren has been taking children from Langlands Primary which is his local school for the past 28 years. And he says despite hard economic situations for some taxi drivers, there is still a lot of love for the outing.
And there is some competition between drivers and schools.
Kenneth said: "I just like seeing the weans having a good time. They love it and the taxi drivers love it too.
"And everybody loves the taxi drivers on the day in Troon.
"I'm decorating my taxi with inflatables this year. I will have penguins and kangaroos and all sorts.
"I haven't decided what costume to wear yet this year. I will have to go to the fancy dress shop and have a look.
"There are competitions for taxi drivers on the day - best dressed taxi and best costume.
"And there are competitions between the schools. Langlands were third last year and we're hoping to better that. We have 18 taxis going from here.
"It's harder now to get taxi drivers to take part. With the economic situation a lot can't afford to take a day off.
"Years ago we had to raffle the places for taxi drivers because so many wanted to take part. We don't have to do that anymore but there are still 150 drivers taking part."
Everybody in Glasgow knows about it and people come out to see us off.
Deputy head teacher Collette Gowing, has been at Langlands Primary for 20 years, and she thinks the taxi outing is a great event.
She said: "Every child in the school gets invited but not everyone goes. They go with their parents and grandparents. Not all them can take time off to go.
"We have a beach day here for the ones that can't go.
"I've been at the school for 20 years ago. I have went on the trip when the teachers used to go and it's a great experience."
http://goo.gl/5IB9Bz
Tuesday, 31 May 2016
The European Commission is preparing to challenge a French law on taxi services and chauffeured cars, two people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday, following a complaint from online ride-hailing service operator Uber Technologies.
France’s Thevenoud law, introduced in October 2014, requires chauffeured cars to return to a base between fares, restricts their use of software to find customers in the street and banned unlicensed services, among other measures.
California-based Uber, which has run into fierce opposition from established taxi services since it launched in Europe five years ago, has filed a complaint with the European Commission against the French law, arguing it favoured regular taxis over Uber’s internet-managed ride-sharing service and that France should have notified Brussels of the new measure.
The Commission is preparing to issue a so-called letter of formal notice, the people said, which represents the first stage of an infringement procedure where Brussels suspects that a national measure breaches the EU treaties.
Uber allows would-be passengers to summon rides via a smartphone app and has seen exponential growth in Europe as well as numerous court challenges which have resulted in the banning of its unlicensed taxi service, UberPOP.
Ultimately the Commission could take France to court if the two do not come to an agreement.
The challenge could come in late May, the people said, although no final decision has been taken yet.
A spokesman for the Commission said it was looking at how it could “encourage the development of new and innovative services and the temporary use of assets, without favouring one business model over another.”
“In mid-2016 we will provide guidance on how existing EU law applies to the collaborative economy,” Jakub Adamowicz said.
Last month a French court ruled that banning chauffeured cars’ use of geolocational technology to help passengers find available cars was illegal and said France should have notified the measure to Brussels.
The Commission is adjusting its challenge to take the French ruling into account, the people said, which goes some way towards alleviating its concerns with the law.
However other substantive problems with the law remain, including the requirement that chauffeured cars return to a base between fares.
http://goo.gl/k86dBO
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
PENDLE
TAXI firms who fail to maintain their vehicles could soon be named and shamed under new plans put forward by Pendle Council bosses.
It comes as the council extended the maximum age of hackney and private hire vehicles from nine to 11 years, and 12 for those manufactured or adopted to allow wheelchair accessibility. The maximum age all vehicles can be when they are first licensed remains seven years.
Pendle Council leader Cllr Mohammed Iqbal denied that the change would lead to a reduction in safety and said that the new rating system would give the public more insight in to the safety record of individuals and private hire companies.
Cllr Iqbal said: "If you look at how things currently stand there are a lot of boroughs in Lancashire which have no vehicle age limitations.
"We have had ours for a number of years.
"The age of the vehicle isn't the issue as far as I am concerned because it is highlighted by our testing procedure that cars which are only three-years-old fail the safety checks.
"The issue for me is that at the moment there is no way for the public to know how safe a vehicle is when they ring up for a taxi.
"That is why I have asked the taxi licensing committee to work on a scheme hat would publicise good taxi operators but also highlight the poor ones regarding maintenance and safety of their vehicles. It would be something similar to the star rating system that we have for takeaways and restaurants.
"I want the public to be given the opportunity to vote with their feet because I think that is the only way we will address this problem."
Cllr Iqbal said the Taxi Licensing Committee will next meet on June 16 and he was hopeful the new safety rating system would be brought in soon after.
Concerns over taxi licensing had been raised by a number of councillors, who invoked the council's call-in procedure.
Giving the reasons for invoking the procedure a report said: “We believe the introduction of an 11-year-age limit for all licensed vehicles will put public safety at risk. Pendle currently has a very poor failure rate for spot checks; some 61 per cent of vehicles failed their checks in 2015. Extending the current age limit by a further two years doesn’t provide any encouragement for the trade to keep their vehicles in good condition.”
Vehicles will also have to pass an MOT test every four months or have their taxi license revoked.
http://goo.gl/I48tH7
------------------------------------------------------------------
BRADFORD
A TAXI driver sexually assaulted a distressed woman passenger after she had argued with her partner on a night out, a jury at Bradford Crown Court heard.
Father-of-four Farooq Ahmed denies making indecent suggestions on the ten minute cab journey from Hall Ings in Bradford city centre to her home and then touching her bare knee.
The court heard yesterday that Ahmed, 38, of Birch Lane, West Bowling, Bradford, agreed to take the woman to her house for £4 after she told him she did not have the full fare.
Prosecutor Michael Smith said she twice rang the police in the early hours asking for help to get home because she had fallen out with her partner. She was advised to find a taxi driver who would take her for £4 and Ahmed, who was parked in a taxi rank on Hall Ings, agreed to help.
Mr Smith said that 25 minutes later, the woman rang the police for a third time.
“She was upset and frightened and said the taxi driver had touched her leg,” Mr Smith said.
She also alleged Ahmed had told her his sexual fantasies while driving her home and made indecent suggestions.
It is alleged that he at first stopped her getting out of the taxi outside her home and then said he wanted to come in.
Ahmed, who pleads not guilty to sexual assault on April 6 last year, said the woman was crying and on the phone to the police when she got into his taxi at about 3.45am.
They barely spoke on the journey except that he asked if she was all right.
Ahmed said she complained of being harassed or assaulted by her partner and was extremely drunk.
Ahmed said he thought she had gone into her home to fetch him the balance of the taxi fare for a journey that would have cost between £7 and £8.
He waited outside for her to bring him the money and when she did not reappear, he drove off.
He told the police he had “a beautiful wife at home and four kids” and had no reason to make approaches to the woman. It would, anyway, have been stupid to do so outside her house.
“I think she just wanted to make allegations to get compensation. It is all just a lie,” he said.
The trial continues.
http://goo.gl/ZuCP8I
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
UTTLESFORD (wherever that is ?)
A taxi boss who lied about his business's base in Uttlesford has been stripped of his licence by Uttlesford District Council.
Ismail Emin, a Chelmsford resident, was granted permits for West End Cars in October last year. He listed the business address as a unit in Ongar Road, Great Dunmow, and provided a letter from the landlord confirming he was a tenant at the address.
However, the council received complaints that West End Cars vehicles were driving around Chelmsford with a Chelmsford telephone number on them.
A member of the council's enforcement team twice visited the Dunmow address to check the record of bookings, but found no signage or any indication of the firm's presence. Neighbours had no knowledge of a taxi business operating from that address.
http://goo.gl/58p2uH
France’s Thevenoud law, introduced in October 2014, requires chauffeured cars to return to a base between fares, restricts their use of software to find customers in the street and banned unlicensed services, among other measures.
California-based Uber, which has run into fierce opposition from established taxi services since it launched in Europe five years ago, has filed a complaint with the European Commission against the French law, arguing it favoured regular taxis over Uber’s internet-managed ride-sharing service and that France should have notified Brussels of the new measure.
The Commission is preparing to issue a so-called letter of formal notice, the people said, which represents the first stage of an infringement procedure where Brussels suspects that a national measure breaches the EU treaties.
Uber allows would-be passengers to summon rides via a smartphone app and has seen exponential growth in Europe as well as numerous court challenges which have resulted in the banning of its unlicensed taxi service, UberPOP.
Ultimately the Commission could take France to court if the two do not come to an agreement.
The challenge could come in late May, the people said, although no final decision has been taken yet.
A spokesman for the Commission said it was looking at how it could “encourage the development of new and innovative services and the temporary use of assets, without favouring one business model over another.”
“In mid-2016 we will provide guidance on how existing EU law applies to the collaborative economy,” Jakub Adamowicz said.
Last month a French court ruled that banning chauffeured cars’ use of geolocational technology to help passengers find available cars was illegal and said France should have notified the measure to Brussels.
The Commission is adjusting its challenge to take the French ruling into account, the people said, which goes some way towards alleviating its concerns with the law.
However other substantive problems with the law remain, including the requirement that chauffeured cars return to a base between fares.
http://goo.gl/k86dBO
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
PENDLE
TAXI firms who fail to maintain their vehicles could soon be named and shamed under new plans put forward by Pendle Council bosses.
It comes as the council extended the maximum age of hackney and private hire vehicles from nine to 11 years, and 12 for those manufactured or adopted to allow wheelchair accessibility. The maximum age all vehicles can be when they are first licensed remains seven years.
Pendle Council leader Cllr Mohammed Iqbal denied that the change would lead to a reduction in safety and said that the new rating system would give the public more insight in to the safety record of individuals and private hire companies.
Cllr Iqbal said: "If you look at how things currently stand there are a lot of boroughs in Lancashire which have no vehicle age limitations.
"We have had ours for a number of years.
"The age of the vehicle isn't the issue as far as I am concerned because it is highlighted by our testing procedure that cars which are only three-years-old fail the safety checks.
"The issue for me is that at the moment there is no way for the public to know how safe a vehicle is when they ring up for a taxi.
"That is why I have asked the taxi licensing committee to work on a scheme hat would publicise good taxi operators but also highlight the poor ones regarding maintenance and safety of their vehicles. It would be something similar to the star rating system that we have for takeaways and restaurants.
"I want the public to be given the opportunity to vote with their feet because I think that is the only way we will address this problem."
Cllr Iqbal said the Taxi Licensing Committee will next meet on June 16 and he was hopeful the new safety rating system would be brought in soon after.
Concerns over taxi licensing had been raised by a number of councillors, who invoked the council's call-in procedure.
Giving the reasons for invoking the procedure a report said: “We believe the introduction of an 11-year-age limit for all licensed vehicles will put public safety at risk. Pendle currently has a very poor failure rate for spot checks; some 61 per cent of vehicles failed their checks in 2015. Extending the current age limit by a further two years doesn’t provide any encouragement for the trade to keep their vehicles in good condition.”
Vehicles will also have to pass an MOT test every four months or have their taxi license revoked.
http://goo.gl/I48tH7
------------------------------------------------------------------
BRADFORD
A TAXI driver sexually assaulted a distressed woman passenger after she had argued with her partner on a night out, a jury at Bradford Crown Court heard.
Father-of-four Farooq Ahmed denies making indecent suggestions on the ten minute cab journey from Hall Ings in Bradford city centre to her home and then touching her bare knee.
The court heard yesterday that Ahmed, 38, of Birch Lane, West Bowling, Bradford, agreed to take the woman to her house for £4 after she told him she did not have the full fare.
Prosecutor Michael Smith said she twice rang the police in the early hours asking for help to get home because she had fallen out with her partner. She was advised to find a taxi driver who would take her for £4 and Ahmed, who was parked in a taxi rank on Hall Ings, agreed to help.
Mr Smith said that 25 minutes later, the woman rang the police for a third time.
“She was upset and frightened and said the taxi driver had touched her leg,” Mr Smith said.
She also alleged Ahmed had told her his sexual fantasies while driving her home and made indecent suggestions.
It is alleged that he at first stopped her getting out of the taxi outside her home and then said he wanted to come in.
Ahmed, who pleads not guilty to sexual assault on April 6 last year, said the woman was crying and on the phone to the police when she got into his taxi at about 3.45am.
They barely spoke on the journey except that he asked if she was all right.
Ahmed said she complained of being harassed or assaulted by her partner and was extremely drunk.
Ahmed said he thought she had gone into her home to fetch him the balance of the taxi fare for a journey that would have cost between £7 and £8.
He waited outside for her to bring him the money and when she did not reappear, he drove off.
He told the police he had “a beautiful wife at home and four kids” and had no reason to make approaches to the woman. It would, anyway, have been stupid to do so outside her house.
“I think she just wanted to make allegations to get compensation. It is all just a lie,” he said.
The trial continues.
http://goo.gl/ZuCP8I
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
UTTLESFORD (wherever that is ?)
A taxi boss who lied about his business's base in Uttlesford has been stripped of his licence by Uttlesford District Council.
Ismail Emin, a Chelmsford resident, was granted permits for West End Cars in October last year. He listed the business address as a unit in Ongar Road, Great Dunmow, and provided a letter from the landlord confirming he was a tenant at the address.
However, the council received complaints that West End Cars vehicles were driving around Chelmsford with a Chelmsford telephone number on them.
A member of the council's enforcement team twice visited the Dunmow address to check the record of bookings, but found no signage or any indication of the firm's presence. Neighbours had no knowledge of a taxi business operating from that address.
http://goo.gl/58p2uH
New taxi rules mean that you'll now be able to hail any taxi in Belfast city centre
Previously, only black cabs could be given the nod to pull over, while private taxi companies had to be booked in advance
New rules for taxis in Belfast mean that you’ll now be able to hail any cab from the city centre.
Within a two-mile radius, and during certain time periods, all taxis - not just black cabs - can be hailed at will from today (Tuesday, May 31).
Previously, only black cabs could be given the nod to pull over, while private taxi companies had to be booked in advance.
The catch is that it’s only at peak times - from midnight on Friday and Saturday until 6am the following days.
Former Environment Minister Mark H Durkan said when announcing the move: “What consumers want is a modern well regulated taxi service which they can access much easier at peak times, easier access for people with disabilities, where the fares are clearly indicated and where a maximum fare prevails.
“What I am doing is exactly that. I am modernising and improving the regulations for the taxi industry including licensing requirements, accessibility standards and installation of taxi meters and imposition of maximum fares.
“Anyone trying to hail a taxi from midnight on a Friday or Saturday night within the Belfast Zone will be able to do so by waving down established private hire taxi firms rather than having to pre-book.
“In effect, these changes will mean that people in the north will get a much better taxi service.”
http://goo.gl/aYH709
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Taxi with ‘dangerous part’ removed from Aylesbury’s roads during operation in which nine out of ten vehicles were found to have committed a licensing offence
A taxi check operation across Aylesbury Vale saw 32 out of 36 vehicles checked found to have committed a licensing offence - with one deemed unfit for the road because of a sharp edge sticking out of its bumper.
The Road Safety Officer for Bucks stopped private hire vehicles around Aylesbury, Wendover and Stoke Mandeville as part of the operation on Friday May 20.
On the vehicle with the dangerous part a district council spokesman said: “It had to be removed from the road because a sharp edge was coming through the rear bumper.
“The vehicle is being repaired and once it has been re-checked and is deemed safe it will return to the road.”
A total of 36 vehicles were stopped and checked for defects by the Road Safety officer, and to establish the correct driving licence and insurance with the licensing officers from the district council checking the drivers for correct taxi documentation.
One driver was not insured under the restrictions on the insurance and received a fixed penalty notice for six points and £300 fine.
Offences included drivers not wearing ID badges and not displaying correct vehicle signage.
Drivers were given taxi enforcement points and 14 days in which to rectify the defect or face further action.
A district council spokesman added that there were likely to be ‘more frequent checks’ because of the high number of vehicles where issues were identified.
PC Liz Johnson of Roads Policing said: “The operation was a success, we checked a good number of private hire vehicles to ensure the public are safe when using them.”
http://goo.gl/p6xml3
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHICAGO
On Monday night, a taxi jumped a curb and smashed into the glass doors of Terminal 3 at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago.
There were no reported injuries during the incident.
According to NBC Chicago, the taxi that crashed into the doors of the airport Monday night at around 5:30 p.m. local time was a Toyota Prius marked with the company name “Dispatch Taxi Affiliation.”
Chicago police told NBC that there were no travelers injured in O'Hare Airport during the crash and the man driving the taxi refused medical treatment at the scene. Authorities say the driver was cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.
http://goo.gl/gqjh5Y
Previously, only black cabs could be given the nod to pull over, while private taxi companies had to be booked in advance
New rules for taxis in Belfast mean that you’ll now be able to hail any cab from the city centre.
Within a two-mile radius, and during certain time periods, all taxis - not just black cabs - can be hailed at will from today (Tuesday, May 31).
Previously, only black cabs could be given the nod to pull over, while private taxi companies had to be booked in advance.
The catch is that it’s only at peak times - from midnight on Friday and Saturday until 6am the following days.
Former Environment Minister Mark H Durkan said when announcing the move: “What consumers want is a modern well regulated taxi service which they can access much easier at peak times, easier access for people with disabilities, where the fares are clearly indicated and where a maximum fare prevails.
“What I am doing is exactly that. I am modernising and improving the regulations for the taxi industry including licensing requirements, accessibility standards and installation of taxi meters and imposition of maximum fares.
“Anyone trying to hail a taxi from midnight on a Friday or Saturday night within the Belfast Zone will be able to do so by waving down established private hire taxi firms rather than having to pre-book.
“In effect, these changes will mean that people in the north will get a much better taxi service.”
http://goo.gl/aYH709
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Taxi with ‘dangerous part’ removed from Aylesbury’s roads during operation in which nine out of ten vehicles were found to have committed a licensing offence
A taxi check operation across Aylesbury Vale saw 32 out of 36 vehicles checked found to have committed a licensing offence - with one deemed unfit for the road because of a sharp edge sticking out of its bumper.
The Road Safety Officer for Bucks stopped private hire vehicles around Aylesbury, Wendover and Stoke Mandeville as part of the operation on Friday May 20.
On the vehicle with the dangerous part a district council spokesman said: “It had to be removed from the road because a sharp edge was coming through the rear bumper.
“The vehicle is being repaired and once it has been re-checked and is deemed safe it will return to the road.”
A total of 36 vehicles were stopped and checked for defects by the Road Safety officer, and to establish the correct driving licence and insurance with the licensing officers from the district council checking the drivers for correct taxi documentation.
One driver was not insured under the restrictions on the insurance and received a fixed penalty notice for six points and £300 fine.
Offences included drivers not wearing ID badges and not displaying correct vehicle signage.
Drivers were given taxi enforcement points and 14 days in which to rectify the defect or face further action.
A district council spokesman added that there were likely to be ‘more frequent checks’ because of the high number of vehicles where issues were identified.
PC Liz Johnson of Roads Policing said: “The operation was a success, we checked a good number of private hire vehicles to ensure the public are safe when using them.”
http://goo.gl/p6xml3
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHICAGO
On Monday night, a taxi jumped a curb and smashed into the glass doors of Terminal 3 at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago.
There were no reported injuries during the incident.
According to NBC Chicago, the taxi that crashed into the doors of the airport Monday night at around 5:30 p.m. local time was a Toyota Prius marked with the company name “Dispatch Taxi Affiliation.”
Chicago police told NBC that there were no travelers injured in O'Hare Airport during the crash and the man driving the taxi refused medical treatment at the scene. Authorities say the driver was cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.
http://goo.gl/gqjh5Y
Monday, 30 May 2016
UBER has announced that it is expanding its car-share service in central London as it tries to convince commuters to leave their cars at home.
The company has said that passengers will be able to request its UberPool service, where commuters travelling in the same direction share a journey, in all of zones one and two in the capital, as well as Heathrow Airport.
Uber is trying to attract more than one million customers who drive to work in London every day, and claims the expansion of the service can help reduce congestion and air pollution in the city.
The UberPool service was first launched in London at the end of 2015, shortly before the company said it had made one billion journeys since launching in 2010.
It is offering a £5 flat fare on weekdays from 5pm to midnight for the first two weeks of the expansion, it said.
Tom Elvidge, Uber’s general manager in London, said: “The more people share their Uber journey with another Londoner the more we can help to reduce congestion and air pollution.
“That is why we are expanding uberPool and giving more Londoners the option to leave their own car at home and share an Uber to get from A to B instead. Getting more people into fewer cars is what UberPool is all about and why we want more Londoners to try it out.”
It comes days after the privately held company, which is currently valued at around $60bn (£41bn), revealed that it was taking investment from Toyota as part of a “strategic partnership” with the Japanese motor company.
Earlier this month, Google launched its own carpooling service, Waze Carpool, which is being tested in San Francisco’s Bay Area and will pose a direct challenge to Uber.
http://goo.gl/qiDjKG
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
It seems like an Uber driver is charged with a violent crime nearly every day. It’s not a stretch—just three days ago, we reported on a driver who was arrested for strangling a college student in a dorm parking lot. Now here we are again.
A 52-year-old Uber driver from Gaithersburg, Maryland has been charged with two counts of first degree attempted murder for trying to shoot police officers with a homemade gun. The driver, Jonathan Hemming, is also facing 17 additional assault, drug and weapons charges. According to WJLA, he has “an extensive criminal record” that includes weapons possession, arson, armed robbery, burglary, vehicle theft and more, yet Mr. Hemming had no problem passing the Uber background check.
The incident occurred last week when Montgomery County officers surrounded Mr. Hemming’s car to arrest him on a bench warrant for multiple drug charges. He allegedly resisted arrest and attempted, but failed, to fire at the heads of two detectives with one of the two weapons police say he had in the vehicle. After placing Mr. Hemming in handcuffs, officers also found a needle cap, a prescription vial, a syringe, rubber tie off straps, live shotgun shells, live handgun rounds, a pill bottle, a metal pill holder, a handcuff key, garden clippers and a pocket knife in his pants pockets. Although police say there were no Uber passengers in the car at the time, it was confirmed that was the vehicle he is assigned to drive for Uber.
When asked about Mr. Hemming at an unrelated Uber press conference, spokeswoman Meghan Joyce told ABC7, “I can say that we take this responsibility extraordinarily seriously.”
http://goo.gl/JzGt1s
The company has said that passengers will be able to request its UberPool service, where commuters travelling in the same direction share a journey, in all of zones one and two in the capital, as well as Heathrow Airport.
Uber is trying to attract more than one million customers who drive to work in London every day, and claims the expansion of the service can help reduce congestion and air pollution in the city.
The UberPool service was first launched in London at the end of 2015, shortly before the company said it had made one billion journeys since launching in 2010.
It is offering a £5 flat fare on weekdays from 5pm to midnight for the first two weeks of the expansion, it said.
Tom Elvidge, Uber’s general manager in London, said: “The more people share their Uber journey with another Londoner the more we can help to reduce congestion and air pollution.
“That is why we are expanding uberPool and giving more Londoners the option to leave their own car at home and share an Uber to get from A to B instead. Getting more people into fewer cars is what UberPool is all about and why we want more Londoners to try it out.”
It comes days after the privately held company, which is currently valued at around $60bn (£41bn), revealed that it was taking investment from Toyota as part of a “strategic partnership” with the Japanese motor company.
Earlier this month, Google launched its own carpooling service, Waze Carpool, which is being tested in San Francisco’s Bay Area and will pose a direct challenge to Uber.
http://goo.gl/qiDjKG
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
It seems like an Uber driver is charged with a violent crime nearly every day. It’s not a stretch—just three days ago, we reported on a driver who was arrested for strangling a college student in a dorm parking lot. Now here we are again.
A 52-year-old Uber driver from Gaithersburg, Maryland has been charged with two counts of first degree attempted murder for trying to shoot police officers with a homemade gun. The driver, Jonathan Hemming, is also facing 17 additional assault, drug and weapons charges. According to WJLA, he has “an extensive criminal record” that includes weapons possession, arson, armed robbery, burglary, vehicle theft and more, yet Mr. Hemming had no problem passing the Uber background check.
The incident occurred last week when Montgomery County officers surrounded Mr. Hemming’s car to arrest him on a bench warrant for multiple drug charges. He allegedly resisted arrest and attempted, but failed, to fire at the heads of two detectives with one of the two weapons police say he had in the vehicle. After placing Mr. Hemming in handcuffs, officers also found a needle cap, a prescription vial, a syringe, rubber tie off straps, live shotgun shells, live handgun rounds, a pill bottle, a metal pill holder, a handcuff key, garden clippers and a pocket knife in his pants pockets. Although police say there were no Uber passengers in the car at the time, it was confirmed that was the vehicle he is assigned to drive for Uber.
When asked about Mr. Hemming at an unrelated Uber press conference, spokeswoman Meghan Joyce told ABC7, “I can say that we take this responsibility extraordinarily seriously.”
http://goo.gl/JzGt1s
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