The Institute of Licensing (IoL) has written to the Government to raise concerns about failings in the taxi and private hire licensing system that is putting public safety at risk.
IoL President, James Button, said in the letter:
“We are aware that there is currently much discussion ongoing in relation to the licensing of taxi and private hire drivers, operators and vehicle owners, including the recently established working party by Minister of State John Hayes MP.
We are conscious that any discussions must seriously consider the adequacies of current arrangements concerning criminality checks, data sharing and ability of licensing authorities and police practitioners to identify concerns relating to licensed individuals and those seeking to be licensed with a view to maintaining public safety and taking appropriate action as necessary.”
The letter addressed to the Home Office, DfT, National Police Chiefs Council and the chairman of the newly established Taxi and Private Hire Working Group, outlined the result of its member’s survey about the level of checks undertaken, data sharing with the police and other similar issues:
• Less than 25% of respondents consider the current data sharing arrangements are satisfactory
• More than 50% of respondents agreed that changes to the Notifiable Occupations Scheme affected information sharing between police and licensing authorities
• 72% of respondents said that do not receive immediate notifications from the police when a taxi licensee (driver, operator or proprietor) is under investigation, arrested or charged
• 42% of respondents said that the Data Protection Act used as a reason for not sharing information
• A substantial 80% of respondents agreed it would useful would it be to have a single point of contact within the police for taxi licensing issues
Mr Button continued: “The IoL has raised concerns previously with the Home Office in relation to data sharing between police and licensing authorities in relation to taxis.
In March 2015, we put on record with the Home Office our concern over the then imminent changes to the Notifiable Occupations Scheme and the proposed removal of Home Office Circular 006/2006 which provided guidance to police forces about the disclosure of convictions and other information in relation to people in professions or occupations which carry additional trust or responsibility (notifiable occupations).
In summary, the concern at that point was that the changes would increase uncertainty and inconsistency in data sharing.”
The IoL is currently leading on a project to develop a national model convictions policy for licensing authorities to consider adopting locally.
It has been working with the Local Government Association and the National Association of Licensing and Enforcement Officers on the project and the aim is to consult on the draft document imminently. This project has been undertaken with the sole purpose of providing a potential national minimum standard endorsed by the relevant organisations with a view to raising consistency across England and Wales.
http://bit.ly/2zeGQAG
------------------------------------------
THIS WEEK IN PARLIAMENT
Zac Goldsmith Conservative, Richmond Park
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to increase the value of the plug-in taxi grant available to taxi drivers.
Hansard source
(Citation: HC Deb, 26 October 2017, cW)
Jesse Norman Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Plug in Taxi Grant (PITG) was announced in March 2017. This will provide support to taxi drivers purchasing new ultra low emission taxis of up to £7,500. The first eligible vehicles to be able to claim the PITG are expected to come to market shortly. We are keeping PITG support levels under review.
For private hire vehicles the existing Plug in Car Grant of up to £4,500 is already available to support the take up of ultra low emission vehicles (ULEVs) used as taxis.
To provide further support for ULEV taxis the Government is supporting 10 local authorities with £14m of funding to install dedicated chargepoint infrastructure to encourage taxi drivers to purchase new zero emissions vehicles.
Comment: Note the extra help for PH vehicles here:
Purchasing a Nissan Leaf to be a PH Car gets you a 14.5 % percent grant on a £31k car.
Whilst the grant for a £60k Electric TX gets you 12.5% grant and an extra £30k on the purchase price
-----------------------------------------------
Friday, 27 October 2017
Thursday, 26 October 2017
Thank You all the Cab Trade who supported this Crowd fund
Uber claims it has no obligation to collect VAT on rides because it only acts as an agent for self-employed drivers, rather than a service provider.
But a landmark UK ruling last year found that Uber’s 30,000 drivers in London are workers, rather than self-employed contractors.
A spokesperson for Uber said the company has held regular discussions with HMRC, but the UK tax authority has never opened a formal investigation into its approach to VAT.
The company also confirmed it has not received a “protective assessment” letter from HMRC. Protective assessment letters often precede investigations.
Meg Hillier, the Labour MP who chairs the public accounts committee, said it was “extraordinary” that the tax authority had not formally investigated Uber’s approach.
“HMRC has been slow to react to new business models. It needs to be much more adept at working out how working practices are changing and the disrupter businesses out there need to be examined.”
“It’s plain common sense that HMRC should be investigating the VAT issue and other tax issues in relation to Uber,” she said. “If Uber fails to pay its proper VAT bill, that only means other taxpayers have to pay more or more public services have to face even deeper cuts.”
A spokesperson for HMRC said the authority does not comment on individual companies, but said: “Multinational companies must pay all taxes due and we don’t settle for less. We subject large businesses to an exceptional level of scrutiny. HMRC actively investigates more than half of the UK’s largest businesses at any one time.”
Jolyon Maugham, an activist tax barrister, lodged a High Court claim in May demanding a VAT receipt from Uber.
He described HMRC’s failure to investigate Uber’s tax arrangements as “outrageous”.
“It’s a genuine scandal that, if Uber is to be believed, HMRC is not querying its VAT arrangements,” he said.
Mr Maugham argues that Uber provided him with a service when he took a £6.34 ride from his office to meet a client, and is therefore obliged to provide him with a VAT receipt.
His claim for a 56p VAT receipt will be heard in the High Court in November. If his case is successful, it could eventually lead to the company being forced to pay hundreds of millions of pounds in backdated taxes to UK authorities.
“I do find it surprising that a large business with an innovative business model has escaped HMRC scrutiny, particularly when it seems to have been structured with tax in mind,” said Dan Neidle, a partner at Clifford Chance, the law firm. “It is reasonable for the public to expect HMRC to be more proactive.”
An Uber spokesperson said: “Drivers who use our app provide transportation services to passengers and will be registered for VAT if they meet the threshold set by government.
“This has been the case across the taxi and private hire industry for decades. Black cab drivers, and apps they use, operate in exactly the same way,” they added. “This claim is fundamentally flawed on a number of levels.”
Uber’s latest UK accounts, filed earlier this month, showed the company paid £551,174 in tax in Britain last year on £3m of profit.
Uber is separately embroiled in an ongoing wrangle with Transport for London, which revoked the company’s operating license in the capital. Uber has appealed against the decision, objecting to TFL’s finding that the ride-hailing service was not a “fit and proper” operator.
http://on.ft.com/2yTmdsM
Uber claims it has no obligation to collect VAT on rides because it only acts as an agent for self-employed drivers, rather than a service provider.
But a landmark UK ruling last year found that Uber’s 30,000 drivers in London are workers, rather than self-employed contractors.
A spokesperson for Uber said the company has held regular discussions with HMRC, but the UK tax authority has never opened a formal investigation into its approach to VAT.
The company also confirmed it has not received a “protective assessment” letter from HMRC. Protective assessment letters often precede investigations.
Meg Hillier, the Labour MP who chairs the public accounts committee, said it was “extraordinary” that the tax authority had not formally investigated Uber’s approach.
“HMRC has been slow to react to new business models. It needs to be much more adept at working out how working practices are changing and the disrupter businesses out there need to be examined.”
“It’s plain common sense that HMRC should be investigating the VAT issue and other tax issues in relation to Uber,” she said. “If Uber fails to pay its proper VAT bill, that only means other taxpayers have to pay more or more public services have to face even deeper cuts.”
A spokesperson for HMRC said the authority does not comment on individual companies, but said: “Multinational companies must pay all taxes due and we don’t settle for less. We subject large businesses to an exceptional level of scrutiny. HMRC actively investigates more than half of the UK’s largest businesses at any one time.”
Jolyon Maugham, an activist tax barrister, lodged a High Court claim in May demanding a VAT receipt from Uber.
He described HMRC’s failure to investigate Uber’s tax arrangements as “outrageous”.
“It’s a genuine scandal that, if Uber is to be believed, HMRC is not querying its VAT arrangements,” he said.
Mr Maugham argues that Uber provided him with a service when he took a £6.34 ride from his office to meet a client, and is therefore obliged to provide him with a VAT receipt.
His claim for a 56p VAT receipt will be heard in the High Court in November. If his case is successful, it could eventually lead to the company being forced to pay hundreds of millions of pounds in backdated taxes to UK authorities.
“I do find it surprising that a large business with an innovative business model has escaped HMRC scrutiny, particularly when it seems to have been structured with tax in mind,” said Dan Neidle, a partner at Clifford Chance, the law firm. “It is reasonable for the public to expect HMRC to be more proactive.”
An Uber spokesperson said: “Drivers who use our app provide transportation services to passengers and will be registered for VAT if they meet the threshold set by government.
“This has been the case across the taxi and private hire industry for decades. Black cab drivers, and apps they use, operate in exactly the same way,” they added. “This claim is fundamentally flawed on a number of levels.”
Uber’s latest UK accounts, filed earlier this month, showed the company paid £551,174 in tax in Britain last year on £3m of profit.
Uber is separately embroiled in an ongoing wrangle with Transport for London, which revoked the company’s operating license in the capital. Uber has appealed against the decision, objecting to TFL’s finding that the ride-hailing service was not a “fit and proper” operator.
http://on.ft.com/2yTmdsM
Wednesday, 25 October 2017
(Bloomberg) -- Uber could face a major legislative clampdown in Brazil, potentially rendering its current business model unworkable in its second-largest market after the U.S.
Brazil’s Senate plenary is scheduled to begin discussing on Tuesday a bill that would regulate Uber and other on-demand transport apps such as Cabify, 99 and Lady Driver as taxi services rather than technology companies. The rule changes would "increase app drivers’ bureaucracy so much that the system would become inviable," the companies said in a joint press release. The lower house approved the bill six months ago.
The Brazilian regulations add to the challenges facing new Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, including a ban in London, a boardroom battle with co-founder Travis Kalanick, a lawsuit over driverless-car technology, allegations of a sexist company culture, and several ongoing government investigations. As in London, the massively popular car service has flourished in Brazil, but also not without controversy. While the company has provided plenty of freelance work amid double-digit unemployment in the South American country, it has also faced lawsuits over its employment practices.
Uber’s argument that it fills a void left by Brazil’s combination of inadequate public transport and neighborhoods neglected by traditional taxi services is disputed by professional drivers who say the company is unfairly undercutting their business.
"In effect Uber is a form of public transport and it has already resulted in a loss of income for mass transit," said Humberto Costa, a PT Senator and the upper house minority leader. "There must be some rules, it’s in the interests of the consumer and public transport."
In April a vote by the Chamber of Deputies approved the bill defining Uber and others as public services and granting municipal authorities the right to regulate them. Drivers would require the same red license plates as taxis which they would only be able to acquire via a city permit.
Ahead of Tuesday’s vote both taxi drivers and Uber lobbyists thronged the corridors of Brazil’s upper house, competing to pressure Senators.
"We’re not afraid of innovation, we’re not afraid of competition, but it must be fair," said Antonio Pascoal, a 59-year old taxi driver from Rio de Janeiro.
Uber, meanwhile, issued a press release stating that it has paid 495 million reais ($152 million) in taxes so far this year.
"Every day more and more Brazilians take refuge from the economic crisis that we are experiencing by generating income in a dignified and uncomplicated way," said Guilherme Telles, the director-general of Uber in Brazil, in the company statement.
If the Senate passes the bill as is, President Michel Temer can sign it into law. If Senate alters the bill, it goes back to the lower house for a second vote.
Written By: Bloomberg
Brazil’s Senate plenary is scheduled to begin discussing on Tuesday a bill that would regulate Uber and other on-demand transport apps such as Cabify, 99 and Lady Driver as taxi services rather than technology companies. The rule changes would "increase app drivers’ bureaucracy so much that the system would become inviable," the companies said in a joint press release. The lower house approved the bill six months ago.
The Brazilian regulations add to the challenges facing new Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, including a ban in London, a boardroom battle with co-founder Travis Kalanick, a lawsuit over driverless-car technology, allegations of a sexist company culture, and several ongoing government investigations. As in London, the massively popular car service has flourished in Brazil, but also not without controversy. While the company has provided plenty of freelance work amid double-digit unemployment in the South American country, it has also faced lawsuits over its employment practices.
Uber’s argument that it fills a void left by Brazil’s combination of inadequate public transport and neighborhoods neglected by traditional taxi services is disputed by professional drivers who say the company is unfairly undercutting their business.
"In effect Uber is a form of public transport and it has already resulted in a loss of income for mass transit," said Humberto Costa, a PT Senator and the upper house minority leader. "There must be some rules, it’s in the interests of the consumer and public transport."
In April a vote by the Chamber of Deputies approved the bill defining Uber and others as public services and granting municipal authorities the right to regulate them. Drivers would require the same red license plates as taxis which they would only be able to acquire via a city permit.
Ahead of Tuesday’s vote both taxi drivers and Uber lobbyists thronged the corridors of Brazil’s upper house, competing to pressure Senators.
"We’re not afraid of innovation, we’re not afraid of competition, but it must be fair," said Antonio Pascoal, a 59-year old taxi driver from Rio de Janeiro.
Uber, meanwhile, issued a press release stating that it has paid 495 million reais ($152 million) in taxes so far this year.
"Every day more and more Brazilians take refuge from the economic crisis that we are experiencing by generating income in a dignified and uncomplicated way," said Guilherme Telles, the director-general of Uber in Brazil, in the company statement.
If the Senate passes the bill as is, President Michel Temer can sign it into law. If Senate alters the bill, it goes back to the lower house for a second vote.
Written By: Bloomberg
WILTSHIRE
A Taxi driver has died following a crash on the A350.
The 48-year-old man from Swindon, who worked for Cross Street Cars, died at the scene after his Ford Mondeo collided with a lorry at Beanacre, near Melksham, on Monday.
His passenger, a 79-year-old woman from the Chippenham area, suffered serious injuries and was taken to Southmead Hospital in Bristol by air ambulance.
The incident took place near the Beechfield House hotel just after 1.15pm. Wiltshire Police are appealing for witnesses.
The road was closed in both directions as three Dorset and Wiltshire fire crews from Corsham and Chippenham and a heavy rescue unit from Trowbridge freed the two people trapped in the car.
Police immediately urged motorists to avoid the A350, warning people that the road would be closed “for the foreseeable” future.
Debris was strewn across the road and the front of car was completely destroyed.
The white MAN truck also suffered significant damage to the front bumper, although the driver’s cab remained largely intact.
http://bit.ly/2gDwT4x
----------------------------------------
A Taxi driver has died following a crash on the A350.
The 48-year-old man from Swindon, who worked for Cross Street Cars, died at the scene after his Ford Mondeo collided with a lorry at Beanacre, near Melksham, on Monday.
His passenger, a 79-year-old woman from the Chippenham area, suffered serious injuries and was taken to Southmead Hospital in Bristol by air ambulance.
The incident took place near the Beechfield House hotel just after 1.15pm. Wiltshire Police are appealing for witnesses.
The road was closed in both directions as three Dorset and Wiltshire fire crews from Corsham and Chippenham and a heavy rescue unit from Trowbridge freed the two people trapped in the car.
Police immediately urged motorists to avoid the A350, warning people that the road would be closed “for the foreseeable” future.
Debris was strewn across the road and the front of car was completely destroyed.
The white MAN truck also suffered significant damage to the front bumper, although the driver’s cab remained largely intact.
http://bit.ly/2gDwT4x
----------------------------------------
Welsh councils support single-tier taxi system
Councils are backing the Welsh Government’s proposal to create a single-tier licensing system for taxis and private hire vehicles.
This would introduce taxi holding areas, with electric charging facilities, outside town centres to address overcrowding at taxi ranks and reflect the growing use of electronic systems to book rides.
Infrastructure secretary Ken Skates said the distinction between taxis and PHVs was “unhelpful”, with technology having made pre-booking a vehicle almost instantaneous.
LTT has obtained consultation responses from various urban and rural councils, including Cardiff, Swansea, Vale of Glamorgan and Pembrokeshire. The responses use a common template which says that new primary legislation provides an opportunity to replace the “existing archaic legislative structure” with a system reflecting “an evolving transport regime”.
“In principle, a one-tier system would be the preferred model. However, it is acknowledged that a number of challenges would have to be overcome for this model to be successfully implemented,” said the councils.
One solution to the issue of increased pressure on rank space would be provision of additional holding areas on the fringes of town centres for vehicles to wait until they are booked electronically.
“These areas could be tailored specifically for taxis, including charging points for the eventual move to electric vehicles and could be the catalyst for taxis [operators] to embrace electric vehicles.”
The response says that a single-tier system would create a level playing field for the trade, simplify insurance policies, decriminalise plying for trade with PHVs, be “much easier for the public to understand” and ensure consistent fares and quality standards. It would also “do away with the terms hackney carriage and private hire” and use only the term taxi, “which the public already recognise”.
http://bit.ly/2yRJYRS
------------------------------------------
UBERK to charge to run over
Uber is hitting passengers with some new fees, created to entice drivers who don’t want to wait for slow passengers, drive longer distances for out-of-the-way pickups or deal with last-minute trip cancellations.
Drivers will now earn standard time and distance rates on the way to a long pickup, in addition to the standard fare. “So if it’s a 40-minute pickup, which hopefully never happens and is extremely rare, it would be some segment of 40 minutes,” Aaron Schildkrout, head of driver product at Uber, told The Verge.
Although the amount of the extra charges will depend on the market and the length of the pickup, typically drivers will start to earn standard time and distance rates after eight or 11 minutes of driving to pick up the rider, depending on the city.
Of course, riders are sure to be unhappy about the extra fees, but Schildkrout said it will solve a problem for them as well. “It’s not always as easy to get a car in the suburbs as it is in the city,” he said. “Even in the outskirts of a city, people sometimes have this experience. So, from a driver’s perspective, it’s easy to see why this makes sense: You’re more likely to forgo trips with long ETAs … With this change, we hope to make those long trips more worth drivers’ while.
And for riders, we hope this means they’ll able to get a ride reliably wherever they are.”
In addition, Uber is updating its cancellation policy so that the fee relates to time and distance. “We’ve updated our technology to actually detect progress by the driver toward the rider, so we can be more nuanced about when to charge a rider a cancellation fee,” Schildkrout said.
Riders will also be charged for making drivers wait longer than two minutes, in an extension of a pilot that started last year in New York City, New Jersey, Phoenix and Dallas. Those fees will also vary, but a wait time of three minutes and 45 seconds would cost a passenger $0.86 in added fees.
http://bit.ly/2yK36S8
---------------------------------------------------
Councils are backing the Welsh Government’s proposal to create a single-tier licensing system for taxis and private hire vehicles.
This would introduce taxi holding areas, with electric charging facilities, outside town centres to address overcrowding at taxi ranks and reflect the growing use of electronic systems to book rides.
Infrastructure secretary Ken Skates said the distinction between taxis and PHVs was “unhelpful”, with technology having made pre-booking a vehicle almost instantaneous.
LTT has obtained consultation responses from various urban and rural councils, including Cardiff, Swansea, Vale of Glamorgan and Pembrokeshire. The responses use a common template which says that new primary legislation provides an opportunity to replace the “existing archaic legislative structure” with a system reflecting “an evolving transport regime”.
“In principle, a one-tier system would be the preferred model. However, it is acknowledged that a number of challenges would have to be overcome for this model to be successfully implemented,” said the councils.
One solution to the issue of increased pressure on rank space would be provision of additional holding areas on the fringes of town centres for vehicles to wait until they are booked electronically.
“These areas could be tailored specifically for taxis, including charging points for the eventual move to electric vehicles and could be the catalyst for taxis [operators] to embrace electric vehicles.”
The response says that a single-tier system would create a level playing field for the trade, simplify insurance policies, decriminalise plying for trade with PHVs, be “much easier for the public to understand” and ensure consistent fares and quality standards. It would also “do away with the terms hackney carriage and private hire” and use only the term taxi, “which the public already recognise”.
http://bit.ly/2yRJYRS
------------------------------------------
UBERK to charge to run over
Uber is hitting passengers with some new fees, created to entice drivers who don’t want to wait for slow passengers, drive longer distances for out-of-the-way pickups or deal with last-minute trip cancellations.
Drivers will now earn standard time and distance rates on the way to a long pickup, in addition to the standard fare. “So if it’s a 40-minute pickup, which hopefully never happens and is extremely rare, it would be some segment of 40 minutes,” Aaron Schildkrout, head of driver product at Uber, told The Verge.
Although the amount of the extra charges will depend on the market and the length of the pickup, typically drivers will start to earn standard time and distance rates after eight or 11 minutes of driving to pick up the rider, depending on the city.
Of course, riders are sure to be unhappy about the extra fees, but Schildkrout said it will solve a problem for them as well. “It’s not always as easy to get a car in the suburbs as it is in the city,” he said. “Even in the outskirts of a city, people sometimes have this experience. So, from a driver’s perspective, it’s easy to see why this makes sense: You’re more likely to forgo trips with long ETAs … With this change, we hope to make those long trips more worth drivers’ while.
And for riders, we hope this means they’ll able to get a ride reliably wherever they are.”
In addition, Uber is updating its cancellation policy so that the fee relates to time and distance. “We’ve updated our technology to actually detect progress by the driver toward the rider, so we can be more nuanced about when to charge a rider a cancellation fee,” Schildkrout said.
Riders will also be charged for making drivers wait longer than two minutes, in an extension of a pilot that started last year in New York City, New Jersey, Phoenix and Dallas. Those fees will also vary, but a wait time of three minutes and 45 seconds would cost a passenger $0.86 in added fees.
http://bit.ly/2yK36S8
---------------------------------------------------
Friday, 20 October 2017
Taxi-hailing app Lyft raises £760 million from Google parent Alphabet
Taxi-hailing app Lyft has raised $1 billion (£760 million) from Google’s parent company as it looks to narrow the gap with Uber.
The investment from Alphabet fund CapitalG bolsters Lyft’s valuation to $11 billion (£8 billion) from $7.5 billion (£5.7 billion).
As part of the move, David Lawee – CapitalG partner and former Google vice president of corporate development – will join Lyft’s board.
Lyft, which only operates in the US, said in a statement: “Earlier this month, we completed our 500 millionth ride and our service is now available to 95% of the US population — up from 54% at the beginning of the year.
“While we’ve made progress towards our vision, we’re most excited about what lies ahead.
“The fact remains that less than 0.5% of miles travelled in the US happen on rideshare networks.
“This creates a huge opportunity to best serve our cities’ economic, environmental and social futures.”
The cash-injection from Google’s parent firm puts pressure on market leader Uber, which is fighting Transport for London’s (TfL) decision to deny it a new operating licence in the capital.
Alphabet has emerged as a thorn in Uber’s side, even though Google was among Uber’s early investors and still holds a stake in the company.
Google’s self-driving car spin-off Waymo is suing Uber in federal court, alleging that it recruited some of its top engineers as part of an elaborate scheme to steal its trade secrets.
The high-profile legal battle is scheduled to go to trial in early December and could cost Uber billions of dollars in damages and derail its efforts to build its own fleet of self-driving cars.
Earlier this year, Waymo and Lyft formed a partnership to begin testing self-driving cars on the roads in a move that was widely seen as another attack on Uber.
http://bit.ly/2xb7wNZ
In reply to this :
I have an innate sense for crass commercial valuations, based largely on seeing too many. So my antennae where pulsing when I read this in the FT this afternoon:
[Google parent company] Alphabet is leading a new $1bn fundraising round in Lyft that values the Uber rival at $10bn, raising the stakes in the fierce competition between the San Francisco based transportation companies.
The investment values Lyft at a $10bn pre-money valuation, which is 45 per cent higher than its previous fundraising, which took place just six months ago.
First, this is not a transportation company. Lyft, like Uber, does not run cabs. It runs a taxi rank.
Second, no taxi rank has ever been worth $10 billion.
And if someone thinks it is then they have four things at the forefront of their minds.
The first is driving the competition out of the market.
The second is then screwing the consumer.
The third is screwing their staff.
And the fourth is then presenting the regulator with a fait accompli as they’re hoping all other games will have been driven out of town and that way they’ll earn hyper rents from their rank activities.
That’s how you can make a fortune from a cab booking service.
And it stinks.
http://www.taxresearch.org.uk
---------------------------------------------------
SOUTH CAMBRIDGESHIRE
A new taxi policy published by a local council has recommended setting one of the highest bars in the country that drivers and vehicles must pass before being granted a licence.
The draft policy published by South Cambridgeshire District Council puts the safety of people using taxis at its heart and makes it clear that anyone with a previous serious criminal conviction will not be granted a licence.
Along with one of the most stringent policies in the country on who will be granted a licence, the Council is also looking to make it even easier for wheelchair users to use cabs.
Under the rules of the new policy all Hackney carriages – taxis that do not need to be pre-booked – need to be fully wheelchair accessible. This would apply to all new and renewed licences.
Other changes in the Council’s draft policy, include:
* the introduction of safeguarding training so all drivers can more easily spot and report any concerns relating to their passengers’ wellbeing
* more frequent medical checks for drivers – current policies already set the same checks as a HGV driver
* a knowledge test for all applicants to make sure they have a good understanding of the area, places of interest and English and maths.
* one of the tightest convictions policies in the country
The Council committed to a review of the licensing policy at the beginning of the year to make sure it continues to meet the needs of local people.
The review is the first the Council has done since national deregulation of taxi licensing took place in 2015. Deregulation meant longer licences for drivers and operators as well as the ability for operators to work across district boundaries and sub contact to other firms.
The Council’s Licensing Committee will consider the draft policy on Friday 27 October. The committee will be asked to suggest any final changes before the Council consults the taxi industry and local residents on the policy.
The consultation is planned to take place between 1 November to 31 December.
Cllr Mark Howell, South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Cabinet Member for Environmental Health, said: “The safety of local people is vitally important and the draft policy our Licensing Committee will be considering sets one of the highest bars in the country for both vehicles and drivers. The changes we are suggesting are not just about making sure we have a fleet of high quality professional drivers to serve our communities, but also equipping them with the knowledge to identify any safeguarding issues they might become aware of with their customers.
“It is important to remember that this is a draft and not set in stone. We are suggesting a robust policy for our Committee to consider and then we will be consulting with the taxi industry and residents. It is vitally important we have a policy that reflects their needs so please make sure you have your say during November and December.”
The Council currently licences just over 1,000 taxis with around 90% being private hire vehicles that must be pre-booked.
The draft policy to be considered by the Council’s Licensing Committee is available by visiting
http://scambs.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=414&MId=7161&Ver=4
http://bit.ly/2xUH1M8
----------------------------------------
Taxi-hailing app Lyft has raised $1 billion (£760 million) from Google’s parent company as it looks to narrow the gap with Uber.
The investment from Alphabet fund CapitalG bolsters Lyft’s valuation to $11 billion (£8 billion) from $7.5 billion (£5.7 billion).
As part of the move, David Lawee – CapitalG partner and former Google vice president of corporate development – will join Lyft’s board.
Lyft, which only operates in the US, said in a statement: “Earlier this month, we completed our 500 millionth ride and our service is now available to 95% of the US population — up from 54% at the beginning of the year.
“While we’ve made progress towards our vision, we’re most excited about what lies ahead.
“The fact remains that less than 0.5% of miles travelled in the US happen on rideshare networks.
“This creates a huge opportunity to best serve our cities’ economic, environmental and social futures.”
The cash-injection from Google’s parent firm puts pressure on market leader Uber, which is fighting Transport for London’s (TfL) decision to deny it a new operating licence in the capital.
Alphabet has emerged as a thorn in Uber’s side, even though Google was among Uber’s early investors and still holds a stake in the company.
Google’s self-driving car spin-off Waymo is suing Uber in federal court, alleging that it recruited some of its top engineers as part of an elaborate scheme to steal its trade secrets.
The high-profile legal battle is scheduled to go to trial in early December and could cost Uber billions of dollars in damages and derail its efforts to build its own fleet of self-driving cars.
Earlier this year, Waymo and Lyft formed a partnership to begin testing self-driving cars on the roads in a move that was widely seen as another attack on Uber.
http://bit.ly/2xb7wNZ
In reply to this :
I have an innate sense for crass commercial valuations, based largely on seeing too many. So my antennae where pulsing when I read this in the FT this afternoon:
[Google parent company] Alphabet is leading a new $1bn fundraising round in Lyft that values the Uber rival at $10bn, raising the stakes in the fierce competition between the San Francisco based transportation companies.
The investment values Lyft at a $10bn pre-money valuation, which is 45 per cent higher than its previous fundraising, which took place just six months ago.
First, this is not a transportation company. Lyft, like Uber, does not run cabs. It runs a taxi rank.
Second, no taxi rank has ever been worth $10 billion.
And if someone thinks it is then they have four things at the forefront of their minds.
The first is driving the competition out of the market.
The second is then screwing the consumer.
The third is screwing their staff.
And the fourth is then presenting the regulator with a fait accompli as they’re hoping all other games will have been driven out of town and that way they’ll earn hyper rents from their rank activities.
That’s how you can make a fortune from a cab booking service.
And it stinks.
http://www.taxresearch.org.uk
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SOUTH CAMBRIDGESHIRE
A new taxi policy published by a local council has recommended setting one of the highest bars in the country that drivers and vehicles must pass before being granted a licence.
The draft policy published by South Cambridgeshire District Council puts the safety of people using taxis at its heart and makes it clear that anyone with a previous serious criminal conviction will not be granted a licence.
Along with one of the most stringent policies in the country on who will be granted a licence, the Council is also looking to make it even easier for wheelchair users to use cabs.
Under the rules of the new policy all Hackney carriages – taxis that do not need to be pre-booked – need to be fully wheelchair accessible. This would apply to all new and renewed licences.
Other changes in the Council’s draft policy, include:
* the introduction of safeguarding training so all drivers can more easily spot and report any concerns relating to their passengers’ wellbeing
* more frequent medical checks for drivers – current policies already set the same checks as a HGV driver
* a knowledge test for all applicants to make sure they have a good understanding of the area, places of interest and English and maths.
* one of the tightest convictions policies in the country
The Council committed to a review of the licensing policy at the beginning of the year to make sure it continues to meet the needs of local people.
The review is the first the Council has done since national deregulation of taxi licensing took place in 2015. Deregulation meant longer licences for drivers and operators as well as the ability for operators to work across district boundaries and sub contact to other firms.
The Council’s Licensing Committee will consider the draft policy on Friday 27 October. The committee will be asked to suggest any final changes before the Council consults the taxi industry and local residents on the policy.
The consultation is planned to take place between 1 November to 31 December.
Cllr Mark Howell, South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Cabinet Member for Environmental Health, said: “The safety of local people is vitally important and the draft policy our Licensing Committee will be considering sets one of the highest bars in the country for both vehicles and drivers. The changes we are suggesting are not just about making sure we have a fleet of high quality professional drivers to serve our communities, but also equipping them with the knowledge to identify any safeguarding issues they might become aware of with their customers.
“It is important to remember that this is a draft and not set in stone. We are suggesting a robust policy for our Committee to consider and then we will be consulting with the taxi industry and residents. It is vitally important we have a policy that reflects their needs so please make sure you have your say during November and December.”
The Council currently licences just over 1,000 taxis with around 90% being private hire vehicles that must be pre-booked.
The draft policy to be considered by the Council’s Licensing Committee is available by visiting
http://scambs.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=414&MId=7161&Ver=4
http://bit.ly/2xUH1M8
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Wednesday, 18 October 2017
LONDON UBERK. What if ?
If Uber fails to reach a deal to extend its licence in the capital Londoners could face paying an extra £90million a year in taxi fares, according to figures obtained by one London Assembly member.
The app-based taxi firm l odged an appeal against Transport for London's (TfL) decision not to extend its London licence at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Friday (October 13).
The appeal is ongoing but a failure to have its licence renewed would ban Uber from operating in the capital.
Figures obtained by Conservative LA member Andrew Boff, published on Tuesday (October 16), show that if a deal is not reached the financial consequences for passengers and drivers could be huge.
Excluding surge charges, the cost of an average 6.4-mile journey from Charing Cross to Hammersmith is £15 in a standard Uber,
compared with £25 in a black cab.
With one million Uber journeys taken in London per week, and with black cabs making up 17% of all licensed cars, Londoners would pay an extra £89.5million if they used black cabs as alternatives.
The ban would also impact on Uber’s 40,000 drivers, who earn on average £15 an hour and work an average of 30 hours per week.
Across the sector, an upholding of the ban would cost the 40,000 drivers £864million in lost earnings if they are all put out of work.
Mr Boff said: "These numbers may seem dramatic but they underline the huge economic damage this ban would do to millions of Londoners and thousands of drivers in our city.
"The Mayor repeatedly talks about London being open for business but this attack on consumer choice and value for money has happened on his watch.
http://bit.ly/2x5ZsOn
---------------------------------------------------
ADDISON LEE (Desperate to be heard)
Digital marketing specialist Be Heard Group PLC (LON:BHRD) has secured a new contract win with London taxi giant Addison Lee.
Be Heard’s digital media and analytics agency, agenda21, has been selected to help drive Addison Lee’s business expansion both in the capital as well as other parts of the UK.
Agenda21 helps companies to focus their digital marketing strategy and make it more effective through the analysis and “smarter use of complex data”.
Addison is a big player in the London cab market and you’ll often see their cars – often a black Ford Galaxy – waiting outside the entrances of big companies’ offices.
In fact, Be Heard estimates that 80% of firms on the FTSE 100 index have a customer account with the taxi operator.
Be Heard "has encouraging momentum", Numis Securities says,
"I am delighted that a global leader like Addison Lee has chosen us to lead its digital marketing activity,” said Be Heard chief executive Peter Scott.
“This confirms our view that corporates require agile and fast-moving digital specialists to help them connect with today's customers.”
http://bit.ly/2yybu6z
If Uber fails to reach a deal to extend its licence in the capital Londoners could face paying an extra £90million a year in taxi fares, according to figures obtained by one London Assembly member.
The app-based taxi firm l odged an appeal against Transport for London's (TfL) decision not to extend its London licence at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Friday (October 13).
The appeal is ongoing but a failure to have its licence renewed would ban Uber from operating in the capital.
Figures obtained by Conservative LA member Andrew Boff, published on Tuesday (October 16), show that if a deal is not reached the financial consequences for passengers and drivers could be huge.
Excluding surge charges, the cost of an average 6.4-mile journey from Charing Cross to Hammersmith is £15 in a standard Uber,
compared with £25 in a black cab.
With one million Uber journeys taken in London per week, and with black cabs making up 17% of all licensed cars, Londoners would pay an extra £89.5million if they used black cabs as alternatives.
The ban would also impact on Uber’s 40,000 drivers, who earn on average £15 an hour and work an average of 30 hours per week.
Across the sector, an upholding of the ban would cost the 40,000 drivers £864million in lost earnings if they are all put out of work.
Mr Boff said: "These numbers may seem dramatic but they underline the huge economic damage this ban would do to millions of Londoners and thousands of drivers in our city.
"The Mayor repeatedly talks about London being open for business but this attack on consumer choice and value for money has happened on his watch.
http://bit.ly/2x5ZsOn
---------------------------------------------------
ADDISON LEE (Desperate to be heard)
Digital marketing specialist Be Heard Group PLC (LON:BHRD) has secured a new contract win with London taxi giant Addison Lee.
Be Heard’s digital media and analytics agency, agenda21, has been selected to help drive Addison Lee’s business expansion both in the capital as well as other parts of the UK.
Agenda21 helps companies to focus their digital marketing strategy and make it more effective through the analysis and “smarter use of complex data”.
Addison is a big player in the London cab market and you’ll often see their cars – often a black Ford Galaxy – waiting outside the entrances of big companies’ offices.
In fact, Be Heard estimates that 80% of firms on the FTSE 100 index have a customer account with the taxi operator.
Be Heard "has encouraging momentum", Numis Securities says,
"I am delighted that a global leader like Addison Lee has chosen us to lead its digital marketing activity,” said Be Heard chief executive Peter Scott.
“This confirms our view that corporates require agile and fast-moving digital specialists to help them connect with today's customers.”
http://bit.ly/2yybu6z
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