GMP - Missing Person Enquiry
Calling all Hackney Carriage Drivers, were you working at the following
time, date and location?
Date: Friday 21st March 2014
Time: 04-08hrs
Location: Chorlton Street Coach Station, Manchester
If so, you may be able to assist the Police in a high risk missing person investigation. The following described male was seen getting into a Black Hackney Carriage around 04-08 hours on Friday 21st March 2014 from outside Chorlton Street Coach Station in Manchester.
An Asian male, 21years, 5'10' tall, slim build, short black hair with
goatee beard & mustache. He was wearing a red baseball cap, red hooded jacket, dark coloured jeans & Caterpillar boots. He is believed to have been carrying a Black strapped bag across his upper body, Black rucksack type bag & Orange plastic carrier type bag. This male is presently reported Missing from the Glasgow area.
There is a partial description of the cab driver this being a White male of medium to heavy build.
Having picked up the Asian male on Chorlton Street outside the Coach Station the cab does a U turn heading off in the direction of Whitworth Street.
The police are keen to speak to the driver involved as a witness or any other drivers who were in the area and can assist in identifying the cab involved.
If you have any information relevant to this investigation please contact PC01733 Richard Grace on 0161 856 3221, if PC Grace is not available, ask to speak to Sergeants Tracey or Astbury. Thank You.
Wednesday, 26 March 2014
Dundee.
A taxi trade unionist has hit back at a plan to develop a rickshaw business in Dundee.
Chris Elder, Unite Union taxi branch secretary, has said he has “serious concerns” about the plan.
Entrepreneur Adam Gierak has proposed to introduce the bike-based mode of transport, arguing that it will provide customers with a safe and environmentally friendly way of getting round the city.
However, Mr Elder said: “I have serious concerns regarding the public safety of this proposal.
“Who will test these contraptions to see if they are fit for the road? Will the rickshaw operators have public liability insurance? Will they sit a street knowledge test?
“The proposals claim that the rickshaws only do five miles an hour and that there are no emissions so it would benefit the city. Are the council going to put cycle lanes all over the city centre to deal with these rickshaws? If not they will cause more pollution in the city with buses and taxis piled up behind them.
“There is not enough taxi rank space as it is — where are these rickshaws going to sit?”
Councillors will vote on Mr Gierak’s idea at the licensing committee on Thursday, but Mr Elder also believes that he is applying for the wrong sort of licence.
“I understand that the rickshaw operator is applying for a street traders’ licence,” Mr Elder said. “If he is picking up passengers for hire and reward he would need a hackney licence and, as the city has capped hackney licences, he would need a private hire licence and would need to be pre-booked,” he added.
Mr Gierak, who is from Poland, plans on starting out with two rickshaws — one ridden by himself and another by a second driver. His rickshaws would go by the name Scottish Eco-taxis, and he says they will offer three types of trip.
A taxi trade unionist has hit back at a plan to develop a rickshaw business in Dundee.
Chris Elder, Unite Union taxi branch secretary, has said he has “serious concerns” about the plan.
Entrepreneur Adam Gierak has proposed to introduce the bike-based mode of transport, arguing that it will provide customers with a safe and environmentally friendly way of getting round the city.
However, Mr Elder said: “I have serious concerns regarding the public safety of this proposal.
“Who will test these contraptions to see if they are fit for the road? Will the rickshaw operators have public liability insurance? Will they sit a street knowledge test?
“The proposals claim that the rickshaws only do five miles an hour and that there are no emissions so it would benefit the city. Are the council going to put cycle lanes all over the city centre to deal with these rickshaws? If not they will cause more pollution in the city with buses and taxis piled up behind them.
“There is not enough taxi rank space as it is — where are these rickshaws going to sit?”
Councillors will vote on Mr Gierak’s idea at the licensing committee on Thursday, but Mr Elder also believes that he is applying for the wrong sort of licence.
“I understand that the rickshaw operator is applying for a street traders’ licence,” Mr Elder said. “If he is picking up passengers for hire and reward he would need a hackney licence and, as the city has capped hackney licences, he would need a private hire licence and would need to be pre-booked,” he added.
Mr Gierak, who is from Poland, plans on starting out with two rickshaws — one ridden by himself and another by a second driver. His rickshaws would go by the name Scottish Eco-taxis, and he says they will offer three types of trip.
Monday, 24 March 2014
Liverpool
A Delta taxi driver accused of stalking and shooting a Liverpool dad to death said he was just doing a private driving job and had no idea he was involved in a murder plot.
Paul Croxton, 21, is accused of murdering Jason Osu with the help of a second man, Thomas White, by ambushing him on his driveway and riddling him with bullets.
But Croxton, whose taxi GPS showed him driving past Mr Osu’s house on Beauclair Drive, Wavertree, many times in the months before the shooting, said he was carrying two passengers who paid him to drive them about.
Croxton admitted that he and White, 29, used his taxi to travel around delivering drugs but said that many taxi drivers also took “unofficial” or private jobs, even though they are not supposed to.
He said that sometimes when his cab was shown on Beauclair Drive it was because he was trying to avoid congestion or just dropping off on innocent taxi fares.
But he said sometimes he was asked to do private job carrying two men around who he picked up in Aintree.
Neil Flewitt, QC, defending Croxton, asked: “Are you able to tell us how you were introduced to these people?”
He said: “Honestly I can’t remember.”
"Did you think it’s innocent or it must be dodgy?”
Croxton, of Polinda Gardens, St Helens, replied: “At the time I just thought it was innocent. I didn’t know what was going to happen.”
Mr Flewitt asked: “Did you ever realise it was going to end with someone being shot?”
Croxton, said: “No. Never. As a taxi driver you try not to read into a situation but I never thought someone was going to murder someone.”
He added: “Obviously I’m not stupid. I knew they were up to something but never did I imagine they were planning murder.”
He said besides driving the men around he also worked for them by watching Jason Osu’s house and telling the mystery men what sort of cars were outside.
Croxton, said: “The fact they were asking me about cars I just assumed they were looking to steal a car.”
Mr Flewitt, said: “Why were you willing to get involved in any sort of crime?”
Croxton replied: “The fact that they paid me to do it. I was just trying to earn a living.”
Asked if he knew the names of the men he said he did but he wouldn’t say, adding: “I’ve got responsibilities. I’ve got kids. I’ve got family. How can they be protected?”
Jason Osu, a 31-year-old dad of two, was shot seven times as he drove his car onto his driveway in November 2012 and died a week later.
Two masked assailants then jumped into a getaway car and drove away.
Paul Croxton, Thomas White, of Masefield Crescent, Bootle, and George McGovern, 54, of Ormskirk Road, Aintree deny the murder of Jason Osu.
Croxton also denies the attempted murder of Mr Osu’s friend Darren Alcock in a separate shooting incident and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.
A Delta taxi driver accused of stalking and shooting a Liverpool dad to death said he was just doing a private driving job and had no idea he was involved in a murder plot.
Paul Croxton, 21, is accused of murdering Jason Osu with the help of a second man, Thomas White, by ambushing him on his driveway and riddling him with bullets.
But Croxton, whose taxi GPS showed him driving past Mr Osu’s house on Beauclair Drive, Wavertree, many times in the months before the shooting, said he was carrying two passengers who paid him to drive them about.
Croxton admitted that he and White, 29, used his taxi to travel around delivering drugs but said that many taxi drivers also took “unofficial” or private jobs, even though they are not supposed to.
He said that sometimes when his cab was shown on Beauclair Drive it was because he was trying to avoid congestion or just dropping off on innocent taxi fares.
But he said sometimes he was asked to do private job carrying two men around who he picked up in Aintree.
Neil Flewitt, QC, defending Croxton, asked: “Are you able to tell us how you were introduced to these people?”
He said: “Honestly I can’t remember.”
"Did you think it’s innocent or it must be dodgy?”
Croxton, of Polinda Gardens, St Helens, replied: “At the time I just thought it was innocent. I didn’t know what was going to happen.”
Mr Flewitt asked: “Did you ever realise it was going to end with someone being shot?”
Croxton, said: “No. Never. As a taxi driver you try not to read into a situation but I never thought someone was going to murder someone.”
He added: “Obviously I’m not stupid. I knew they were up to something but never did I imagine they were planning murder.”
He said besides driving the men around he also worked for them by watching Jason Osu’s house and telling the mystery men what sort of cars were outside.
Croxton, said: “The fact they were asking me about cars I just assumed they were looking to steal a car.”
Mr Flewitt, said: “Why were you willing to get involved in any sort of crime?”
Croxton replied: “The fact that they paid me to do it. I was just trying to earn a living.”
Asked if he knew the names of the men he said he did but he wouldn’t say, adding: “I’ve got responsibilities. I’ve got kids. I’ve got family. How can they be protected?”
Jason Osu, a 31-year-old dad of two, was shot seven times as he drove his car onto his driveway in November 2012 and died a week later.
Two masked assailants then jumped into a getaway car and drove away.
Paul Croxton, Thomas White, of Masefield Crescent, Bootle, and George McGovern, 54, of Ormskirk Road, Aintree deny the murder of Jason Osu.
Croxton also denies the attempted murder of Mr Osu’s friend Darren Alcock in a separate shooting incident and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.
Sunday, 23 March 2014
Volkswagon's London Taxi
Its called the Volkwagon UP.
I think I know where they can stick it UP.
The paint shop at VW's styling department is keeping itself busy. Based on the soon-to-be-launched Up! microcar platform, this all-electric microvan has been shown now in several cities, each time done up in the burg or country’s typical taxi colors.
And so after Milan, Berlin, and Hong Kong comes this London version—which is surely a bit of culture shock for the Brits, who are accustomed to retro-styled black cabs. But the whitewall tires are pretty much the only retro touch on Volkswagen's London Taxi concept, which otherwise is a thinly disguised look at an Up! variant that will be launched in 2012 or 2013. It will come on the heels of the regular three-door Up! (or Lupo, as it will likely be called in production). Set to debut at next September’s Frankfurt auto show, the Up!/Lupo will go on sale shortly thereafter.
http://tinyurl.com/nc3lxbm
Its called the Volkwagon UP.
I think I know where they can stick it UP.
The paint shop at VW's styling department is keeping itself busy. Based on the soon-to-be-launched Up! microcar platform, this all-electric microvan has been shown now in several cities, each time done up in the burg or country’s typical taxi colors.
And so after Milan, Berlin, and Hong Kong comes this London version—which is surely a bit of culture shock for the Brits, who are accustomed to retro-styled black cabs. But the whitewall tires are pretty much the only retro touch on Volkswagen's London Taxi concept, which otherwise is a thinly disguised look at an Up! variant that will be launched in 2012 or 2013. It will come on the heels of the regular three-door Up! (or Lupo, as it will likely be called in production). Set to debut at next September’s Frankfurt auto show, the Up!/Lupo will go on sale shortly thereafter.
http://tinyurl.com/nc3lxbm
Midlothian.
Let me take a selfie: Girls pose for series of pictures on lost iPhone before using £400 mobile to pay their £15 taxi fare
AFTER finding Steven Boyd's iPhone in the back of a taxi, a group of girls posed for a number of selfies before using the mobile as payment for their cab fare home.
TWO girls found an iPhone in the back of a cab and couldn’t resist taking some selfies – before using the mobile to pay their fare in another taxi.
Steven Boyd’s partner left the phone in a taxi at 2am on Sunday.
Later that morning, a group of girls used the £400 phone as payment after saying they couldn’t afford their £15 cab fare home between Bonnyrigg and Dalkeith, Midlothian.
The driver took the mobile back to his office, where it started ringing. His firm then posted the name of the caller on their Facebook page in a bid to find its owner.
Printer Steven couldn’t believe it when he heard on Sunday afternoon that his iPhone had been found and he rewarded the honest cabbie by paying him the fare he missed out on.
But as he switched the phone on, the dad of three was surprised to find some new photos on it.
He put the pictures on Facebook to try to find out more.
Steven said they called the phone when his partner realised she’d lost it later on Sunday morning.
He added: “It looks like these girls had jumped in the taxi after us, seen the phone and stuck it in their pocket.
“They must have gone on a night out and then, when they decided to get another taxi home didn’t have enough money.”
Although the cab company, Swift Taxis in Midlothian, have a note of the address where the girls were dropped off, Steven and his partner don’t want to take any action.
He said: “We noticed some new photos... on the phone and thought they may be of the girls and their friends who took the phone.
“If they are innocent pictures they’ll have nothing to worry about but if not their pictures are doing the rounds, and they’ll maybe think twice about it again.”
A Swift Taxis spokesman said they took the phone in lieu of payment.
He added: “We were expecting to get a phone call from the girls in the taxi asking for it back in return for the fare. We didn’t realise the phone wasn’t theirs.”
Let me take a selfie: Girls pose for series of pictures on lost iPhone before using £400 mobile to pay their £15 taxi fare
AFTER finding Steven Boyd's iPhone in the back of a taxi, a group of girls posed for a number of selfies before using the mobile as payment for their cab fare home.
TWO girls found an iPhone in the back of a cab and couldn’t resist taking some selfies – before using the mobile to pay their fare in another taxi.
Steven Boyd’s partner left the phone in a taxi at 2am on Sunday.
Later that morning, a group of girls used the £400 phone as payment after saying they couldn’t afford their £15 cab fare home between Bonnyrigg and Dalkeith, Midlothian.
The driver took the mobile back to his office, where it started ringing. His firm then posted the name of the caller on their Facebook page in a bid to find its owner.
Printer Steven couldn’t believe it when he heard on Sunday afternoon that his iPhone had been found and he rewarded the honest cabbie by paying him the fare he missed out on.
But as he switched the phone on, the dad of three was surprised to find some new photos on it.
He put the pictures on Facebook to try to find out more.
Steven said they called the phone when his partner realised she’d lost it later on Sunday morning.
He added: “It looks like these girls had jumped in the taxi after us, seen the phone and stuck it in their pocket.
“They must have gone on a night out and then, when they decided to get another taxi home didn’t have enough money.”
Although the cab company, Swift Taxis in Midlothian, have a note of the address where the girls were dropped off, Steven and his partner don’t want to take any action.
He said: “We noticed some new photos... on the phone and thought they may be of the girls and their friends who took the phone.
“If they are innocent pictures they’ll have nothing to worry about but if not their pictures are doing the rounds, and they’ll maybe think twice about it again.”
A Swift Taxis spokesman said they took the phone in lieu of payment.
He added: “We were expecting to get a phone call from the girls in the taxi asking for it back in return for the fare. We didn’t realise the phone wasn’t theirs.”
Uber are to sued in America over the death of a child, on New Years Eve.
In the article to which the link takes you, a couple of important points are raised
1. A Uber driver without a fare, is not a Uber driver.
2. The App is unlawful, it is a Mobile telephone and cannot be used handsfree, the App distracts the driver.
Whilst the first argument would fail here in the U.K. The second may not.
1. Section 56 of the LGMPA 1976 makes it clear any booking made through a Licensed operator is a contract between the Operator and the Customer.
2. The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations 2003
A device referred to in paragraphs (1)(b), (2)(b) and (3)(b) is a device, other than a two-way radio, which performs an interactive communication function by transmitting and receiving data.
It may be interesting to see the outcome of this case. It starts tomorrow.
http://tinyurl.com/o5a8x49
Friday, 21 March 2014
Uber arrive in Manchester.
This one came in under the radar.
Uber have arrived in Manchester, they are up and running, they are recruiting Manchester's Top PH drivers.
Do they need a PH operators Licence ? Around the Country they do. They have been granted a Operators licence in London. In Manchester anyone can do anything they want, there is no enforcement and Manchester nearly always deny any offence has taken place.
The new Deregulation Bill which is being steam roller-ed through may mean they only need the London Licence to trade all around the Country.
The Taxi trade needs to worry, obviously. However Manchester's best PH Companies need to worry also.
The best PH drivers, and to be honest there are many in Manchester. Those drivers now have the opportunity to save £120 plus Radio rent every week. They also get the chance to take only 'Blue Chip' customers.
The poorer work, supermarket free phones, pi**heads from Pubs etc, can be left to the Local PH Companies and the rubbish drivers that are left behind in the rush.
Interesting times and, an explanation of the rush to pass the Deregulation Bill.
Where next for UBER; my guess and its only a guess, would be our Metropolitan neighbors, Liverpool and Leeds. To my colleagues over there, watch out lads. !
For those of you who thought we took our eye of the ball.
Uber are doing nothing wrong. They received their Manchester's Operator's Licence on Friday afternoon and they launched Friday Night.
They had at least 30 vehicles on £10 per hour , plus one third.
They have shed load's of money. They were sh*t hot.
This is a game changer.
This one came in under the radar.
Uber have arrived in Manchester, they are up and running, they are recruiting Manchester's Top PH drivers.
Do they need a PH operators Licence ? Around the Country they do. They have been granted a Operators licence in London. In Manchester anyone can do anything they want, there is no enforcement and Manchester nearly always deny any offence has taken place.
The new Deregulation Bill which is being steam roller-ed through may mean they only need the London Licence to trade all around the Country.
The Taxi trade needs to worry, obviously. However Manchester's best PH Companies need to worry also.
The best PH drivers, and to be honest there are many in Manchester. Those drivers now have the opportunity to save £120 plus Radio rent every week. They also get the chance to take only 'Blue Chip' customers.
The poorer work, supermarket free phones, pi**heads from Pubs etc, can be left to the Local PH Companies and the rubbish drivers that are left behind in the rush.
Interesting times and, an explanation of the rush to pass the Deregulation Bill.
Where next for UBER; my guess and its only a guess, would be our Metropolitan neighbors, Liverpool and Leeds. To my colleagues over there, watch out lads. !
Uber are doing nothing wrong. They received their Manchester's Operator's Licence on Friday afternoon and they launched Friday Night.
They had at least 30 vehicles on £10 per hour , plus one third.
They have shed load's of money. They were sh*t hot.
This is a game changer.
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