MELBOURNE

CABBIES claim they are at breaking point and at risk of losing their homes after the Victorian government made the decision to shake up the taxi industry.

Taxis caused traffic pain during peak hour this morning as a convoy drove slowly across Melbourne’s Bolte Bridge in protest of the Victorian government’s plan to buy back taxi licences and legalise ride sharing service Uber.
Protesters in front of the parliament station in Melbourne protesting the government's taxi license buyback scheme.

Taxi licences are being bought back by the government to deregulate the taxi industry and introduce a single registration for taxis, hire cars and ride-share services.

The government will pay taxi drivers $100,000 for their first licence and $50,000 for up to three others.

But licence holders say the compensation is unfair and will lead to financial ruin, with many cabbies paying up to $500,000 per licence.

“The government can dismantle the industry if they choose, but we as licence holders should not have to pay the price for industry reform,” the group’s spokeswoman, Linda De Melis, told ABC 774.

“We are at breaking point, people are losing their homes, and it’s that level of desperation that has driven us to this point today.

“Currently the government is seizing our licences for zero in return.”

Social media commenters said the manner of the drivers’ protest would people off taxis because it disrupted their morning commute.

“Because this is the way to go about this. Piss off the public that use you. You had a chance to better your service and did nothing,” Brett Goatley posted, with a hint of sarcasm.

Others have complained the Melbourne taxis never show up on time and are too expensive, but some have supported the cabbies’ protest and said “good on them”.

http://bit.ly/2lGFEvT
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DUBLIN.

MyTaxi is 'beta' testing in DUBLIN.

The transition between HailO and MyTaxi is expected to be smoothly handled.

http://bit.ly/2lGO1HL

LIVERPOOL.

The Liverpool Taxi Alliance Group show the rest of the Country how to cure the "Out of Town" PH Pirate problem.

They boxed this TFL Licensed Pirate in last night and then after 40 mins escorted him to the M62 to make sure he made it safely home.

The Alliance are considerate like that.

The question is...? Do you have the balls to do the same and protect your jobs and help keep the Women of your City safer.

It is no coincidence that Sex attacks in Liverpool are currently less than half of those reported in Manchester.

CARLSBERG DO NOT DO TAXIS

But if they did this.... Tosser would still be parked Wrong.

 

MANCHESTER WATER TAXI HAS A GRIM START.

A body was found in a canal in Old Trafford after it became tangled in the propeller of a boat.

Police were called to the water taxi on the Bridgewater Canal off Trafford Wharf Road on Friday morning following the grim discovery at around 9.20am.

It is understood the vessel’s engine cut out when the man’s body became caught in the propeller.

When the skipper pulled the engine out of the water, he saw the deceased man and raised the alarm.

http://bit.ly/2kcy0Mt

DERBY/GEDLING

Taxi safety loopholes are to be closed after councils reached an historic agreement on safety.

The move is aimed at ensuring Derby drivers who are licensed in the Nottingham borough of Gedling will have safety checks on their cars done here.

Every year, large numbers of taxis are inspected by Derby's council licensing officers and since 2013, of the 852 cabs spot-checked, 299 of them were decommissioned with immediate effect until the problems were rectified - representing 35% of all taxis tested.

But the Derby officers have been unable to inspect vehicles licensed by other councils such as Gedling Borough Council - which annually issue large numbers of licences - without an officer from that authority present.

A loophole in the law allows drivers with a hackney carriage licence, who can pick up fares on the street, to operate as private hire drivers anywhere in the country. Private hire drivers are only permitted to pick up passengers who have made a prior booking,

Councillors from Derby and Gedling have now agreed in principle to allow taxis that are licensed by the Nottinghamshire council to be inspected by Derby-based officers.

The move was prompted by a letter from councillor Baggy Shanker, city council cabinet member for regulatory services, inviting several authorities affected by this loophole to work together more closely.

The proposals are the latest in a series of measures due to be introduced to improve the regulation of taxi licensing in Derby, following recommendations made by the council's external auditors.

It is thought that between 50 and 80 drivers regularly operating in Derby hold licences from Gedling Borough Council.

Mr Shanker said: "I am delighted that we have reached this agreement. The recent taxi licensing consultation showed a clear public appetite for addressing concerns about the number of vehicles and drivers operating in Derby who are licensed elsewhere.

"Colleagues in Gedling have demonstrated a commitment to upholding high standards among their licensed drivers, wherever they operate."
Mr Shanker added: "The ability of Derby City Council licensing officers to inspect out-of-town vehicles and drivers will lead to higher standards and greater public confidence in the trade."

Mr Shanker's opposite number at Gedling Borough Council, councillor David Ellis, cabinet member for public protection, said: "We have taken significant steps in recent years to strengthen our taxi licensing procedures, including the introduction of a knowledge test and safeguarding training for drivers. We also know that a number of our existing licence holders predominantly operate in Derby.

"Our licensing officers already carry out regular joint inspections with colleagues in the city but the agreement we have reached will allow both authorities to invest their time and resources more effectively."

Last year, the Derby Telegraph revealed that almost half of the 2,800 private hire taxi drivers operating in Derby have not been cleared to work by the city council.

Figures obtained from other authorities show more than 1,300 cabbies have gained licences elsewhere, meaning they have not passed the city council's knowledge test with 254 registered as far afield as Rossendale in Lancashire.

But, since last February, any applications to Rossendale for a new hackney carriage vehicle licence where there is no intention to use the vehicle predominantly in that borough have been refused and anyone whose address is beyond a 30-mile radius of the town would not normally be granted a licence.

Derby City Council intends to introduce a points-based checking system for potential taxi licence holders from June to eliminate people with criminal records obtaining them but funding of almost £140,000 is needed to run it and this could mean higher licence fees, which drivers are opposed to.

http://bit.ly/2kaBuKO
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BRIDLINGTON

A family-run taxi firm that has been in operation for 25 years has had its licence revoked in the interests of public safety.

Q Cars, which labels itself as Bridlington's largest taxi and private hire firm, has had its licence revoked by East Riding Council.

The company, which apparently takes more than 5,000 bookings per week locally and nationally, is reportedly planning to appeal against the decision.

It has 21 days to lodge this appeal with the council.

A spokesman for East Riding Council said: "There has been concerns around the operation of a private hire business and so a decision has been made to revoke the private hire operators licence in the interest of public safety."

The decision made by the council will not affect drivers who can continue to operate under their own licences.

Q Cars has not responded to a request for comment.

http://bit.ly/2luRPL7

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KIRKLEE'S DRIVER GETS 64 POINTS ON ONE COURT APPEARANCE

A Huddersfield man faces a two-year driving ban after being found guilty of driving a taxi without a valid licence.

Kirklees magistrates heard that Shahzad Akhtar, of Burfitts Road, Oakes, made 228 journeys after his licence expired, meaning his passengers would not be insured in the event of him having an accident. He was found guilty of driving a private hire vehicle without holding a valid private hire driving licence and driving passengers in a private hire vehicle without adequate insurance.

Prosecuting, Kirklees Council said that Akhtar carried out 228 jobs between March and May, 2016, after his licence had lapsed. The council licensing team gave evidence of eight separate specimen occasions when Akhtar drove without a valid private hire driver’s licence and without valid insurance.

He was found guilty of those offences and ordered to pay fines and costs totalling £520.

He also received eight penalty points on his driving licence for each insurance offence, resulting in 64 points which, under the totting up rules, results in him being disqualified from driving for two years.

Clr Cathy Scott, chairman of Kirklees Licensing and Safety Committee, said: “When individuals like this flout the rules, the Licensing Team won’t hesitate to use the full force of the law to protect the public and the reputation of our legitimate taxi and private hire drivers.”

http://bit.ly/2kyEvrE

UBERK USA Cincinnati

Metro and Uber Technologies Inc. are teaming up on a new program that offers free rides to people who miss their bus.

The program, called "Guaranteed Ride Home," offers free Uber rides to Metro's 30-day rolling pass holders. Users can sign up between Feb. 8 and March 8 to qualify.

The program works like this: up to four times a year Guaranteed Ride Home participants can call an Uber and have their trip reimbursed. Riders submit a reimbursement form to Metro and will receive a payment for 80 percent of the ride cost – up to $45 – from that company, with the remaining 20 percent will be credited back to their Uber account.

The program will cover up to four trips a year with a total reimbursement limit of $100. The program only covers trips to and from a home, hospital, daycare facility, school or park-and-ride facility.

http://bit.ly/2kp3rzi
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DUDLEY Private Hire

A taxi driver was left covered in blood after he was brutally attacked by two passengers.

Sheikh Arbaz was beaten after he asked two customers to stop burning the backseats with a lighter in the early hours of Saturday.

One of the men got out of the 43-year-old’s vehicle and took his keys, before demanding he hand over his takings.

But after the father-of-four offered them money to leave him alone, he was punched in the face.

Shaz Saleem, chairman of the Dudley Private Hire and Taxi Association, said: ‘It’s heartbreaking. When he got home, his two daughters aged three and five were absolutely shocked to see his face and they were like ‘Daddy, what happened?’

Mr Arbaz, who drives for ABM Taxis, picked the pair up from his firm’s base near Stourbridge town centre.

The two fled the scene after his screams attracted the attention of nearby residents.

Saleem said: ‘He offered to give them £40 to £50 and they started to punch him.

‘He doesn’t remember much after that. There was screaming and noise and the neighbours came out and they panicked and ran off.’

Mr Arbaz was taken to Russell’s Hall hospital where he received stitches to his face.

http://bit.ly/2ltwvXu
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TEESIDE

A Teesside taxi driver has lost his licence and been ordered to pay costs after a court ruled he was ‘not a fit and proper person’ for the job.

Peter James White, from Billingham , has had his licence revoked after a judge at Durham Crown Court endorsed a council view that he was not a fit and proper person to hold a taxi licence.

White, 40, of Tempest Court, Wynyard was also ordered to pay the council’s costs of £3,888.

The judge agreed with the Durham County Council committee that White was not a fit and proper person to drive taxis and its decision not to renew his licence

The local authority had initially made its ruling after hearing of a previous conviction which was considered relevant to White’s suitability to be licensed.

The committee had also based its decision on White’s failure to declare the previous conviction to the authority and complaints of aggressive behaviour towards council and enforcement officers.

A second man, Trevor Stark, 48, of Hawthorne Close, Langley Park had had his licence revoked by the authority after it found he too was not a fit and proper person to drive taxis as a result of previous convictions.

The two had then appealed the decision to Peterlee magistrates which ruled they should both be able to hold a licence.

But, unhappy with that decision, Durham County Council then took the case to the crown court which found in its favour.

Speaking after the hearing Joanne Waller, Durham County Council’s head of environment, health and consumer protection, said: “We are satisfied with the ruling of the crown court judge in these cases.

“When deciding whether someone is fit and proper to drive taxis, it is only right that we consider convictions which might impair their suitability to be licensed.

“These could include road traffic offences such as speeding or breaching laws which prevent drivers plying for hire.

“We were always confident in our original decisions which took into account the drivers’ previous misconduct, the taxi licensing regime, the relevant legislation, our licensing policy and relevant case law.

“We will continue to take our duty of deciding who is fit and proper to drive taxis extremely seriously.”

http://bit.ly/2kVLFXl

UBERK

An Uber driver has complained he's losing money on the service after being forced to take cheaper fares.

Glasgow driver David Dunn told a parliamentary select committee on Monday that he paid £37,000 for his Mercedes E-Class to drive on Uber Exec.

Uber Exec rides are targeted at business passengers and can cost almost double the standard Uber X fare. To justify the higher fare, drivers need to drive more expensive vehicles like Mercedes and Audis.

But Dunn said just 5% of his rides were Uber Exec passengers, forcing him to pick up cheaper Uber X fares.

Now, he said, he's stuck with the more expensive car, the associated costs, and not enough income. He added that after taxes and costs, he didn't earn minimum wage.

"I find myself running about with an E-Class doing jobs for £2.25 – that's unheard of," he said. "Black cabs charge £6 or £7."

Dunn added Uber won't negotiate with him on its 25% commission, and adds that he can't refuse cheaper jobs. "If I refuse a job three times, they penalise you and switch you off."

A second, London-based Uber Exec driver, Syed Khalil, added that he had to work 40 to 50 hours a week to break even, and up to 90 to make a profit.

He said he had spent around £40,000 on an E-Class, which he was repaying in instalments. He said Uber charged him 27% commission.

http://read.bi/2kJzLR1