A taxi driver filmed threatening to rape and kill young female passengers and calling them whores has been ordered to have three hours of etiquette training.

Although several students complained, police in Bangkok refused to take up a criminal case against Wirat Thassanatikom – instead referring him to the Department of Land Transport.

According to Thai news site Khaosod, the department fined him 1,000baht (£23) and ordered him to sit through an three-hour lecture on ‘good manners’.

The latest incident happened on Sunday, when student Kunyaphat Pitchayapukdee was riding in Wirat’s cab with four friends.


http://metro.co.uk/2017/02/28/taxi-driver-who-threatened-to-rape-and-kill-young-women-told-to-take-etiquette-course-6477943/

Comment: Fined £23 for threatening Rape.
You would not get away with that in Manchester;

Here in Manchester you would get a bloody good telling off;
If you actually commit rape here in Manchester, you could get a Police Caution...and that's no Laughing matter.

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

Uber was having a bad month even before Waymo, Google’s self-driving car outfit, filed a bombshell lawsuit accusing the ridesharing giant of swiping gobs of its autonomous driving tech.

Now, on top of political criticisms of CEO Travis Kalanick and accusations of a sexist corporate culture, the company must worry about a legal dispute that could cost it a truckload of money, kill its self-driving research, and even land more than one executive in prison.

https://www.wired.com/2017/02/googles-robocar-lawsuit-kill-ubers-future-send-execs-prison/
---------------------------------
BOLTON

 A New Year reveller was raped by a taxi driver who had driven her home, a court heard.

A jury at Bolton Crown Court was told how Faizal Mohamed forced his way into the woman’s Deane flat after she had celebrated the arrival of 2016 with her friends in Bolton town centre.

Giving evidence from behind screens, the woman in her 50s told how she fled upstairs and into the first room she came to, her bedroom, where 31-year-old Mohamed, who remained silent throughout, pushed her down on to the bed, pulled down her underwear and raped her.

 Michael Brady, prosecuting, told the court how the woman and two friends had spent New Year’s Eve 2015 at Downtown in Bradshawgate and then in the Venue club in Churchgate before ringing First Call taxis at 3.20am to take them home.

Mohamed arrived and dropped one of the women off at her home before driving the alleged victim and her pal to Deane.

While the friend went into the flat, the woman paid the £4.50 fare, got out of the car and started walking to her front door.

“As soon as I touched the handle to close the door I felt a force on the door,” the woman said, who added that she fled up the stairs as Mohamed “barged” his way into the flat.

 She said she headed for the first open door “just to go somewhere safe”.

“He was right behind me,” she added.
"I was just about to close the bedroom door and I thought, 'have I got time to to close it?; and he was right there."

The woman told the court that she told him to stop. “I’m telling him no and he is not listening,” she said.

“I was just in shock. It wasn’t even that long — I’d say about two minutes.”

Afterwards, she said he pulled up his trousers and ran back down the stairs without saying a word.
Mr Brady said that the woman’s friend, who had gone into the flat before her, heard her shouts of ‘”no” but did not intervene.

“Fearful of what was going on she stayed in the kitchen,” he added.

 The alleged victim admitted she delayed calling police for two hours. “I think it was because of all I’d have to go through. At first I thought 'I can’t do that'," she said.

“But talking to my friend she said I have got to do it — he could do it to somebody else.”
Mohamed, of Blackburn Road, Haslingden, was arrested later the same day.

He admitted having sex with the woman but claimed it had been consensual.

Mr Brady added that he alleged the woman had been flirting with him when his car stopped outside her flat, she had given him a New Year kiss through his open car window and invited him into her flat. Mohamed, who has pleaded not guilty to rape, claims the woman performed a sex act on him before they had full sex.

But when she asked whether he would stay he refused, leaving immediately, saying he had to get back to work.

The woman denied suggestions by Joanna Rodikis, defending, that she had asked Mohamed to come into her flat and made her complaint to police because the sex had been “bad or disappointing” and she regretted it.

“I wouldn’t invite a stranger into my home,” she said.

The trial continues.

http://bit.ly/2mbXxFS 
-------------------------------------

WOLVERHAMPTON STATION

Taxis have been clogging up residential streets since changes were made to entrance of the station earlier this year.

Wolverhampton council has employed the new taxi marshal with the aim of improving both taxi and customer access to the city’s new railway station turnaround area.

The marshal began work on Friday and will posted at the station from 4pm to midnight, seven days a week. The marshal will be responsible for directing members of the public to Hackney carriages and private hire services, and talking to the drivers to help improve traffic flow.

They will also be on the look out for illegal touting for business and will report back to the council’s compliance officers about their findings.
After a three-week trial, the impact of the marshal’s role will be reviewed.

http://bit.ly/2m1pWxQ 
-------------------------------------------

Uber faces yet another antitrust lawsuit brought by cab companies, this time in Boston, Massachusetts.

Fourteen Boston area taxi companies filed a complaint [PDF] against Uber on Monday in a district court alleging that the ride platform provider violates state laws and city ordinances and deceives passengers about the safety of its vehicles and drivers.

"Uber's business plan and activity illegally undermine critical safety provisions of the municipal Taxi Rules," the complaint states. "Uber's UberX transportation system preys parasitically on established taxi services without paying for them and without obeying the laws designed to protect taxi passengers."

The taxi companies contend that Uber controls an estimated 80 per cent of the low-cost, on-demand ride-hail market in their area.

Uber, famous for flouting regulations in order to expand faster than competitors or regulators can respond, has become a lawsuit magnet. This latest complaint is the sixth civil case filed against the company in US federal court during the month of February. It was the target of nine civil lawsuits in January and 11 in December.

http://bit.ly/2lUQGht 

PARLIAMENT TODAY

A Parliamentary inquiry into the future of London’s taxi trade, chaired by Ilford North MP Wes Streeting, is inviting black cab drivers to have their say.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Taxis, meeting for the first time today, will examine whether enough is being done to protect the public, and to determine whether an overhaul of current taxi regulations is necessary.

To do that most effectively, they are hoping black taxicab drivers across London will get involved with the group over the next month.

Mr Streeting said: “The issues facing the taxi industry in London and right across the UK need serious action, and we hope that this inquiry will add to the debate about what the trade will look like in the future.

“I know that in London the black cab is an icon that everyone would like to see continue to serve our capital.

“We welcome submissions from Taxi drivers across the UK alongside the expert witnesses we will have contributing to the inquiry.”

The APPG will hear three evidence sessions – today’s on public safety before taking a look at the effectiveness of current regulation on March 14.
They will then reconvene on March 28 for their final session on the future of the taxi trade.

Written contributions to the inquiry can be sent to: APPGTaxi@newingtoncomms.co.uk

http://bit.ly/2lkeMjX

UBERK, DO NOT DARE TO FALL ASLEEP

An Uber passenger who wanted to go from Brixton to Croydon was hit with a fare of £467 after falling asleep in the back of the taxi - and ending up in Bristol.

Uber claim that Aaron Wray had accidently typed the city in the West Country - where he goes to university - as his intended destination and because he dropped off that's exactly where he ended up.

But the 18-year-old computer science student has told The Sun the driver confirmed the postcode when he got in and he believes a Bristol address was then mistakenly added.

Uber say the driver eventually turned round after arriving at the wrong address but Mr Wray says he only woke back up when the car was on the M4 heading back to south London and that he didn't realise he had even been to Bristol until the next day when he got his receipt.

http://bit.ly/2lOG31d 
-------------------------------------

UBERK DENMARK

Denmark’s government has proposed a new taxi law that could complicate Uber’s business there. The legislation, backed by a majority in the country’s parliament, is the latest in a series of setbacks for Uber—and other sharing economy services—across Europe.

If passed, the new law will require all taxis and cars for hire in Denmark to have seat sensors, video surveillance and taxi meters.
Uber has already come under fire in Denmark for its low-cost UberPop service, which lets private drivers provide rides in their personal cars.

UberPop drivers do not need to have a taxi license—as is required by Danish law—Uber argues, since it considers UberPop a carpooling service, rather than a taxi service.

However, an appeals court in Denmark recently disagreed, upholding a July 2016 ruling that found UberPop in violation of taxi laws for using drivers without taxi licenses. Other Uber services that use taxi-licensed drivers, such as UberBlack, were not affected.

Denmark is not the first country in Europe to push back against Uber. Courts in France, Germany and Sweden, among others, have also ruled against the ride-hailing app for allowing drivers to work without a taxi permit. Following a wave of convictions against unlicensed drivers, Uber was forced to suspend UberPop services in those countries.

But critics of the new Danish law fear the equipment regulations will mean the end of all Uber services in Denmark, including those that use drivers with taxi licenses.

Uber’s Danish arm has said it will fight the proposal, calling it a blow “not only for Uber, but also Denmark as a whole.”

Proponents argue that it would help create an even playing field by forcing Uber to meet the same standards as traditional taxi services. What’s more, the law also contains clauses intended to loosen the restrictions on the taxi industry—one of the most strictly regulated businesses in the country.

For example, it would allow cabs to work all over Denmark and do away with fare ceilings.

Uber’s struggles in Denmark are just part of an ongoing debate over the sharing economy in Europe. Other platforms, like Airbnb, have faced similar legal issues as governments across the continent grapple with how to balance new sharing economy services with the concerns of existing businesses.

According to Uber, it has roughly 2,000 active drivers in Denmark, and some 300,000 people there have downloaded the Uber app.

In terms of actual users, AudienceProject found 5% of internet users in the country had used the service in the 12 months leading up to a Q4 2016 survey. This was roughly on par with the rest of the Nordic countries.

http://bit.ly/2m0XHPJ
----------------------------------------

SCOTLAND

A MUM-OF-FOUR appeared in court today accused of murdering her taxi driver husband by stabbing him in the leg with a knife or similar instrument.

Louise Anderson, 36, is alleged to have killed Douglas Anderson, 39, at their home at Dunnock Park, in Perth, in the early hours of Saturday, February 25.

A petition, heard in private at Perth Sheriff Court, alleges she assaulted her husband by striking him on the leg with a weapon and murdered him.

The petition also alleges that she attacked Mr Anderson’s sister, Bernadette Anderson, in Perth’s Grill Bar on the previous day.

She is alleged to have assaulted Miss Anderson in the pub on February 24 by jumping on her and pulling her hair.

Anderson is further alleged to have attacked and injured Fay McKenzie in the same pub by pulling her to the ground and biting her breast.

She made no plea and the case against her was continued for further examination by Sheriff William Wood.

Anderson was remanded in custody.

http://bit.ly/2mF7qsr

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

Taxi bosses at South Ribble Council are looking to tighten up their new licensing policy.

The strategy - brought in last July after a high-profile investigation into failings of the licensing department - was the number one recommendation made by independent solicitors who reviewed the matter. It includes a ‘fit and proper person test’ and qualifications needed and condition of vehicles.

Previously, the authority’s policy could be found within numerous decisions taken by the General Licensing Committee over previous years.

Councillor John Rainsbury, committee chairman, said this was the case for 80 per cent of borough councils across the country. Now officers want to revise the Convictions Policy further, aimed at making it “more robust and to reflect best practice” seen in other authorities.

In particular, the revised policy emphasises the need to take into account “soft intelligence” - stories, narratives, complaints, worries and comments that can’t be reduced to numbers - as well as the traditional ones previously relied on. A report to the General Licensing Committee for consideration, said: “It is increasingly recognised that a simple reliance on this harder evidence may not equip measures with the full picture needed to make a fully-informed decision under the civil law burden of proof (ie that a driver or applicant is fit and proper on the balance of probabilities).”

It adds that the revisions to the Convictions Policy “will enable members to take all appropriate information into account when reaching their decision, as well as bringing the Council’s approach fully into line with the approach taken by other local authorities.”

The proposal was sent to all 267 Private Hire and Hackney Carriage drivers licensed with the authority and no responses were received. It is recommended for approval at a full council meeting on Wednesday.

http://bit.ly/2l6XOKI 

GETT TOGETHER ARRIVES IN  MANCHESTER

Taxi drivers will gather outside Sheffield Town Hall tomorrow to protest new rules they say have created a 'wild west' working environment.

GMB, the trade union for thousands of Hackney cab and private hire drivers, has organised the demonstration to oppose the Government's Deregulation Act, which allows taxis to operate across the whole country rather than in a specific local authority area.

This, the union says, has meant drivers registered in London and other areas are working in Sheffield. GMB is also targeting Uber, which it says is not subject to the same checks as locally-registered driver.

The Star revealed in September more than 700 city drivers were licensed by other authorities.

Sheffield taxi driver and GMB rep Ibrar Hussain said: "Cross border hiring is killing our taxi trade.
"Government needs to act urgently as deregulation is putting public safety at risk, allowing Transport For London (TFL) to act with impunity and is restricting the powers of licensing authorities to enforce standards and safeguards."

GMB Yorkshire and north Derbyshire organiser Bob McNeill added: "The Deregulation Act has meant licensing authorities such as TFL are free to issue licenses without rigorous checks and safeguards in place, making enforcement and safety extremely difficult in the Yorkshire and north Derbyshire region's licensing authorities, allowing companies such as Uber to operate without consequences.

"GMB are calling on the Government to listen to our professional drivers and introduce national enforceable standards and safeguards to protect our members and the travelling public."
Many Sheffield politicians have backed the union's campaign.

The council's cabinet member for the environment Bryan Lodge said: “Cross-border working and the influx of out-of-town vehicles into Sheffield has been caused by the Deregulation Act 2015, and in turn this has seriously undermined what we do as a licensing authority.

“In our view, it puts members of the public at risk when, unknowingly to them, they get into a vehicle from another authority, some which may be from a great distance away.

“We will continue to do everything we can to support the taxi trade associations. Hopefully this may result in a change to the Deregulation Act and protect those drivers that have become properly licensed through Sheffield Council.

“We will also be working with South Yorkshire Police in the coming weeks to specifically look at the out-of-town vehicles and drivers.”

http://bit.ly/2lqVhHi

A man has been detained after armed police stopped a taxi in Grimsby's East Marsh.

A man, who was a passenger in the taxi was taken away after officers stopped the vehicle at the junction of Cleethorpe Road and Victor Street, at approximately 2pm today.

Four police vehicles were at the scene, which saw the man being taken away by plain clothes officers.

The taxi driver left the scene as police continued enquiries.

No more details have been released by police.
http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/man-detained-after-armed-police-stop-taxi-in-grimsby/story-30164519-detail/story.html#tRXrqDF4MbzMbooQ.99
-------------------------------------

The car-booking firm Uber joins forces with three of its drivers this week to launch a High Court challenge to English language tests for minicab drivers.

Under the proposals, put forward by Transport for London (TfL), private-hire drivers without UK qualifications will have to take a two-hour test to demonstrate their English language skills. Yet figures from the Department for Business Innovation and Skills show that 7 per cent of the entire UK population would likely fail the test.

The requirement to write a short essay and an article makes the assessment more advanced than the current language requirements for British citizenship.

The plans have been condemned as discriminatory by the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants and the Runnymede Trust.

Uber's general manager in London, Tom Elvidge, said that the plans “threaten the livelihoods of thousands of drivers.” The three drivers joining the legal crusade on Tuesday are all people who the company says could be affected by the changes.

The test costs £180 to sit and is already available but not mandatory, pending Uber's legal action. If the judicial review is unsuccessful, the test will be compulsory from September of this year.

However Helen Chapman, TfL’s General Manager for Taxi and Private Hire said: “It is essential for public safety that all licensed drivers can communicate in English at an appropriate level.

The ability of drivers to receive, understand and respond to written communications contributes to public safety and customer care. We are clear that this is crucial to a driver’s role in transporting the public.”

Elvidge commented: “We’ve always supported spoken English skills, but passing a written English exam has nothing to do with communicating with passengers or getting them safely from A to B. Transport for London should think again and scrap these unfair and unnecessary new rules.”

Uber has already given its drivers a free year-long subscription to Busuu, a language-learning app, which will help with passing the test if the changes do come into effect.

http://www.cityam.com/259861/uber-takes-tfl-high-court-over-english-language

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

Uber’s annual billions of dollars of losses are even higher than its turnover, which is some achievement.

It is only by burning through investors’ money at such a prodigious rate that Uber is in a position to charge customers little more than 40% of the running costs.

http://bit.ly/2mujyNg

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

MANCHESTER TO HELSINKI

MTData Ltd and Taksi Helsinki are excited to announce their new partnership. MTData’s taxi dispatch system and driver app solution will be implemented into Taksi Helsinki’s 1,400 vehicle fleet, delivering new and innovative services to both drivers and passengers.

Taksi Helsinki is one of Scandinavia’s largest taxi dispatch services, based in Finland. Founded in 1989, it is owned by 1,249 independent taxi drivers and provides taxi order services, data and radio services. The company operates across Finland’s capital city of Helsinki.

Taksi Helsinki will be upgrading their current dispatch system to MTData’s progressive, modern and efficient system, which will give them a competitive advantage in the market. They will also be utilising MTData’s innovative driver management and training portal.

The company elected to implement MTData’s system because it is advanced, versatile and flexible. MTData’s technology development is rapid and also ensures competitiveness.

With the aim to streamline and optimise the fleet’s usage, MTData’s system provides useful information that will guide Taksi Helsinki’s drivers in the most efficient and effective manner, whilst enhancing customer satisfaction and meeting their needs.

MTData is one of the world’s largest providers of advanced taxi dispatch systems, delivering solutions not only to the taxi industry but a wide-range of industries including transport and logistics, bus and coach and concrete.

Operating in the United Kingdom, Ireland, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the Middle East, MTData now look forward to strengthening their position into wider European and Nordic countries.

MTData’s Chief Executive Officer, Matthew Bellizia says, “We are proud to partner with Finland’s largest taxi company. We look forward to collaborating and building a long and successful relationship with Taksi Helsinki. Our technology is built for today and the future, and will unlock increased driver efficiency and productivity for Taksi Helsinki’s fleet. MTData looks forward to seeing the results that will come from this partnership.”

http://mtdata-uk.com/taksi-helsinki-partners-mtdata-1400-vehicles/

( Comment, Mr Bellizia is in Manchester for the next month or so, overseeing the Change of Credit Card providers for Mantax.

He will no doubt be using this as a base to commute to Helsinki to facilitate the Helsinki Cab

transfer to MTdata system.

The question is will he use this opportunity to Launch "iHail" here in the U.K.)

THIS WEEK IN PARLIAMENT

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

WYTHENSHAWE

 A suspected drink driver tried to flee the scene of an accident after his Audi collided with a taxi leaving the driver with back and neck injuries.

Police and emergency services were called to Altrincham Road in Wythenshawe just before 5am on Saturday morning to reports of a collision.

It’s understood the road was shut off while crews worked to free the taxi driver from his Toyota Prius using cutting equipment.

He was taken to hospital by ambulance with neck and back injuries which are not believed to be life-threatening.

It’s understood his passenger escaped unhurt.

A spokesman for GMP said the 32-year-old driver of the second car, an Audi, tried to flee the scene on foot but was caught following a short chase by officers and arrested.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/wythenshawe-crash-taxi-driver-audi-12656601
 

 

Since Uber was first launched in the UK in 2012 it has gone from strength to strength.

Each week some 30,000 people download the app and order a car for the first time in London.

It’s just as wildly popular here in Manchester too. Order a cab from anywhere in the city centre and you’ll very rarely have to wait more than three minutes for a driver to arrive.

Of course one of the reasons it’s so popular among people is that it’s a cashless app that also cuts out having to talk to an actual person.

But is it actually cheaper than its competitors?

A five-seater black cab is never a budget option but is Uber cheaper than Street Cars or other minicab companies available here in Manchester?

Taxi price comparison app Karhoo should help answer that query. Karhoo operates an open service that lets any company connect to the app. Unless you’re Uber.

Karhoo will tell you the estimated fare of local services such as Manchester Cars and Street Cars but it does not include Uber in its results at all.

For the sake of this test we just used the Uber app to find the prices they charge.

So, how much would it cost me to travel from
--------------------

The Trafford Centre to The Hilton on Deansgate?

Karhoo:

Street Cars: £17.10

Passenger Cars: £13.20

Uber: £7-£11
---------------------------------

Manchester Airport to Didsbury Village?

Karhoo:

Street Cars: £17.70

Passenger Cars: £14.10

Uber: £10-£14 
---------------------------

Each of those would cost only £12 on MCR Hacks Tariff 1.

However M-E-N say we are not a budget option. ?
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/cheapest-taxi-firm-in-manchester-11695111
----------------------------------------

Manchester Hack. Destroyed by storm"Doris" 

This Manchester Hack was destroyed in Fridays storm.

Parked in an alley off St Helens Rd Bolton.

The gable end of a house fell on it.

I do not think even the fabled Mr Norbury (aka Steptoe) could rescue this one. 
----------------------------------------

 FARRINGDON

A woman riding pillion died after being thrown from the back of a motorbike in a crash with a taxi.

Passers-by battled to save the victim, in her 40s, who was thrown ten feet down the road after the accident in Farringdon at 8.44pm on Tuesday.

Witnesses said the male rider of the motorcycle, who was also injured, was calling out her name in shock as she lay dying.

One witness, who arrived seconds after the crash, said: “A family were getting out of the back of the silver-coloured black cab as I arrived, completely shaken up.

“The motorbike was under the front of the taxi and the woman had gone flying off. She was lying face-down about ten feet further down the road.

“I saw a guy who was walking around limping and in shock who must have been riding the bike. His helmet was on the road.

“He was calling her name and speaking as though he knew her. It was just so awful. He clearly wasn’t processing what was happening."

He went on: “I asked someone to run around the bars asking for defibrillators but they didn’t have any.

“There were three of us giving her CPR. It felt like forever but I was only there for 15 minutes before paramedics came.

“I broke down walking home. It was so horrendous.”

The crash happened at the junction of Farringdon Road and Clerkenwell Road. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

A Met spokeswoman said the driver of the taxi stopped at the scene and is helping officers with inquiries. He has not been arrested.

Detectives from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit are investigating.

http://bit.ly/2kVNBjR
 

 

ITALIAN POLICE "TACTICALLY AID" THEIR PROTESTING TAXI DRIVER CITIZENS

Thousands of Italian taxi drivers protesting against legislation they say will favour Uber have clashed with riot police during a week-long strike that has crippled transportation in Rome, Milan and Turin.

The cabbies marched through the capital and protested in front of parliament, at the headquarters of the ruling Democratic Party and at the infrastructure ministry, where officials were meeting union representatives to try to work out a settlement.

SHARE
The six-day strike has stranded tourists at Italy's main airports and train stations, complicated daily commutes and raised alarms about the start of Milan Fashion Week on Wednesday, when cabs are in high demand to shuttle fashionistas from show to show.

The drivers say the legislation would ease Uber's "irregular" inroads into Italy's rigidly regulated taxi industry, where drivers pay huge fees for the right to drive a cab.

Supporters say Italian consumers want and need greater choice in ride-sharing options.

Rome mayor Virginia Raggi lent her support to the cabbies by visiting the protest on Tuesday and saying that her 5-Star Movement had already proposed amendments to change the legislation.

The bill postpones until the end of the year norms regulating the car-hire market.

http://bit.ly/2m6AzR3
-----------------------------------

WEALDON

A Polegate taxi driver who had his licence revoked after making nuisance phone calls has lost a legal challenge against Wealden District Council.

Former taxi-driver Farhad Jamal of Priory Road, Eastbourne, had his licence revoked by the council last June following a series of complaints about his conduct. They included claims he had made more than 30 nuisance calls to another driver.

Jamal, who worked out of Polegate Station taxi rank, launched a legal challenge, but – after a hearing on Friday, February 10 – Hastings Magistrates upheld the decision, originally made by the councillors on Wealden’s licencing sub-committee.

The council says the court agreed that Jamal was no longer a fit and proper person to hold a licence, upheld the decision and ordered him to pay £1,600 in costs.

Responding to the ruling, the chairman of the licencing committee, Cllr Nigel Coltman said: “This investigation was part of an ongoing attempt to improve the service provided by taxi drivers at the Polegate rank.

“It followed complaints by both members of the public and taxi drivers themselves. A number of drivers have been sanctioned, including Mr Jamal.

“I am pleased that the Court upheld the original decision made by Wealden councillors and the problems at the Polegate Station taxi rank have now been resolved.

“Although the majority of taxi drivers behave properly, we will investigate complaints from the public, if they have any concerns about behaviour or fares.”

The council says Jamal, who had held a licence with the council between July 2015 and June 2016, was involved in a number of incidents in his time as a licenced driver. Evidence of these incidents was presented at the court hearing, the council says.

A spokesman for Wealden District Council said: “The court found that Mr Jamal had deliberately flouted the council’s rules by accepting a second booking from the Polegate rank, without the agreement of the passenger he had picked up from the same rank moments earlier.

“It also found he had harassed another Polegate taxi driver by making some 30 to 40 nuisance telephone calls, seven of which were made at a time when that driver had passengers on board his taxi.

“Telephone records produced to the court showed that on a single day in March 2016 he was shown to have made a least 14 calls to one driver.”

http://www.eastbourneherald.co.uk/news/polegate-taxi-driver-loses-licence-over-nuisance-calls-1-7832125
----------------------------------------

SOUTH CAMBRIDGSHIRE

  The discovery of a fake taxi driver's badge by South Cambridgshire District Council prompted a police investigation into fraudulent taxi licences.

Eagle-eyed offers from the licensing team spotted a fake drivers’ badge after a scanned copy was submitted by its Buckinghamshire-based holder for checking.

On further investigation it was found the driver had not obtained the badge from the council and it was proved to be counterfeit.

As the council only ever issues taxi driver licences to individuals after an interview is carried out in person, it was immediately referred to Thames Valley Police for investigation.

During the operation, a number of properties were searched and council licensing officers worked alongside police at a registered taxi office to check driver badges and car licence plates.

A second fake South Cambridgeshire badge was seized as evidence, along with revoked vehicle plates from another council from outside the area.

A South Cambridgeshire vehicle plate was also seized, and a council suspension notice issued, after police checks showed that the car no longer had the correct insurance to carry paying passengers.

Plates and driver badges from a third out-of-area council were also found at the taxi office and are being investigated by the issuing authority.

Under the law, licensed taxi drivers and vehicles can work in any council area, but councils only have the authority to suspend or revoke driver and vehicle licenses which have been directly issued by them.

Cllr Mark Howell, cabinet member with responsibility for licensing, said: “I’d like to praise the eagle-eyed officers who spotted the fake badge and set this investigation’s wheels into motion.

"Keeping the public safe wherever they are is our number one priority, and we will continue to support both the police and other councils involved in this case with their enquiries.

“We carry out frequent spot checks in our area, and the vast majority of drivers are hardworking people offering an excellent service.

"However, we would urge anyone with concerns about a driver or vehicle to get in touch.

"We’re also calling for improved national licensing guidelines and a national database, and are lobbying through our local MPs for action.”

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/taxi-office-searched-fake-drivers-12637860

Professional Chauffeur Services.

Individuals responsible for car clocking offences amounting to more than seven million miles have been successfully prosecuted

John Murphy, 67, from Conwy; Paul Arslanian, 38, from Conwy; Christopher Graham Lunt, 39, of Long Lane, Chester; Trevor Gareth Jones, 58, from Colwyn Bay, and Simon Richard Williams, 49, Fluin Lane, in Frodsham have all been found guilty of conspiracy to commit fraud at Chester Crown Court.

It follows a three-year trading standards investigation by Warrington Borough Council and Halton Borough Council – the biggest probe of its kind carried out by them.

The defendants, who work for PCS Events Ltd a Runcorn-based chauffeur services company, were found guilty of operating a widespread system of clocking the cars in their possession.

Warrington and Halton trading standards began investigating in 2013 after receiving information of alleged fraud and consumer protection offences, relating to the turning back of mileages on vehicles obtained by the company.

The defendants sought to profit from the offence as vehicles which were subsequently sold had their sale prices inflated based upon the incorrect mileage reading.

Warrington and Halton trading standards began work on the case while operating as a joint service. Although now two separate teams, the Councils  have continued to work together to bring the case to conclusion.

A huge amount of evidence was gathered – including the cross referencing of fuel records for vehicles, examining finance and warranty work records and recording the accounts of people who had bought ‘clocked’ vehicles.

It was found that more than 100 vehicles had been clocked, with evidence of clocked vehicles dating from 2008 to 2014. The minimum amount of clocking which is believed to have taken place is 7.5 million miles.

As well as gathering evidence against Murphy, Arslanian, Lunt, and Jones for altering the mileage of cars in the possession of PCS Events Ltd, the investigation by trading standards officers also revealed links to Williams, who carried out MOT testing of clocked vehicles, producing documents which showed incorrect mileage.

Cllr Judith Guthrie, Warrington Borough Council’s executive board member for public protection, said: “The successful prosecution of fraud on this scale is a huge success story for our trading standards team. Building this case and bringing it to trial has taken three years of meticulous, painstaking work and dedication. It sends out a clear message, once again, that if you carry out fraudulent activity, we will take action against you.”

Halton Borough Council’s Exec Board Member for Community Safety, Cllr Dave Cargill said: “This investigation, carried out, in partnership, is the biggest investigation of its kind that either has carried out. It’s fantastic news that, thanks to the efforts of our dedicated officers successful action has been taken against this widespread fraud, that has been committed for a number of years,.”

Prosecuting, Richard Pratt QC and Nicola Miles of 7 Harrington Street Chambers, Liverpool, argued that the defendants carried out the widespread clocking of cars “behind the veneer of respectability of the company” and that “Those who manipulate the mileage of a motor vehicle prior to its onwards sale to a third party can, we say, have only one purpose in mind. It is to deceive and to defraud.”

Seven individuals were prosecuted for conspiracy to commit fraud in the case. All pleaded not guilty, with Lunt subsequently changing his plea to guilty. Two of the defendants, Laura Jayne Murphy of Long Lane, Chester and Kevin Paul Batty of Sutton in Craven, North Yorkshire, were acquitted of the charges.

The jury reached a verdict following a six-week trial. Sentencing is scheduled for 17 March 2017 at Liverpool Crown Court.

Source..The Brilliant work of = L.T.U.... aka Licensed Transport Uncovered..http://bit.ly/2lG9y6d

LIVERPOOL 5 a.m. SATURDAY 18 FEB.

A taxi was involved in what looks like a head-on collision with a Mercedes car in the early hours of this morning.

The two-car smash on Ranelagh Street took place just before 5am and police and ambulance crews were called to deal with the incident.

The city centre road also appeared to be closed off after the crash while emergency service crews tended to the people in the vehicles and gathered accounts from those invovled.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/taxi-head-on-collision-car-12623932

Private Hire Cross border hiring

Uber has been accused of exploiting a legal loophole that allows its drivers to operate in UK towns and cities where they don’t have a licence, leaving local authorities powerless to regulate them.

Mick Rix, the GMB union’s national officer for the hackney and private-hire taxi trade, said the company behind the cab-hailing app was “acting with impunity” across the UK, where it was increasingly “spreading its tentacles” into smaller towns and cities.

After changes to the law surrounding taxi licensing, brought in by the Deregulation Act 2015, drivers with a private-hire licence from a local authority can use it to operate anywhere in England and Wales. Previously, the law required drivers to return to the area in which they were licensed between jobs.

Rix said the deregulation of the market and the arrival of Uber had “opened up a real hornets’ nest” all over the UK, where 40,000 Uber drivers now operate in more than 25 towns and cities.

Last month, Southend council found that two cab drivers it had previously stripped of their licences were using the Uber app to pick up passengers in the area. Nasser Hussain, 60, and Nisar Abbas, 37, had been found to be sharing penalty points for traffic offences with other drivers in order to avoid being banned.

Despite this, they were able to get new cab licences from Transport for London, which permitted them to work legally using the Uber app in Southend, where Uber does not have an operators’ licence. Tony Cox, Southend council’s cabinet member for transport, said the legislative loophole had left the local authority “impotent to protect the public”.

Councillors in other local authorities have also complained that Uber drivers who do not fulfil the authority’s specific licensing requirements – such as minimum vehicle age and successful completion of a knowledge test for the area – can still operate legally in their jurisdiction with a licence from elsewhere.

Licensing fees also vary from area to area, leading some to suggest that drivers are seeking out the authorities where it is cheapest to get a private-hire licence.

Reading council denied Uber a licence to operate last year, but during the summer’s Reading festival an average of 1,000 passengers a day took a trip using the taxi app. Although it is not known where the drivers travel in from, it is thought that many are licensed by nearby Slough borough council and Windsor and Maidenhead borough council.

Councillor Paul Gittings, Reading council’s lead member for consumer services, said there was nothing the local authority could do to stop Uber drivers operating in the area, even though the company had failed to meet its licensing conditions – specifically a requirement to have a manned office with a phone line.

“I think it does create an uneven playing field, because other private-hire operators and hackney carriages are paying us a licensing fee,” he said. “But Uber drivers can still come along and pick up trade here.”

York council has written to the city’s MPs, calling on them to demand clarity from the government over the law. Uber has a temporary licence to operate in the city and, although only 12 Uber drivers are licensed by York council, hundreds of Uber cabs arrive in York from surrounding areas every weekend, to take advantage of increased demand from the city’s student and tourist populations.

Rachael Maskell, MP for York Central, cited examples of Uber drivers disregarding rules that applied to drivers licensed in the city, such as the prohibition of tinted rear windows or the need for drivers to pass a knowledge test.

“Every local authority has the duty of care within its own boundaries,” she said. “Sheffield [for example] cannot be responsible if something goes wrong in York. The duty of care lies with York council.”

Matt Boxall, head of public protection at City of York council, said that while standards differed between authorities, City of York was working with other councils in the West Yorkshire combined authority region to create more standardised conditions. He stressed that the council took the safety of customers very seriously.

Rix said problems had arisen because some local authorities were “giving licences away like sweets”, citing Rossendale council, which came under fire in 2015 when it was found to have given out more taxi licences per head of its population than London. The council has admitted it was slow to deal with the loopholes created by the Deregulation Act, but says it has since toughened up its licensing processes considerably.

In October last year, 414 of Sheffield’s minicab drivers were found to have obtained their licences from Rossendale council, while 53 had taxi licences issued by Transport for London. Responding to the discovery, Paul Blomfield, MP for Sheffield Central, said the law allowed drivers to “shop around for the most easy-going regime and get their licence there”.

This week, Uber announced it would offer its drivers free English courses and financial advice, as well as introducing an appeals panel for drivers with grievances against the company. This came after Uber faced criticism for denying its drivers basic employment rights.

In October, Uber lost a landmark employment tribunal, which ruled that its drivers should be classed as workers rather than self-employed. The ruling, which Uber is appealing against, could leave the company open to claims from its drivers, who are currently not entitled to holiday pay, pensions or working time controls.

A source at the Department for Transport said local authorities were ultimately responsible for the drivers they awarded licences to, regardless of where the drivers were picking up customers. He said the new Policing and Crime Act, which passed into law at the end of January, ensured that all local authorities had to carry out advanced background checks before issuing licences.

An Uber spokesperson said: “Private-hire drivers are not restricted to driving within one licensing jurisdiction. In fact, it’s common practice for drivers licensed in one council to carry out trips in another. Drivers licensed in England and Wales can legally pick up and drop off passengers anywhere, as long as the trip is pre-booked and their vehicle and driver’s licence match the operator they are registered to.

“Drivers who use the Uber app are no different to other licensed drivers – who all go through the same enhanced DBS background checks – but with our app they have the freedom that comes with being their own boss.”

http://bit.ly/2m6TkzI

A Brazilian judge ruled that a driver using the Uber ride-hailing app is an employee of the San Francisco-based company and is entitled to workers' benefits, adding to the global debate over labor rights for drivers on the platform.

Uber said on Tuesday it would appeal the decision by Judge Marcio Toledo Gonçalves, who issued the ruling late Monday in a labor court in Minas Gerais state.

Gonçalves ordered Uber to pay one driver around 30,000 reais ($10,000) in compensation for overtime, night shifts, holidays and expenses such as gasoline, water and candy for passengers.

The consequences for Uber, if the ruling is upheld, could be far greater if more drivers follow suit and if state and federal regulators and tax agencies start treating it, as the judge suggested, as a transportation company rather than a tech firm.

Similar cases in the United States, Britain, Switzerland, and Europe's highest court have threatened to increase Uber's costs and subject it to stricter regulation, with implications for peers building platforms for part-time work in the so-called 'gig economy'.

Uber said in a statement that it was appealing the decision, citing a contradictory ruling by another labor judge in Minas Gerais two weeks ago. The company said drivers are free to set their own hours, cancel or pass on trips and use competing apps, making them service providers rather than employees.

The ride-hailing app has also raised concerns about the safety of its drivers in Brazil.

A Reuters investigation revealed a 10-fold increase in attacks on drivers, including several murders, after enabling cash payments on its platform at the end of July. Questions were raised within the company as to why it did not act faster to address the problem.

http://reut.rs/2kvOlHx 
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KUALA LUMPUR

Two female secret agents are thought to have been behind the death of Kim Jong-un’s brother, it has been reported, after the arrest of a taxi who picked them up from the airport.

Kim Jong-nam, 45, was killed at Kuala Lumpur airport on Tuesday after being attacked by two women with “poisoned needles” while waiting to board a flight back to Macau, according to local TV reports.

A taxi driver in his thirties was arrested soon after CCTV footage had been analysed prompting a search for the two women, according to the Telegraph.

An unnamed senior police official told the newspaper: “We have already looked through the CCTV footage, hence we managed to arrest the taxi driver who had taken the two woman who carried out the assassination.”

http://ind.pn/2lOkonU
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SALISBURY

THREE women say they have been inappropriately touched by a man claiming to be a taxi driver in Salisbury City centre.

The latest incident was reported in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Police appealed for witnesses after the first incident was reported on November 26 last year, but now two further victims have come forward saying they they too were touched inappropriately.
In each case the suspect was described as of Asian appearance, aged in his 30s-40s, of slim build with short, dark hair.

 A 39-year-old local man was arrested in relation to one of the incidents and released on police bail pending further enquiries.

In each incident the offender is purporting to be a taxi driver working in Salisbury city centre in the early hours of the morning at the weekend.
The victims were all women who were on their own at the time and describe the man trying to kiss them or touch them when they reached their destination.

http://bit.ly/2lP3MeL 
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DELHI

Ola, Uber strike in Delhi: Taxi set on fire by drivers, commuters’ woes continue
The strike by drivers of app-based cab aggregators turned violent late on Tuesday night as some unidentified protesters set a cab afire near Green Valley in Indirapuram, Ghaziabad.

The cab driver, Rahul Kumar, said that he operated for Uber and has lodged a police complaint. Kumar, who is from Vijay Nagar, said that the protesters allegedly stopped the cab returning from Vaishali and poured some inflammable substance before setting it afire.

“There were nearly 15-20 protesting drivers who were hovering around on bikes. They hurled stones and I had to stop before they poured inflammable substance and set my car afire. They took away one mobile while two mobile got burnt inside the car. I have been driving for Uber for past 3-4 months,” Rahul said.

The strike by Ola and Uber drivers, meanwhile, worsened on Wednesday morning, as agitating drivers turned violent. Office-goers had to once again resort to alternative ways to reach their workplace while the autos reportedly refused to go by the meter. Instances of drivers, who returned to work, being assaulted and their cars getting vandalised were reported from across the Capital, though no police complaint was made.

After a meeting with representatives of Rajdhani Tourist Driver Union and managements of Ola and Uber, the government said, “It was firmly conveyed to the companies to look into the problems faced by drivers… Majority of the drivers are not in favour of any strike but some external anti-social elements are illegally preventing the app-based drivers from plying their vehicles”.

Transport minister Satyendra Jain also directed his department to inform Delhi Police about locations where groups leading the protest are attacking drivers and ensure criminal complaints are lodged.

http://bit.ly/2lP7m8X
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BURNLEY

 A TAXI driver has denied making a series of sexual suggestions to three underage girls while taking them to school.

Syed Shah, 27, also became a Facebook friend of one of the schoolgirls, who sent him pictures of herself, Burnley Crown Court heard.

Shah has admitted talking about sex with the girls, as he took them from their homes in the Burnley area to a Blackburn school, the court was told.
But he has insisted he was “only joking” when it came to inviting them to perform a sex act on him, according to prosecutors.

Eric Lamb told jurors that Shah also asked one of the girls: “Which back alley am I going to take you then?”

This could be plainly understood as the pair of them going to a back alley for sex together, said Mr Lamb.

The court heard that Shah’s cousin usually drove the girls to school but when he was unavailable the defendant would step in.

Shah, who worked for Prince’s Taxis in Burnley, was arrested by police last June, after officers received complaints about his conduct.

Interviewed under caution, he said that conversation with the girls had occasionally turned to sex and he had made joking references to what they could do for him. Two of the girls had also asked him for cigarettes.

Shah maintained that one of the girls had made contact with him via Facebook before sharing pictures of herself, the court heard.

She had shared a picture of herself which “showed a lot of cleavage” but he denied asking her to send her pictures exposing herself yet further.

And he said if he had made any sexual remarks on social media then he would always follow them up with LOL (laugh out loud) to show he was not being serious, jurors heard.

Shah said he knew that the girls were underage but they frequently talked about drinking alcohol in town and smoking ‘weed’, the court heard.

Shah, of Thurston Street, Burnley, denies seven offences of inciting underage girls to engage in sexual activity. The trial continues.

http://bit.ly/2koXarw

 NEW YORK
 
The flailing yellow-cab industry appears to be trying to blackmail the city into bailing it out — threatening to yank its wheelchair-accessible cabs off the street.

David Beier, president of the Committee for Taxi Safety, which represents 20 percent of the city’s yellow-taxi medallion agents, told The Post that medallion owners are near the breaking point.

He claims the industry’s financing is in jeopardy because a major medallion lender was taken over by state authorities last week. And owners gripe that app-based competitors, such as Uber and Lyft, are getting a free ride regarding regulations.

“Without the necessary financing in place, there may be no choice but to shut down the entire accessible-taxi program within months,” Beier said, referring to the city’s more than 1,400 specially equipped cabs.

Hundreds of standard cabs could follow suit because of the plummeting values in the taxi-medallion market, industry advocates said.

Beier’s group and others are demanding that the city either bail them out or start coming down hard on regulating the app-based services — or do both.

The threats aim to ramp up the pressure on Mayor de Blasio, who has called on the industry to start innovating instead of complaining about competition.

Under the terms of a settlement of a 2013 federal lawsuit by advocates for the disabled, 50 percent of the city’s taxi fleet must be wheelchair-accessible by 2020.

The city and the taxi-fleet owners, which operate about 60 percent of the 1,497 accessible yellow cabs, are both required to meet the mandate. The entire yellow-taxi fleet consists of 13,587 medallion vehicles.

Taxi advocates grumble that the special vehicles are costly to maintain. City officials have shot back that there are government subsidies available to cover much of the extra costs.

Dustin Jones, of United for Equal Access New York, said Hizzoner will ultimately be held responsible by disabled riders if the special vehicles disappear.

“If Mayor de Blasio lets the accessible-taxi program die, he shouldn’t expect New Yorkers with disabilities to vote for him this year,” he said.

But de Blasio has indicated he has no interest in either bailing out the taxis or subjecting the app-based cab companies to more regulation.

When a yellow-cab driver called in to his weekly WYNC radio show Feb. 3 asking about a possible bailout, de Blasio said he’d rather leave it up to the market.

“I think you will see some leveling off [of the market] over time, and that could strengthen the medallion values again, but I am not ready to commit to reversing course,” de Blasio said.

“I also think there were free-market dynamics that created an opening for Lyft, Uber and others, and the taxi industry has to learn from that . . . in every way possible.”

Allan Fromberg, spokesman for the Taxi and Limousine Commission, said, “Frankly, it is surprising to me that, with New York City being the only city in the nation that licenses and regulates app services like Uber and Lyft just as it does for all other for-hire service providers, this group prefers to cloak its beef with competitors in a speculative ‘prediction’ that accessible taxi service will disappear within a matter of months.”

City Hall spokesman Austin Finan echoed that sentiment Monday in a statement to The Post.

“Yellow cabs are an iconic part of New York City, but it’s on their industry to adapt and keep pace in the vibrant and growing for-hire market,’’ he said.

Beier said the taxi industry is “committed to providing accessible service, but the city’s failure to create a level playing field with Uber could make that impossible.

“Although the TLC claims Uber is regulated just like the taxi industry, the reality is that Uber has an unfair advantage because it is not required to utilize accessible vehicles.”

http://nyp.st/2knsIOu





http://nyp.st/2knsIOu

LIVERPOOL

ECHO readers have been sharing their experiences of journeys with taxi drivers who appear to have a fundamental lack of Liverpool “knowledge”.

The comments come after we revealed that Mayor Joe Anderson is working to clamp down on drivers coming into the city from far and wide and plying their trade here.

It also follows dramatic scenes over the weekend in which some local drivers blocked in a private hire vehicle with a Transport for London licence, before the vehicle was “escorted out of the city.”

One of Mayor Anderson’s major gripes with the current “free for all” private hire system in the city and city-region is that drivers are arriving for work here with poor geographical knowledge.

He is looking at bringing in a universal licensing system across the city-region as well as a more general knowledge-style test for drivers to take.
The Mayor shared a story of a driver who had no idea where Dingle was and now ECHO readers have been offering up some of their more frustrating experiences.

Scores of readers responded to the story on Facebook, including Mary McArdle who said: “My granddaughter gets a taxi to school most mornings, got one last week told him co-op by Walton church he took her to North Park in Bootle.”

Lauren Adele Bunting added: “Most of the taxis don’t even know where Kirkby is when you get a taxi you have to direct them all the time.”

Diane J Dodd said she had to direct a private hire driver to the city centre, adding: “You couldn’t write it could ye!”

http://bit.ly/2lImaWG
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Taxi drivers are threatening to bring Wolverhampton to a standstill with thousands of private hire cabs flooding the city in a row over licensing standards.

They say drivers from as far away as Sheffield and Manchester are applying for private hire licences in the city as it can take just 28 days – instead of 10 months elsewhere.

But city licensing boss Alan Bolshaw says the threat is ‘staggering’ and warned: “I will not have a gun held to my head.”

Licensing committee members are furious over a letter from the Wolverhampton Private Hire Drivers Association (WPHDA) setting out a list of ‘red line’ demands and threatening to block the road network with drivers from across the UK in an escalation of their go-slow protests.

The authority is accused of low standards of entry for the private hire trade.

But councillors have rejected the claim, saying that taxi drivers from outside the city are applying to Wolverhampton because the fee is cheaper and the turnaround is faster.

The council has taken advantage of new government deregulation which allows drivers to shop around for their licences. The council is now planning to reduce the cost of a taxi licence by between 12–15 per cent.

Councillor Bolshaw, licensing chairman, said the authority had simply acted quicker than its neighbours to ditch red tape that was holding up the service. He added: “If anything, we’re a victim of our own success.”

It is claimed 200 drivers took part in a previous go-slow in October although the council says the actual number was 77.

WPHDA vice-chairman Ebrahim Suleman’s letter requested that the council set up a focus group to look at drivers’ issues, in particular introducing a ‘comprehensive’ knowledge test, requiring drivers to pass a Driving Standards Agency test and refusing licences to drivers intending to work mainly outside Wolverhampton.

It states: “The council has the option of co-operation or facing further action. Any future go-slow protest will be organised to bring drivers in their thousands from across the UK. Hopefully you will see sense.”

Councillor Bolshaw called the letter ‘staggering beyond belief’, saying he was ‘outraged’ and that the committee would ‘not be dictated to’ by Birmingham taxi drivers.

The licensing committee agreed to set up a focus group but only on the basis that its concerns were reported to and agreed by an existing working group. The drivers did not want to feed directly into the working group, claiming they could not speak freely in front of the big private hire operators.

http://bit.ly/2kNNJjW
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DUBAI

Dubai is aiming to become the world’s first city to have passenger-carrying drones operating in its skies. Speaking at a summit in the city on Monday the Emirate’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said they are on track to launch them by July.

The RTA have been working alongside Chinese firm EHang, whose autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) the EHang 184 looks set to taxi passengers across Dubai’s impressive skyline.

“The RTA is making every effort to start the operation of the AAV in July 2017,” RTA executive director and chair Mattar Al Tayer said at the World Government Summit in Dubai on Monday.

Using a touch screen to select a preset destination, passengers will be able to travel in the vehicle for up to 30 minutes at a top speed of around 100kph (60mph), all overlooked by a ground-based control center.

"It replicates Dubai Self-driving Transport Strategy aimed at transforming 25 per cent of total individual trips in Dubai into self-driving trips using various modes of transport by 2030,” Al Tayer said.

"In case of any failure in the first propeller, there would be seven other propellers ready to complete the flight and a smooth landing, while mitigating the impact of the fault sustained by the first propeller."

First unveiled at the Las Vegas CES tradeshow in January 2016, the EHang 184 is described by its creators as “the safest, eco-est and smartest low altitude autonomous aerial vehicle” for short to medium distance travel. The drone does not allow users to fly manually; an automated destination input/delivery system is designed to eliminate human error.

https://www.rt.com/news/377219-drones-taxi-passenger-dubai/
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HYDERABAD: Even as the drivers of private taxi aggregators protested against the methods adopted by the companies, an Uber cab driver, who was unable to pay the down payment on a loan taken to purchase his car, ended his life in the city on Sunday.

The driver, Kodaiah alias Praveen (34), consumed poison on Saturday. Praveen, who is survived by a wife and two daughters, succumbed at Gandhi Hospital on Sunday.

“Praveen had been a taxi driver for over two years and joined Uber as a driver seven months ago. He took a TATA Indica V2 car with a down payment of Rs 33,000 financed by a private institution with a monthly down payment of Rs 27,000. He was unable to pay the EMI (Equated Monthly Instalment) for one month and the finance people harassed him. He was able to earn only Rs 20,000 a month,” said a relative of Praveen. When Praveen joined Uber, he was promised that he would be able to earn up to `1 lakh a month, the relative claimed.

“Taxi aggregators have increased the number of taxis but the customer base remains the same. This has been eating into the profits of taxi drivers and many, who have taken cars on EMIs, are struggling to repay the money,” said Shiva Vulkundakar, president, Telangana Cab Drivers and Owners Association (TCDOA).

The union, which is not recognised by taxi aggregators, has been fighting to be heard by both the taxi aggregators and the state government. The union launched a protest from December 30, 2016, to January 5 this year but it failed to evoke any response.

They launched a protest again on Friday and Saturday but had cases of public nuisance slapped against them by the police.

Both Uber and Ola say they will only respond to grievances — “if any” — of individual drivers. An email questionnaire sent to Uber representatives went unanswered while representatives from Ola were unavailable for comment.

http://bit.ly/2kkW7Zs

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