Somethings you cannot make up. The Buckingham Palace UBERK terror driver's Sat Nav, took him to the wrong place.
A suspected terrorist accused of attacking police with a sword outside Buckingham Palace had originally intended to go to Windsor Castle - but his satnav led him to a pub of the same name instead.
Mohiussunnath Chowdhury, 26, sparked a major terror alert when he was arrested outside the royal residence last Friday.
The Uber driver was found with a samurai sword in the passenger footwell of the blue Toyota Prius he was driving.
He was sprayed with CS gas and wrestled to the ground as the palace was locked down. Three police officers suffered cuts and bruises to their hands.
But according to new reports, evidence taken from the scene appears to show Chowdhury had left his Luton home with Windsor Castle typed into his GPS.
He arrived in Windsor at about 7.30pm - having left an hour earlier - but his satnav had taken him to The Windsor Castle pub rather than the royal residence.
It is also reported that Chowdhury drove past the Victoria barracks in the town two minutes later, before ultimately setting off for London.
He then drove around the Mall - the road between Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square - in a loop until he stopped next to a police van and was soon arrested.
Yesterday, Chowdhury appeared before a district judge at Westminster magistrates' court in London.
The British-born suspect, who is of Bangladeshi heritage, is accused of one charge of preparing terrorist acts, which carries a maximum life sentence.
Mark Carol, prosecuting, said a note to Chowdhury's sister Sneha, 23, was found by detectives. It read: 'To my dearest sister, By the time you read this Insha'Allah [God willing] I will be with Allah.
'Do not cry and be strong. The Shaheed [witness or martyr] will take 70 members of his family with him to paradise. I will take you there Insha'Allah.
'Tell everyone I love them and that they should struggle against the enemies of Allah …The Queen and her soldiers will all be in the hellfire, they go to war with Muslims around the world and kill them without any mercy.'
Chowdhury, flanked by two plainclothes officers in the reinforced glass dock, nodded as the note was read out. He spoke in soft, well-spoken English to confirm his personal details.
No members of the Royal Family were at Buckingham Palace when Chowdhury was arrested. The Queen was at Balmoral.
Footage from the scene showed a car parked near a police van, in the shadow of the Queen Victoria monument on Constitution Hill.
Mr Carol said the car stopped 2ft from a marked police vehicle, arousing the officers' attention. 'Officers approached the vehicle and the male driver reached for a large sword from inside and shouted 'Allahu Akhbar' several times,' he said. 'The officer struggled with the individual and sprayed him with CS spray.'
Police seized mobile phones and a laptop from the £230,000 home Chowdhury shares with his parents and sister in a Luton suburb. They arrested a second man, aged 30, in west London, who was released without charge.
According to one online profile, Chowdhury's sister is a graduate and a recruitment consultant.
The family's former neighbours in Uxbridge, west London, said both siblings went to Church of England primary schools.
Chowdhury was remanded in custody and ordered to appear at the Old Bailey on September 21.
http://dailym.ai/2eJCplh
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Uber is to have designated drop-off and pick-up areas at all of Westfield's 33 shopping centers in the United States.
The two firms announced a partnership that places the locations on the Uber app, meaning shoppers can see where exactly they can be picked up and dropped off.
The firms said the Westfield malls will each incorporate between one and 10 Uber pick-up and drop-off stations. Some locations will also include kiosks with Uber customer service employees.
"Uber wants to make transportation seamless for everyone, everywhere, but we can't do it alone," said Amy Friedlander Hoffman, Uber's head of business development and experiential marketing, in a joint press release Thursday.
"So we're excited to work together on this first of its kind initiative aimed at delivering the best possible experience to our riders when they're going shopping, dining or catching a movie," she added.
Uber Lounge
The Westfield Century City shopping mall in Los Angeles is to be the first to include an Uber lounge where shoppers can wait for their taxi "in style".
The lounge will form part of a $1 billion renovation of the shopping center due this fall.
"We are thrilled to be able to partner with Uber to leverage modern technology in a way that makes it more convenient than ever to travel to and from any Westfield destination," said William Hecht, Westfield's chief operating officer in the United States.
http://cnb.cx/2glAfsc
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A Florida cloud computing provider named Uber Operations is suing its dial-a-ride namesake for trademark infringement.
In a suit filed Tuesday to the Northern Florida US District court, the owners of Uber Operations claim their name's similarity to Uber Technologies Inc has caused them to receive thousands of unwanted calls, faxes, emails, and even legal summons intended for the (in)famous car-hailing service based in San Francisco.
Located in Tallahassee, Florida, Uber Operations provides cloud and hosted IT services for regional health care providers and small businesses in Florida and other Southeastern US states. The two companies applied for and were both granted trademarks in 2011-2012 to use the Uber name in their respective businesses (Uber Operations for IT services and Uber Technologies for ride-sharing).
Unfortunately, Uber Operations says, the growing popularity of the Uber ride service has left the public confused about the two companies and it's now impacting its IT business.
"Even state governments with whom Uber Operations does business have experienced confusion with Uber Tech. The Attorney General's office has sent Uber Operations legal notices, writs and other court documents, employment verification requests, and other important documents and records intended for Uber Tech," the filing [PDF] reads.
"Due to the nature of these documents (which include court orders and documents with deadlines and potential fines or other penalties for failing to respond), Uber Operations has not been able to ignore them, and has had to repeatedly advise attorneys and government agents that Uber Operations is not Uber Tech."
Not the Uber you're looking for
If that wasn't bad enough, Uber Operations says the bad publicity Uber Tech has gotten for itself has led the cloud Uber to be on the receiving end of bad reviews and death threats from disgruntled Uber car service passengers.
"As a result of this saturation, the public has come to assume that Uber Operations' services are really Uber Tech's or that Uber Operations has become somehow connected to Uber Tech, and Uber Operations has thus lost the value of its trademark, ie, its corporate identity, and control over its goodwill and reputation," the complaint reads.
"Indeed, the constant business interruption, and fear of violence, have caused Uber Operations to remove information from its website, change its phone system to go straight to voicemail (so that only calls directed to Uber Operations are returned), and remove signage and other indication of the location of Uber Operations from its offices to prevent Uber Tech drivers, prospective drivers, and customers from showing up at Uber Operations' offices."
The complaint claims that the ride-sharing Uber's use of the names "Uber" and "Uber Xchange" overstep Uber Tech's trademark agreement and infringe on the one Uber Operations holds. Now, they want damages to help cover the costs associated with being the "other" Uber.
They claim one count each of federal statutory trademark infringement, common law trademark infringement, and common law unfair competition. They also ask that Uber Technologies' trademark be invalidated.
Uber Tech declined to comment on the complaint. ®
Source: The register.co.uk
Thursday 31 August 2017
Wednesday 30 August 2017
CARDIFF.
A taxi driver landed a pensioner in hospital for two weeks when he lost control of his car after taking a roundabout at 70mph and caused a six-vehicle pile-up.
Cardiff Crown Court heard Matthew Withers, 25, was travelling at more than twice the speed limit when he weaved between lanes and cut across the path of another driver.
Judge William Gaskell said: “This was a highly dangerous piece of driving.”
The court heard the incident occurred at 8.20pm on July 29 at a roundabout on the A4049.
Stephen Donaghue, prosecuting, said Withers was driving a silver Honda Integra north towards Pengam.
He told the court the defendant was seen to weave between lanes as he approached the roundabout.
There was a 30mph speed limit in place but police calculated he was driving around 72mph.
Prosecutors said expectant dad Withers wanted to turn left but he was in the right-hand lane so he cut across the path of the driver on his left to exit the roundabout.
Mr Donaghue said the defendant lost control of his car causing a collision that involved three moving vehicles and three stationary vehicles.
The court heard he hit the first car so hard it was pushed backwards into another car.
That car then “flew back” and hit three parked cars.
Prosecutors said one of the victims suffered shoulder pain and another soft tissue damage.
Margaret Smith, 87, was in the second car with her daughter, who remembered seeing the boot of the car in front of them hit their windscreen.
The prosecutor said Ms Smith had to spend two weeks in hospital.
She suffered a broken toe, neck pain, a lump and cut to her head, as well as tenderness in her hip and sternum.
Mr Donaghue said she depended on her car for mobility but has been scared to go out since the crash.
He added she is now unsteady on her feet and still suffers pain every day as a result of the incident.
The court heard she had been visiting her brother on the day of the crash and he died while she was in hospital, which prosecutors said had a “devastating” effect upon her.
Withers, from Wheatley Place in Blackwood, admitted dangerous driving.
Hashim Salman, defending, said his client had no previous convictions.
He said: “He has expressed sincere and deep remorse.”
The defence barrister told the court the Probation Service judged him to present a low risk of re-offending.
Mr Salman argued the offending was “wholly out of character” and told the court Withers is due to become a father for the first time later this year.
The court heard he was working as a taxi driver for the family business.
Mr Salman added: “He is a relatively young man of clean character. A hard-working, polite and courteous young man.”
He asked for any sentence of imprisonment to be suspended but the judge said the offending was too serious.
Judge Gaskell described his speed as “grossly excessive”.
He told the defendant: “This driving clearly calls for a custodial sentence. I am asked to suspend it. It cannot be suspended.”
The judge added: “It is pure good fortune the injuries were not more serious and it it no thanks to you.”
Withers was jailed for 12 months and disqualified from driving for two years. He must also pay a £140 victim surcharge.
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/taxi-driver-caused-six-car-13551408
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UPPERMILL. (OLDHAM)
PARKING restrictions in a conservation village square have taken a new twist.
Problems began when conservationists complained a two-bay Hackney carriage rank had been painted the wrong shade of yellow in Uppermill.
They were backed by villagers and businesses who said paintwork on the protected cobbles looked like a "Banksy daub."
And, along with protests on social media, they said the black cab parking point should have been sited near the village museum.
However in 24 hours of complaints about the paint, a team from Oldham Council repainted the taxi rank lines on the square primrose yellow.
But today, campaigning Saddleworth parish councillor Lesley Brown, chair of Saddleworth Civic Trust, who initially demanded the paint change, said: "It's looks worse. The paint is primrose yellow, but it's far too bright. The taxi rank is totally in the wrong place."
She was backed by locals who argue the black cabs will still park outside eateries and customers would not walk to the new bays to collect them.
And one local said on social media: "A time-limited hackney rank sited at the bus terminus turning circle between 11.30pm and 6am would be a more practical solution.
"A private hire holding lane could also be created at the same location, negating the requirement to use the already limited public parking provisions in Uppermill."
http://www.oldham-chronicle.co.uk/news-features/8/news-headlines/105237/new-twist-in-the-tale-of-village-taxi-rank
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Wellington Airport. AUS
The airport has reached an agreement with the ride share company, which will see the airport charge Uber drivers drop-off and pick-up fees of $3 a ride - the same as taxi drivers are charged.
Uber will collect the money on the airport's behalf.
Wellington Airport departures
Wellington Airport Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
Wellington Airport spokesman Greg Thomas said he was pleased the airport was the first to add ride-sharing to its ground transport services.
"This is another example of how we are making transport to and from the airport easy and convenient for travellers," he said.
Uber NZ general manager Richard Menzies said the agreement was a win for consumer choice.
"Uber is an app trusted by tens of millions of customers from more than 70 different countries across the world, and we're pleased visitors and locals will now have seamless access to the service at Wellington Airport."
The agreement follows the passing of the Land Transport Amendment Bill, under which ride-sharing services like Uber were recognised as part of the country's land transport framework.
-------------------------------------------
A taxi driver landed a pensioner in hospital for two weeks when he lost control of his car after taking a roundabout at 70mph and caused a six-vehicle pile-up.
Cardiff Crown Court heard Matthew Withers, 25, was travelling at more than twice the speed limit when he weaved between lanes and cut across the path of another driver.
Judge William Gaskell said: “This was a highly dangerous piece of driving.”
The court heard the incident occurred at 8.20pm on July 29 at a roundabout on the A4049.
Stephen Donaghue, prosecuting, said Withers was driving a silver Honda Integra north towards Pengam.
He told the court the defendant was seen to weave between lanes as he approached the roundabout.
There was a 30mph speed limit in place but police calculated he was driving around 72mph.
Prosecutors said expectant dad Withers wanted to turn left but he was in the right-hand lane so he cut across the path of the driver on his left to exit the roundabout.
Mr Donaghue said the defendant lost control of his car causing a collision that involved three moving vehicles and three stationary vehicles.
The court heard he hit the first car so hard it was pushed backwards into another car.
That car then “flew back” and hit three parked cars.
Prosecutors said one of the victims suffered shoulder pain and another soft tissue damage.
Margaret Smith, 87, was in the second car with her daughter, who remembered seeing the boot of the car in front of them hit their windscreen.
The prosecutor said Ms Smith had to spend two weeks in hospital.
She suffered a broken toe, neck pain, a lump and cut to her head, as well as tenderness in her hip and sternum.
Mr Donaghue said she depended on her car for mobility but has been scared to go out since the crash.
He added she is now unsteady on her feet and still suffers pain every day as a result of the incident.
The court heard she had been visiting her brother on the day of the crash and he died while she was in hospital, which prosecutors said had a “devastating” effect upon her.
Withers, from Wheatley Place in Blackwood, admitted dangerous driving.
Hashim Salman, defending, said his client had no previous convictions.
He said: “He has expressed sincere and deep remorse.”
The defence barrister told the court the Probation Service judged him to present a low risk of re-offending.
Mr Salman argued the offending was “wholly out of character” and told the court Withers is due to become a father for the first time later this year.
The court heard he was working as a taxi driver for the family business.
Mr Salman added: “He is a relatively young man of clean character. A hard-working, polite and courteous young man.”
He asked for any sentence of imprisonment to be suspended but the judge said the offending was too serious.
Judge Gaskell described his speed as “grossly excessive”.
He told the defendant: “This driving clearly calls for a custodial sentence. I am asked to suspend it. It cannot be suspended.”
The judge added: “It is pure good fortune the injuries were not more serious and it it no thanks to you.”
Withers was jailed for 12 months and disqualified from driving for two years. He must also pay a £140 victim surcharge.
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/taxi-driver-caused-six-car-13551408
-------------------------------------------
UPPERMILL. (OLDHAM)
PARKING restrictions in a conservation village square have taken a new twist.
Problems began when conservationists complained a two-bay Hackney carriage rank had been painted the wrong shade of yellow in Uppermill.
They were backed by villagers and businesses who said paintwork on the protected cobbles looked like a "Banksy daub."
And, along with protests on social media, they said the black cab parking point should have been sited near the village museum.
However in 24 hours of complaints about the paint, a team from Oldham Council repainted the taxi rank lines on the square primrose yellow.
But today, campaigning Saddleworth parish councillor Lesley Brown, chair of Saddleworth Civic Trust, who initially demanded the paint change, said: "It's looks worse. The paint is primrose yellow, but it's far too bright. The taxi rank is totally in the wrong place."
She was backed by locals who argue the black cabs will still park outside eateries and customers would not walk to the new bays to collect them.
And one local said on social media: "A time-limited hackney rank sited at the bus terminus turning circle between 11.30pm and 6am would be a more practical solution.
"A private hire holding lane could also be created at the same location, negating the requirement to use the already limited public parking provisions in Uppermill."
http://www.oldham-chronicle.co.uk/news-features/8/news-headlines/105237/new-twist-in-the-tale-of-village-taxi-rank
------------------------------------------
Wellington Airport. AUS
The airport has reached an agreement with the ride share company, which will see the airport charge Uber drivers drop-off and pick-up fees of $3 a ride - the same as taxi drivers are charged.
Uber will collect the money on the airport's behalf.
Wellington Airport departures
Wellington Airport Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
Wellington Airport spokesman Greg Thomas said he was pleased the airport was the first to add ride-sharing to its ground transport services.
"This is another example of how we are making transport to and from the airport easy and convenient for travellers," he said.
Uber NZ general manager Richard Menzies said the agreement was a win for consumer choice.
"Uber is an app trusted by tens of millions of customers from more than 70 different countries across the world, and we're pleased visitors and locals will now have seamless access to the service at Wellington Airport."
The agreement follows the passing of the Land Transport Amendment Bill, under which ride-sharing services like Uber were recognised as part of the country's land transport framework.
-------------------------------------------
Saturday 26 August 2017
GLASGOW
A nurse who falsely accused a taxi driver of rape has been given a lifetime ban from working in the profession.
Fiona Scanlan was struck off by her regulatory watchdog, the Nursing and Midwifery Council, and cannot practise anywhere in the UK.
Their decision also means Scanlan is prohibited from being a nurse or nursing assistant in any EU country.
Under EU law, all 27 member states will be automatically told of the NMC ban.
The 41-year-old told police that William Millar had sexually assaulted her in the back of his cab.
But she was sentenced to 13 months in jail after she admitted fabricating her story.
Scanlan, of Yoker, Glasgow, did not appear for her disciplinary hearing at the NMC offices in Edinburgh and was given the permanent ban in her absence.
The hearing, which took place on August 18, was told that every effort had been made to contact Scanlan. But the shamed health worker had not replied to emails and letters informing her of the date.
An NMC disciplinary panel said she had shown no signs of remorse and continues to present a risk to members of the public.
Her actions in falsely accusing the driver of rape were also described during the hearing as “devious” and “underhand”.
Taxi driver William, 57, was arrested and held in custody for 18 hours after Scanlan made false rape claims against him in March 2014.
Scanlan – who has been released from prison – said he pulled into a secluded area and tried to rape her as he drove her home from a wedding at East Kilbride’s Crutherland House Hotel.
But a GPS tracking device fixed to his taxi showed the vehicle did not take that route and proved his innocence. Scanlan admitted fabricating the rape claim at Glasgow Sheriff Court last November.
The court heard Scanlan made the false claim after William ordered her out of his cab because she hurled drunken abuse at him.
Sheriff John McCormick said her behaviour could make it harder to prosecute future rape cases.
The NMC panel said in a written judgment: “Nurses occupy a position of privilege and trust in society and are expected at all times to be professional. Patients and their families must be able to trust nurses with their lives.
“Her actions, in lying to the police, brought the nursing profession into disrepute and, by her dishonesty and lack of integrity, breached a fundamental tenet of the nursing profession.
“A striking off order was the only sanction that would satisfy the public interest in the case. This order was necessary to maintain public confidence in the profession and send a clear message about the standard of behaviour required of a registered nurse.”
Scanlan is also facing a separate NMC probe into claims she administered the wrong drugs to vulnerable patients in centres in Glasgow and Lanarkshire last year. She allegedly gave the wrong pills to elderly patients, including ones with dementia and life-threatening conditions, up to four times a day.
The drugs allegations came to light in January after Scanlan was reported by a nursing agency where she worked.
Scanlan was freed from prison in February this year despite only serving three months of the 13-month term after she agreed to wear a tag. She has four weeks to appeal the ban.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/nurse-who-falsely-accused-taxi-11060730
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A nurse who falsely accused a taxi driver of rape has been given a lifetime ban from working in the profession.
Fiona Scanlan was struck off by her regulatory watchdog, the Nursing and Midwifery Council, and cannot practise anywhere in the UK.
Their decision also means Scanlan is prohibited from being a nurse or nursing assistant in any EU country.
Under EU law, all 27 member states will be automatically told of the NMC ban.
The 41-year-old told police that William Millar had sexually assaulted her in the back of his cab.
But she was sentenced to 13 months in jail after she admitted fabricating her story.
Scanlan, of Yoker, Glasgow, did not appear for her disciplinary hearing at the NMC offices in Edinburgh and was given the permanent ban in her absence.
The hearing, which took place on August 18, was told that every effort had been made to contact Scanlan. But the shamed health worker had not replied to emails and letters informing her of the date.
An NMC disciplinary panel said she had shown no signs of remorse and continues to present a risk to members of the public.
Her actions in falsely accusing the driver of rape were also described during the hearing as “devious” and “underhand”.
Taxi driver William, 57, was arrested and held in custody for 18 hours after Scanlan made false rape claims against him in March 2014.
Scanlan – who has been released from prison – said he pulled into a secluded area and tried to rape her as he drove her home from a wedding at East Kilbride’s Crutherland House Hotel.
But a GPS tracking device fixed to his taxi showed the vehicle did not take that route and proved his innocence. Scanlan admitted fabricating the rape claim at Glasgow Sheriff Court last November.
The court heard Scanlan made the false claim after William ordered her out of his cab because she hurled drunken abuse at him.
Sheriff John McCormick said her behaviour could make it harder to prosecute future rape cases.
The NMC panel said in a written judgment: “Nurses occupy a position of privilege and trust in society and are expected at all times to be professional. Patients and their families must be able to trust nurses with their lives.
“Her actions, in lying to the police, brought the nursing profession into disrepute and, by her dishonesty and lack of integrity, breached a fundamental tenet of the nursing profession.
“A striking off order was the only sanction that would satisfy the public interest in the case. This order was necessary to maintain public confidence in the profession and send a clear message about the standard of behaviour required of a registered nurse.”
Scanlan is also facing a separate NMC probe into claims she administered the wrong drugs to vulnerable patients in centres in Glasgow and Lanarkshire last year. She allegedly gave the wrong pills to elderly patients, including ones with dementia and life-threatening conditions, up to four times a day.
The drugs allegations came to light in January after Scanlan was reported by a nursing agency where she worked.
Scanlan was freed from prison in February this year despite only serving three months of the 13-month term after she agreed to wear a tag. She has four weeks to appeal the ban.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/nurse-who-falsely-accused-taxi-11060730
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EDINBURGH
A few years ago, a friend stumbled out of an Edinburgh pub in the wee hours of the morning.
Confronted with the prospect of a trek across the dark slopes of Arthur’s Seat, he and his drinking pals instead hailed a black cab.
When they climbed in, the driver sat in the front, as usual, and revved the engine. But then a puppet appeared over his shoulder and greeted them in a hoarse voice. “From the moment we entered the cab to the moment we got out, we didn’t stop laughing,” my friend remembers.
This story might sound like it was found at the bottom of a pint glass, but he was not alone. Extraordinary reports began to circulate online, and each was unique. One fare (as passengers are known in taxi slang) was encouraged to shout: “Gie’s a tune, driver,”at which point the cabbie produced a harmonica. Another likened his experience to watching a stand-up show.
One thing all the stories had in common was the cabbie’s name. A video clip posted online by a Taiwanese tourist shows the driver turn up the music, switch on flashing lights, play maracas and brandish a rubber skull.
“I’m kind of famous in Edinburgh,” he says as he drops them off. “You can tell everyone in Taiwan you’ve been in The Shuffler’s taxi.”
After hearing these stories, I, too, hoped to hail The Shuffler’s cab. But it never happened. Instead, I ended up with one gruff, grey driver after another. On my last visit to Edinburgh, I asked my cabbie about The Shuffler.
“Oh aye, Kenny,” he said. “All he wanted to do was make people laugh. But the council got him in the end. Revoked his licence.” It seemed The Shuffler had driven off the map.
“He’s just vanished,” one fleet manager told me.
But eventually, with the help of several cabbies, I got his mobile number.
Life had been tough for Kenny Taylor since he was forced to give up his taxi. Still, he looked back on his work with pride. Always a joker, he’d come up with the act after spotting the puppets in a shop window. “Timing is everything,” he told me. “Give the fares a wee Shuffle and they won’t forget the journey.”
Kenny got his nickname because of his “jiggy, jiggy” dance moves, but it was clear as we spoke it meant more to him than that. The Shuffler’s wise-cracking exuberance helped to battle Kenny’s depression – at least to a point. “You get people saying: ‘Hey, be The Shuffler.’ But you cannae be The Shuffler 24 hours a day.”
The way Kenny described “shuffling” was something between a shift in emotion and surprise. One time he asked a girl in the cab what she wanted to do when she grew up, and she replied smartly: “Be an adult.” He concluded: “The Shuffler had been shuffled.”
He told me he’d have to finish the conversation, because he had the dentist at 2.30. We said goodbye. It was only afterwards, when I repeated the phrase out loud, that I realised that I, too, had just been shuffled.
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TEXAS
A man filmed the moment a hawk wouldn't budge from his taxi cab as Hurricane Harvey barreled towards Texas.
As thousands evacuated the Houston area ahead of the Category 4 hurricane and others hunkered down, one hawk sought refuge in a car in Houston on Friday.
William Bruso was picking up supplies when he found the bird 'looking scared' as the animal sat with its wings tucked close to its side sitting in the car's passenger seat.
He named it Harvey the Hurricane Hawk and said: 'He just kind of hopped on in and doesn't want to leave. He seems to be scared. He doesn't know what's going on.'
Bruso brought the hawk home with him and continued to post videos with his new friend, but handed the bird over to the Texas Wildlife Rescue Center on Saturday.
Friday 25 August 2017
Addison Lee's licence has been extended for just six months as Transport for London considers increasing the cost of operating in the capital for mincab firms.
London's transport regulator is mulling an increase of costs for private hire vehicles with the rising number on the road and the increasing resources needed to regulate them since the arrival of Uber in the city.
Addison Lee's five year licence was up for renewal at the end of August and has now been granted for six months, until the end of February. Uber's licence was extended for four months earlier this year.
Read more: Seven major changes Uber just made to improve life for drivers
“Addison Lee’s licence has been routinely renewed as part of the usual course of business.
The length of the licence is at the discretion of Transport for London," a spokesperson for the cab company said.
"We have been informed by the licensing authority that the six-month duration is purely to allow TfL time to consider the results from a public consultation on licence fees.”
Transport for London is holding off on renewing private hire vehicle (PHV) licences for the usual five-year term as it works on proposals for new rules that would drastically increase the cost of operating for such companies.
It expects the costs of enforcing rules on minicabs, the number of which has jumped by 74 per cent since 2014, to leap to £30m over the next five years, up from previous estimates of £4m. TfL is looking to increase the cost of the licence for firms to plug that hole as it seeks to become self-sufficient by 2019 with cuts to government funding.
The industry is awaiting the results of a public consultation on the matter.
TfL is also under pressure from black cab drivers, who argue Uber's license should not be renewed. The Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA) earlier this year set out what it believes is a legal argument against the renewal. Uber's renewed license lasts until the end of September.
http://www.cityam.com/270886/addison-lees-licence-renewed-only-six-months-tfl-considers
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Thursday 24 August 2017
Taxi legislation needs updating to safeguard passengers.
“The need for reform is now urgent. Councils are doing what they can to strengthen licensing processes, such as commissioning an LGA national register, but we have always said that the best way to strengthen safeguarding is to update legislation, which only government can do."
Taxi laws need urgently updating to reflect new technology, help reduce the risk of child sexual exploitation and create a level playing field for drivers, the Local Government Association (LGA) said today.
The LGA, which represents more than 370 councils in England and Wales, says taxi and private hire legislation – some of which dates back to 1847 and horse-drawn hackney carriages – needs strengthening to improve passenger safety in light of the proliferation of app-based taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) companies and increased cross-border hiring.
Councils cannot take enforcement action against the rising numbers of taxi drivers licensed by other authorities operating in their area. This is causing huge frustration to councils and local drivers who, depending on what the local rules are, may have had to comply with more rigorous licensing standards.
The Government has set up a working group to look at the issue over the autumn. The LGA wants the group to look at the issue of national minimum licensing standards for drivers of taxis and PHVs, a national database of all licensed taxi and PHV drivers, and cross border hiring.
It is urging government to support new taxi legislation on taxi and private hire vehicles in order to modernise the licensing system for taxis and PHVs, improve passenger safety and create a level playing field for drivers.
The LGA has recently commissioned the development of a national register of taxi and PHV licences which have been refused or revoked so councils can check new applicants against the database and update with their own information.
But the LGA says the best way to strengthen safeguarding measures is for government to update taxi laws.
Cllr Clive Woodbridge, Deputy Chair of the LGA’s Safer and Stronger Communities Board, said:
“Councils have long argued that there is a need for the existing outdated taxi laws to be updated.
“The legislation governing aspects of taxis and private hire vehicles pre-dates the motor car and is simply not fit for purpose in an era when mobile phone technology is significantly changing the way people access private hire vehicles.
“In recent years, we’ve seen a number of child sexual exploitation cases that have involved taxi and PHV holders abusing the trust that has been placed in them, so there are strong safeguarding reasons for strengthening current legislation.
“The onset of mobile phone booking apps for PHVs is causing concern about whether drivers are able to compete on a level playing field and has led to numerous and costly legal challenges which local licensing authorities are being forced to spend public money on.
“Local licensing authorities are trying to work out how new models fit within a legislative framework drafted before mobile phones were even invented, when what is really needed is clarity on a new legislative framework that allows for a 21st century way of doing things fairly for passengers, councils and drivers.
“The need for reform is now urgent. Councils are doing what they can to strengthen licensing processes, such as commissioning an LGA national register, but we have always said that the best way to strengthen safeguarding is to update legislation, which only government can do.
“It’s encouraging that the Government has recognised the need to look at this issue as a matter of urgency, following Minister John Hayes’ announcement of a working group to look at this over autumn and report back to him. The LGA looks forward to being part of the working group and is urging government to follow it up by supporting or bringing forward new taxi licensing legislation which benefits passengers, councils and drivers as it is brought before Parliament.”
NOTES TO EDITOR
Taxi and private hire vehicle legislation is primarily concentrated in the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 and the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976.
The LGA supports Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner’s Private Member’s Bill, “Licensing of Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Safeguarding and Road Safety) Bill 2017-19”, which calls for the prevention of cross-border hiring by taxis. It was presented to Parliament on 19 July 2017 and is due to have its Second Reading on 2 February 2018.
In 2011 the Department for Transport invited the Law Commission to undertake a review of taxi and PHV licensing. The Commission’s 2014 report included a draft Bill with a comprehensive set of proposals to completely update and replace taxi and PHV legislation.
The Government has not formally responded to the Law Commission’s report, but used the Deregulation Act 2015 to introduce a small number of their proposals independently of the wider reforms.
The main impact of this was to increase the flexibility for PHV drivers to operate outside the specific licensing authority area in which they are licensed, but without giving licensing authorities the powers the Law Commission envisaged to take enforcement action against out of area drivers.
The LGA has updated its handbook for councillors to provide best practice in taxi licensing.
The LGA has commissioned the development of a national database of taxi and PHV licence refusals and revocations in which councils can record details of individuals who have been refused or revoked. Other councils will be able to check new applicants against the register.
http://bit.ly/2ivHlih
------------------------------------
“The need for reform is now urgent. Councils are doing what they can to strengthen licensing processes, such as commissioning an LGA national register, but we have always said that the best way to strengthen safeguarding is to update legislation, which only government can do."
Taxi laws need urgently updating to reflect new technology, help reduce the risk of child sexual exploitation and create a level playing field for drivers, the Local Government Association (LGA) said today.
The LGA, which represents more than 370 councils in England and Wales, says taxi and private hire legislation – some of which dates back to 1847 and horse-drawn hackney carriages – needs strengthening to improve passenger safety in light of the proliferation of app-based taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) companies and increased cross-border hiring.
Councils cannot take enforcement action against the rising numbers of taxi drivers licensed by other authorities operating in their area. This is causing huge frustration to councils and local drivers who, depending on what the local rules are, may have had to comply with more rigorous licensing standards.
The Government has set up a working group to look at the issue over the autumn. The LGA wants the group to look at the issue of national minimum licensing standards for drivers of taxis and PHVs, a national database of all licensed taxi and PHV drivers, and cross border hiring.
It is urging government to support new taxi legislation on taxi and private hire vehicles in order to modernise the licensing system for taxis and PHVs, improve passenger safety and create a level playing field for drivers.
The LGA has recently commissioned the development of a national register of taxi and PHV licences which have been refused or revoked so councils can check new applicants against the database and update with their own information.
But the LGA says the best way to strengthen safeguarding measures is for government to update taxi laws.
Cllr Clive Woodbridge, Deputy Chair of the LGA’s Safer and Stronger Communities Board, said:
“Councils have long argued that there is a need for the existing outdated taxi laws to be updated.
“The legislation governing aspects of taxis and private hire vehicles pre-dates the motor car and is simply not fit for purpose in an era when mobile phone technology is significantly changing the way people access private hire vehicles.
“In recent years, we’ve seen a number of child sexual exploitation cases that have involved taxi and PHV holders abusing the trust that has been placed in them, so there are strong safeguarding reasons for strengthening current legislation.
“The onset of mobile phone booking apps for PHVs is causing concern about whether drivers are able to compete on a level playing field and has led to numerous and costly legal challenges which local licensing authorities are being forced to spend public money on.
“Local licensing authorities are trying to work out how new models fit within a legislative framework drafted before mobile phones were even invented, when what is really needed is clarity on a new legislative framework that allows for a 21st century way of doing things fairly for passengers, councils and drivers.
“The need for reform is now urgent. Councils are doing what they can to strengthen licensing processes, such as commissioning an LGA national register, but we have always said that the best way to strengthen safeguarding is to update legislation, which only government can do.
“It’s encouraging that the Government has recognised the need to look at this issue as a matter of urgency, following Minister John Hayes’ announcement of a working group to look at this over autumn and report back to him. The LGA looks forward to being part of the working group and is urging government to follow it up by supporting or bringing forward new taxi licensing legislation which benefits passengers, councils and drivers as it is brought before Parliament.”
NOTES TO EDITOR
Taxi and private hire vehicle legislation is primarily concentrated in the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 and the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976.
The LGA supports Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner’s Private Member’s Bill, “Licensing of Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Safeguarding and Road Safety) Bill 2017-19”, which calls for the prevention of cross-border hiring by taxis. It was presented to Parliament on 19 July 2017 and is due to have its Second Reading on 2 February 2018.
In 2011 the Department for Transport invited the Law Commission to undertake a review of taxi and PHV licensing. The Commission’s 2014 report included a draft Bill with a comprehensive set of proposals to completely update and replace taxi and PHV legislation.
The Government has not formally responded to the Law Commission’s report, but used the Deregulation Act 2015 to introduce a small number of their proposals independently of the wider reforms.
The main impact of this was to increase the flexibility for PHV drivers to operate outside the specific licensing authority area in which they are licensed, but without giving licensing authorities the powers the Law Commission envisaged to take enforcement action against out of area drivers.
The LGA has updated its handbook for councillors to provide best practice in taxi licensing.
The LGA has commissioned the development of a national database of taxi and PHV licence refusals and revocations in which councils can record details of individuals who have been refused or revoked. Other councils will be able to check new applicants against the register.
http://bit.ly/2ivHlih
------------------------------------
Wednesday 23 August 2017
A taxi hire company in Harrogate has just entered receivership.
The company - which is a sole trader - rented out around 30 vehicles, which are no longer insured.
The company is owned by Dave Crabtree.
The Council are advising anyone who is driving one of these vehicles to park them off the public highway immediately.
They are also asking for people to contact Harrogate Borough Council's taxi office as a matter of urgency on 01423 500 600.
Harrogate Borough Council have said they will be suspending vehicle licences with immediate effect due to the lack of insurance.
https://www.strayfm.com/news/local-news/2361668/harrogate-taxi-hire-company-enters-receivership/
---------------------------------------
The company - which is a sole trader - rented out around 30 vehicles, which are no longer insured.
The company is owned by Dave Crabtree.
The Council are advising anyone who is driving one of these vehicles to park them off the public highway immediately.
They are also asking for people to contact Harrogate Borough Council's taxi office as a matter of urgency on 01423 500 600.
Harrogate Borough Council have said they will be suspending vehicle licences with immediate effect due to the lack of insurance.
https://www.strayfm.com/news/local-news/2361668/harrogate-taxi-hire-company-enters-receivership/
---------------------------------------
Taxi drivers have been warned they face large penalties if they ignore fines for failing to comply with a security feature designed to reassures customers about the safety of taxis.
Around 30 taxi drivers have been prosecuted this year for failing to pay a fine imposed on them for not linking their personal details to a vehicle while available for hire.
Under legislation, taxi licence holders are obliged to register their details with the Driver Check app operated by the National Transport Authority when their vehicle is in service. Failure to do so can result in a €40 fine.
On average, taxi drivers prosecuted for failing to pay the standard fine have been hit with a penalty of almost €400. New figures published by the NTA, which regulates the taxi industry, shows 29 taxi drivers to date in 2017 had the higher penalties imposed on them after being prosecuted for ignoring the original fine.
In 28 cases, the operator had to pay an average penalty of €387. In one case, a penalty of €900 was imposed.
A reported 10% of taxi drivers are failing to register their details while available for hire.
The highest compliance rates are among taxis operating in Roscommon, Galway and Limerick while around 20% or more of taxi drivers in Monaghan, Tipperary, Mayo and Carlow fail to register while in service.
The compliance rate for taxi drivers in Dublin and Cork, which account for the majority of the country’s 20,800 licensed taxi vehicles, is over 90%.
Customers are able to check that the vehicle and taxi driver are registered with the NTA via the Driver Check app. It also displays an ID photo of the authorised driver. In addition, the app allows users to email a friend with the details of their trip with information on the vehicle and driver as an added safety feature.
Customers can also report a vehicle which is signalled as having “no registered details” to the NTA via the app. The NTA said taxi users can help improve compliance and safety by notifying them of any driver or vehicle not registered on Driver Check.
A total of 47 drivers have been prosecuted in the first half of 2017 for operating without a valid licence. In the first six months of 2017, over 77,000 mobile and roadside checks have been carried out by NTA officials on taxi drivers and their vehicles.
A total of 825 fixed payment notices have been handed out over the period for a range of offences, most relating to the failure to register with Driver Check.
--------------------------------------------
CUSTOMERS in Worcester appear to back an app which allows drivers licensed elsewhere to pick up city fares.
We reported how a city-based businessman, Ausman Shaukat, who runs Drive Taxi App is using the latest technology to plug a gap in the market so people can use the app to book the nearest taxi.
Worcester City Council has said Drive Taxi App and other equivalents are not breaking the law and are responding to degregulation which allows them to sub-contract bookings to drivers licensed outside the city.
Previously, the law required drivers to return to the area in which they were licensed between jobs.
As previously reported one driver, Sakander Zaib, has written a letter on behalf of the licensed taxi drivers of Worcester to the city council, licensing officers and Worcestershire Regulatory Services arguing that city drivers are now facing ‘a massive disadvantage’ because of the rule change.
Sunday 20 August 2017
Most people accused of minicab driving offences in the capital work for Uber, as police have revealed almost two-thirds of alleged offenders drive for the firm.
Head of the Met's taxi and private hire unit Inspector Neil Billany said in internal emails that 62 per cent of London's alleged minicab driving offences in the previous month involved Uber drivers.
This is despite the company only employing about a third of the capital's minicab drivers.
Serious concerns over public safety were raised as internal police emails reveal that Uber drivers account for 62 per cent of alleged private hire driving offences
Emails in today's Sunday Times show the alleged offences include causing death by dangerous driving, careless driving, drink-driving, driving without insurance and speeding.
In the emails, which were written on July 7, Mr Billany raised 'concerns with Uber as an operator'
'I am seeing an increasing amount of my team’s workload relating directly to them . . . there seems to be a disconnect between them taking responsibility for their drivers, their driving standards and the condition of their vehicles.'
Out of the 128 private hire drivers reported to police in the previous four weeks, 79 were employed by Uber according to the emails, with Mr Billany saying 'many' of the alleged offences were 'relating directly to road safety'.
And from May 1 to July 16, the firm's drivers were responsible for just over half of all minicab traffic offences.
Last night Uber said the figures were 'proportional' to the number of its drivers, but only about 40,000 of London’s 117,000 licensed private hire drivers - 34 per cent - work for the the company.
Taxi drivers have criticised Uber, with the GMB union arguing that the firm's drivers take bigger risks
Steve Garelick of the GMB union, which represents private hire drivers, said Uber's business model is part of the problem.
'We have been voicing concerns for a long time about Uber and this proves we were right to do so.
'They throw people in at the deep end with little or no knowledge — and when their rates are so low, drivers will take more risks.'
His comments come after Uber drivers in London and Manchester last year told The Sunday Times they were working up to 16 hours a day.
This was after the company increased its cut of fare income from 20 per cent to 25 per cent, which critics say forces them to work longer to make the same money.
Last week the paper revealed that Mr Billany, who is Britain’s most senior police officer dealing with taxis, accused Uber of failing to report sex attacks and other 'serious crimes' drivers committed against passengers.
Uber is facing a review of its London operating licence due to fears for public safety.
Mr Garelick called on Transport for London to impose new safety and driver protection measures as conditions for any long-term renewal of licences.
Uber confirmed it will restrict drivers’ hours but declined to say by how much.
A spokesperson said it was discussing 'how best to support' police.
http://dailym.ai/2v5ecME
----------------------------------------
Saturday 19 August 2017
STAFFORDSHIRE..PISSED LATVIAN HIT AND RUN
Drink-driver hit taxi in Tunstall before continuing journey to Morrisons
Drink-driver Diana Pelse was nearly three times the legal limit when she collided with a taxi before continuing her journey to the supermarket.
The 32-year-old had drunk three glasses on wine in a Tunstall pub before driving along Scotia Road towards Burslem.
But as she did her Nissan Leaf collided with a taxi travelling in the opposite direction. She continued to Morrisons on Festival Park and the cabbie followed.
Police arrived and the officer could smell alcohol on the defendant's breath.
She provided a positive roadside breath test and was taken to custody. She was breathalysed and gave a reading of 96 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, against the legal limit of 35.
Now Pelse – a Latvian national who came to the UK in 2009 – has been handed a community order and hit with a two-year driving ban.
Prosecutor Steve Knowles told North Staffordshire Justice Centre the defendant collided with the taxi on August 1.
Mr Knowles said: "She said he was driving fast. She drove to Morrisons at Festival Park and was followed by the taxi driver. They both waited for the police to attend.
http://bit.ly/2wborT8
------------------------------------------------
A TAXI driver from Leamington has been jailed after he was convicted of grabbing a woman between her legs when she got out of his cab following a row about the fare.
Balvinder Singh had denied sexually assaulting the woman after driving her home from Coventry city centre, claiming ‘it just did not happen.’
But following a trial at Warwick Crown Court last month, the jury took just two hours to find Singh, age 56 of Tachbrook Road, guilty by a unanimous verdict.
And following an adjournment for a pre-sentence report to be prepared, Judge Barry Berlin jailed Singh for eight months and ordered him to register as a sex offender for ten years.
The judge told Singh: “I take the view that a taxi driver who is convicted of breach of trust by a sexual offence committed against a passenger ought to go immediately to custody.”
During the trial the jury heard that in the early hours of Sunday January 17 last year a woman in her 50s contacted the police to say she had been sexually assaulted by a taxi driver.
“The defendant’s case is that he was the taxi driver during this incident, but that no sexual assault took place,” explained prosecutor Tariq Shakoor.
He said the woman had been out for the night socialising with friends and had visited a number of pubs, ‘having a normal Saturday night out.’
At about 2.30am she decided to go home. She left a pub and flagged down a black cab.
The woman shared the cab with a male friend who was dropped off first before continuing to her home.
But when they arrived there was a dispute over the fare, which was higher than she thought it should be, which Singh said was because of waiting time while they dropped off her friend.
The woman became abusive, and called the police to complain about being overcharged – but although the operator told her it was a civil matter, the line remained open and recorded the exchange, which ended with her paying Singh £10.
She complained she could not get out, so Singh got out to open the door, and when she got out he then grabbed hold of her.
Mr Shakoor said: “He put his hand between her legs, over her clothing, in the area of her private parts. She couldn’t believe what he’d done.”
He said that during the incident the woman heard someone shout out, which caused Singh to let go, and he got back into the taxi and drove off – and she went inside and, ‘quite distraught,’ called the police again.
The jury heard that a woman who lived in the same street happened to be awake and could hear the argument over the fare, so got out of bed and looked out of the window.
“She describes seeing the driver grabbing the female around the area of her waist and holding her in what she described as a bear hug, pulling her towards him.
“It appeared as if he was trying to kiss her. She alerts her partner who gets out of bed and shouts out of the window.”
Following the incident, Singh was traced and arrested, but denied the offence, added Mr Shakoor.
In court, Singh said he kept his foot on the brake during the argument over the fare to keep the door locked so the woman could not make off without paying.
But he said it was then she who hugged him, apologising for the argument over the fare, so he had hugged her back.
“She said she liked me. I said ‘no, I’m married, and I moved her with two hands, pushing outwards to her shoulders, and then got back into the taxi and drove away.”
He denied touching her between the legs, accusing her of making it all up to get him into trouble – but the jury rejected his version of what happened.
http://bit.ly/2vaAoUL
-----------------------------------------
Drink-driver hit taxi in Tunstall before continuing journey to Morrisons
Drink-driver Diana Pelse was nearly three times the legal limit when she collided with a taxi before continuing her journey to the supermarket.
The 32-year-old had drunk three glasses on wine in a Tunstall pub before driving along Scotia Road towards Burslem.
But as she did her Nissan Leaf collided with a taxi travelling in the opposite direction. She continued to Morrisons on Festival Park and the cabbie followed.
Police arrived and the officer could smell alcohol on the defendant's breath.
She provided a positive roadside breath test and was taken to custody. She was breathalysed and gave a reading of 96 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, against the legal limit of 35.
Now Pelse – a Latvian national who came to the UK in 2009 – has been handed a community order and hit with a two-year driving ban.
Prosecutor Steve Knowles told North Staffordshire Justice Centre the defendant collided with the taxi on August 1.
Mr Knowles said: "She said he was driving fast. She drove to Morrisons at Festival Park and was followed by the taxi driver. They both waited for the police to attend.
http://bit.ly/2wborT8
------------------------------------------------
A TAXI driver from Leamington has been jailed after he was convicted of grabbing a woman between her legs when she got out of his cab following a row about the fare.
Balvinder Singh had denied sexually assaulting the woman after driving her home from Coventry city centre, claiming ‘it just did not happen.’
But following a trial at Warwick Crown Court last month, the jury took just two hours to find Singh, age 56 of Tachbrook Road, guilty by a unanimous verdict.
And following an adjournment for a pre-sentence report to be prepared, Judge Barry Berlin jailed Singh for eight months and ordered him to register as a sex offender for ten years.
The judge told Singh: “I take the view that a taxi driver who is convicted of breach of trust by a sexual offence committed against a passenger ought to go immediately to custody.”
During the trial the jury heard that in the early hours of Sunday January 17 last year a woman in her 50s contacted the police to say she had been sexually assaulted by a taxi driver.
“The defendant’s case is that he was the taxi driver during this incident, but that no sexual assault took place,” explained prosecutor Tariq Shakoor.
He said the woman had been out for the night socialising with friends and had visited a number of pubs, ‘having a normal Saturday night out.’
At about 2.30am she decided to go home. She left a pub and flagged down a black cab.
The woman shared the cab with a male friend who was dropped off first before continuing to her home.
But when they arrived there was a dispute over the fare, which was higher than she thought it should be, which Singh said was because of waiting time while they dropped off her friend.
The woman became abusive, and called the police to complain about being overcharged – but although the operator told her it was a civil matter, the line remained open and recorded the exchange, which ended with her paying Singh £10.
She complained she could not get out, so Singh got out to open the door, and when she got out he then grabbed hold of her.
Mr Shakoor said: “He put his hand between her legs, over her clothing, in the area of her private parts. She couldn’t believe what he’d done.”
He said that during the incident the woman heard someone shout out, which caused Singh to let go, and he got back into the taxi and drove off – and she went inside and, ‘quite distraught,’ called the police again.
The jury heard that a woman who lived in the same street happened to be awake and could hear the argument over the fare, so got out of bed and looked out of the window.
“She describes seeing the driver grabbing the female around the area of her waist and holding her in what she described as a bear hug, pulling her towards him.
“It appeared as if he was trying to kiss her. She alerts her partner who gets out of bed and shouts out of the window.”
Following the incident, Singh was traced and arrested, but denied the offence, added Mr Shakoor.
In court, Singh said he kept his foot on the brake during the argument over the fare to keep the door locked so the woman could not make off without paying.
But he said it was then she who hugged him, apologising for the argument over the fare, so he had hugged her back.
“She said she liked me. I said ‘no, I’m married, and I moved her with two hands, pushing outwards to her shoulders, and then got back into the taxi and drove away.”
He denied touching her between the legs, accusing her of making it all up to get him into trouble – but the jury rejected his version of what happened.
http://bit.ly/2vaAoUL
-----------------------------------------
GLASGOW
A RACIST pensioner throttled a cabbie then nicked his motor, sparking a Grand Theft Auto-style chase.
Crazed William Quinn, 67, told terrified Hafiz Muhammed: “You’re going to die because you’re a terrorist.”
When the victim fled, Quinn got behind the wheel and tore through the streets of Glasgow with police in pursuit before crashing.
A sheriff blasted thug William Quinn, 67, and warned him he faces jail for throttling the 38-year-old, saying his behaviour was “beyond belief”.
He also nicked the terrified cabbie’s motor and sped off — sparking a four-mile police chase which only ended when he crashed into a parked car.
https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/1430363/oap-grand-theft-auto-taxi-driver-terrorist-chase-cops/
Friday 18 August 2017
Taxi drivers from across Liverpool will lead a procession in honour of a much-loved veteran cabbie who drove a black cab for 40 years.
George Stirrup died while surrounded by family and friends at Aintree hospital on August 14, just shy of his eightieth birthday.
The pensioner, from Norris Green, who learnt to ride a horse at 75, will be laid to rest on Monday.
He was the oldest trainee horse rider at Croxteth Park Riding Centre.
Around 12 black taxis will join the funeral procession from his home on Sedgemoor Road, where George was born and lived his entire life, to Anfield Crematorium.
His daughter Amanda Ainsbury, 42 told the ECHO: “For the taxi drivers to honour him in this way he would be so happy.
“He was always there for others and for the taxi drivers to be there for him now he would be so proud.
“He just loved the job, loved driving with people, loved the city of Liverpool. He just loved being around people and doing a service for them.
“He loved life.
“He was so sociable, and a happy person. Just really well respected in the community.
“He loved being around people and that is what made him become a taxi driver.”
Dad-of-four George, who was in the Irish Guards, was affectionately known as the ‘Colonel’ by his colleges because he used to wear his Guards blazer and tie out and about.
The idea for the procession came from a fellow taxi driver who wanted to honour George’s memory.
George was said to be well-known in the community thanks to his charity work and near constant fundraising for others at Liverpool John Lennon Airport .
http://bit.ly/2fU4r1b
George Stirrup died while surrounded by family and friends at Aintree hospital on August 14, just shy of his eightieth birthday.
The pensioner, from Norris Green, who learnt to ride a horse at 75, will be laid to rest on Monday.
He was the oldest trainee horse rider at Croxteth Park Riding Centre.
Around 12 black taxis will join the funeral procession from his home on Sedgemoor Road, where George was born and lived his entire life, to Anfield Crematorium.
His daughter Amanda Ainsbury, 42 told the ECHO: “For the taxi drivers to honour him in this way he would be so happy.
“He was always there for others and for the taxi drivers to be there for him now he would be so proud.
“He just loved the job, loved driving with people, loved the city of Liverpool. He just loved being around people and doing a service for them.
“He loved life.
“He was so sociable, and a happy person. Just really well respected in the community.
“He loved being around people and that is what made him become a taxi driver.”
Dad-of-four George, who was in the Irish Guards, was affectionately known as the ‘Colonel’ by his colleges because he used to wear his Guards blazer and tie out and about.
The idea for the procession came from a fellow taxi driver who wanted to honour George’s memory.
George was said to be well-known in the community thanks to his charity work and near constant fundraising for others at Liverpool John Lennon Airport .
http://bit.ly/2fU4r1b
Thursday 17 August 2017
RUSSIAN HACKERS TARGET ANDROID TAXI APPS.
Now, researchers at Kaspersky Lab have found an Android trojan that collects payment card data from taxi & ride-hailing apps.
This move makes perfect sense, as most ride-hailing apps won't even let users sign up if they don't enter payment card details. This means that users are conditioned to handing over payment card data. Furthermore, most apps regularly forget previous data, and an app requiring a user to re-login or re-enter card details isn't that out of the ordinary.
The first such banking trojan to phish mobile taxi apps is named Faketoken, and its latest version only targets ride-hailing apps for services operating in Russia, along with mobile apps for paying traffic tickets issued by the country's Main Directorate for Road Traffic Safety.
"As we’ve seen many times in the past, cybercriminals constantly steal ideas from each other, so it won’t take long for them to adopt the same trick in other countries," said Alex Drozhzhin, security researcher for Kaspersky Lab.
And the Kaspersky expert is perfectly right, as we've seen this happen many times before. Give it a few months, and US and international users will be targeted as well. It may not be via a Faketoken instance, but there are plenty of mobile banking developers more than glad to expand their tools with new capabilities.
Faketoken can also operate as Android crypto-ransomware
Faketoken is a mobile banking trojan that was first mentioned in a 2012 F-Secure report, has also been quite active in 2015, and had previously added support for a crypto-ransomware component at the end of 2016.
Currently, the trojan supports overlaying fake login and phishing screens for about 2,000 financial apps, being one of the most advanced and well-maintained tools on the market, albeit it's used predominantly for targeting Russian users.
http://bit.ly/2fQjhFG
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MADRID
A Madrid taxi driver has been handed a seven-year jail sentence after raping a teenage au pair who fell asleep in his cab following a night out.
The Spanish capital's provincial court convicted the unnamed taxi driver for his attack on a 19-year-old South Korean au pair who was returning from a local nightclub with friends.
The court heard that earlier this year the teenager and a female friend caught a taxi at 4.30am to return home after partying with a larger group at the Joy Eslava nightclub, in central Madrid.
The au pair, who is also a student in the capital, fell asleep in the car, under the effects of a night of heavy drinking, the court heard.
The 60-year-old unnamed taxi driver dropped off the first girl, but he did not take the au pair to the Montecarmelo neighbourhood, north Madrid, where she lived.
Instead, judges heard he took her to the sparsely populated Casa de Campo, a large parkland area, back towards the centre of the capital.
It was there, prosecutors said, he raped the sleeping au pair in the back seat of the taxi, during the incident she woke up and fought her way out of the car. She was later found by a police patrol at a nearby motorway roundabout.
Defence lawyers for the taxi driver said he had only tried to wake up the sleeping teenager, and on doing so she became disoriented and fled the car.
But the court heard that police took the teenager to nearby La Paz hospital, where doctors found she had been sexually assaulted.
"It cannot be denied that the accused had sexual contact", said judges, according to Spanish broadcaster SE12.
The court also said the taxi driver must pay €55,000 (£50,000, $66,300) to the teenager and set an exclusion order, banning him from coming within a mile of the au pair.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/madrid-taxi-driver-guilty-raping-122959788.html
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Mansfield District Council
A bemused Warsop taxi driver who forked out on an environmentally friendly electric car was snubbed by staff at Mansfield District Council when he inquired about a Hackney Carriage licence because his vehicle doesn’t have an engine.
Ryan Smith, 33, from Warsop, told your Chad he contacted the licencing department at the authority on three occasions, and said he was told by staff that because he could not state the vehicle’s cc, he could not make an application.
Ryan, who drives for ACE-ABC in Mansfield, also applied to Bolsover District Council, who welcomed the Tesla electric car with opened arms because of its environmentally-friendly credentials.
Ryan said: “It would be nice to work in the district I live in.
“When I rang the licensing team at the council they originally turned the car down because it has no engine cc.
“They then told me a few weeks later when I rang again, that it could not be licensed because they can not provide any infrastructure, which doesn’t make sense because the council do not provide charging points.
“It is a pity for them it would have shown the council in a positive light.
“It would not have cost them anything. I gave both councils the same opportunities and when I rang Bolsover they were all for it .”
The car which was around £85,000 new has a boot in the front and back of the car because the motor is small enough to sit under the back seats.
Ryan picked up his new car on Monday, August 14.
He said: “It is an expensive car and I did buy it myself .
“I think it is a bit backwards that they are not accepting my car as a taxi as it is more economical.”
Ryan started taxing in the car on Monday, August 21 in the Bolsover area.
He said: “I had the same problem with Mansfield District Council when I tried to bring in hybrid cars a few years ago.
“The electric car will do 268 to 310 miles off one charge.”
A spokesman for Mansfield District Council said: “Mr Smith has not submitted an application for a taxi licence to Mansfield District Council, so it would be difficult to comment on the merits of any application.”
http://www.chad.co.uk/news/council-says-no-to-electric-taxi-1-8708767
Now, researchers at Kaspersky Lab have found an Android trojan that collects payment card data from taxi & ride-hailing apps.
This move makes perfect sense, as most ride-hailing apps won't even let users sign up if they don't enter payment card details. This means that users are conditioned to handing over payment card data. Furthermore, most apps regularly forget previous data, and an app requiring a user to re-login or re-enter card details isn't that out of the ordinary.
The first such banking trojan to phish mobile taxi apps is named Faketoken, and its latest version only targets ride-hailing apps for services operating in Russia, along with mobile apps for paying traffic tickets issued by the country's Main Directorate for Road Traffic Safety.
"As we’ve seen many times in the past, cybercriminals constantly steal ideas from each other, so it won’t take long for them to adopt the same trick in other countries," said Alex Drozhzhin, security researcher for Kaspersky Lab.
And the Kaspersky expert is perfectly right, as we've seen this happen many times before. Give it a few months, and US and international users will be targeted as well. It may not be via a Faketoken instance, but there are plenty of mobile banking developers more than glad to expand their tools with new capabilities.
Faketoken can also operate as Android crypto-ransomware
Faketoken is a mobile banking trojan that was first mentioned in a 2012 F-Secure report, has also been quite active in 2015, and had previously added support for a crypto-ransomware component at the end of 2016.
Currently, the trojan supports overlaying fake login and phishing screens for about 2,000 financial apps, being one of the most advanced and well-maintained tools on the market, albeit it's used predominantly for targeting Russian users.
http://bit.ly/2fQjhFG
-----------------------------------------------------
MADRID
A Madrid taxi driver has been handed a seven-year jail sentence after raping a teenage au pair who fell asleep in his cab following a night out.
The Spanish capital's provincial court convicted the unnamed taxi driver for his attack on a 19-year-old South Korean au pair who was returning from a local nightclub with friends.
The court heard that earlier this year the teenager and a female friend caught a taxi at 4.30am to return home after partying with a larger group at the Joy Eslava nightclub, in central Madrid.
The au pair, who is also a student in the capital, fell asleep in the car, under the effects of a night of heavy drinking, the court heard.
The 60-year-old unnamed taxi driver dropped off the first girl, but he did not take the au pair to the Montecarmelo neighbourhood, north Madrid, where she lived.
Instead, judges heard he took her to the sparsely populated Casa de Campo, a large parkland area, back towards the centre of the capital.
It was there, prosecutors said, he raped the sleeping au pair in the back seat of the taxi, during the incident she woke up and fought her way out of the car. She was later found by a police patrol at a nearby motorway roundabout.
Defence lawyers for the taxi driver said he had only tried to wake up the sleeping teenager, and on doing so she became disoriented and fled the car.
But the court heard that police took the teenager to nearby La Paz hospital, where doctors found she had been sexually assaulted.
"It cannot be denied that the accused had sexual contact", said judges, according to Spanish broadcaster SE12.
The court also said the taxi driver must pay €55,000 (£50,000, $66,300) to the teenager and set an exclusion order, banning him from coming within a mile of the au pair.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/madrid-taxi-driver-guilty-raping-122959788.html
----------------------------------------------
Mansfield District Council
A bemused Warsop taxi driver who forked out on an environmentally friendly electric car was snubbed by staff at Mansfield District Council when he inquired about a Hackney Carriage licence because his vehicle doesn’t have an engine.
Ryan Smith, 33, from Warsop, told your Chad he contacted the licencing department at the authority on three occasions, and said he was told by staff that because he could not state the vehicle’s cc, he could not make an application.
Ryan, who drives for ACE-ABC in Mansfield, also applied to Bolsover District Council, who welcomed the Tesla electric car with opened arms because of its environmentally-friendly credentials.
Ryan said: “It would be nice to work in the district I live in.
“When I rang the licensing team at the council they originally turned the car down because it has no engine cc.
“They then told me a few weeks later when I rang again, that it could not be licensed because they can not provide any infrastructure, which doesn’t make sense because the council do not provide charging points.
“It is a pity for them it would have shown the council in a positive light.
“It would not have cost them anything. I gave both councils the same opportunities and when I rang Bolsover they were all for it .”
The car which was around £85,000 new has a boot in the front and back of the car because the motor is small enough to sit under the back seats.
Ryan picked up his new car on Monday, August 14.
He said: “It is an expensive car and I did buy it myself .
“I think it is a bit backwards that they are not accepting my car as a taxi as it is more economical.”
Ryan started taxing in the car on Monday, August 21 in the Bolsover area.
He said: “I had the same problem with Mansfield District Council when I tried to bring in hybrid cars a few years ago.
“The electric car will do 268 to 310 miles off one charge.”
A spokesman for Mansfield District Council said: “Mr Smith has not submitted an application for a taxi licence to Mansfield District Council, so it would be difficult to comment on the merits of any application.”
http://www.chad.co.uk/news/council-says-no-to-electric-taxi-1-8708767
Monday 14 August 2017
MADELEY POLICE APPEAL
Ishfaq Hussain died on August 7 when his taxi, a red Skoda Octavia, hit a tree on Ironbridge Road in Madeley.
The Go Carz driver, who was in his 50s, was given CPR at the scene of the crash on Ironbridge Road at 10.30pm, but could not be saved.
More than a week into their investigations, police have today confirmed that nobody has been charged in relation to Mr Hussain's death.
Detectives are currently investigating reports an occupant of the Skoda was involved in two arguments with people in a silver Peugeot 307 just shortly before the crash.
The first altercation is said to have happened close to the Tesco store on Park Avenue in Madeley and the second shortly afterwards, near to the pedestrian crossing close to the entrance of the nearby Woodlands School.
Two women, aged 37 and 18, and two men, aged 31 and 18, were arrested on suspicion of murder on Tuesday but were released under investigation on Thursday.
Anyone who has any information should call police on 101, quoting reference 874s of August 7.
http://bit.ly/2vEseG2
-----------------------------------
A New York City taxi driver who appeared to be resting was actually dead in his parked vehicle for about 18 hours.
The New York Times says 59-year-old Mehari Bokrezion died of cardiovascular disease around lunchtime on Aug. 8. He had pulled over in an area of Manhattan where drivers are allowed to rest for an hour. He wasn't found until the next morning.
When the driver failed to go home, his worried wife and brother traced his GPS device with help from his garage. At around the same time a passer-by noticed the driver hadn't moved and called 911.
The SoHo neighborhood where the driver was found bustles with foot traffic, but only one person sought help.
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/NYC-Cabbie-Dead-18-Hours-Parked-Taxi-440414713.html
-----------------------------------------------
Ishfaq Hussain died on August 7 when his taxi, a red Skoda Octavia, hit a tree on Ironbridge Road in Madeley.
The Go Carz driver, who was in his 50s, was given CPR at the scene of the crash on Ironbridge Road at 10.30pm, but could not be saved.
More than a week into their investigations, police have today confirmed that nobody has been charged in relation to Mr Hussain's death.
Detectives are currently investigating reports an occupant of the Skoda was involved in two arguments with people in a silver Peugeot 307 just shortly before the crash.
The first altercation is said to have happened close to the Tesco store on Park Avenue in Madeley and the second shortly afterwards, near to the pedestrian crossing close to the entrance of the nearby Woodlands School.
Two women, aged 37 and 18, and two men, aged 31 and 18, were arrested on suspicion of murder on Tuesday but were released under investigation on Thursday.
Anyone who has any information should call police on 101, quoting reference 874s of August 7.
http://bit.ly/2vEseG2
-----------------------------------
A New York City taxi driver who appeared to be resting was actually dead in his parked vehicle for about 18 hours.
The New York Times says 59-year-old Mehari Bokrezion died of cardiovascular disease around lunchtime on Aug. 8. He had pulled over in an area of Manhattan where drivers are allowed to rest for an hour. He wasn't found until the next morning.
When the driver failed to go home, his worried wife and brother traced his GPS device with help from his garage. At around the same time a passer-by noticed the driver hadn't moved and called 911.
The SoHo neighborhood where the driver was found bustles with foot traffic, but only one person sought help.
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/NYC-Cabbie-Dead-18-Hours-Parked-Taxi-440414713.html
-----------------------------------------------
Sunday 13 August 2017
EDINBURGH
The taxi trade in Scotland’s capital city faces “devastation” as a result of the dramatic rise in the number of people applying to drive for Uber, it has been claimed.
Figures obtained by Scotland on Sunday show there has been a 54 per cent increase in applications to become a private hire driver in the year since the US company began operating in Edinburgh.
Uber’s drivers have been accused of colluding to force up prices in London, but the firm has also been praised for helping to drive down prices by breaking “taxi rackets” in other European cities.
Uber, which allows customers to hail a car using a phone app, arrived in Edinburgh in November 2015, with the company predicting a “huge demand” for the service.
Statistics from Edinburgh City Council show that in the year to October 2015 there were 1143 applications for a private hire licence.
However, that increased to 1763 for the following year, a rise of 54 per cent.
Les McVay, the company secretary of City Cabs and a member of the Scottish Taxi Federation, initially welcomed the extra competition Uber would bring.
But he now believes the increase in private hire drivers could threaten the taxi trade. “If this keeps up it will devastate the black taxis in Edinburgh,” he said.
“What we’ll see is less money coming into the black cab trade, and that will mean less investment in vehicles and service. Edinburgh has to decide if this is how it wants things to be.
“If more of these drivers end up on the road, the taxi industry in Edinburgh will cease to be a trade at all.”
Cabbies in London have repeatedly protested, bringing traffic to a standstill, since the arrival of Uber. But while it can take drivers up to five years to pass the tests required for the London Knowledge, the Edinburgh equivalent can be done in a matter of weeks.
A private hire licence from Edinburgh City Council allows people to drive private taxis for firms like Uber, but not black hackney taxis.
Earlier this month, it was reported that Uber drivers in London were collaborating with each other to artificially invoke a “surge” – whereby a lack of supply leads to prices increasing for customers.
Uber denied the practice was happening, saying it had technical safeguards in place to prevent it.
A spokeswoman for Uber said: “All the drivers who use the Uber app in Scotland must be licensed for private hire by their local council.
“Our technology records every trip, including rider and driver details and the route taken which means that any issues can be easily resolved.
“For passengers, there’s always accountability around the journey and the fare. For drivers, using Uber means they’ll always have up-to-date traffic and road closure information and there’s no anonymous passengers or unpaid fares .”
http://bit.ly/2uTIOQa
The taxi trade in Scotland’s capital city faces “devastation” as a result of the dramatic rise in the number of people applying to drive for Uber, it has been claimed.
Figures obtained by Scotland on Sunday show there has been a 54 per cent increase in applications to become a private hire driver in the year since the US company began operating in Edinburgh.
Uber’s drivers have been accused of colluding to force up prices in London, but the firm has also been praised for helping to drive down prices by breaking “taxi rackets” in other European cities.
Uber, which allows customers to hail a car using a phone app, arrived in Edinburgh in November 2015, with the company predicting a “huge demand” for the service.
Statistics from Edinburgh City Council show that in the year to October 2015 there were 1143 applications for a private hire licence.
However, that increased to 1763 for the following year, a rise of 54 per cent.
Les McVay, the company secretary of City Cabs and a member of the Scottish Taxi Federation, initially welcomed the extra competition Uber would bring.
But he now believes the increase in private hire drivers could threaten the taxi trade. “If this keeps up it will devastate the black taxis in Edinburgh,” he said.
“What we’ll see is less money coming into the black cab trade, and that will mean less investment in vehicles and service. Edinburgh has to decide if this is how it wants things to be.
“If more of these drivers end up on the road, the taxi industry in Edinburgh will cease to be a trade at all.”
Cabbies in London have repeatedly protested, bringing traffic to a standstill, since the arrival of Uber. But while it can take drivers up to five years to pass the tests required for the London Knowledge, the Edinburgh equivalent can be done in a matter of weeks.
A private hire licence from Edinburgh City Council allows people to drive private taxis for firms like Uber, but not black hackney taxis.
Earlier this month, it was reported that Uber drivers in London were collaborating with each other to artificially invoke a “surge” – whereby a lack of supply leads to prices increasing for customers.
Uber denied the practice was happening, saying it had technical safeguards in place to prevent it.
A spokeswoman for Uber said: “All the drivers who use the Uber app in Scotland must be licensed for private hire by their local council.
“Our technology records every trip, including rider and driver details and the route taken which means that any issues can be easily resolved.
“For passengers, there’s always accountability around the journey and the fare. For drivers, using Uber means they’ll always have up-to-date traffic and road closure information and there’s no anonymous passengers or unpaid fares .”
http://bit.ly/2uTIOQa
Saturday 12 August 2017
Uber And TfL - It’s Literally Criminal
The litany of questionable behaviour by driver and rider matching service Uber, and the thus far muted response from Transport for London, right-leaning politicians, and the press establishment, has been well documented. But what is now known is not only that the abuse of private hire vehicle (PHV) regulation has involved organised criminality, but also that Uber has actively been obstructing the law enforcement process.
These are not mere claims plucked out of the air, but the inescapable conclusions from the results of a concerted FoI campaign by the taxi trade in London. Some, or perhaps all, of this may be covered by the Sunday Times this weekend, but you can read it here first.
The concerns of the Metropolitan Police were set out in an email from a senior Police officer to TfL, the contents of which have been made available to me. This gave three examples of misuse of PHVs. The narrative is concise and disturbing.
“1. In February 2017 officers noticed the driver of a [redacted] using a mobile phone whilst driving. Officers have indicated for the vehicle to stop, at which point it has made off driving through a set of red traffic lights. For safety reasons the vehicle was not pursued.
The vehicle had a TfL PH roundel in the rear window. The same vehicle (again clearly displaying roundels) has failed to stop for police in April 2017. As yet we have been unable to trace the driver of the vehicle involved in this incident. The vehicle was hired through a company called [redacted] who hire licensed PH vehicles with minimal checks”.
“2. In March 2017 a male was stopped driving a vehicle displaying PHV roundels. He was arrested for GBH, suspected of drug dealing and stated he hired the vehicle from [redacted] … The driver had previously been arrested for serious offences and was related to organised crime gangs. He was not a licensed driver. When spoken to by police [redacted] stated that they do hire out licensed vehicles, but do not check if the driver holds a PH license (despite their website saying they do check for a PH licence before hire.) In essence they will hire a licensed PHV to anyone, and will continue to do so”.
“3. In June 2017 a male was stopped driving a Black Mercedes displaying PHV license roundels expiring in February 2018. The driver was on bail for firearms offences. He was not a licensed PHV driver. He had hired the car from [redacted] who confirmed the hire agreement. There was no insurance on the vehicle and it was seized by police.
This male was known to police for numerous serious offences. [Redacted] licensed cars as private hire vehicles and then used them to commit crime”.
You think that’s bad? The officer’s observation “In short, anyone can hire a TfL PHV and use it as they choose. Examples of the risks this presents includes them acting as a taxi tout with a view to committing sexual offences, transport drugs and weapons around London and also to avoid Congestion Charging” was effectively confirmed by a senior TfL official. Their response is shown below.
“You'll no doubt be aware that the legislation in London permits the use of taxis and private hire vehicles for private use which means they can be driven by non-licensed drivers. Any change in law would require parliamentary intervention rather than it being something within our gift to amend through policy”.
Now, none of this implicates Uber. But it does facilitate the abuse of the PHV licensing system, and Uber is a part of that community. So, moving right along, we come to the Met’s concerns about Uber, the second of three areas covered in this post.
Again, a senior Police officer voices concerns to TfL: “I have had a number of calls from licensing authorities outside of London who have issues with TfL licensed drivers working extensively in their areas.
The issue with this from a policing perspective is that the various Local Authorities don’t have any powers so any enforcement needed in theory falls to the local police”. Out of area working, as Zelo Street has chronicled previously.
The specific area covered was Brighton, but the general rule follows for all areas: local taxi and PHV enforcement cannot tackle this growing phenomenon, and it gets dumped on an already over-stretched Police force. How stretched? The officer reveals “To my knowledge there are only 2 Police Constables dedicated to policing the trade outside of London (Birmingham and now Plymouth)”.
And Uber specifically receives a damning assessment: “I do also hold concerns with Uber as an operator and am seeing an increasing amount of my team’s workload relating directly to them (out of 128 PH drivers reported for driving offences in the last 4 weeks 79 were Uber drivers with many of these offences relating directly to road safety). There seems to be a disconnect between them taking responsibility for their drivers, their driving standards and the condition of their vehicles” [my emphasis].
So we arrive at the most disturbing revelation: obstruction of the law enforcement process.
Here is what a clearly concerned senior Met officer has to say about actual Uber incidents: “On the 4 March 2017 Uber have had contact from a passenger informing them of a serious incident involving an Uber (and TfL Licensed PHV) driver.
The nature of the allegation was that during a booked journey a road rage incident has developed between the driver and another road user. During this incident, the driver has taken what the passenger believed to be a handgun from the glovebox and left the vehicle to pursue the other party on foot. At this point, the passenger has fled the vehicle in fear”.
Fortunately, it wasn’t a gun, but … “On becoming aware of this incident, Uber have spoken to the driver and ascertained that it was in fact pepper spray he had taken from the glovebox and not a handgun. Pepper spray is legally classed as a firearm and every weapon carried on the street represents a threat to public safety”.
So what did Uber do? “At this point, Uber have dismissed the driver and made LTPH licensing aware”. But Uber did not report the matter to the Police, depending on TfL to do so. And it got worse.
“Further contact has taken place between the MPS and Uber in an attempt to identify the passenger (a significant witness) and also to find out why Uber haven’t reported this directly to Police.
Uber have stated to the MPS that they are not obliged to report this, or similar matters, and are only required to notify TfL as per regulations”.
And it got worse still: “Uber have refused to provide any further information unless a formal request under the Data Protection Act is submitted”. And what happens in the meantime? The senior officer had a further, and yet more worrying, case study to hand.
“On the 30 January 2016, a female was sexually assaulted by an Uber driver. From what we can ascertain, Uber have spoken to the driver who denied the offence. Uber have continued to employ the driver and have done nothing more.
While Uber did not say they would contact the Police, the victim believed that they would inform the Police on her behalf”. And how do we know this sexual assault was not merely an alleged offence?
As if you need to ask: “On the 10 May 2016, the same driver has committed a second, more serious, sexual assault against a different passenger. Again, Uber haven’t said to this victim they would contact the Police, but she was, to use her words, ‘strongly under the impression’ that they would”.
At least Uber did something this time: “On the 13 May 2016, Uber have finally acted and dismissed the driver, notifying LTPH licensing who have passed the information to the MPS”. But they still didn’t notify the Police directly.
The senior officer points out that, firstly, had the first offence been promptly notified, the second would have been averted, and, secondly, that in both cases once the passengers’ details had been supplied to Police, both victims welcomed the Met contacting them.
The officer observes “Uber hold a position not to report crime on the basis that it may breach the rights of the passenger”. That, not to put too fine a point on it, is bullshit.
Plus the concerns of the Met do not end there, especially when it comes to Uber’s refusal to notify potential criminal behaviour to the Police, which as most people would see it is the patently obvious thing to do - especially when it is known that organised criminality is known to use TfL licensed PHVs as cover. Here’s the senior officer once more.
“In 2016, the MPS were made aware of 6 sexual assaults, 2 public order offences and 1 assault which were first reported to Uber and then subsequently to LTPH licensing. The delay [between] the offence occurring and a report coming to the attention of Police ranged from a matter of weeks to 7 months. The two public order offences mentioned above are subject to a 6 month prosecution time limit, so subsequently both were taken no further as by the time we became aware of the offence, we had no power to proceed, despite [in both cases] having clear evidence of an offence taking place”.
In conclusion, the officer tells TfL “The significant concern I am raising is that Uber have been made aware of criminal activity, and yet haven’t informed the Police … My concern is twofold, firstly it seems they are deciding what to report … and secondly by not reporting to Police promptly they are allowing situations to develop that clearly affect the safety and security of the public”.
What has been covered here is more than enough for Uber to be refused an extension to their license by TfL; indeed, how London’s PHV regulator can do otherwise, given the cavalier attitude to assisting the Police, is unthinkable.
With the spectre of organised criminality using TfL licensed PHVs, that body needs to shape up fast, and it is hoped that Mayor Sadiq Khan will take appropriate action to cause them to do so. If that means heads roll at TfL, so be it. The regulator cannot be seen to be asleep on the job: if it needs Parliament to act, TfL should not be using that as an excuse to do nothing, but should instead be lobbying for change.
If Uber cannot behave as responsible members of the private hire community, they should not be allowed into that community. And TfL must get their act together.
That is all.
http://bit.ly/2w0a4Bp
The litany of questionable behaviour by driver and rider matching service Uber, and the thus far muted response from Transport for London, right-leaning politicians, and the press establishment, has been well documented. But what is now known is not only that the abuse of private hire vehicle (PHV) regulation has involved organised criminality, but also that Uber has actively been obstructing the law enforcement process.
These are not mere claims plucked out of the air, but the inescapable conclusions from the results of a concerted FoI campaign by the taxi trade in London. Some, or perhaps all, of this may be covered by the Sunday Times this weekend, but you can read it here first.
The concerns of the Metropolitan Police were set out in an email from a senior Police officer to TfL, the contents of which have been made available to me. This gave three examples of misuse of PHVs. The narrative is concise and disturbing.
“1. In February 2017 officers noticed the driver of a [redacted] using a mobile phone whilst driving. Officers have indicated for the vehicle to stop, at which point it has made off driving through a set of red traffic lights. For safety reasons the vehicle was not pursued.
The vehicle had a TfL PH roundel in the rear window. The same vehicle (again clearly displaying roundels) has failed to stop for police in April 2017. As yet we have been unable to trace the driver of the vehicle involved in this incident. The vehicle was hired through a company called [redacted] who hire licensed PH vehicles with minimal checks”.
“2. In March 2017 a male was stopped driving a vehicle displaying PHV roundels. He was arrested for GBH, suspected of drug dealing and stated he hired the vehicle from [redacted] … The driver had previously been arrested for serious offences and was related to organised crime gangs. He was not a licensed driver. When spoken to by police [redacted] stated that they do hire out licensed vehicles, but do not check if the driver holds a PH license (despite their website saying they do check for a PH licence before hire.) In essence they will hire a licensed PHV to anyone, and will continue to do so”.
“3. In June 2017 a male was stopped driving a Black Mercedes displaying PHV license roundels expiring in February 2018. The driver was on bail for firearms offences. He was not a licensed PHV driver. He had hired the car from [redacted] who confirmed the hire agreement. There was no insurance on the vehicle and it was seized by police.
This male was known to police for numerous serious offences. [Redacted] licensed cars as private hire vehicles and then used them to commit crime”.
You think that’s bad? The officer’s observation “In short, anyone can hire a TfL PHV and use it as they choose. Examples of the risks this presents includes them acting as a taxi tout with a view to committing sexual offences, transport drugs and weapons around London and also to avoid Congestion Charging” was effectively confirmed by a senior TfL official. Their response is shown below.
“You'll no doubt be aware that the legislation in London permits the use of taxis and private hire vehicles for private use which means they can be driven by non-licensed drivers. Any change in law would require parliamentary intervention rather than it being something within our gift to amend through policy”.
Now, none of this implicates Uber. But it does facilitate the abuse of the PHV licensing system, and Uber is a part of that community. So, moving right along, we come to the Met’s concerns about Uber, the second of three areas covered in this post.
Again, a senior Police officer voices concerns to TfL: “I have had a number of calls from licensing authorities outside of London who have issues with TfL licensed drivers working extensively in their areas.
The issue with this from a policing perspective is that the various Local Authorities don’t have any powers so any enforcement needed in theory falls to the local police”. Out of area working, as Zelo Street has chronicled previously.
The specific area covered was Brighton, but the general rule follows for all areas: local taxi and PHV enforcement cannot tackle this growing phenomenon, and it gets dumped on an already over-stretched Police force. How stretched? The officer reveals “To my knowledge there are only 2 Police Constables dedicated to policing the trade outside of London (Birmingham and now Plymouth)”.
And Uber specifically receives a damning assessment: “I do also hold concerns with Uber as an operator and am seeing an increasing amount of my team’s workload relating directly to them (out of 128 PH drivers reported for driving offences in the last 4 weeks 79 were Uber drivers with many of these offences relating directly to road safety). There seems to be a disconnect between them taking responsibility for their drivers, their driving standards and the condition of their vehicles” [my emphasis].
So we arrive at the most disturbing revelation: obstruction of the law enforcement process.
Here is what a clearly concerned senior Met officer has to say about actual Uber incidents: “On the 4 March 2017 Uber have had contact from a passenger informing them of a serious incident involving an Uber (and TfL Licensed PHV) driver.
The nature of the allegation was that during a booked journey a road rage incident has developed between the driver and another road user. During this incident, the driver has taken what the passenger believed to be a handgun from the glovebox and left the vehicle to pursue the other party on foot. At this point, the passenger has fled the vehicle in fear”.
Fortunately, it wasn’t a gun, but … “On becoming aware of this incident, Uber have spoken to the driver and ascertained that it was in fact pepper spray he had taken from the glovebox and not a handgun. Pepper spray is legally classed as a firearm and every weapon carried on the street represents a threat to public safety”.
So what did Uber do? “At this point, Uber have dismissed the driver and made LTPH licensing aware”. But Uber did not report the matter to the Police, depending on TfL to do so. And it got worse.
“Further contact has taken place between the MPS and Uber in an attempt to identify the passenger (a significant witness) and also to find out why Uber haven’t reported this directly to Police.
Uber have stated to the MPS that they are not obliged to report this, or similar matters, and are only required to notify TfL as per regulations”.
And it got worse still: “Uber have refused to provide any further information unless a formal request under the Data Protection Act is submitted”. And what happens in the meantime? The senior officer had a further, and yet more worrying, case study to hand.
“On the 30 January 2016, a female was sexually assaulted by an Uber driver. From what we can ascertain, Uber have spoken to the driver who denied the offence. Uber have continued to employ the driver and have done nothing more.
While Uber did not say they would contact the Police, the victim believed that they would inform the Police on her behalf”. And how do we know this sexual assault was not merely an alleged offence?
As if you need to ask: “On the 10 May 2016, the same driver has committed a second, more serious, sexual assault against a different passenger. Again, Uber haven’t said to this victim they would contact the Police, but she was, to use her words, ‘strongly under the impression’ that they would”.
At least Uber did something this time: “On the 13 May 2016, Uber have finally acted and dismissed the driver, notifying LTPH licensing who have passed the information to the MPS”. But they still didn’t notify the Police directly.
The senior officer points out that, firstly, had the first offence been promptly notified, the second would have been averted, and, secondly, that in both cases once the passengers’ details had been supplied to Police, both victims welcomed the Met contacting them.
The officer observes “Uber hold a position not to report crime on the basis that it may breach the rights of the passenger”. That, not to put too fine a point on it, is bullshit.
Plus the concerns of the Met do not end there, especially when it comes to Uber’s refusal to notify potential criminal behaviour to the Police, which as most people would see it is the patently obvious thing to do - especially when it is known that organised criminality is known to use TfL licensed PHVs as cover. Here’s the senior officer once more.
“In 2016, the MPS were made aware of 6 sexual assaults, 2 public order offences and 1 assault which were first reported to Uber and then subsequently to LTPH licensing. The delay [between] the offence occurring and a report coming to the attention of Police ranged from a matter of weeks to 7 months. The two public order offences mentioned above are subject to a 6 month prosecution time limit, so subsequently both were taken no further as by the time we became aware of the offence, we had no power to proceed, despite [in both cases] having clear evidence of an offence taking place”.
In conclusion, the officer tells TfL “The significant concern I am raising is that Uber have been made aware of criminal activity, and yet haven’t informed the Police … My concern is twofold, firstly it seems they are deciding what to report … and secondly by not reporting to Police promptly they are allowing situations to develop that clearly affect the safety and security of the public”.
What has been covered here is more than enough for Uber to be refused an extension to their license by TfL; indeed, how London’s PHV regulator can do otherwise, given the cavalier attitude to assisting the Police, is unthinkable.
With the spectre of organised criminality using TfL licensed PHVs, that body needs to shape up fast, and it is hoped that Mayor Sadiq Khan will take appropriate action to cause them to do so. If that means heads roll at TfL, so be it. The regulator cannot be seen to be asleep on the job: if it needs Parliament to act, TfL should not be using that as an excuse to do nothing, but should instead be lobbying for change.
If Uber cannot behave as responsible members of the private hire community, they should not be allowed into that community. And TfL must get their act together.
That is all.
http://bit.ly/2w0a4Bp
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