Taxi Leaks

While Uber Could Theoretically Pay No Fees For Three More Years, 46 Private Hire Firms Have Stopped Trading Since The TfL hiked Fees.

New figures have shown almost fifty Private Hire Operators have closed their doors since the 5000% rise in license fee’s by Transport for London was introduced.

The Licensed Private Hire Car Association (LPHCA), which campaigned to get Private Hire Vehicles (minicabs and chauffeurs) in London licensed, will challenge Transport for London (TfL) in the High Court next week (6th February).

It has brought about judicial review proceedings for what it sees as punitive and unfair increases in the cost of Licensed Operator Fees.

A freedom of information request to TfL has shown that in September 2017, when the new fees were approved, there were 2,445 PHV Operators licensed. By 3 December 2017, there were just 2,399. TfL has stated that it needs to increase costs to meet operator licensing, compliance and enforcement costs.

Steve Wright Chair of the LPHCA says: “I have spent all my working life seeking to improve standards and safety in London. TfL’s own figures show there are fantastic levels of compliance because Operators in London have been regulated for over 15 years. We are concerned that monies raised by these increases will not be used for Operator compliance but be used elsewhere by TfL.’ (£400m shortfall from Bus and Tube fares perhaps...ed)

He added; “We are taking legal action ‘more in sorrow than in anger’. What we hope is that the High Court will rule in our favour and that TfL will engage with us and other key trade bodies to discuss fees that are realistic, affordable and proportionate to the cost of running its compliance and enforcement function.”

TfL’s own figures show that the most compliant medium-sized operators are being subjected to punitive costs. Some long-established minicab companies have seen the cost of a five-year licence escalate from £2,826 to £30,000.

By simply adding one vehicle, their costs would rise to £150,000. The addition of one driver would take them into a higher tier and cost the company £54,000 at the point of licence change.

An out of touch TfL spokeswoman told Evening Standard that the number of businesses closing was “fairly consistent” with recent years. (Scripted stock answer ???....ed)

She said the fee rises were “proportionate” after a dramatic rise in the size of the industry over the last five years had greatly increased the costs of overseeing them. The fees will fund extra compliance officers “who do a crucial job in driving up standards and ensuring passengers remain safe”. (Not happening Helen, because you failed to act over the 13,000 fake background check DBS, assaults on Uber passengers have risen by over 50%..ed)

The case will be considered on various aspects including the allegation that TfL did not undertake a considered and thorough consultation prior to the introduction of these fees and failed to carry out an independent regulatory impact assessment.

Source : The Chauffeur

TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT :

In the wake of the new operators licence price hike, it is now feared that hundreds of former minicab drivers (not wishing to work for Uber's slave wages) will now go rouge, operating outside the legal regulations.

We could see touting on a large scale return to the West End. TfL CO's have no power or jurisdiction over unlicensed vehicles, and the police no longer have the resources to mount anti-touting operations.

Council bosses have welcomed a commitment to maintain funding for the popular Taxicard scheme after Transport for London and City Hall proposed cuts in their support.

Operated by London Councils, the scheme funds subsidised taxi journeys for disabled and mobility impaired Londoners, allowing them to make journeys many would otherwise struggle to carry out on public transport.

Funding is provided by TfL, which is chaired by Mayor Sadiq Khan, and London’s local councils, with users paying just a small contribution towards their fare.

In December London Councils, which represents all councils in the capital, expressed concern after TfL proposed a 13% cut to its funding in the coming financial year, followed by further, smaller, cuts in the following years.

Councillor Julian Bell, Chair of London Councils Transport and Environment Committee and the Labour leader of Ealing Council, claimed the proposal went against Mayor Khan’s election pledge to support the scheme.

In a letter to City Hall, he also warned that the cuts, which were proposed without first carrying out an equalities impact assessment, could leave them open to a legal challenge.

In response to the criticisms Val Shawcross, Mr Khan’s transport deputy, insisted the Mayor and TfL were “fully committed to the Taxicard scheme, and can guarantee that there will no reduction at all in the service being provided anywhere in London.”

On Friday London Councils announced that the planned cuts had been dropped with TfL now guaranteeing that, in the 2018/19 financial year, the scheme will receive the same level of funding as it did in the previous year, as well any increases needed to cover rises in taxi fares.

Cllr Bell said: “We are delighted that we have secured this commitment on behalf of London’s Taxicard users and our member boroughs.

“TfL’s proposal to cut their funding contribution to the Taxicard scheme would have had a significant impact on the level of subsidy offered, limiting people’s ability to travel in and around the capital.

“Now we know that TfL’s Taxicard’s budget will be maintained in 2018-19, we can focus on ensuring the scheme works in the best possible way for users and our member boroughs

Source : MayorWatch.co.uk

When Churchill was offered the post of Prime Minister by the King he said “I only hope it’s not too late, but I fear it is”.

Never the less, he took on the job at hand, later at dinner making this toast... “Here's to not buggering it up”.

Churchill was a big Taxi user, here he is paying a driver in 1908.

The State Of The Trade

The engagement policy as it stands must be torn up, it has seriously damaged the trades drivers representation. There must be no good behaviour clauses. We should not be going cap in hand to TfL, Mike Brown should be begging us for meetings on our terms, not his.

As it stands now, our trade is on the verge of collapse.

We are in the last chance saloon and we have only two courses to choose from;

1. Fight hard and fight for victory (even if it entails fighting dirty)

2. Or behave, capitulate and die out.

We have a clear view of our enemies now and unfortunately they include some from within our own ranks, who have turned against their own to get into TfLs good books.

The gravy train is now at the end of the line!

It’s time to draw a line in the sand.

Only you can decide on which side you stand;

a) With the rank and file trade fighters?

b) Or with the I’m alright Jack apathetic capitulates?

The first thing Churchill did as coalition PM, was to form a war council.

We need to form our own war council as soon as possible, consisting of 6 members who will represent our 6 representative groups.

No one must be judged solely on what they’ve done or said in the past, but what they can do now and in the future.

I’ve had some gruelling battles with other drivers over the years, and I’ve still got many who despise me over my actions and outspoken personal opinions. Recently, I’ve been accused of changing like the tide, but those who can't change there minds, will never be able to change anything.

Personally, I’ve never held onto a grudge based on historic rhetoric or circumstance and I’ve always believed that everyone is entitled to a second chance.

But the football supporter politics of the members following their org leaders has got to stop. It's time to judge these people by their actions (or non-action in most cases).

To use a phrase from the beautiful sport, come and have a go if you think your good enough.

So What Is Our Aim...You May Well Ask!

I will answer in one word

“Victory”...because without victory, there will be no survival, no trade!

Our policy must be to wage total war on our enemies, if it involves fighting dirty, then so be it.

There must be no surrender, no capitulation and no more negotiated wait and sees.

At present, our entire trade appears to be in full retreat, with morale at an all time low.

Many drivers are deserting the trade they worked so hard to become part of and are going back to former professions. But for many, this job is all they have, all they know.

We must never give up.

We should not flag or fail...whatever the cost, we must defend our trade and never, ever, surrender.

One bond unites us all, musher, journeyman, plus supporting industry workers....we need to fight to save all our jobs.

Negotiation has never worked with TfL so we have to hit them hard where it hurts them the most, and that's their financial potential.

As the great man himself once said, “if we fight, we may not win.... but if we don’t fight, I guarantee, we will lose.

But what ever happens as we go forward now, we must not allow this glorious trade to go down without a fight.

TAXI LEAKS APPEAL :

Was this found in your Taxi....urgent.

TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT :

Watch this short video and hear HRH Prince Charles congratulate the London Taxi Trade for its common sense, on being an institution and a great tradition, with a history dating back over 364 years.

Earlier last year, HRH Prince Philip handed over his private London taxi to the Sandringham Museum after 18 years of service.

Since 1999 the Duke of Edinburgh travelled around London in the green Metrocab so that he can blend in with the ordinary traffic. However, he has never quite been incognito, with frequent sightings by tourists and the public over the years.

The taxi is now be parked alongside other royal vehicles at the museum which is showcasing the family’s vehicles from 1900 onwards.

“HRH The Duke of Edinburgh’s taxi, which he used for travelling to both official and private engagements in London, has arrived at Sandringham and has been added to the display in the royal garages,” the museum announced.

This does not mean that Prince Philip, 95, is to hang up his own car keys. The Palace said he would continue driving.

In 2016, he was photographed driving Barack Obama, then the US president, and his wife Michelle in a Range Rover from Air Force 1 to Windsor Castle.

The Metrocab had been in need of extensive repairs to make it roadworthy, prompting the Palace to decide that it was a good time to hand it over to the museum. It will join 20 other vehicles, including a Daimler owned by Edward VII from 1900 and the Queen Mother’s golf buggy.

This article first appeared in The Times

Move over Santander...OBikes with an online app, are the new boys in town !

And they're so much cheaper it's what the public want :)

Santander, £2 for 30 mins

OBikes a whopping discounted price 50p for 30mins.

Plus, no need to return to base, leave them where you like!

• Hire through an App

• Flood the market

• Not Regulated.

Ring any bells !!!!!!

What next oBuses ?

A TRUE STORY (taken from Twitter)

Tiff Pedlehard and Barnaby Saddlesore were cycling down the new £650 million pound #CSH, when a gang of nasty cockneys stole their bikes!

“HELP HELP POLICE” they cried.... But no police heard because there were no police around as there was no money left in the mayor's budget for police.

What is it they say, careful what you wish for !

Taking the lead from the way TfL have been raising revenue by dishing out private hire licenses over the last few years, accepting applicants with fake medicals, fake criminal record checks, thousands of minicab drivers are reportedly flocking to Wolverhampton for their licences after claims the Black Country council are now ‘more lenient’.

It has been claimed that would-be minicabbies are heading to the area rather than battle through tougher application processes in areas like Birmingham.

Wolverhampton City Council has been accused by councillors of handing minicab licenses out ‘like sweeties’ and allegedly undermining public safety across the West Midlands.

But Wolverhampton Council's licensing chairman Alan Bolshaw said they are safe and the reason for an increase in applications was because of their online digital application system.

He said while other councils have "an old fashioned paper-based, face to face system which takes months where as our state of the art digital system takes days due to the investment we have made. Our process is award-winning."

The licensing authority has gone from granting under 1,000 private hire driver licenses a year up to 2015 to almost 5,000 last year it has been revealed following a Freedom of Information Act request.

Meanwhile its income from licenses has soared from under £250,000 per year to almost £800,000 in 2016/17.

In fact during the last year more minicabs were registered in Wolverhampton than Birmingham, even though it is only a third of the size.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of those Wolverhampton licensed drivers are now working regularly in other towns and cities including Coventry, where 241 were identified, and Birmingham. They have even been found on the roads of Manchester .

Now Birmingham and Coventry councillors are demanding a standard set of regulations across the West Midlands. For example strict new restrictions on carbon emissions and pollution for Birmingham cabs will not apply to out of town taxis.

Coventry licensing committee member Damian Gannon said: “Wolverhampton City Council is clearly handing private hire licenses out like sweeties and don’t give a damn about how it makes the taxi and private hire trades unaccountable to Coventry residents.

“Ideally, the private hire trade should be accountable to Coventry residents so if you drive a minicab in Coventry, you should be accountable in Coventry. At the moment Wolverhampton are exploiting a gap in the licensing regulations to make as much money as they can and that is just plain wrong.

“Treating private hire licensing as a cash-cow undermines local democracy, it undermines public safety and it undermines the ability of minicab drivers to make a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.”

There are similar anxieties in Birmingham over the ‘race to the bottom’ in taxi regulation and questions over the ability of licensing officials in one city to oversee their drivers in another.

Councillor Barbara Dring suggested highlighting poor hygiene in kitchens across Birmingham is wrong - despite it being part of her job.
Licensing committee chairwoman Barbara Dring said that they are in talks with other West Midlands councils, including Wolverhampton, as well as lobbying Government to bring in a national set of standards for the cab trade.

She said: “This has been brought about by the de-regulation of the taxi and private hire trade . Wolverhampton’s conditions are somewhat different to the other areas and we do not have the powers to take action against their drivers operating in Birmingham.”

Birmingham’s head of licensing Chris Neville said: “We have started conversations with other West Midlands authorities over establishing shared conditions as far as we possibly can and that is in its early stages.”

A spokesman for Wolverhampton council said: “We would welcome greater consistency in the way taxi driver licenses are granted and the standards that are applied. We are in discussions with the other West Midlands authorities about this, but we must stress this is a national issue and not just a regional one.”

Wolverhampton licensing officials have met with their Coventry counterparts.

The spokesman added: “We agreed on many issues including the need for the robust training which includes English language skills, safeguarding, child sexual exploitation, disability, passenger safety amongst other topics. The Coventry delegation were reassured that the standards applied to Wolverhampton drivers were similar to those applied to Coventry drivers."

But there are differences of opinion over local knowledge testing with Wolverhampton believing a sat nav is all that is necessary for a minicab drivers. Wolverhampton argues it is the fast track online application process which is proving popular with drivers.

Steep rise in licences granted in Wolverhampton

Licenses granted for private hire cars in Wolverhampton

2012/13 - 631

2013/14 - 639

2014/15 - 780

2015/16 - 929

2016/17 - 2,049

Licenses granted for private hire drivers

2012/13 - 929

2013/14 - 927 + 47 dual badges

2014/15 - 948 + 85 dual badges

2015/16 - 1,233 + 127 dual badges

2016/17 - 4,989 + 160 dual badges

Income from private hire licence applications

2012/13 - £205,576

2013/14 - £224,574

2014/15 - £262,523

2015/16 - £289,932

2016/17 - £798,958

Source : Birmingham Mail .

A Taxi driver refused a licence from one council can get one from another council without too much fuss.

Click link to see Tweet from BBC Essex
https://twitter.com/bbcessex/status/960426279618179072

As new bike sharing schemes start to hit cities across the UK, back in China where most of the schemes originated, riders are bumping the bikes in huge piles.

It was hoped bike-hire schemes would cut pollution and congestion but it seems some users just want to ride and dump

It has been billed as a hi-tech bike-sharing boom that entrepreneurs hope will make them rich while simultaneously transforming China’s traffic-clogged cities.

But, occasionally, dreams can turn sour.

In the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, more than 500 bicycles for hire have been found dumped in huge piles on the streets, according to reports.

Pictures shows jumbled stacks of vehicles nearly three metres high, with handlebars, baskets and other parts scattered on the ground.

City streets around the country have seen an explosion of the colourful bikes that users can rent on demand with a smartphone app and then park wherever they choose.

The sharing economy is taking off in China, where ride-sharing and Airbnb are increasingly commonplace.

The dumped bikes in Shenzhen.

From Shanghai to Sichuan province, bike-sharing schemes are being rolled out in an effort to slash congestion and air pollution by putting a country once known as the “Kingdom of Bicycles” back on two wheels.

Companies such as Ofo and Mobike, with their rival fleets of bumblebee yellow and fluorescent orange bikes, have been locked in a cut-throat battle for customers.

But problems have arisen when clients have abandoned their cycles.

“Some people these days just have really bad character,” a man named He, who lives near where the stacks appeared, told the Southern Metropolis Daily.

“When they’re done using [the bike] they just throw it away somewhere, because they’ve already paid.”

In the past few days he witnessed people demolishing the bikes before discarding them on the side of the road, he said.

Residents told the paper that bikes had been piling up over the past week, either parked haphazardly by careless users or stacked by local security guards trying to clear narrow residential alleys and footpaths.

The different colours represent rival bike-hire firms.

Zhuang Chuangyu, a representative at Shenzhen’s municipal people’s congress, said the city needed to step up regulation of the bike-sharing industry in order to improve traffic conditions and safety standards, especially since schoolchildren often used the bikes.

In the years following Mao Zedong’s 1949 communist takeover, bikes ruled supreme in China and the Flying Pigeon – the eastern equivalent of the Raleigh Roadster – became one of the country’s most recognisable symbols.

But two-wheeled travel began to go out of fashion as China became more open to the world, ushering in decades of economic growth and a high demand for cars.

In 1980, almost 63% of commuters cycled to work, the Beijing Morning Post reported in 2015, citing government data. But by 2000 that number had plummeted to 38% and today it stands at less than 12%.

Car use, meanwhile, has rocketed. In 2010 China overtook the US to become the world’s largest car market, with 13.5m vehicles sold in just 12 months.

Source : Agence France-Presse

Tributes: L-R Olivia, Sebastian, William and Izzy, OIivia's twin sister. (Front L-R) Baby Zach, and parents Chris and Katy Shaw

A family have praised a hero cabbie who refused to accept payment for a fare when he rushed them across London to be with their dying daughter.

Katy Shaw, 62, and her husband Chris, 65, were in Oxford Street when they received a panicked phone call from their daughter Izzy, 24, who had found her twin sister Olivia face down in her bed.

The couple immediately hailed a black cab and directed it back to their home in Herne Hill, south London, while on the phone to Izzy and paramedics.

But when they arrived, they received the heartbreaking news that Olivia had died.

While the cause of death is not clear, her family believe it could be due to an underlying heart condition. Post mortem results are expected this week.

Mrs Shaw, a teacher, said: “We jumped in a taxi and kept calling home for news, and of course for that whole journey, the longer the resuscitation was being attempted the more we realised it wasn’t good.

“When we arrived back the paramedics were standing waiting for us.”

Mr Shaw, who is retired, added: “Throughout the journey, the taxi driver was very calm about saying “which way do you want me to go?”.

"He was really calm, going as fast as he could without endangering us or others. He was such a lovely guy.”

After the paramedics told the family Olivia had died, the taxi driver sobbed and refused to accept the fare.

Mrs Shaw said: “People always say that black cab drivers are too expensive or they do this or that but we were in such a state and he showed us so much compassion and how kindness can make a difference to other people, especially when they are in their darkest moments.

“I think he should be recognised generally by people for what he did and we thank him for being so generous to us.”

The family have started a fundraising campaign for medical research into unexplained deaths in honour of Olivia, who graduated from the University of Essex with a psychology degree last year.

Source : Evening Standard.

TFL TO OUTSOURCE DRIVER MEDICALS IN THE WAKE OF THE SUNS EXPOSÉ ON UBER DRIVERS FAKE CHECKS.

On Monday Grant Davis represented the London Cab Drivers Club at a meeting with Tfl, in regards to the on going situation with Driver medicals.

This all stems from the expose in The Sun Newspaper where certain PH drivers were actually “buying” their medicals without undertaking the proper medical tests. In some cases, it was alleged that medical checks were being carried out on-line.

Tfl are now looking to outsource the medicals to as of yet a “unknown” private medical provider and thus bring parity with both sides of the industry where we all would have to take the exact same medical examination.

At present, the cost of these medicals will be in the region (they say) of between £100 – 150 and the provider must have locations around London and also provide parking facilities. As we’ve seen with TfL regarding PH Licence costs, this price could change dramatically once established.

At Monday’s meeting, Tfl went on to say that the return of unsatisfactory medical forms is at 60% and they hope by outsourcing, this will be cut?

It was revealed in the Sin last year that many private hire drivers had submitted unsatisfactory medical firms but it is our belief, that as with the 13,000 fake DBS criminal record checks TfLTPH took no action in regards to the medicals.

Grant Davis said the LCDC, are not comfortable with this! The majority of taxi drivers have a properly registered GP and again this appears to be the result of a knee jerk reaction to the amount of abuse by PH drivers who have lived in the U.K. for such a short space of time. These drivers may not even have a GP, but they want to get a PH licence in London and having a medical is a requisite to do so.

Grant went on to say, the Club feels there is a lot more work to be done on this issue.

TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT:

Read the full article in the Sun, click link below

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.thesun.co.uk/news/1897962/investigation-reveals-dodgy-gps-getting-cash-to-help-minicab-and-uber-drivers-fake-medical-test-over-fitness-to-drive/amp/

Well, it didn't take new boys on the block Wheely long to go and get themselves dragged into court.

This is quite serious and could affect their operators licence as they have been summonsed to appear at Thanes Magistrates court (Bow Street) on the 22nd of February 2018.

A complaint has been filed that on the 17/01/2018 they failed to accept a booking for a vehicle, required by and on behalf of a Mr Doug Paulley, who wished to be accompanied by a disabled person.

The reason for the failure to accept the booking being that the disabled person would be accompanied by an assistance dog.

This (apparently) is in contravention of section-70(1) and (4) of the Equality Act 2010.

As this company is a competitor of Uber, one wonders if the Tories will now mount an on-line petition an door to door canvas, in support of this disabled person.....

Perhaps the Prime Minister would like to show her support (and that of her husband's) at the next PMQT for this disabled person and his dog.

Anyway, for all there big flashy cars and smart suits, apparently if your disabled....forget it.

TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT UP FRONT :

It appears TfL have grossly mismanaged the Tube, just as they have grossly mismanaged Taxi and Private Hire. The Mayor who chairs TFL's board acts as if a deficit of £968m is nothing to worry about.

https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/gross-mismanagement-tube-upgrades-blamed-tfl/24981/

Last week, TfL announced they were facing a possible £400m shortfall in their finances.

It now appears that TfL haven’t been completely truthful about their budget deficit. (There’s a surprise)

This week an internal email has been leaked to the media which shows that the deficit TfL are facing is well over double the amount stated last week.

The leaked email given to the BBC, describes the finances of TfL, “like a household budget that couldn’t afford to pay the mortgage”.

Insiders at TfL have voiced considerable anger at the scale of the cuts they face.

The email says TfL "will make a loss next year of £968m".

Many senior managers have already left, new Tube trains have been cut and bus services will be reduced by 7%.

Commentators say the organisation is facing a perfect storm financially.

TfL, Totally failing London.....again

Although it was thought a bit late in the day, the London Taxi trade showed just how powerful social media can be at getting the message out to the fleet.

Word had been received that Theresa May and most of her cabinet would be attending a ball at National Histor a Museum.

Many drivers felt May's speech at Davos, showing Tory support for the unfit Uber company, was an insult to our 364 year old trade. A message was put out over social media, asking drivers to attend a mass “ply for hire” flash demo at the NHM to protest against Tory Chumocracy.

The idea was to get there just as they were all leaving around 11, and stop the Uber users from getting picked up. The uber cars already there, would also be blocked in.

The demo was very noisy but well behaved, with drivers outside circling the exits and beeping their horns.

Although no suspension had been posted, the official rank had been cordoned off by yellow plastic cones. But after just a few minutes, drivers ignored the cones forming a rolling rank. Police who were there in large numbers, stood back and didn't get involved.

Because of the lateness of the shout, it was believed that Taxi numbers attending would be low, so the idea was to slowly drive around in an oval outside the entrance. But well over 100 Taxis turned up, enough to cover 2 of the 3 exits. Drivers who took fares not going far, returned.

One of the party goers told London Taxi Radio live on Periscope, that Boris had been heckled loudly as he tried to leave in a car by a side entrance (so much for the famous Boris bike). But he was spotted by a driver whose voice just happened to be in very fine fettle.

Guests requiring Taxis as they left the £15,000 a table (10 settings) fundraiser, were politely shown to cabs by impromptu marshals but phone gazers were left to roast.

The demo was good natured and lasted for about an hour. Around midnight, the drivers melted back into the normal traffic.

Over a hundred Taxis turned up to protest. Not bad for an on the spur of the moment call out.

Well done to all the drivers who gave up their time.

Plus a big thank you, to presenter Joe Cartwright and cameraman John Cox of London Taxi Radio, who made a live broadcast of the whole demo on Periscope.

Also thanks to TAXIAPP for their support last night.

TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT :

Possibly the best appeal by a cab driver....ever

Please watch Paddy's Video

https://mobile.twitter.com/i/web/status/961593839151669251

Brexiteer Julian Sturdy MP for York Outer.

I didn't know anything about the protest, but as I sat in stationary traffic at Cromwell & Queensgate, wondering what the holdup was, the phone rung.... it was my friend Paul from 'Black Cab Now', asking "are you on the demo?"

"well I am now", I replied.

I stayed with the protest for about an hour until we were all told to go back to work.

As it finished, I picked up Julian Sturdy Mp and took him to Vauxhall.

We had a chat about recent events and the Tories support of an illegal plying for hire app.

But I must say I found him very naive.

He talked about intelligent technology doing away with manual jobs of which I asked,

"if the jobs are going to go...then what future have my grandchildren got?".

I told him there's no way I wanted to revisit the 1800's because this will finally kick everything off....and, don't expect the police to maintain law and order.

I have told my daughter who is in the police force, that by the time this is happening, you are no longer police.....you go home and protect your own family.

His face dropped dramatically and he offered no further convocation.

TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT :

Julian Sturdy wants ministers to prioritise easy migration after Brexit, but supports intelligent technology which will remove jobs???

You couldn't make it up!

How do these people get elected?

Three Cabbies have committed suicide in New York in the last three months, over the collapse of their industry due to Uber. James O,Brien explained why we hold the men who greased Uber's passage into London with such contempt.

Southwark Council is delighted to announce its latest step towards improving London’s air quality. Cllrs Maisie Anderson, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Social Regeneration, and Ian Wingfield, Cabinet Member for Environment and the Public Realm, joined head teacher Anita Asumadu at Oliver Goldsmith Primary School to mark the launch of the council’s new anti-engine idling enforcement from, 31 January.

Cllr Maisie Anderson said: “Needlessly keeping your engine running pollutes roads, schools and children’s lungs. Asking people to turn off their engine will help create a healthier environment for the children of the borough.

“Drivers will be warned before a fine is issued, but ultimately if they ignore the warning and signs, the parking wardens will have to take action.”

Idling vehicle exhausts choke the air with toxic chemicals like cyanide, NOx and PM2.5 which can lead to asthma, heart disease and lung disease.

From today, council parking enforcement officers will be issuing an £80 Penalty Charge Notice to parked up car, bus, taxi and HGV drivers, who refuse to switch off their engines when asked.

The council has led and encouraged many voluntary anti-idling patrols at known idling hot-spots, to raise driver awareness of the health risks associated with engine idling. They found that most drivers turned off their idling engines willingly, when they were made aware of the implications of keeping them running.

This is the latest measure from Southwark Council’s ambitious Air Quality Strategy and Action Plan, which is part of its longstanding commitment to improve air quality in the borough, with more to come throughout 2018.

The council has also just finished asking residents for their suggestions for locations for electric car charge points, and will begin installing them later this year.

Anita Asumadu, head teacher at Oliver Goldsmith School, said: “Clean air would improve the health of the children at our school and everyone can help.

“The best way to improve your health is to choose to cycle or walk, but another effective way to reduce pollution is by switching off idling engines.”

TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT :

If idling traffic is so bad for the environment, why are the City of London corporation, carrying on with a crazy scheme that's has caused gridlock for most of the working day surrounding the bank a Junction?

Why won't they hold thei hands up and admit they were wronge?

Statement today from the ITA

ARE THE ORGS GOING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS POXY GRIDLOCK IN THE @cityoflondon?

WE'RE FED UP WITH YOUR POXY DATA COLLECTING AND YOUR TIPTOEING AND BLOODY PUSSY FOOTING AROUND THESE CORRUPT @Squarehighways WALLAHS!

DO SOMETHING OR STEP ASIDE AND LET US DO IT!

The other night, I spoke to a young man who had just put his beautiful girlfriend into an uber, outside Hakassan restaurant in Bruton Street, after standing about waiting in the freezing cold, even though there were five available Taxis on the rank.

I asked him if he though she would be safe, inlight of the 48 serious sexual assaults which occurred in Uber cars last year. One every eleven days.

He said:

"Don’t be silly man, I only use top end Uber service, Mercs and BMWs...shit ain't gonna happen in one of them, it only happens in Prius UberX cars".

Below is an article from the Islinton and Hackney Gazette last night.

Would you feel safe putting your loved one in Kareem's Silver Mercedes Uber?

A 24-year-old Uber driver stopped and searched by cops was found with a “lethal” lock knife “precariously clenched in between his buttocks”.

Police recovered this knife from between a man's buttocks.

Police pulled over Kareem Worthington of Providence Court, Islington, after he was spotted driving his silver Mercedes “erratically” in New North Road yesterday afternoon.

Worthington appeared “nervous and agitated”, and when cops saw some white powder which they believed could be a controlled substance, they took him to Stoke Newington Police Station.

During a strip search officers noticed “something coming out of his backside”.

“It was a knife,” said Det Insp Paul Ridley.

“I’ve come across knives concealed and stored everywhere, but never before stuck up someone’s backside, it’s ridiculous.”

Worthington told police he keeps the knife in his car all the time, and when cops pulled him over he decided to hide it.

He appeared before Thames Magistrates Court today and pleaded guilty to possession of an offensive weapon.

He was immediately sentenced to six months imprisonment.

Worthington was convicted for possession of a bladed article in 2011 and 2012, and was imprisoned for affray in 2014.

Two other men were found with knives during stop and searches by police in Hackney yesterday.

“That’s the scale of what we are dealing with,” said Det Insp Ridley.

“That’s why it’s so crucial we continue stopping and searching people. There are lots of people out there who are carrying knives.

TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT.

These questions needs to be asked:

Kareem Worthington had two convictions for carrying a concealed weapon in 2011-2012, and a prison term for violence in 2014.

How the hell did this man get a Private Hire Licence?

How did this man end up working for Uber?

We suspect that this is just one of Helen Chapman's 13,000 PH Uberdrivers with a fake DBS check.

WHY ARE OUR ORGS, WHO HAVE THE EAR OF MIKE BROWN NOT SCREAMING FOR THESE DRIVERS WITH FAKE DBS CHECKS TO BE IMMEDIATLY SUSPENDED.....BEFORE SOMEONE IS MURDERED

I wounded if he also slammed her for misleading Europe by saying Uber had to be saved and not stopped at Davos?

Everything to do with the roads seems to be getting the ‘smart’ treatment of late – smart motorways, smart cars. Now cats eyes are the latest part of the road network to get the smart treatment with the introduction of smart cat’s eyes, which are being tested in collision hotspots to try and cut down on the number of accidents.

Intelligent cat’s eyes

The new intelligent cat’s eyes will light up in response to changing traffic lights and make major roundabouts look more like airport runways. It is the first time they are being considered for use in this way and are aimed at improving road safety, according to Highways England.

Some 170 of them are being used on Switch Island in Merseyside where the M57, M58 and three A roads all come together, as part of a £3 million project to improve the area. These new ‘road studs’ will be used to help 90,000 motorists manage the confusion of roundabouts. Cables will be laid beneath the road surface to connect the studs to the traffic lights via an automatic controller unit.

Cats eyes in action

When the traffic light turns green, the LED lights will be used to separate the lanes for the flow of traffic. This helps stop drivers crossing the white lines as they manage their way around the multiple exit roundabout.

The provider of the system, Clearview Intelligence, says that the studs are visible around 1,000 metres away and have already proven to reduce accidents in locations around the country where they are being used. In fact, collisions at some of the junctions have been reduced by up to 50%, the company said.

The system is already in use in Hindhead Tunnel, in Surrey, to help guide drivers through the tunnel. The A2-A20 junction in Kent along with the A41 in the Wirral and the Sheriffhall roundabout in Edinburgh have also been fitted with them, to help improve safety. Highways England are aiming for improved journeys and better safety for drivers with the new systems.

Runway roads

The idea of creating runway style roads is part of the government’s program of congestion relief which is due to start this month and has £220 million in funding. It is expected to take around 12 months to complete, in the Merseyside site, and vastly improve the situation – with 49 accidents in the last two years, it averages one every fortnight.

New traffic lights will also be installed to work with the smart road studs, set at a higher location so HGV and bus drivers can see them easier.

Cats eyes or road studs?

You may also notice another change taking place – cats eyes have undergone a rebranding and are now being called road studs. The reason for this is twofold, both quite amusing for drivers. Firstly, tourists are confused by the term and don’t understand warning signs such as ‘warning cat’s eyes removed’ when driving around the UK.

The other reason is that children were worried as they thought they were real cat’s eyes being embedded in the roads – hands up if you remember thinking that when you were a kid?

Most of us probably did because cats eyes have been around that long. The first ones were made back in 1933 by a man called Percy Shaw. He was driving along a West Yorkshire road and saw his lights reflected in the eyes of a cat walking alongside the road. He instantly realised their potential for road safety and came up with the device we are all familiar with. Cats eyes have been noted as one of the top 10 most iconic designs that the UK has ever created!

So, cat’s eyes are being renamed as road studs and smart road studs to help tourists feel more at ease on UK roads, and to stop children having sleepless nights over the mistreated cats! However, for most of us, they will remain cat’s eyes, no matter how smart they become.

TfL are now consulting on the next stage of the Mayor, Sadiq Khan’s plan to help tackle London’s toxic air pollution, which contributes to thousands of early deaths in our city each year. Although if he was serious about Londoners health, he would be removing the congestion causing CSH segregated cycle lanes and not expanding the program!

You can have your say (all though it won't make a blind bit of difference as they've already made their minds up, but it looks good on paper)

visit tfl.gov.uk/airquality-consultation

From 8 April 2019, the Mayor is (not may, subject to consultation) introducing the Ultra Low Emission Zone in central London, replacing the T-Charge with an even tighter emission standards for diesel vehicles. There will also be new Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle (PHV) licencing requirements from 2018. It's all about the money.....follow the money!

TfL are not consulting on the Taxi and private hire licensing requirements, announced by the Mayor earlier this year. At least they're honest here....your opinion not welcome.

Find out how you are affected click here

To help reduce toxic emissions in London caused by congestion as a direct result of the segregated cycle lanes, the Mayor is also now proposing to:

•Extend tighter emissions standards to the whole of London for lorries, buses and other heavy goods vehicles only in 2020

•Expand the ULEZ for all vehicles including cars, vans, motorbikes and minibuses up to the North and South circular roads in 2021

This will affect electric Taxis use of their petrol generator which tips up battery power!

Plus hybrids are no longer seen as clean vehicles and will be charged accordingly !

This consultation ends on 28 February 2018, although TfL and the Mayor have already made their minds up what they are going to do!

As with all their other consultations, this one will make no difference to their current plans.

Theresa May speech at Davos:

"Uber, a company that's got things wronge along the way, with safety issues and concerns over the protection for its workers.

"The answer isn't to shut Uber down, but rather to address those concerns and to establish and enforce the standards and protection that can make this technology work for customers and employees alike"

Well the French judiciary were listening intently to most of this scripted statement, but decided not to hear the word 'EMPLOYEES'.

A French court has ruled ride-hailing app Uber is not an employer.

US ride-hailing startup Uber has won a major employment case in France. The French tribunal court has ruled the company is not an employer.

The case was centred around an Uber driver, Florian Menard. Menard argued he was not self-employed and his service contract with the US tech company should be reclassified as an employment contract. This is similar to previous employment cases fought in countries such as the UK.

However, in this instance, the labour tribunal ruled in favour of Uber. It said the app was “in the business of intermediation and not that of a transport service.” This means that Uber is not an employer.

Menard has one month to appeal the ruling.

What was said:

According to the Financial Times, the tribunal said:

Why it matters:

This is a different ruling to how the UK courts approached it. Last year, the London Employment Tribunal ruled that Uber was acting unlawfully by not providing drivers with basic workers’ rights. This includes holiday pay, guaranteed minimum wage, and entitlement to breaks.

In November, a UK judge Jennifer Eady upheld the decision, enforcing it into UK law.

Yet, all is not set in stone. Uber could appeal the appeal decision, which could see the case end up in the UK’s Supreme Court. The French tribunal ruling could have an impact on a later UK-based decision.

In addition, this is all taking place against the backdrop of the European Court of Justice’s recent decision. In December, the ECJ ruled that Uber is officially a transport company, not a digital service.

The ECJ ruling means that it believes Uber is not an intermediation service, the opposite of the French tribunal ruling. It demonstrates how complicated employment issues are in the gig economy.

Background:

This is not the first time Uber has been in court in France over its practices. In May 2016, the company faced legal challenges from France’s social security agency, the CNAM. The CNAM argued that Uber had avoided paying millions in employee-related charges because their drivers were not registered as employees.

However, this related to the UberPop service, which allowed non-professional drivers to offer rides on the app. This was later banned after major protests.

This also took down another taxi startup, named Heetch. It relaunched in April 2017 as taxi platform with professional drivers and is now the second-most downloaded taxi app in France, after Uber.

A change in the way CO2 levels are calculated means new Toyota Prius owners will have to pay the London Congestion Charge

New buyers of the Toyota Prius hybrid will no longer be exempt from the London Congestion Charge, after a change in the way its carbon dioxide (CO2) levels are measured moved its official output above the 75g/km exemption threshold.

While current Prius owners won’t be affected by the change, anyone who purchased a new Prius from 1 February 2018 will find their car judged against updated criteria, meaning they will have having to pay the capital’s £11.50 Congestion Charge.

The Prius used to officially produce 70g/km of CO2 when running on 15-inch wheels. This made it a favourite of private hire owners, as they could drive into London while escaping the Congestion Charge. But that figure has now increased to 78g/km, while CO2 levels for a Prius running on 17-inch alloys have increased from 76 to 82g/km.

The rise has come because Toyota is switching the measure it uses to gauge the Prius’ CO2 levels from NEDC to NEDC-equivalent; the latter test was designed to precede the switch from NEDC to new WLTP testing criteria in 2019, and is considered a halfway house between the two measures.

Vehicle excise duty, commonly known as road tax, has also increased for those buying a new Prius: the first-year fee for models with 15-inch alloy wheels has increased from £15 to £90. Perhaps more significantly, Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) rates for business users of the same car have risen from 13 to 17 per cent.

While the Prius Plug-In is also likely to be measured against NEDC-equivalent criteria soon, its lower CO2 emissions of 22g/km (under outgoing NEDC rules) make it highly unlikely its emissions will rise above the 75g/km Congestion Charge exemption threshold.

Back in January Taxi Leaks posted an article in regards to the Garden Bridge Trust refusing to release minute of meetings.

We can now reveal that the Garden Bridge Trust has been warned it could face ‘regulatory action’ from the Charities Commission after missing the deadline to file its 2017 accounts

The trust is under intense scrutiny as it attempts to wind up its operations after spending almost £50 million of public money on the cancelled and unbuilt Garden Bridge. It had been due to file end-of-year accounts on 31 January.

The charity is also continuing to refusing to comply with repeated requests from its public-sector sponsor Transport for London (TfL) for records of its meetings, despite demands from the organisation’s legal team, the AJ understands.

A spokesperson for the Charities Commission said: ‘The Garden Bridge Trust, which is in the process of winding up, has informed us it will be late filing its accounts for the financial year 2017.

‘Filing accounts is a legal requirement for all registered charities and the commission will consider regulatory action if the delay is significant.

The public rightly expects charities to be transparent about their financial activity, so filing on time is key to running a charity properly.’

Responding to the latest news, London mayor Sadiq Khan once again hit out at the trust, saying that Londoners deserved ‘full transparency’.

A spokesperson for the mayor said:

‘That is why he commissioned Dame Margaret Hodge’s independent review of the project, and why TfL’s legal team continues to seek access to the minutes from the Garden Bridge Trust board meetings.

‘He remains angry that London taxpayers have lost millions of pounds on a project, backed by the previous mayor, that has amounted to nothing.’

Khan’s stance was backed by Labour MP for Vauxhall Kate Hoey, a persistent critic of the project.

‘It is concerning that the Garden Bridge Trust has failed to file accounts,’ she said. ‘I am pleased that the Charity Commission has now said that they will hold the trust to account.

‘The trust has up to now managed to avoid any transparency and this must be rectified so that the public know the truth about its accounts and its abortive attempt to build a bridge.’

When the scheme was finally shelved last summer, the budget for the Thomas Heatherwick-designed crossing was estimated to be more than £200 million.

The Garden Bridge Trust was unavailable for comment.

Questions need to be asked:

What’s happened to the £50m?

We were told in Feb 2016, Boris Johnson’s chief transport advisor, Isabel Dedring, is leaving City Hall to take up a new role with design and engineering group Arup.

There were obvious concerns of conflict of interest when both Dedring and TfL head of planning Richard de Cani, were both given jobs with Arup

London’s Transport Commissioner, Mike Brown MVO said:

“Isabel has done a great job in the Mayor’s office.

But why did Isabel Dedring quite her job as Deputy Mayor in London (in her words, the best job in the world) and join the firm contracted to build the Garden Bridge?

When questioned by Margret Hodge MP (2017), Dedring said that she and her colleague always thought the project was a crazy idea and would never happen!

Newly released transcripts of the interview with Isabel Dedring, now global transport leader at Garden Bridge engineer Arup, also reveal clashes with Hodge over the extent of the deputy mayor’s role.

The interview took place with Hodge last November as part of the Labour MP’s six-month inquiry into the £200 million project, and the transcript has been released alongside dozens of others by the GLA following pressure from Conservative members of the London Assembly, who were critical of the report.

In the 40-page transcript, Dedring – who was criticised by Hodge in her subsequent report for suggesting she was barely involved with the Garden Bridge – says at least 12 times that she cannot remember specific details sought by the MP.

Margaret Hodge pressed Dedring on who had pushed for the appointment of Heatherwick and Arup, and Dedring replied: ‘I didn’t know Arup from a hole in the wall so I wouldn’t care whether they won it or didn’t win it or whatever … City Hall wouldn’t care who designed the bridge.’

Hodge replied: ‘But somebody did. Somebody did.’

When Hodge pointed out that Arup had earned between £8 million and £9 million from the contract by April 2015, Dedring replied: ‘I know, but in the grand scheme of TfL’s budget, which is £10 billion a year, it’s quite small. I agree with you but I’m just saying, that’s a fact.’

On the subject of the alleged conflict-of-interest over both her and former TfL head of planning Richard de Cani going to work for Arup, Dedring told Hodge this was ‘disconcerting for me personally but, it’s also bad for us corporately.’

She added that Arup has a £1billion turnover, saying: ‘The idea that somehow they would waste this extraordinary amount of money on me and Richard in exchange for what for them is a very small contract is absurd, apart from anything else.’

Hodge also pressed Dedring on what constraints should have been placed on the Garden Bridge Trust in terms of pre-construction spending. She asked who would have scrutinised this in order to protect the public purse.

Dedring replied:

‘Nobody really’

Prompting Hodge to reply:

‘Jesus.’

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Dreams Turn Sour, As Chinese Discard Hundreds Of Cycles-For-Hire In Giant Piles

As new bike sharing schemes start to hit cities across the UK, back in China where most of the schemes originated, riders are bumping the bikes in huge piles.

It was hoped bike-hire schemes would cut pollution and congestion but it seems some users just want to ride and dump

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TFL TO OUTSOURCE DRIVER MEDICALS FOR BOTH TAXI AND PH DRIVERS

Didn't Take Uber's Competitors Long To Find Themselves In Court!(Wheely Quickly)

TfL Senior Managers Like Rats Abandoning A Sinking Ship As They FaceLosses of £968.

Social Media Proves To Be Big Success At Tory Fundraiser Ball Flash Demo

After The Ball Is Over....by Colin The Cabby.

Southwark Launches New Anti-Engine Idling Enforcement + Statement FromITA Regarding Bank Junction.

So You Thought She’d Be Safer In An Uber XL, Well, Think Again.

Even More Road Works On The Way : Smart Cats Eyes To Be Introduced ToRoundabouts

TfL Trying To Disguise The Fact That Cycle Lanes Are Directly Adding ToLondon's Air Pollution

So You Thought No One Was Listening To Theresa May At Davos....WellThink Again.

London To Reclassify The Toyota Prius As A Polluter ..... By GeraldCoba.

Charity Commission Warns Garden Bridge Trust Over Failing To FileAccounts

As new bike sharing schemes start to hit cities across the UK, back in China where most of the schemes originated, riders are bumping the bikes in huge piles.It was hoped bike-hire schemes would cut pollution and congestion but it seems some users just want to ride and dump

As new bike sharing schemes start to hit cities across the UK, back in China where most of the schemes originated, riders are bumping the bikes in huge piles.

It was hoped bike-hire schemes would cut pollution and congestion but it seems some users just want to ride and dump