Letter to Taxi Leaks From The DDD : DADS DEFENDING DAUGHTERS ARE STEPPING DOWN - OUR WORK HERE IS DONE

   

DDD was born because, as Licensed London Taxi drivers, we became aware of a Freedom of Information statistic which showed just how prevalent rape and sexual assaults were in minicabs.

At first, we doubted the math; surely it could not be so disturbingly high.

It was inconceivable that the rate of attacks for just one year in London alone was 154 reported.

The realisation of what was news to us, was not news to Transport for London(TfL) or Uber, was devastating.

TfL and Uber were prepared to allow this outrage to continue, as long as they could keep the truth from getting out.

The more we delved into the facts, the more it was apparent that TfL and Uber facilitated these heinous crimes, by relaxing regulation and disregarding safety.

Theo Usherwood showed us that obtaining a license to drive a minicab had become as easy as buying a second hand car.

Getting the Suzy Lamplugh Trust and other rape crisis groups involved, proved futile. They seemed enthusiastic, until they realised it might affect their funding

We were determined to get the message out into the public domain.

In this we have succeeded. If you live in Southampton, Sunderland or Strathclyde, you know that riding in an Uber is a very dangerous business.

TfL and Uber are equally to blame - they facilitated each other in cutting corners to save pennies.

The collateral damage caused by deregulation and blatant flouting of the law, is the number of unsuspecting victims growing by fifty percent per year.

Now the public are informed. Now they can make their own minds up. Now it is up to the individual if they wish to gamble with their lives for cheap.

There is nothing more DDD can do to help them. They can no longer plead ignorance.

In the early days of DDD, Val Shawcross questioned our motives; pointing her nose towards protectionism. But that says more about Val Shawcross, than it does about us.

Uber scares people. Uber's money and influence keeps justice at bay and the media in line.

Greyball is a big deal. Its potential is mind boggling. No one wants to get too involved in outing Greyball, in case they get a visit from the men in grey suits and taken for a long walk off a short pier.

Our aim was true and our focus was clear. Get the message out.

We now have the current Prime Minister, Theresa May breaking legal protocol during an ongoing case, and siding with Uber. Siding with a company that refused to assist the police in preventing a rapist from committing a further assault.

Siding with a company which pays next to no tax.

Siding with a company that produced Greyball, amongst other systems; that can hide anything and everything from the police and authorities, including Uber assaults and terrorist activities, and can monitor everything we do, including the police and authorities.

Siding with a company who, during their five year license, refused to let the Regulator see how the Uber app works.

This is no longer news; this is out there in the public eye.

When the Prime Minister is prompted by Uber investors, to plead for Uber's reprieve on national television, I think we can safely say that everyone knows about Uber and their noxious activities now.

The Conservative Party has thrown off its diaphanous veil of respectability and come out all guns blazing, to fight on Uber's behalf.

As puppet politicians played down rape statistics and sharp practices, Uber was busy illegally rigging an opinion poll set up by themselves, via their toxic software.

They cannot help themselves; just like the scorpion, it is who they are.

The honesty of Caroline Pidgeon was refreshing in this day and age of Machiavellian politics. She was never pro or anti Taxi - she was fair-minded and true to her word.

The support we received from Wes Streeting and David Kurten was also extremely uplifting.

DDD can look back to some great demos. Winning every single time.

We pulled a disastrous nose-diving UCG protest from the jaws of defeat, marching from Broadcasting House, down St Martins to cheers and applause from a dejected group gathered in Trafalgar Square about to give up the ghost.

We closed St Pancras Station for a week, forcing Camden Council to change the structure of their dangerous and unworkable set-down area.

We demoed Bank Junction for a week. The police had no idea what we would do next. They even sectioned us - a lot of good that did them. We had the police turn up to an empty Bank, while we gathered at Parliament Square. We had the police closing off roads and roundabouts, searching for us, trying to second guess us, whilst we sat in the warmth having dinner - we even sent them a photo of us eating fish and chips, while they speed around London with helicopters in the air, in search of our next gathering point.

We demoed Parliament Square on the morning after Brexit, for maximum media effect.

We turned up outside Tobacco Dock for the Evening Standard Awards. Advertisers do not like being associated with rape and corruption - that bog-roll stopped promoting Uber for a while after that - due most likely to pressure from commercial customers - and odds on favourites Uber failed to win their award. Uber are not up for an award this year, even though their immoral lobbyist, who works for one of Uber's biggest investors, is editor of the freebie rag.

We saved the LTDA's bacon, when Steve McNamara called a protest outside the Evening Standard, for George Osborne's first day as editor, and no one turned up; until a few hundred DDD marched along Kensington Gore to Derry Street, complete with placards and banners. McNamara called Woodfield Road for reinforcements, about six LTDA members turned up.

We were pleased to assist the ever proactive LCDC with their Dodgy Doctors protest outside 240 Blackfriars Road.

And we were honoured to be part of the GMB/LCDC Brighton experiment, which showed how cross-border hiring and instant hail worked to the detriment of everyone except the profiteers. 

We stormed the BBC, demoed Conservative Party HQ, the Houses of Parliament, Downing Street, Windsor and Palestra Houses, closed the City and huge chunks of London.

We marched many a merry protest and drove a few drive-ins too.

The police were very accommodating and understanding, it must be said.

We had a hugely successful 'Christmas Warning' poster campaign. There are still a few thousand about London, educating the public.

We never took a penny from any organisation, remaining independent and self sufficient.

Our whole raison d'etre was to get the message out and inform the public. And we did just that. Now every man and his dog know.

DDD congratulates everyone who stood shoulder to shoulder with us. By attending our demos you became DDD members.

We planned our protests with every conceivable outcome; we rode our luck and were successful in each and every one of them.

We got Orgs, Unions and representatives to various negotiating tables - how they did once we got them there, was beyond our control.

Closing a mainline station or a huge hub of a junction for a week had never done before, and will never be done again.

We have absolute respect and gratitude to the ten percent of London's proactive finest.

We offer nothing more than our complete and utter disdain to the ninety percent apathetic sleepwalkers who excuse themselves from involvement with asinine excuses, and spurious motives.

We have always stated we would rather fight alongside ten who cared, than a thousand who would rather be somewhere else.

Cameron, Osborne, Javid and May are responsible for far too many vulnerable people being maimed or attacked, all because their mates have vested interests in a Ponzi scheme that makes Enron look like a 'Three-card Monte'.

How cheaply those Tory yellow dogs hold our lives, hey?

With Daniels retiring, Chapman and Blake jumping ship before this year's end, I think we can safely say TfL are doing some overdue Spring-cleaning.

As with all unscrupulous businesses when they get found out, they put a few new faces up to hide the corruption and incompetence that will continue behind a refurbished facade. It is exactly what Uber have done too.

We did our best and we achieved all we set out to do.

Those who came along for the ride know the truth, what we did, why we did it, and how it was achieved.

We came across quite a bit of resentment from different Orgs and egos along the way. So now when Uber gets its license, and it will, ask your Org or Union "What are you going to do about it?"

Undefeated and unbowed we now step from the arena.

Footnote:

The band of brothers who are Dads Defending Daughters, remain one family.

We stay together as one; ready for anything.

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/2hBMncT
via IFTTT

Before You Go Leon...Could You Explain Why You Are Allowing Uber To Continue Unlicensed... By Jim Thomas

Taxi leaks have been asked why Uber are being allowed to carry on operating when it's PH operators licence expire at midnight on the 30th of September (tomorrow night), when Sean Stocking -who had his licence revoked by TfL earlier this year- has been thrown out of work while he appeals the decision.

Official answer is: 

Uber's licence has not been revoked, it has expired. As Uber have made an application for a renewal which has been reviewed by TfL, then under the transport act 1985 section 7(7), the old licence continues until they received a new licence or they get an official revocation. 

7)Where a person holds a licence which is in force when he applies for a new licence in substitution for it, the existing licence shall continue in force until the application for the new licence, or any appeal under this section in relation to that application, is disposed of, but without prejudice to the exercise in the meantime of any power of the licensing authority to revoke the existing licence.

Whereas Sean Stockings' licence has actually been revoked so in fact he is n longer licensed to act as a licensed Taxi driver.

But, on the 30th September 2014, Leon Daniels emailed Taxi Leaks editor with his definition of the transport act in regards to licensed Taxi drivers renewing their licenses experiencing delays. 

In his email he agreed with Taxi Leaks that if a Taxi driver has submitted renewal forms and supplied a current DBS certificate, then the old licence stays valid until the driver receives a renewal or a notice of revocation. Which means the driver can legally carry on working.

Interestingly Leon Daniels volunteers a caveat at the end of the email which states (in his opinion) the act applies only to the licensed Taxi Trade and not the Private Hire Trade.

See Leon's Email here: http://ift.tt/1PKuo9P

So perhaps Leon could now explain why Uber's operation is to be allowed to continue, when in fact they are will not be in procession of a current operators licence?

As from midnight Saturday night, Uber drivers will be accepting work from an unlicensed operator....Carrying passengers acquired from an unlicensed source, could also impact on their drivers insurance! 

Perhaps our wonderful New United Taxi group led by the LTDA's Steve McNamara could explain why they are not taking action against the decision to allow Uber to continue unlicensed?

After all, isn't this what their subscription paying members would expect for their money?

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/2fDzcYt
via IFTTT

Letter To Editor : Theresa May on BBC News Regarding Uber Licence Revocation... by Paul Nice.

Those of you who watched the news yesterday evening, may have been quite disconcerted to learn where our prime minster stands on Uber.  

Let’s start with her famous phrase was “Brexit Means Brexit” No one was sure what that meant!  

Did anyone think it meant delaying till 2021 and coughing up £20 billion!

 

Imagine how I felt as a tax paying and abiding citizen when the subject of Uber’s tax scandal was dismissed as minor importance.  I suppose £20,000 000 000 comes out of nowhere!

 

Something just doesn’t add up…  She states that 40,000 people are going to lose their jobs!  

I have to ask myself is Uber the only app?  The reported rise on downloads from other apps, will that not provide jobs?

Perhaps rate paying minicab offices could start to flourish again?  

Rates have gone sky high recently, perhaps the government wants retail outlets to disappear and global tech companies to take over instead of creating a market for all kinds of businesses alike.  

She mentioned a level playing field, something the Licensed taxis have been asking for, for years.  Since she’s coughing up £20 billion courtesy of you and me the PM needs to explain what a level playing field is…

 

The taxi industry asked for a level playing field when all they should’ve asked for is that existing legislation to be enforced.

Uber were given time to reform and only now do they admit what they call mistakes.  A gross travesty had happened and too much has been swept under the carpet throughout the years.  

Cameron, Osbourne, etc. were party to a viral conglomerate that kept its lips sealed as rapes and sexual assaults took place in our great city.  Dodgy background checks that were assisted and fake medicals all to support a non-tax paying company that treats its workforce with contempt.

 

Come join Uber and make £££’s why would Uber complain that its self employed partners are campaigning for the minimum wage?  

How do 40,000 people lose their job if those who provide the work do not accept that they are employees and are a mosaic of 40,000 separate business, that do not get its work from an operator, that says it’s a tech company and doesn't even need an operator’s licence?

 

Why do licensed taxi drivers complain about the competition of paying for a £56,000 vehicle with milk float technology when a Prius can be used instead (sod the disabled) 

Leon are you really giving people what they want?  

I would’nt say that to a rape victim’s father..

 

If people want a cheaper service from taxi’s how about lifting the age restriction, replacing the TX4 or TX5 with an economical already existing petrol hybrid engine and make a taxi driver’s income tax and NI exempt?  

Since paying tax is of minor importance and TFL are there to listen to the public and regulate the service; I don’t see why this cannot be achieved! 

Anyway since Uber is already doing this and you have £20 billion stashed away a swish of the pen could make this happen!

 

Mrs May please understand we can’t have a regulated and non-regulated taxi service operating in the same city.  

Don’t forget this is London not a third world city!

Let’s show the world that London is not open for corruption and we have high standards in all our industries and if foreign investors wish to be a part of this glowing beacon of world class stature, they will have to move in line with our standards and regulations.

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/2x1VxRN
via IFTTT

TfL plans cycle super highway for Tooley Street, Jamaica Road and Rotherhithe roundabout

Locals have until November 19 to comment on the plans

TfL has today announced proposals for a segregated Cycle Super Highway to run through Tooley Street and Jamaica Road.

The planned transformation of the A200 would create a segregated cycle link from Tower Bridge Road, all the way to Evelyn Street and Creek Road in Lewisham and Greenwich.

It also includes plans to redesign the Rotherhithe Tunnel roundabout, as well as for five new locations to receive pedestrian traffic lights, and smaller upgrades to 20 other crossings.

Proposed Cycle Super Highway route map

The plans were announced as part of a public consultation, which will close on November 19.

Visit the consultation here.

The project, nicknamed CS4 (Cycle Superhighway 4) is due to begin “late next year”, and would cost £55m.

A second consultation, due later this year, will also seek feedback on proposals to include Lower Road in the route.

Jamaica Road Cycle Super Highway proposal

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I’m delighted to be able to announce plans to bring more than 4km of segregated cycle lanes to south-east London.

“We need more Londoners to cycle and walk for the good of their health and our air quality, and that’s why we’re working so hard make cycling safer and easier right across the capital. By bringing this route to an area of such high demand, this superhighway really will open up cycling to thousands more Londoners.”

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/2xMSUr9
via IFTTT

The Future Of The Gig Economy Hangs In The Balance ... As We Now Wait For Uber Verdict

In the workers rights appeal case today, Judge Eady QC said she will reserve her decision for a later date.

The future of the gig economy hangs in the balance

Judge Eady QC's ruling could have a major impact on the operating costs of Uber and the wider gig economy with delivery firms such as Deliveroo and Jinn, which rely on a network of self-employed couriers, also being impacted.

Unfortunately we will now have to wait 

There are over 1 million people working in the gig economy in the UK, according to recent government estimates. Gig economy advocates argue it provides convenience for users and flexibility, but detractors argue that it strips away employment rights. Galbraith-Marten QC said that the rise of casual work associated with the gig economy does not of itself defeat "worker" status.

Judge Eady QC said she will reserve her decision for a later date. If Judge Eady QC rules in the driver's favour then Uber will be able to appeal again to the Court of Appeal and possibly to the Supreme Court. The process could last several years, according to the FT.

"In recent years employers in the so-called 'gig economy' have been allowed to run wild on a rampage of exploitation," said IWGB general secretary Dr Jason Moyer-Lee in a statement earlier this year. "These low paid workers have been fighting back both on the streets and in the courts, and winning."

Earlier this week Addison Lee drivers won their case and are now entitled to full range of employees rights. 

Uber's main argument for why it doesn't need to give driver's worker benefits is flawed, lawyer claims

Former Uber drivers James Farrar and Yaseen Aslam took Uber to court last October over their employment status and won.

They wanted to be classed as workers that are entitled to rights such as holiday pay and minimum wage.

Uber believes that its drivers are "self-employed" and appealed against the ruling on Wednesday. The driver's legal team fought back on Thursday.

The San Francisco-headquartered Minicab giant, brought in barrister Dinah Rose QC to fight its corner while Jason Galbraith-Marten QC represented the drivers.

The outcome of the appeal could have major implications on the wider gig economy in the UK, but we will now have to wait. 

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/2fUb4NQ
via IFTTT

Lyft eyeing London market sooner rather than later, now Uber’s license renewal refusal.

Uber, the ridesharing startup, announced news on Tuesday (Sept. 26) that it will no longer operate in Quebec in October. The decision comes as a result of stricter transportation regulations in the Canadian province. 

According to a report in Reuters, the move on the part of Uber to pull out of what is the second most popular province for tourism in Canada comes just a few days after London’s transport agency decided not to renew its license in the city. Reuters cited Uber’s Quebec General Manager, Jean-Nicolas Guillemette as saying that the ridesharing company, which has more than 10,000 drivers in the city and 50 office workers, will stop operations in the province on Oct. 14.

Uber has called on the Canadian government to rethink its stricter regulations on a pilot program that had previously enabled Uber to operate in the province. “We’re asking the government to renew the pilot project and let’s sit down and find a solution to this,” the executive told Reuters. Under the new rules, drivers have to have 35 hours of training, which is the requirement for traditional taxi drivers in the area. 

Uber’s decision comes as its rival Lyft is looking to enter the Canadian transportation arena. Lobbyists for the company have met with officials in Toronto, reported Reuters, citing city records. Over the weekend, The Telegraphsaid that Lyft is also eyeing the London market and could be emboldened to move sooner rather than later now that Uber’s license in the city was revoked. 

According to a news report in The Telegraph, Lyft’s Head of Global Policy & Strategy, Michael Masserman, and Chief Strategy Officer Raj Kapoor have had face-to-face meetings and phone calls with Transport for London (TfL) officials during 2016. The talks were focused on the startup’s business model and operations, as well as the London mayor’s new transportation strategy for the city. 

One December meeting in London was attended by Helen Chapman, who is in charge of TfL’s taxi and private hiring unit. Others at the meeting included Peter Blake, TfL’s director of service operations and three unnamed representatives of the Greater London Authority

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/2fAep84
via IFTTT

Tfl plans to make £322m by collecting data from passengers' mobiles via Tube Wi-Fi

Transport for London (TfL) plans to make £322m by collecting Tube users' location data and potentially selling it to third parties, Sky News can reveal. 

At the end of 2016, TfL ran a pilot which tracked the Wi-Fi signals from 5.6 million phones as people moved around the London Underground, even if they weren't connected to a Wi-Fi network.

TfL publicly stated that the purpose of the scheme was to use the aggregated, anonymised data "to better understand how people navigate the London Underground network, allowing TfL to improve the experience for customers".

It is now in consultation about tracking passengers on a permanent basis. The only way to opt out of the scheme would be to turn your Wi-Fi or phone off.

Wi-Fi tracking is used around the UK, especially on high streets and shopping centres, to track customers as they move around a store, for example.

However, documents obtained under Freedom of Information laws show that they also anticipate there will be a significant financial benefit from the scheme, in contrast to TfL's public messaging.

Many of the documents list 'financial' as the first benefit of the scheme. In one, a section called Advertising Partnerships states: "Enabling TfL to achieve £322m revenue generation over the next eight years by being able to quantify asset value based on the number of eyeballs/impressions and dynamically trade advertising space."

Another document details TfL's communications strategy for the pilot. The 'key messaging' intended for the public reads: "TfL collects Wi-Fi connectivity data to better understand journey patterns and improve our services" - with no mention of the anticipated financial benefits to TfL.

Lauren Sager Weinsten, chief data officer at TfL, told Sky News: "These are living documents. The excitement on this project has been how to create a project that will have great customer benefit and how do we explain to our customers what we're doing and why. We have been very transparent about all the documents and our thinking on this.

"And of course we want to make sure that we're very clear about all the different benefits that we'll see. There's a huge customer benefit and it's very exciting to see the patterned information that comes out of this.

"But we also do think that there is an opportunity to improve our secondary revenue that we get through our commercial advertising estate and through our retail developments as well, and that's also important as well."

Asked repeatedly by Sky News, Mr Sager Weinstein refused to rule out that TfL might in the future sell aggregated customer data to third parties.

TfL reinvests all its profits in its services. The organisation notified Tube users with prominent displays about the 2016 trial. The only way for people to opt out of the scheme was to turn off their phone's Wi-Fi while on the underground.

Maria Farrell, internet policy consultant at the Open Rights Group, told Sky News: "What they told people at the time was we're going to use this data to improve services. But now thanks to [Sky News] investigative reporting, we find out that it's partly to improve the services, but also it's to exploit people's data for revenue, doing advertising."

TfL worked with the Information Commissioner's Office on the scheme and said that user data was anonymised. But privacy experts have cast doubt on the implementation.

Paul-Olivier Dehaye, the cofounder of PersonalData.IO, told Sky News: "TfL don't seem to understand what 'anonymised' means in data protection terms. While the pilot was running, the data was merely pseudonymisation, while retaining the technical capacity of easily combining this data with external datasets.

"In essence, the value and dangers of this data are still fully there, but TfL has merely constructed a fiction that the individuals were not identifiable and conveniently assumed that would free them from the legal safeguards."

Dr Lukasz Olejnik, independent cybersecurity and privacy researcher, told Sky News: "TfL has definitely identified some privacy risks and tried to tackle them. They should be applauded for that.

"It's important to note that TfL does not provide an anonymization scheme. It's called pseudonymization, as the data are not processed in a way making it impossible to calculate the data back, given resources.

"Commuters should have clear ways of opting out from Wi-Fi tracking monitoring if they choose so. Designing convenient options is paramount."

Source: SkyNews 

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/2xD3n6r
via IFTTT

Uber defends business model at UK tribunal on worker rights

Reform Taxi Laws and Stop Cross Border Working

I want uk govt to legislate urgently to Stop cross border working licensed vehicles and drivers work in the area of licence. 

Reform taxi laws to reflect technology, create national data for drivers,vehicles and private hire operators, common national standards, give more enforcement powers to local Local Authorities, national standards for local knowledge test, proper high standards regulations for private hire operators etc etc

Why is this important?

Its important taxi trade is properly regulated, its objective should be to protect public, first priority must be safety of the public and drivers properly regulated with high standards, by giving effective powers to local authorities to regulate and enforce.

Sign The Petition : 

http://ift.tt/2wVabiz

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/2yGKobg
via IFTTT

TFL Board Member, Michael Liebreich, Raises Questions Over Uber Tax Structure

As Uber fights to retain its license in London, the company faces questions over its tax structure where its alleged this multi billion dollar company, actually pays less tax than four licensed cabbies... it also pays no VAT on fares — these concerns have been raised with the London transport regulator by TfL board member, Mr Liebreich.

According to an email sent to other TfL board members and officials in August, Michael Liebreich said the question of tax was:

 “Relevant to Uber’s relicensing” and asked how Uber does not pay VAT “in the UK on services it provides in the UK”.

Uber books all of its UK rides through a Dutch subsidiary, which incidentally is against TfL regulation. This factor allows it to avoid paying the 20 per cent value added tax charged on goods and services in the UK.

Mr Liebreich’s email went on to say:

“I know tax is a question for HMRC, but I have never understood how Uber’s services can be London-based for the purposes of the Taxi and Private Hire Act 1998, but non-UK based for the purposes of taxation, in particular VAT”. The email also raised concerns about safety and Uber’s use of “Greyball” software that blocks regulators from seeing the app in the city.

Mr Liebreich’s email was sent to almost 50 TfL board members, officials and assistants, including Helen Chapman, head of the taxi and private hire division, and Val Shawcross, deputy mayor for transport. Uber have declined to comment on the email.

TfL did not cite tax in its decision to revoke Uber’s license, instead pointing to its concerns in areas such as reporting criminal offences and obtaining fake medical certificates and fake background checks for drivers, as grounds for the denial.

Unusually, Uber will be allowed to continue to operate while it appeals against the decision, a process that could take months. The fact that from this Saturday (30th September) Uber will be operating without a licence, seems to be of no consequence to TfL....and yet, London Cabby Sean Stocking, who's licence also was revoked by  Peter Blake of TfL, has been thrown out of work, causing great hardship on his family, while waiting for his appeal to be heard....again one rule for Uber, and another rule for a Taxi drivers.

Uber’s strategy to avoid the UK’s 20 per cent VAT is not unique, but is the subject of a court case this year where the plaintiff sued Uber to demand a VAT receipt for an Uber trip. That case, which is still ongoing, could push Uber to collect VAT if the plaintiff wins.

Uber argued in that case that it is only an agent acting on behalf of the drivers who are self-employed, and is not itself a service provider, and thus not responsible for collecting VAT.

Separately, the company’s lawyers will begin an appeal on Wednesday this week, against an employment tribunal ruling last year that found its drivers were “workers” owed the minimum wage and holiday pay.

The questions raised by Mr Liebreich’s email is serious, and it's worrying that only he has bought this up.

Why is Uber's operation only now being investigated? How/why have they been allowed to circumvent the regulation which state all bookings must be received by an operator in the area they are licensed?

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/2wVWrzx
via IFTTT

Osborne should resign a "conflicting job" after Uber bias

For immediate release: Tuesday 26th September

Zoom.taxi Chief executive Matthew Kendall has called on George Osborne to resign one of his "conflicting jobs" after the newspaper he edits took sides in the Uber debate.

The former chancellor is paid £650,000 a year for working four days a month for BlackRock which has a £500 million investment in the transport giant as well as editing the Evening Standard.

The appointment of Mr Osborne caused anger amongst Black Cab drivers and those employed in the private hire vehicle industry as well as employment rights campaigners.

"In his leader column in the Evening Standard Mr Osborne wrote: ‘The emergence of this gig economy has been of huge benefit.’," said Mr Kendall.

"Well what it seems like is the emergence of this gig has been a huge benefit to Mr Osborne and his bank balance."

Mr Osborne also took aim at Labour's shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey after she said she does not use the San Fransisco transport giant, with the paper branding her 'out of touch'.

"The Evening Standard has a proud history as the voice of Londoners and that includes Black Cab drivers and other private hire companies who stick to Transport for London's rules or get their license revoked. 

"But it is now being used as a vehicle for Mr Osborne's own personal beliefs and, it could be argued, his business interests. 

"Uber claimed that this decision put 40,000 jobs at risk despite the fact their drivers are self employed - which also means they don't have to charge VAT so appear 20 per cent cheaper than companies who do fully contribute to the exchequer.

"This line was perpetuated in the media, including the Evening Standard, which also ran two 'op eds' in support of the company but nothing in support of the decision by TfL, which was backed up by a group of MPs.

"Over 260,000 drivers were in work before Uber and they remain in work without Uber. Many drivers for Uber also work for other PHV companies already and there are companies actively recruiting for workers currently.

"Of course we support debate on this subject and there are always ways an industry can improve, but in this David vs Goliath battle it's the giant who also has the sling shot."

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/2wUqs2F
via IFTTT

Uber Demand No Yearly Checks, No CRB Checks And No Training... Or Will Cease Operation In Montreal

The Primark Effect....Or Congestion Making Taxi Fares Look Expensive? By Jim Thomas

Virtually empty segregated cycle lanes causing massive congestion and dangerous pollution levels.

I'm fed up with being told how expensive Taxis are, when in fact what we're experiencing, is 'the Primark effect!'

If you shop exclusively in Primark, Poundland and Iceland for a few months, then suddenly go in to M&S or Waitrose, you get the shock of your life. 

But it's not like for like, you've become accustomed to low quality, substandard goods produced by children in third-world countries and when you compare the quality, M&S and Waitrose win hands down. 

People want cheap....until it comes back to bite them on the arse. Ask a rape victim if they would have preferred to pay another couple of quid ...and got home safe!

Ask the celebrity who bought a cheap Disney dress and saw her daughter engulfed in flames if she'd like to go back and pay more for a flame proof dress!

When the unspeakable happens, cheap doesn't factor in, it's just too late after a tragedy!

Let's now go back to Taxi prices!

We appear to be expensive because we are being compared like for like to a company using slave labour (willing to work well below the living wage), fares subsidised using vast investment from huge financial corporations, operating an illegal form of predator pricing, with drivers using a vehicle half the price of ours, subsidised in many cases by the fact they don't have the correct insurance. 

This has been sold to the drivers as a part time job, where you can just pop out and take a few quid when your not doing anything!

Also look at the costs involved in doing the knowledge as compared to signing up to Uber!

Taxi Fares:

The Taxi trade have had little to no fare increase in many years and suddenly...we've become too expensive?

If we wasn't too expensive 6 years ago, why are we too expensive now....we haven't had a noticeable fare increase!

What we do have now is congestion....massive congestion. 

Caused by road works in virtually every major street, with side streets closed to through traffic. 

We also have a new phenomenal of the segregated cycle lanes which (although the Lycra brigade won't admit it) also cause congestion 24/7.

Take a trip to tower bridge along Upper and Lower Thames street at one o clock in the morning....its mashed!

A scandalous victim of the greenie cycle brigade which is causing massive congestion, pollution and lengthy journey delays.

And they have the ironic cheek to have speed cameras along this route. 

On top of this, in the day time, we no have the bank Junction exclusion of Taxis.....adding to the surrounding chaos.

Add to this madness the congestion caused by the escalation of an uncapped Private Hire Trade, with TfL selling PHV licenses like sweets..... Of course Cab journeys are taking much longer than they did five years ago...... and it's being reflected in the price!

Should we reduce fares to compensate?

If the drivers themselves decide to reduce prices, then (in Taxi Leaks opinion) it should be done across the full spectrum of rates, with a set percentage drop. 

There has been a call to scrap rate 3 but this comes mainly from day and evening drivers who wouldn't be affected. 

What good would this do as the problem of traffic and higher journey prices is a 24 hour problem?

A set percentage drop would be much fairer. 

Plus if you take away the incentive to work unsocial hours, then you could be creating a shortage of drivers at night, going back to a pre-Livingston era.

There's also been plenty of talk about a set price (bell the meter) for journeys to Heathrow, but why should airport jobs get a discount yet a Northwood Hills resident have to pay the full price?

As we've said many times before, it's no good blaming the Taxi trade, it's really not our fault. Our prices are set by TfL and ratified by Parliament. Hire journey prices have resulted from avoidable congestion.

To solve this problem, you have to look towards TfL and local councils who make these crazy planning decisions. 

What ever happened to the traffic Zhar who's job was to coordinate road works?

If we were to have a competition to find the worst council of all, Camden would win hands down!

The new traffic schemes implemented across Fitzrovia have seen greatly increased journey times/costs, through extremely bad planning. Three major transport termini are within minutes of the worst transit scheme ever seen on London streets. Everything appears to be geared around cycles, with no thought whatsoever to travellers using the three stations. TfL won't get involved because the current schemes encourage travellers to use the tube.  

In the run up to the Mayoral election, Sadiq Khan promised us "use of all bus lanes" to help with journey times/ cost but has now done a U-turn saying Bus drivers have complained that they don't want Taxis in 'their' lanes....how ironic....as many bus drivers now work part time for uber!

One bit of good news...Taxis are to be allowed to use the bus lane in front of the UCH in order to ease traffic from the Euston underpass. But don't use until the TMO is in place and the new signage has been uncovered. 

There's been a lot of meaningless sound bites from TfL and the Mayor's office lately, but the one that gets my blood boiling is "London is open"

It should be "it'll be nice when it's finished"

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/2wTr1K6
via IFTTT

Victory For Addison Lee Drivers As Tribunal Finds They Are Entitled To Basic Workers’ Rights

An important ruling, which will affect thousands of Addison Lee drivers, the Employment Tribunal has today ruled that a group of Addison Lee drivers were not self-employed, as Addison Lee argued, but are workers who are entitled to essential workers’ rights, including to be paid the National Minimum Wage, receive holiday pay and not have their contracts terminated because they are members of a Trade Union.

The drivers’ claims, which are supported by the trade union, GMB, were heard in the London Central Employment Tribunal in July 2017.

Liana Wood, from the Employment team at law firm Leigh Day, which represents the drivers, said: “We are very pleased that the Employment Tribunal has found in favour of our clients.

"This judgment acknowledges the central contribution that Addison Lee’s drivers have made to the success of the company by confirming that its drivers are not self-employed but that they work for Addison Lee as part of Addison Lee’s business.

"Addison Lee advertises itself as a premium driving service and seeks to ensure that its drivers meet the high standard required for that premium service. However, Addison Lee drivers very often work very long hours, in excess of 60 hours a week, in order to just earn enough to cover their basic living costs. Addison Lee has sought to deny its drivers the most basic workers’ rights, including to be paid the National Minimum Wage and to receive paid holiday.

"This is a very important decision by the Employment Tribunal and will go some way to addressing these issues. This decision will not just have an impact on the thousands of Addison Lee drivers but, following on from the decision in Uber, on all workers in the so-called gig economy whose employers classify them as self-employed and deny them the rights to which they are entitled.

There will now be a further hearing in the Employment Tribunal to calculate the holiday and pay that the drivers should receive. 

Source : Leigh Day.

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/2jYd5xf
via IFTTT