Glasgow Taxis boss hits out at city council after Uber licence green light

Chairman of Glasgow Taxis Stephen Flynn poses for a photograph at the Glasgow Taxis offices Picture: Jamie Simpson

A TAXI boss has claimed the city council is harming one of Glasgow's most important businesses.

In a raft of criticisms, Glasgow Taxis chairman Stephen Flynn said the council is:

*handing out too many licences

*causing pollution in the city centre despite a policy to make Glasgow greener

*over-stretching its Taxi Enforcement Team

*Failing residents with too few ranks in the city and

*Should suspend granting licences while a city-wide survey of provision is underway.

Mr Flynn spoke out following Glasgow City Council's licensing committee awarding a new booking office licence to private hire app firm Uber.

As told in the Evening Times earlier this month, union Unite said it is considering reporting the council to the ombudsman over the decision.

Glasgow Taxis, Unite and the Greater Glasgow Private Hire Association all claim Uber's bookings will go through an office in Holland and not its Buchanan Street premises.

Uber strongly denies this.

Having a booking office in the city that directly deals with customers' bookings is one of the conditions of being granted a licence.

Mr Flynn said Glasgow Taxis has been in the city for more than five decades - but he worries for the firm's future in the face of council actions.

He said: "We try our best to help the city and sometimes we feel let down.

"As a company our first instinct is to make sure the people of Glasgow are safe and can travel in the safest way possible.

"I am worried about the where the taxi trade will go in the next 10 years because of council decisions being made now.

"The only people who suffer are the people of Glasgow."

Mr Flynn points to his company's ethos of corporate social responsibility, citing the annual taxi trip to Troon for additional needs children and support for the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice.

Glasgow Taxis also pays £58,000 each year towards the NightZone in Glasgow City Centre, manned ranks helping people get home from nights out.

Glasgow City Council has commissioned a survey looking at unmet demand in the city.

Mr Flynn added: "The council wants less vehicles in the city centre for environmental reasons and yet it gave out another 1000 licences last year.

"There could be another 500 licences given out between now and the unmet demand survey.

"And what will happen if the results of the survey show the city is at saturation point? It can't ask for licences back.

"The city is at saturation point.

"It's not about competition, it's about following the rules and regulations."

A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said the council works closely with the taxi trade and "understands a number of their concerns."

However, he added: “All decisions in relation to the taxi and private hire car trade are made entirely in accordance with the rules that govern the Licensing and Regulatory Committee, as set out in the Civic Government Scotland Act.

“We have initiated an independent assessment of whether demand for taxis and private hire cars is unmet by the current provision of drivers and vehicles in the city.

"It would be wrong and unlawful of the council to prejudge the findings of that independent assessment."

He said the Taxi Enforcement Team is meeting its current targets and carried out 8000 roadside inspections and deals with 1000 complaints from the public.

The spokesman added: "The council wants the city centre to be used by cleaner and fewer vehicles and has updated its vehicle standards to allow the use of suitable low emission and electric vehicles for the taxi and private hire car trade.

“We are in regular dialogue with the taxi trade about the provision of taxi ranks in the city and adjust their location as circumstances demand."

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Uber In Westminster Magistrate Court For Case Management Hearing.

Uber has sought to “repair and reform” its business as it faces being banned from London, a court has heard.

The firm was told last year that it would not have its licence renewed in the capital by Transport for London because of public safety concerns.

It is due to appeal against the decision at a full hearing in the summer.

During a case management hearing today at Westminster magistrates’ court, Philip Kolvin QC, representing the cab-hailing app, said lessons had been learned from extensive criticism by TfL.

He said operational changes have allowed the list of issues to be discussed in the appeal to reduce from 25 to 11.

Senior District Judge Emma Arbuthnot, however, asked if the changes were just a "smokescreen."

"They were villains then, I’m exaggerating for effect, but now they’ve transformed themselves," Arbuthnot said. 

She said if there were still examples of Uber operating in an unlawful way, "then I want to know about it."

TfL accepted changes had been made but felt “it is really for the court to decide whether, in light of the changes made, Uber is fit and proper”, according to a statement read by Mr Kolvin. 

He said: "TfL served a 21-page letter ... it was a most thorough document and the issues included not just what Uber did but how it did it, and underpinning those issues was a critique of Uber's approach.

"The reaction of Uber to that letter has been one of repair and reform.

"It has accepted a large number of those criticisms made by TfL. It admits it has failed in many respects. It has apologised.

"It has made changes to the way it operates - it has changed its leadership, its directors."

The operational changes made by Uber reduce the list of issues to be discussed in the appeal from 25 to 11, he said.

He continued: "Making these cultural changes has put a huge burden on Uber, but we also recognise that it has put a huge burden on TfL and I would like to publicly acknowledge that."

Uber has also altered its app, so a user is now told that the booking has been accepted by them before they are linked with a driver.

Chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnot said behaviour of Uber in the past was “pretty abysmal.”

The Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association (LTDA), which has been allowed to participate in the appeal, made an application to extend the list of issues.

The GMB union was also supposed to be involved in the proceedings but has since sadly been withdrawn following reassurances about health and safety from Uber. This will not go down well with the GMB's Licensed Taxi branch members who were expecting full support of the Union.

TfL has a number of concerns about Uber, including its approach to reporting serious criminal offences, how drivers’ medical certificates are obtained, how criminal record checks are carried out, and its use of technology which allegedly helps it to evade law enforcement officials

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Tesla driver banned after using autopilot in passenger seat

Sunday Soecial Report: Pop Up Ranks, The Pros And Cons.

There's been a lot of discussion about the pros and cons of pop up ranks. 

A few weeks ago, there was a problem with Taxi picking up a fare on a certain App, (who pay commission to the concierge for booking a Taxi using their app). Trouble was there were half a dozen Taxis waiting outside with their lights on at the time.

Drivers who use the app point to the fact that there is no official rank outside this hotel. 

Whereas drivers outside the hotel say pop up ranks actually show a need for a rank and many times in the past, a rank has subsequently been allowed.

This week on Facebook, an article caused a bit of a stir (later deleted) when a driver complained that a driver had picked up, immediately after dropping off at the Praed street exit to Paddington, while there were half a dozen Taxis with their lights on outside the Hilton.

It seems the idea that the Taxi trade are a 'band of brothers' who abide by a set etiquette... has now been replaced by a dog eat dog attitude.

The pop up rank proved to be very effective fight back tool, against private hire ranks (using the satellite office regulation, bought in under the STaN report) that sprung up outside every club, bar, restaurant and hotel, roundabout 2007. 

This trade, this band of brothers, this hit squad....stood our ground and in many instances we won the day. 

Let's remind ourselves of the pop up ranks that preceded official ranks:

Cranbourne Street (Mr Ali's), Stringfellows, Hombre's, Jalouse (Hanover Sqr), Tiger Tiger, Fabrics, Nobu, Novikov's, Quaglinos, Forge/Abacus, Hakassan, Swallow Street, Heddon Street, Brewer Street, Sketch, ToyBox, Victoria Sporting Club, Charing Cross Road, Coventry Street, The W Hotel, Russell Street, Sushi Samba, Toast, The Arts Club, etc...

All these ranks stared out as pop up ranks, the drivers banding together, fighting back at the lines of Minicabs illegally ranking. If drivers hadn't popped up and ranked at these places, the official ranks wouldn't be there today. 

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Taxi Drivers Rally Round For Knowledge Boy After Horrendous Attack In South London.

Earlier this week, Karim a young knowledge student was attacked in South London. He was approached by group of men, one wearing a crash helmet, and carrying a large bladed knife. He was stabbed twice with such a force, it pushed him off his moped. 

The attackers ran off with his belongings, with one ridding off on his bike. 

Karim just happened to be wearing a very heavy jacket which actually save him from life threatening injuries. 

On hearing about the attack, a collection was organised by Taxi drivers who were appalled by this viscous attack. 

A book was opened for the student Karim at the Astral Cafe, corner of Regency Place and Horseferry Road and a substantial amount was collected.  The collection was presented to Karim on behalf of the drivers by Astral cafe owner Tony Cabral. 

This post appeared on Twitter this afternoon:

We've since been informed, the police will not be investigation this attempted murder any further because (they say) of a lack of resources. 

And yet all this week, we've been hearing reports that a plainclothes police WPC, wearing a red coat with a body camera attached to the collar, has been filming Taxi drivers handling their phones while sitting on the rank at Kings Cross Station. 

She films the keys still in the ignition and then cautions the driver. 

London Mayor Sadiq Khan,Met Police Commissioner, Cressida Rose Dick CBE QPM:

This is scandalous, a joke commissioner working under a joke mayor. 

Knife crime, violent crime, burglaries, robberies, sexual assault, rape...all up under Khan and Dick. 

It's scandalous that they've concentrated much needed resources, raising revenue with easy nicks on Licensed Taxi drivers sitting on a Taxi rank.

THIS ISN'T POLICING, ITS FUND RAISING!!!

How can the Met possibly justify this blatant harassment of drivers then say the don't have enough officers or resources to investigate knife crime/attempted murder.

TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT:

Marble Arch, Friday afternoon!

Passengers fled in terror as a person was assaulted on the platform of a busy Tube station in London.

Terrified witnesses said they heard screaming from the Central line platform as people fled the scene.

A police spokesman said the public will be please to know that although we won't be investigating this attack any further, we managed to nick 20 cabbies for leaving their keys in the ignition while using their phones on a Taxi rank. We salute the bravery of the undercover officer who reported these heinous crimes. 

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City Of London Police Appeal For Cyclist Involved In Road Traffic Collision With Uber Car To Come Forward

The City of London Police have launched an appeal to find a cyclist who was involved in a collision last week.

At approximately 6pm on Friday (20 April 2018), an argument took place between the driver of a black Toyota Prius and a cyclist on Bishopsgate.

The vehicle then accelerated and hit the rear wheel of the bike, causing the cyclist to fall to the floor.

The Uber car then mounted the pavement and hit some pedestrians. 

One pedestrian was injured as he tried to move out of the way.

The 45-year-old driver of the car, from Newham, London, was arrested at the scene for assault and dangerous driving.

 

Detective Constable Kevin Summers, from the City of London Police, said:

“We would like to speak to the cyclist involved so that we can hear his account of what happened and so that we can check on his welfare.

“If this was you or you know who he is, please get in touch with us.”

If you are the cyclist involved or if you have any information on this incident, or please call 0207 601 2222.

Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or give information via https://ift.tt/uUMqUx.

               

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Work Stopped On Oxford Street Pedestrianisation As Residential Votes Were Not Counted By TFL

Westminster’s cabinet member for Oxford Street, Daniel Astaire, has now told officials to stop working on the pedestrianisation plan. At a full council meeting last week Mr Astaire said: “TfL and the Mayor are the main proponents of the changes to the street, but it belongs to the council and the decision rests with us.  

Westminster council now says TFL's plans are “unacceptable”

“I have informed them — much to some surprise — that detailed work on a scheme is to be stopped. They had even wanted to appoint an artist to design street concept art, but I have stopped this too. At present there is no scheme nor a proposal which is acceptable to the council.”

He said Westminster could only back a plan that addressed the concerns of residents. Mr Astaire warned that any legal move by TfL to take control of what has been described as Europe’s most polluted street could take four years.

In his manifesto for the 2016 mayoral election Mr Khan said he would: “Restore London’s air quality to legal and safe levels, with action to make travel greener and pedestrianise Oxford Street, while protecting the green belt.”

When the Mayor then launched his proposals for Oxford Street in November he was accompanied by Westminster’s deputy leader Robert Davis, suggesting support from the council. 

Mr Davis has stepped aside from his role while he is investigated over claims that he received more than 514 “gifts and hospitality”.

TfL bosses initially claimed that the most recent round of consultation — between 6 November and 3 January — revealed 64 per cent outright or partial support for pedestrianisation.

However, it later emerged that many responses from residents had not been recorded because TfL had given out an incorrect email address. 

The deadline for responses was extended to April 6. 

Mr Astaire, who steps down next week, said “the overwhelming majority of Westminster’s residents and businesses” were against the plans.

Local Conservatives are under pressure from three candidates standing for the single-issue Campaign Against Pedestrianisation of Oxford Street party in next Thursday’s council election. 

Westminster Conservative leaders are worried that CAPOS could draw enough votes away from the Tories to allow Labour to win West End, Marylebone High Street and Bryanston and Dorset Square wards.

The Tory candidate for Bryanston and Dorset Square ward, Eoghain Murphy, said in a tweet this week: “Only the Conservatives will protect residents’ interests against the Labour Mayor’s plans. Don’t waste your vote!”

A spokesman for the Mayor said: “The Transformation of Oxford Street is a joint project between Westminster council, TfL and the Mayor… We continue to work closely with Westminster council to look at all the latest consultation responses in detail, and ensure everyone’s views are taken on board before a final proposed scheme is  presented.”

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Tory MP Liz Truss, Confirms Tory Party Support For Illegal Ride Share App.

In the Telegraph today a Tory minister warned:

"Labour will ban Uber and AirBnB if they gain control of councils. She goes on to brand the Conservatives the party of the gig economy".

Liz Truss, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, writes in the Telegraph about how the Tory party is the true party of young people, as it allows them to innovate in the new economy.

She warns that the Labour Party will ban start-ups such as Uber, Deliveroo and AirBnB, or stifle them with regulation so they fail, pointing to Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan’s battle with Uber in London. This caused the ride-hailing app to lose its license, a decision the company is now appealing. 

MORE TORY LIES !

This is more proof (as if any were needed) that the Tory party is 100% behind the continued licensing of this USA based company that doesn't pay full UK tax or VAT, has an extremely poor passenger safety record, failed to protect customer data, and spies on licensing regulators.  

More Tory lies !

Mayor Khans battle with Uber never happened. Khan has spent most of his time in the job defending Uber. 

The decision not to renew Ubers licence was made reluctantly by TfL, citing the apps poor passenger safety record, poor driving ability, data hacking of customer accounts and the greyball software which stopped secret shoppers investigating passenger complaints. 

More Tory Lies !

Fact is in London, the party leading councils will have no effect on Ubers relicensing appeal bit. 

TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT:

Comment From Robert Moore on FaceBook 

Liz Truss is a Conservative is Chief Secretary to the Treasury, what she is actually saying is that she thinks Labour’s election pledge to clamp down on the gig economy is a bad thing - or to put it another way; the Tories have no intention whatsoever to ban Uber & their like.

So a vote for the Conservatives is a vote to continue the free for all that is destroying our industry, and we all know what that will mean for the Taxi Trade.

Vote wisely!

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Uber suspends operations in Vienna after court ruling

  

VIENNA - Ride-hailing service Uber said it was suspending operations in Vienna on Wednesday after a court upheld a complaint against its business practices brought by a local taxi company.

Uber's Austrian arm said in a statement: "Sadly, today's decision by Vienna's commercial court, for now, does not allow us to offer our services UberX, UberBLACK, and uberVAN in Vienna".

But it added that "we are working intensively to change our practices, in order to be able to offer our services to you again within a few days".

The complaint against Uber was brought by the Taxi 40100 company.

It said Uber represented unfair competition as it did not have to abide by the same rules as traditional taxi companies for picking up passengers.

"We're delighted with the court's decision," said Taxi 40100 head Christian Holzhauser.

Ride-hailing services have met with protests from taxi drivers in numerous cities and varying levels of resistance from authorities around the world.

Earlier this month, Uber had to suspend one of its services in Greece after tighter rules on the sector were introduced, while in March it had to suspend operations in the Slovakian capital Bratislava.

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Photo Shopped Taxi Driver Licences Accepted On MyTaxi App. Part 2

Under the mismanagement of Mike (on side) Brown, TfLTPH have lost all control of Taxi and PH apps.

This trade has a problem with alleged unlicensed Taxi drivers at Heathrow asking for postcodes to major hotels.

And now, Transport apps are prompting Taxi drivers to break the law.

Someone has to speak up for Public Safety.

Do we matter at all?

Licensed London Taxi drivers are as safe as houses!

Transport Apps are not safe.

Transport Apps need a regulator, or it will end up like in Ireland where anyone with a driving license may drive for an app - no cab license needed.

How dangerous is that?

It shows 'The Establishment' don't give a toss if a Pleb is raped or even murdered. They probably feel there's a surplus of us already.

The silence from our representativeOrgs and Unions, especially those with newspapers and magazines, is deafening.

If any of our Orgs or Unions put advertising revenue before Public Safety, they are no better than the corrupt politicians and brazen TfL execs they pour scorn on.

The same goes for any driver who wants to sweep this dangerous situation under the carpet, because it might affect their app work.

Here's news for you, you're not earning more on an app than on the street.

You've just learned to rely on it.

Principles are not for sale.

By Lenny Etheridge. 

   

    

Delroy Grant, picking up Mike a Brown

    

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TAXI LEAKS EXCLUSIVE: Helen Chapman's Photo Shopped Bill Accepted On MyTaxi App.

TAXI LEAKS EXCLUSIVE :

Taxi Leaks has acquired evidence that a drivers bill,  bearing the name of TfLs Helen Chapman has been accepted onto the MyTaxi platform, even though it gives the address of 230 Blackfriars road (home of TFL's Taxi and Private Hire administration centre.) 

In addition to naming one of TFL's directors, on the bottom right hand corner, it carries a text passage saying that the regional manager of MyTaxi should be sacked for allowing this breach of security.....and yet it was still accepted on to the platform. 

This is the welcom email sent out to the fake Helen Chapman driver.

In addition, we have also been sent evidence that a serial rapist jailed for life, has been uploaded on to MyTaxi and actual jobs have been recorded, accredited to his account. 

Prolific rapist Delroy Grant was accepted staight on to the platform without question (even though his address was given as 21, Du Cane Road...the address of Wormwood Scrubs prison) and has been authorised to pick up passengers through the app.

We have been given proof below  that a journey was booked for Delroy Grant to pick up.

This evidence has massive security implications and could be used by enemies of the Taxi trade in London to tarnish our good name.

Taxi Leaks believes that the MyTaxi app should cease trading until it can fully guarantee the identity of all its drivers.

We received this information on Sunday night but were asked not to post as the people involved were trying to arrange a meeting with the MyTaxi CEO. We have now been informed that a meeting has been refused and that so far, MyTaxi has failed to issue a statement.. 

Once again the lid has been blown off instant hail apps, but this time, unfortunately,....it's one of our own. 

The MyTaxi app has a gapping security hole, that has allowed dodgy, photoshopped, un-vetted Taxi licenses to be uploaded onto the platform, to work alongside genuine Licensed Taxi drivers.

Just how many fake licenses have MyTaxi taken onto their app?

Is this the norm with other instant hail ride share apps?

MyTaxi - A Potentially Unsafe App by Tim Fenton on Zelo Street blog...

Moreover, MyTaxi might look as if it is there to help the cab trade, but they are on record claiming “Our competition is the street hail”. That’s a challenging proposition for the average cabbie: join MyTaxi and find yourself working for the unofficial opposition. Worse, as TfL have pointed out, it “does not licence MyTaxi or any other company offering similar taxi services via an app or radio circuit”. Obviously, private Hire is different.

Click this link below to continue reading Tim's post:

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Uber No Longer Trust Their Drivers With Your Pick Up Or Drop Off Details.

Apparently, Uber no longer trust their drivers with your pick up and drop off destination. They announced today that they are to hide pick up and drop off details on the journey notes. 

The changes come after customers going train stations (or to the airport) have complained of burglaries on their return.

Passengers have also complained of sexual harassment from drivers who "know where you live".

In a small change which could improve the peace of mind of its passengers, Uber will now obscure the exact pick-up and drop-off locations in its drivers’ records.

What it is: 

After this feature goes live, drivers will no longer have a record of precisely where they picked you up and dropped you off. Instead the app will show them the general vicinity of each location.

This procedure is becoming increasing like a street hail, which is illegal.

According to Gizmodo, this feature will roll out around the same time as Uber’s new driver app is out for everyone, which should be within the next few weeks.

The details: 

Uber’s making the change in order to comply with the EU’s new General Data Protection Regulation. While the drivers will still need something for their records — something to show they did, indeed pick up a passenger in Area X and drop them off in Area Y at specific times — they’ll no longer retain your exact records.

Why it matters: 

While participating in a rideshare does mean you have to place enough implicit trust in a person to get into a car with them and let them drive you places, it doesn’t necessarily mean you want them to have a record of your location. This is particularly true if the one of the places in question is your home or work.

In the article by Gizmodo, the commentator states:

On the one occasion I Ubered alone, I had the driver drop me off at a location down the street and pretended to linger on the sidewalk with a phone call while he drove off. It wasn’t that I had anything against that person in particular — I just preferred that someone with whom I exchanged two sentences and made fleeting eye contact with in a rearview mirror not know my Airbnb’s location.

It’s not a catch-all solution:

It doesn’t prevent a driver from remembering your locations. Still, it’s a step towards giving wary passengers some sense of safety. Especially after it was revealed that 13,000 Uber drivers haven't had the proper criminal record checks with their TfL licenses. The fact that the rape of Uber passengers by drivers rose last year by 50% makes the service one of the most unsafe forms of travel in London.

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BREAKING NEWS: Statement from Brighton & Hove City Council Regarding Uber Relicense.

Following yesterday's licensing panel meeting, on the renewal of Uber Britannia Ltd's private hire operator's license has been delayed.

Given the scope and number of representations made to the panel, counsellors have decided to take further time to give careful and detailed consideration to the matter, to ensure the right decision is made.

The panel will reconvene later this week and will announce the decision on the renewal of the license as soon as possible following that meeting. 

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UPDATED: Brighton and Hove lLcensing Panel Considers Uber Relicensing In All Day Meeting.

AN all-day meeting of the Brighton and Hove city council licensing committee has heard from taxi companies who want Uber’s Licence revoked because it is not “fit and proper.”

Customers speaking in support of the ride-hailing app praised its convenience and user-friendliness. Well they would do, they don't care about safety or regulation....they just want cheap.

But opponents have cited a data breach and a lack of wheelchair-accessible vehicles as reasons to pull the licence, which was first granted in November 2015. Also to be mentioned is the fact that Uber allows 13,000 of its London drivers onto their books knowing they have fake criminal record checks and many have had fake medicals.

Chairwoman Cllr Jacqui O’Quinn told the meeting that even if the council revokes the licence, Uber drivers licensed elsewhere will still be entitled to operate in the city.

After lunch Uber barrister Philip Kolvin said the company was not trying was not trying to “skirt round” the city’s regulations. Makes a change from their normal policy of "it's easier to seek forgiveness than permission". 

He said Uber had regionalised its business and prevented London-licensed drivers from operating in the city. But speaking to local drivers, his is far from the truth as TfL roundels can be spotted daily on many vehicles working the Uber app.

Uber have tried bribing their drivers, offering them up to £1,000 to switch from a London licence to a Brighton licence. 

The company said they will have 20 wheelchair accessible vehicles by the time it has 100 drivers here. It currently has only has 62 with WAV few and far between.

A decision will be announced on Wednesday.

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Tilehurst Private Hire Company Fined For Operating In Reading With Expired Transport For London Roundels

A Tilehurst Privat Hire company has been heavily fined for breaking the rules.

In a routine inspection, licensing officers spotted a silver Mercedes Vito operating as a school transport vehicle outside The Holy Brook School in Ashampstead Road, Southcote.

On closer inspection, the officers realised the car was displaying an expired Transport for London private hire vehicle licence plate.

The operation, carried out by Reading Borough Council's licensing officers and legal team, then managed to track down the offenders.

The men responsible have both been slapped with fines for breaking the rules at separate hearings in Reading Magistrates Court.

Anthony Roe, 51, of Lower Armour Road, Tilehurst, the operator of 1st Class Cars, was found guilty in his absence of operating a private hire vehicle without a current licence, during a hearing on Monday, April 9.

He was fined £800 and ordered to pay legal costs of £1,500 and an £80 victim surcharge.

Clarence Harry, 63, of Halls Road, Tilehurst, Berkshire, the driver of the Mercedes Vito, appeared before magistrates on Thursday, April 12, and was found guilty of driving/plying for hire without a licence.

He was fined £120 and ordered to pay legal costs of £120 and a £30 victim surcharge.

The council's licensing officers are regularly out and about in the borough carrying out checks on private hire vehicles, their drivers for the safety of all their customers.

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Sunday Special Report: We've All Heard Of Uber's GreyBall Program, But What actually Is It

Greyball is a software tool used by the ride-hailing service Uber to identify and deny service to certain riders, including riders who Uber suspects of violating its terms of service. 

Uber's use of Greyball was made public in a March 3, 2017, investigative report by The New York Times, which described how, as early as 2014, Uber had used Greyball to evade local government authorities in the United States, Australia, South Korea, and China. In the days following the publication of the New York Times story, Uber admitted that it had used Greyball to thwart government regulators and it promised to stop using the tool for that purpose.

Uber reportedly developed Greyball to identify individuals who Uber suspected of using its service improperly, and it began using the tool as early as 2014. According to Uber, Greyball can "hide the standard city app view for individual riders, enabling Uber to show that same rider a different version." Uber claimed that it used Greyball to deny service to individuals suspected of violating the company's terms of services, such as people seeking to harm Uber drivers, disrupt Uber operations, or carry out law enforcement actions against Uber drivers. However, after The New York Times revealed Greyball's existence in March 2017, Uber said it would stop using it to evade local government regulators.

According to the New York Times report, which was based on interviews of four current and former Uber employees and a review of internal Uber documents, Greyball used several methods to identify and deny service to government officials who were investigating Uber for violations of local laws. Those methods included:

* Geofencing. Uber would create a digital map that identified the locations of city government offices. If a potential rider attempted to hail a ride from the area around a government building, Greyball would flag the individual as a possible law enforcement agent.

* Mining credit card databases. If Uber identified a credit card as being associated with a government agency or police union, it would flag that individual in Greyball. 

* Identifying devices. Since government agencies would often buy cheap cellphones for use in sting operations, Uber employees would visit electronics stores to obtain model numbers for inexpensive phones and input those model numbers into Greyball. 

* Searches of social media. Uber employees searched social media profiles to identify possible law enforcement agents. Uber then flagged those individuals in Greyball. 

* Eyeballing. Greyball would determine if a potential rider had been opening and closing the Uber app numerous times without calling for a ride.

In May 2017, several news organizations reported that the United States Department of Justice had opened a criminal investigation into Uber's use of Greyball to avoid local law enforcement operations.

Transport for London (TfL) cited use of Greyball in London as one of the reasons for its decision not to renew Uber's private hire operator licence. The decision states that the way in which Uber uses Greyball contributes to it failing to meet the standards of a "fit and proper" private hire operator. 

Consequently, Uber would not be able to operate legally in London after its licence expired on 30 September 2017 unless they entered an appeal within 21 days. Uber challenged the ban in court and are currently still working even though they've been cited as not fit and proper by the licensing authority. 

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Electric Scooters Are Giving U.S. Cities Uber Déjà Vu

Uber CEO Had Secret Meeting With Mike Brown In January According to FOI Request

LONDON (Reuters) - London’s Transport Commissioner Mike Brown met Uber [UBER.UL]boss Dara Khosrowshahi in January, a freedom of information request revealed, as the Silicon Valley app fights to keep its cars on the streets of its most important European market.

Uber is battling a decision by the city’s transport regulator last September to strip it of its licence after it was deemed unfit to run a taxi service, a ruling Uber is appealing.

Since then Uber has made a series of changes to its business model, responding to requests from regulators, including the introduction of 24/7 telephone support and the proactive reporting of serious incidents to London’s police.

Khosrowshahi flew to London in October for discussions with Brown after which Uber promised to make things right in the British capital city.

The pair had a second meeting in London in January, according to a response to a freedom of information request from Reuters.

“The Commissioner met with Dara Khosrowshahi on 3 October 2017 and 15 January 2018, both meetings took place in London,” Transport for London (TfL) said.

A TfL spokesman declined to provide an immediate comment on what was discussed at the meeting. Uber declined to comment.

Reuters had asked for a list of every meeting which had taken place between Uber and TfL’s private hire team and/or Brown since Sept. 22 but TfL declined to release such details.

“We are not obliged to supply the remainder of the information requested in relation to meetings as it ... relates to information where disclosure would be likely to prejudice the exercise by any public authority of its functions ..,” it said.

A court hearing over Uber’s appeal is due this month before the substance of the appeal is heard in June.

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News From Unite Union Cab Section... Uber Illegally Granted A Booking Office Licence In Glasgow.

Yesterday at the Burgh Court, Uber Scot Ltd was illegally granted a Booking Office Licence, in breach of the The Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 (Licensing of Booking Offices) Order 2009. 

In an assault on the democratic process, the Licensing and Regulatory Committee, advised by Licensing Solicitor, Mairi Millar, refused to hear three objections from Unite the Union Cab Section, Glasgow Taxis Ltd, and Greater Glasgow Private Hire Association. Objections were late as the statutory notice was only viewable on the door of 69 Buchanan St for 21 days. The notice was not in the print media, not on the GCC website, in fact it had no online presence anywhere. It was preposterous to expect anyone to notice an A4 sheet on the door of an inconspicuous office building on a pedestrianised shopping thoroughfare.

Despite objections being late, Glasgow City Council Licensing & Regulatory Committee has at its discretion the power to hear late submissions. All three objectors were only allowed to give the reasons why the objections were late, but forbidden from mentioning reasons for objecting. Glasgow Taxis Ltd Solicitor, Tom McIntaggart, put up an extremely convincing argument for hearing the objections, citing examples where GCC Licensing had accepted late objections in the past. 

Councillors who voted against hearing our objections and denied us the right to be heard were as follows:

Baillie John Kane, Scottish Labour Party, Govan (5)

Baillie Hanif Raja, Scottish Labour Party, Pollokshields (6)

Cllr Aileen McKenzie, Scottish Labour Party, Springburn/Robroyston (17)

Cllr Robert Connelly, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Calton.

Those councillors that believed in the democratic process and wanted to hear our objections were as follows:

Cllr Rhiannon Spear, Scottish National Party, Greater Pollok (3).

Cllr Graham Campbell, Scottish National Party, Springburn/Robroyston (17).

Gary Gray, Scottish Labour Party, Canal (16).

Special mention to Cllr Rhiannon Spear who made clear her concerns over aspects of Uber’s operation and was clearly unhappy with what transpired.

Just to recap, all traditional taxi and private hire companies in Glasgow are registered at their respective licensed premises in Glasgow for the booking, dispatch and payment of fares. This means that they are within the jurisdiction of Scottish law enforcement and the Scottish legal system. It also means that they are subject to UK tax and VAT.

Uber is the exception. Glasgow work is dispatched from Uber BV in the Netherlands, trip data is recorded by Uber BV in the Netherlands, payment is taken by Uber BV in the Netherlands, and a receipt is issued by Uber BV in the Netherlands. Glasgow City Council yesterday licensed a sham booking office that attempts to legitimise dispatch of work from an unlicensed foreign company, Uber BV. 

Yesterday Uber’s Solicitor pointed to 4 million trips taken in Glasgow since it started. Some crude arithmetic based on an average of £5 per trip:

4M x £5 = £20M

Uber’s cut (25%) after drs are paid =£5M

UK Corporation tax @21% on £5M ~£1M+

UK VAT @20% on £20M = £4M

So, with what we admit are very crude workings, Uber has avoided UK tax and VAT in the region of £5M in Glasgow alone, in the 30 months it has been operating. That is starving the public purse of much needed revenue for schools, hospitals, housing etc. Glasgow City Council Licensing not only had solid legal grounds to reject Uber’s application, it also had a strong moral case to reject it. 

Don’t take our word for Uber’s illegal operation in Glasgow. At the November, 2017, Joint Taxi and Private Hire Trade Meeting, GCC Licensing Solicitor, Mairi Millar, stated that Uber Britannia Ltd did not satisfy the criteria to hold a Booking Office licence. Well the Licensing Solicitor can now make that two illegal booking offices ‘operational’ in Glasgow now.

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THE HIDDEN COSTS OF OWNING AN ELECTRIC CAR - SO IS IT REALLY CHEAPER THAN A PETROL OR DIESEL?

As electric vehicles rise in popularity, so does the price to run one - and motorists are being hit with extra charges

DRIVING an electric car might seem like a cheaper option, but drivers are being hit with hidden costs as the motors become more popular.

The number of electric vehicles on British roads has risen by 33 per cent in the last year, but that’s been matched by a hike in charging costs

The majority of public charging points no longer offer free electricity, with plug-in drivers now forced to fork out for monthly subscriptions to power up their motors.

In some cases, drivers can expect to pay as much as £17 per month subscription in addition to charging fees.

According to a study by What Car?, the cost to charge a Renault Zoe ZE40 to 80 per cent varied largely depending on location.

They found motorists could pay as much as £17.46 to use a Source London Flexi – fast (7.4 kW) charging station, or as little as £7.70 for a Polar Instant – fast (7.2 kW) charger

The price to charge an electric car also varied depending on whether or not there was a registration fee, and whether the cost was charged by monthly subscription, by the hour or by kWh unit cost.

Research found that public charging could cost drivers twice as much as if they were to power up their vehicle at home

But a lack of public parking means many motorists are forced to pay public charging rates.

Steve Huntingford, Editor at What Car? said: “Plug-in electrics are still relatively new to consumers and so they might not be as clued up as they would be with a petrol or diesel equivalent.

“Plug-ins should remain an extremely worthwhile and affordable investment for many, but it’s essential that prospective owners are doing their research and making sure they’ve got the right car for their needs and lifestyle.”

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ComfortDelGro acquires London taxi circuit operator Dial-a-Cab for £1.2 million

Com Cab owners ComfortDelGro, have acquired London taxi circuit operator Dial-a-Cab's business and assets for £1.2 million (S$2.2 million), the company announced on Thursday (Apr 19). 

The deal was undertaken by ComfortDelGro's wholly owned subsidiary in the UK CityFleet Networks. 

ComfortDelGro's managing director and group CEO Yang Ban Seng said the acquisition will "enable the Group to grow and strengthen its position as the leading taxi circuit operator in London through an expansion of the customer and driver base".

Radio taxi circuits are operators of a door-to-door transportation service that uses London's black cabs.

Currently, ComfortDelGro is the largest taxi circuit operator in London with around 1,900 London taxis. The acquisition will add about 1,100 black cabs to bring the total fleet to 3,000.

Mr Yang also added that London Councils and Transport for London recently awarded CityFleet the Taxicard and Dial-A-Ride contract for another three years, with an option for a fourth. 

Taxicard is the largest public sector day-to-day transport service in London for passengers with serious mobility impairments or who are severely sight impaired. 

CityFleet has held this contract over several decades through its taxi subsidiary Computer Cab. 

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THE LTFUC PURCHASE A MUCH NEEDED SPECIALLY ADAPTED TRICYCLE FOR LITTLE HOPE, AGED 5

On Tuesday 17th April I went along with our Appeals Officer, Colin Greaves, to officially present little Hope aged 5 with a Tricycle, cost £945, to help and enable her to walk again as she suffers from a very rare metabolic condition called GA1 (Glutaric Aciduria 1), which unfortunately also caused her to suffer brain damage.  Her condition affects muscle tone, strength and motor control throughout her body which has made her very weak and her mobility extremely difficult.  The Tricycle has been specially adapted for her and will great benefit her physically, socially and emotionally.

Hope lives with her grandparents who said since she has received the Tricycle she cannot wait to get back on it after school and it is obvious that she has already started to get a tremendous sense of enjoyment and achievement from it, accompanied by lots of fun.

Every month Colin looks into the numerous Appeals that the LTFUC receive and the Committee were very pleased on this occasion to grant this appeal for such a worthy cause.

Raymond Levy (PR)

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BREAKING NEWS: Statement from The ITA to the City of London

At midnight on Sunday 15th 2018  the ITA decided to withdraw the motion to call direct action over the decision made by the City of London to grant access through Bank Junction for the duration of The Commonwealth Games.

Members of the ITA reserve their right to resume direct action at any other time.

The decision is in response to concerns by  officials that the security risk in the area could rise sharply if the area became ‘over populated’. 

The point must be emphasised that whilst the ITA considers statements that pertain to a compromise in safety, we will not automatically take on board the legitimacy of  that statement.

The ITA has it’s own checks and balances set in place before direct action is announced publicly. 

More-so, the propensity for local authorities to ‘scare monger’ is a tried and tested one, and we will not succumb to disingenuous rhetoric to justify unjust policies.

Compounding on this, it is a timely reminder that the restriction imposed on licensed Taxis using Bank Junction as a ‘through route’ is implemented under the banner ‘Bank of Safety’. The service provided by London’s Licensed taxi trade (black cabs) is- according to TfL and the CofL’s own verifiable data- the safest transport option available, so once again, we call upon the City of London to lift the restriction on taxis forthwith. 

Failing that, provide a satisfactory reason why the public should be denied access to the only door-to-door public service option available. 

Assuming an observant position, we urge the City of London to lead the way and resume negotiations with relevant trade groups. It is not the mark of a progressive or democratic process to dismiss trade representatives who’s advocacy to serve their members is far higher than that enjoyed by the policy makers.  

We trust the City of London will find our request reasonable

ITA.

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THE LTFUC PURCHASE A MUCH NEEDED SPECIALLY ADAPTED TRICYCLE FOR LITTLE HOPE, AGED 5

On Tuesday 17th April I went along with our Appeals Officer, Colin Greaves, to officially present little Hope aged 5 with a Tricycle, cost £945, to help and enable her to walk again as she suffers from a very rare metabolic condition called GA1 (Glutaric Aciduria 1), which unfortunately also caused her to suffer brain damage.  Her condition affects muscle tone, strength and motor control throughout her body which has made her very weak and her mobility extremely difficult.  The Tricycle has been specially adapted for her and will great benefit her physically, socially and emotionally.

Hope lives with her grandparents who said since she has received the Tricycle she cannot wait to get back on it after school and it is obvious that she has already started to get a tremendous sense of enjoyment and achievement from it, accompanied by lots of fun.

Every month Colin looks into the numerous Appeals that the LTFUC receive and the Committee were very pleased on this occasion to grant this appeal for such a worthy cause.

Raymond Levy (PR)

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Mercedes Finds An Outlet For Unsold Taxis With Ride Share App.

In recent years, we have seen many big-name vehicle manufacturers trying their hand at the private-hire market, coming up with all sorts of ideas on how they can get a slice of the ride-hailing and ride-sharing economy. 

Whilst Uber are waiting to hear from. The court about their licence renewal appeal, Mercedes believe they have found a gap in the London market.

Not a great surprise really, as they needed an outlet for the vehicles designed to be London Taxis, now that the Taxi trade can no longer licence any new vehicle other than an electric vehicle.

Regulation Out The Window At TfL.

It seems the regulation that stop purpose built Taxis being used by Private Hire companies, is another regulation swept under the carpet under the watchful gaze of Mike Brown's TfLTPH.

The German car-makers have this week announced that they are introducing an on-demand ridesharing Vito's boasting  a strong demand in London for ride-sharing solutions.

ViaVan is the name of this new service; a joint venture between Mercedes and American ridesharing service; Via. Together, the businesses will allow commuters of Zones 1 and 2 to access vans with vacant seats in real-time, allowing them to jump in and share ride fairs with those heading in the same direction as them.

Having already tested the model in Amsterdam, they say they will be excelling where Uber very much fell flat. This venture is centred on safety and reliability, with ViaVan offering the residents and visitors of the capital city an honest, easy way to travel. Doesn't mean diddley squat as customer who use Uber don't give a fig about safety or reliability....they just want cheap!

In a statement to the press, Chris Snyder CEO of ViaVan said:

“Our mission is to power truly dynamic mass transit systems, which reduce congestion in our cities while offering drivers the opportunity to earn a decent living.# “We are delighted to launch in London and finally give Londoners an alternative to expensive and inefficient private car services.”

Same Old Workforce, Still A Danger To The Public

Unfortunately for unsuspecting Londoners and Visitors alike, they will be drawing on the same work force that Uber have exploited and let's not forget that 13,000 of this workforce have acquired their PH licence using fake Criminal Record Check DBS certificates plus many have fake medical. 

Last year custom rape from this workforce rose by 50% to over one a week with sexual assaults rising to almost one a day.

London is to be flooded with new ride share apps in the wake of a Uber licence renewal knock back and TfL are still dishing out operator and driver licenses like sweeties to kids, (trying to make a dent in the forecast £1b deficit for the next financial year). Over. Recent years, we've seen a dramatic escalation in road traffic collisions where these untrained drivers take their eyes off the road and smash into other vehicles. People have died and the blood is on the hands of the directors at TfL who have shirked all responsibility once they've taken the cash.

Gone out the window are the days when public safety was paramount. 

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