In a bid to reduce the “rocketing” number of minicabs circulating within the congestion charge zone, Mayor Sadiq Khan said he may introduce tougher emission rules, limiting the type of private hire vehicles able to claim a 100 per cent discount on the £11.50 weekday charge next April. Not quite a promise.....more a threat!

Transport for London said if this were bought in, it could cut the number of minicabs in the zone by up to 45 per cent — from 18,000 to 10,000 — and raise about £115,000 a day. 

Black cabs will continue to be exempt from the C-charge as they can carry wheelchair users.

Taxi orgs must keep an eye on this issue as we don't want this to change suddenly in another "done deal".

The number of minicabs in central London, including Uber vehicles, has “rocketed” from 4,000 a day since the C-charge was introduced in 2003, TfL said. It blames the increasing popularity of Uber and the growth of home deliveries for causing congestion. 

Cutting the number of minicabs would reduce pollution and improve bus journey times, it added.

The new rules would require petrol and diesel minicabs to meet the EU’s “Euro 6” emission standards, emit no more than 75g/km of CO2 and be able to run for at least 20 miles in “zero emission” mode. TfL said about 10 per cent of minicabs that currently qualify for the discount would become ineligible. 

It is thought more modern versions of the Toyota Prius hybrid, used by many Uber drivers, already meet these standards and thus will continue to be exempt. Uber declined to comment.

However, the rules — which would be introduced alongside an ultra-low emission zone that will charge older polluting vehicles an extra £12.50 a day — would be tightened in 2021 so that only fully electric vehicles will get the discount.

TfL’s Alex Williams said: “It is only right we keep the discounts and exemptions for the scheme under review to make sure it continues to be effective.” 

Mr Khan wants 80 per cent of all trips to be made on foot, by bike or public transport by 2041.

Source : Standard 

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Solidarity : Striking Spanish Taxi Drivers Sleep Out As Blockade Reaches Seventh Day #HuelgaTaxis

Thousands of Licensed Taxi drivers across Spain have joined a strike against ride-hailing companies like Uber, demanding the government restrict their numbers.

The striking taxi drivers, some of whom have been camping out for many days, say the services threaten their livelihood and are putting thousands of jobs at risk.

As a result, they have blocked main roads in the capital, Madrid, and in Barcelona with their parked cars.

A meeting on Monday to attempt to end the strike failed to reach a deal.

Taxi unions want the government to enforce a law which requires just one ride-hailing licence for every 30 taxi licences.

According to Spanish newspaper El Pais, the government offered to give licensing powers to each of the regions during a four-hour meeting. This was rejected by taxi representatives, who say it would not fix the issue, but just pass it along.

The meeting is due to resume later on Monday in the hope of finding a resolution.

Union representatives said in a statement that "Uber and Cabify are putting the viability of the taxi sector and 130,000 jobs at risk", adding it "considers this unfair competition intolerable".

The strike began in Barcelona last Wednesday, after the Spanish government appealed against a ruling by the Barcelona authorities that limited the number of licences for taxi services booked by smartphone apps.

Madrid, Valencia, Bilbao and Seville are all following in Barcelona's footsteps and are calling their own stoppages, causing widespread disruption.

The strike is now trending on Twitter, with the hashtag "HuelgaTaxis" generating thousands of tweets, with people sharing pictures of the strikes in their areas

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TfL Hydrogen Bus Leak Closes The Aldwych

One of TfL’s Hydrogen Buses, on the RV1 rout, has today put thousands of people in danger. 

The bus was reported to be leaking Hydrogen gas, which is highly flammable and in certain cases can cause serious explosions. 

The Aldwych has had to be closed off to vehicles and pedestrians, adding greatly to London’s congestion, while engineers from the bus company try to deal with and clean up the problem. 

A few years ago, a Hydrogen Taxi Cab was hit by a bullet in a street in Las Vegas, both passenger and driver were killed in the explosion and subsequent fire. 

The authorities there immediately band vehicles from using this type of fuel.

In London Hydrogen busses first introduced under leasing agreement by Mayor Ken Livingston, are currently band from routs using underpasses and tunnels because of the risks. 

Emergency services should be well practised in gas leaks in this area after the massive gas leak that closed Charing Cross station in January this year, followed by another major leak in Covent Garden in April. 

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Turns Out Uber Had Yet Another Secret Program To Thwart Police Raids: Report

Uber is currently facing as many as five criminal probes over various schemes from the company’s earlier years under former-CEO Travis Kalanick, but could face more legal scrutiny thanks to yet another secret program unveiled Thursday by Bloomberg.

The ride-hailing company, well-known for its reputation to flout regulations, had a practice of stymying police raids by using a remote system it created called Ripley. From early 2015 until late 2016, Ripley was deployed as many as two dozen times to thwart police raids in foreign countries and thereby shield evidence from authorities, Bloomberg reports, citing three unnamed people familiar with the program:

The Uber HQ team overseeing Ripley could remotely change passwords and otherwise lock up data on company-owned smartphones, laptops, and desktops as well as shut down the devices. This routine was initially called the unexpected visitor protocol. Employees aware of its existence eventually took to calling it Ripley, after Sigourney Weaver’s flamethrower-wielding hero in the Alien movies. The nickname was inspired by a Ripley line in Aliens, after the acid-blooded extraterrestrials easily best a squad of ground troops. “Nuke the entire site from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.”

Uber and other companies have reason to protect the kind of information it maintains, Bloomberg says, but the issue is that some employees “felt the program slowed investigations that were legally sound in the local offices’ jurisdictions.” And that could present yet another legal problem for the company.

Prosecutors may look at whether Uber obstructed law enforcement in a new light. “It’s a fine line,” says Albert Gidari, director of privacy at Stanford Law School’s Center for Internet & Society. “What is going to determine which side of the line you’re on, between obstruction and properly protecting your business, is going to be things like your history, how the government has interacted with you.”

There’s been vague mentions of the program’s existence in the past—a former employee in 2016 detailed an episode from a Montreal police raid that showed how Ripley could work—but the massive scope of the program wasn’t known until Bloomberg’s story.

For its part, Uber told Bloomberg that, similar to “every company with offices around the world, we have security procedures in place to protect corporate and customer data,” Uber said in a statement. “When it comes to government investigations, it’s our policy to cooperate with all valid searches and requests for data.”

In a statement to Jalopnik, an Uber spokesperson described one use of this type of program: “For instance, if an employee loses their laptop, we have the ability to remotely log them out of Uber’s systems to prevent someone else from accessing private user data through that laptop.”

The existence of Ripley comes at a precarious moment for Uber. Later this month, a blockbuster trial between Google’s self-driving car unit, Waymo, and Uber kicks off. Waymo accused Uber in a lawsuit last year of using stolen tech files to advance its autonomous driving program. (Uber denies the claims.)

The FBI is also investigating Uber for spying on Lyft drivers, and the feds are also looking into Uber’s use of a secret program called Greyball that helped it undermine law enforcement officials investigating the company.

TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT : 

Open questions to Mike 'on side' Brown

How many hits are there going to be before you revoke Uber's provisional licence under the one hit and your out system???

How many more rapists are we going to see jailed?

How many more assaults?

How many more drug deals?

How many more terrorist attacks?

Before you act Mike???

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No entry! Backlash at plans to shut off Judd Street to cars

Residents warn polluting traffic will be diverted into residential streets by King's Cross changes

COUNCIL chiefs have been warned that shutting off one of the best-known roads in King’s Cross to cars and lorries will backfire, increasing pollution in side streets and sending traffic to an accident blackspot.

Camden is preparing to block off Judd Street – the road the Town Hall is on – to all traffic apart from cyclists, opening up a new front in the see-saw conflict between frustrated drivers behind the wheel of a car and those travelling through the borough on two wheels.

Black cab drivers have already raised concerns about the changes, while in reply the London Living Streets campaigners say Camden is right to prioritise access to pedestrians and cyclists over polluting vehicles.

But residents in King’s Cross and Bloomsbury insist they will be the big losers in the row, predicting that heavy traffic serving King’s Cross will be diverted into their streets, and then towards Dukes Road – the scene of a litany of "near-misses" and the death of Mark Welsh, a 55-year-old who was hit by a lorry turning left last year.

More than 60 residents were at a public meeting at the Lumen Church in Tavistock Place, called by the Bloomsbury Residents Action Group (BRAG), on Tuesday evening, Most raised concerns about a spiralling route that car drivers – and ambulance services – may be left with to get through the area. They also complained about what they say is a lack of meaningful consultation by the council, but said they feared being unfairly branded as anti-cyclist.

The row has echoes of the CS11 row in Swiss Cottage, where residents say attempts to improve safety for cyclists will only turn their roads into rat-runs. That dispute saw a placard confrontation between supporters and opponents of the new cycle superhighway outside Hampstead Theatre as rival demonstrations met head on.

Council leader Georgia Gould approved the Judd Street changes last month, but objectors have now resolved to try and persuade her to think again and undertake a new consultation survey on the proposals.

John Hartley, from London Living Streets, said the changes would "open up the area" to people who cycled, improving air quality, and John Chamberlain, of the Camden Cycling Campaign, said the scheme would be the "final missing link on the route from Kentish Town to Elephant and Castle", adding: "It will reduce traffic levels and therefore improve air quality in the area south of the Euston Road."

But Debbie Radcliffe, chairwoman of BRAG, said: "There is a persistent argument that the removal of motor traffic improves air quality. But the pollution doesn’t go away, it just moves somewhere else. And the more you slow traffic down, the more pollution levels increase."

She added: "We applaud the council’s transport policy to prioritise pedestrians and cyclists in the hierarchy of movement. But these same pedestrians and cyclists will be exposed to the increased pollution that is displaced elsewhere."

Ray Allesson, an RMT trade union officer representing the black cab trade, said access to Judd Street was "vitally important" because taxi drivers often ferry people between Bloomsbury’s hospitals, and the Royal National Institute for the Blind.

A council spokesman said: "The new space at the top of Judd Street will make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists to cross Euston Road. There will also be a new pedestrian crossing outside the British Library."

He added: "Anybody who has tried to cross Euston Road at Midland Road/Judd Street junction will know how difficult this road is to get across – this is a key reason for deciding to make these changes. This will also improve cycle links between Euston Road and central Camden by introducing raised cycle lanes along Midland Road."

Source : Camden Journal

TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT : by @WalkbarLDN

Should Camden even be doing this with the Tavistock Place scheme discredited in its present form by Public Inquiry and awaiting Camden's proposals to resolve those issues?

The dynamic will no longer be the same.

This #EliteCapture by these articulate know-nothings is cult like.

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Helen Chapman's Interview Faux Pas ... Could It Finally Unite The Trade!...by Jim Thomas.

In an interview with Steve Kenton published last Friday, Helen Chapman referred to the 13,000 Private Hire drivers with fake DBS as a 'Myth' and that the number was actually 2,640. 

Were we seeing Ms Chapman, deliberately playing down the situation in the same vein as the statements made to the GLA of...

'Yes they have a landline!' and 

'all their drivers have on/off insurance policies!'

made by ex Surface Transport Director Leon Daniels. 

So where did this 'Myth' come from?

Taxi leaks posted an article after we heard that Helen Chapman had bought the figure of 13,000 up, at a senior reps meeting last September. 

(We've since confirmed that this was the case with senior reps who were at that meeting).

So why did she bring up this statistic?  (You may well ask)

At the meeting, TfL allegedly* told our senior trade representatives, they (TfL) had known since January 2017, that 13,000 private hire drivers needed to reapply, after using a discredited, unauthorised company which supplied their DBS certificates. 

At that meeting, Helen Chapman allegedly* added that 2,600 out of the 13,000 drivers had already been identified, who would need to reapply. 

She also allegedly* said she envisaged no problem would arise and would personally vouch for these drivers. (Wonder how many of these Uber drivers amongst the ones recently jailed for rape, were vouched for by Helen Chapman?)

(*)Notice that we've said allegedly*....we only have the trade reps word on this, and although we believe what we're told by our senior reps, there were no recorded minutes taken at the time....so officially, the meeting didn't take place and no one was actually accountable for anything that may have been said !!!

This figure referred to in Steve Kenton's interview, was never a myth, it wasn't plucked out of thin air, it was the figure given to the senior trade reps at this meeting by Helen Chapman herself. (According to the senior trade rep we spoke to)

By December it had seemingly all gone quiet again.

Helen Chapman made this reply to Steve Garelick (GMB), who was inquiring 'what had happened about the 13,000 drivers who had used an unauthorised third party for their DBS enhanced checks?'

She wrote:

"All London PH drivers must do an enhanced DBS check. After reviewing the 13,000 records, we identified and contacted 2,600 drivers who needed to request a new enhanced DBS check with our approved provider."

Not quite what she had told the trade reps in September, but again the figure of 13,000 was actually mention (so, not a myth then).

It appears (in our opinion), Helen Chapman was using this interview to play down and finally sanitise the issue which keeps popping up in articles on Taxi and Private Hire media platforms and publications. 

Because this has appeared in print unchallenged, she will in future just keep referring to the issue as ‘fake news’.

It would now appear that we can no longer believe anything that Helen Chapman says or writes in future!!!

This is the reason why all trade orgs, in a 100% united voice must refuse to meet with TfL under any circumstance unless the meeting is fully minuted.

Just to put a finer edge on this issue, at last weeks meeting, the man who called Taxi drivers, protesting to save their jobs LOONIES...The man who insisted it was a done deal that all CC readers should be fitted in the rear passenger compartment....told other trade reps he was now telling all his members to get themselves a hand held unit to use in the front of the Taxi.

You couldn't make this up. 

One wonders if there's been a done deal to sell these units from the reception of Taxi House???

But again, we only have the other trade reps word on this as there are no minutes recorded.

We must never be put in this position again!!!

What Helen Chapman has actualy done by her alleged false statement, is to prove the absolute need for all future meetings with TfL to be minuted, because without formal minutes, no meeting has officially taken place. Without formal minutes, no one is accountable and there are people on both sides of the table that this has suited for far too long.

When we're told "we've threatened TfL with this"... how do we know this is factual if there's no minutes as proof?

Chapman knows that other than the statement she made to Steve Garelick, there is no record anywhere, so she can say whatever she likes! 

It would be nice to see drivers drop the tribalism and unite completely behind this issue. It's up to you the drivers, to put pressure on your respective trade orgs to insist all future meetings across the board with TfL, no matter how small, can no longer take place without full minutes of the meeting being recorded. 

We don't want Chairman, or General Secretaries coming out of a secret squirrel meeting with TfL, professing that 'It's all a done deal" in future!

What we do need is total transparency, not a word of mouth gentlemen's agreement.

TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT :

Another Faux Pas was made this week by Uber when their legal team referred to... ‘the driver app Meter’. 

Funny that...didn't they go to court in London to prove it wasn't a meter?

* Still no landline!

* Still working outside their licensed area!

* Still many Uber drivers with no hire and reward insurance!

* Road traffic collisions escalating at record highs!

* UberRape alleged to be running at one a week!

* Another perverted, seedy driver jailed yesterday!

* Still drivers cancelling jobs for no reason other than racking up the pounds.

* Still charging for imaginary clean ups.

One hit and your out, fit and proper Emma...don't make my laugh.

But then, we said years ago that the meter case was a complete and utter waste of licence fee money. 

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Team Be Lucky skydive for the Taxi Charity

Well done to all who did the parachute jump up at Langar Airfield Nottingham, in aid of the Taxi Driver Charity for Veterans.

On 26 July 2018, Team Be Lucky, made up of four London cabbies, two veterans and a Taxi Charity committee member, undertook tandem skydives with the Red Devils to raise much needed funds for the Taxi Charity.

Team Be Lucky is made up of cabbies Michael Calvey, Dean Euesden, Jon Southcott and Brian Heffernan; Korean War veteran Bill Parr (85) and Chelsea Pensioner Mike Smith (70); and Taxi Charity committee member and vice president, Frances Wyhowska.

See the periscope video with interviews.

  https://www.pscp.tv/w/bispkDE2MDc2Mjh8MVlwS2tMb2p5QkVHasN9MFqDOKJ_0s5-KcB53rQ9UP0mDrySL49UdSOb8Q2d?t=3m30s

Please go to the donation page 

https://mydonate.bt.com/events/taxicharityskydive2018/454191

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After NYC Announce Cap On Ride Share Numbers, More Bad News For Uber As Study Backs Pay Rise

Ridesharing companies such as Uber in New York City are facing more pressure than ever to increase pay for their drivers. The burg's Taxi and Limousine Commission has released a study recommending raises for drivers with companies like Uber and Lyft. 

Economists James Parrott and Michael Reich suggest workers should receive $17.22 an hour after expenses, a roughly 22.5 percent boost to the net pay. That would give them an effective $15 per hour with paid time off.

About 85 percent of drivers don't make this kind of pay, Parrott and Reich said. And that's notable given NYC's relatively uncommon market: unlike in most cities, ridesharing drivers need a license, plates and commercial insurance to operate. They're more likely to be full-time or committed part-time drivers who depend on ride hailing for their living.

The economists suggested multiple ways to raise pay for drivers beyond simply charging more per ride (a typical fare might increase by 3 to 5 percent). They suggested an additional charge for shared-ride services like UberPool and Lyft Line, which might see an uptick in demand if customers shied away from solo trips.

The Commission requested the study as part of a bid to develop new rules for ride hailing services that could include a minimum wage. It hopes to publish draft rules for public comment soon, and the study could play an important role in those early rules.

In response, a Lyft spokeswoman unsurprisingly objected to early details of the report, claiming that it would provide "financial incentives to provide less service," reducing the number of rides and ultimately hurting driver pay, not helping it. Uber shared a similar response to Engadget, but noted that the study's approach would "shrink the transportation pie" and "severely" restrict the amount of time existing drivers could access the services. The report's assertions about the industry were "over-simplified to the point of being flawed," it said. You can read both statements below.

Ridesharing companies have typically resisted attempts to detail real-world pay, and have faced lawsuits over allegations they underpaid workers. And it's no mystery as to why: they're concerned that higher pay would lead to fewer rides, reduced income per ride or both. Uber and Lyft are still losing money, and this might not help their chances of turning a profit.

Lyft made this comment:

"Lyft is proud to provide valuable, flexible earning opportunities for so many drivers in New York. We have not yet reviewed the full report, but the new proposed policy appears to create financial incentives for drivers to provide less service. As a result, there will be more empty cars, more congestion, longer wait times for passengers, and, over time, less pay for drivers in New York City. This would be a bad outcome for all New Yorkers, and Lyft is committed to working with policymakers to find a better solution."

"We share the goal that all full-time taxi and Uber drivers in NYC should earn a living wage, but the report's proposals would get there by shrinking the transportation pie; hurting riders through substantially increased prices and reduced service; and severely limiting the amount of time existing drivers can access the platform. We are concerned about the unintended consequences of implementing the findings in this report and believe many of the assumptions made about our industry are over-simplified to the point of flawed."

So far Uber have remained silent.

Taxi Leaks Extra Bit : 

This is of course major bad news for Uber's investors as the company has just surpassed $6bn in company losses.

As we reported earlier...After six Taxi drivers committed suicide, NYC regulators have decided to put a cap on ride share numbers. 

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Another Sexual Predator Who Slipped Through TfLTPH's Vetting Process Jailed.

For anyone who is under the illusion that Uber are safe a safe form of transport!!

This is Dorin Visanu above. He is a 29 year old TfL registered Private Hire driver from Harlow working on the Uber platform. 

On Thursday this week, he was sentenced at Central Crown Court to 7months jail for committing sexual assault on passengers in his mini cab.

The assaults took place in Clapham and Shoreditch. 

Visanu was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) which will stay on the police national computer for 10 years and he's details will be added to the sex offenders register.

Is this yet another case of lives shattered by a perverted sexual predator, because TfLTPH didn't do their job properly, because they put revenue in front of public safety!!!

Again, we wonder if this was one of Helen Chapman's 13,000 drivers with a dodgy DBS check, that she personally vouched for ???

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What a waste of money: hundreds of taxi drivers wrongly sent warning letters for using bus lanes

Graham Foley, with a bundle of warning letters sent to taxi drivers, by the bus lane camera on the A40 in Cheltenham(Image: Copyright Unknown)

Hundreds of warning letters have been sent to taxi drivers because they drove in Cheltenham bus lanes - even though they are perfectly entitled to do so.

A mix-up means the letters have been sent to drivers of taxis and private hire vehicles by APCOA, the company dealing with traffic enforcement matters on behalf of Gloucestershire County Council.

So even though those vehicles are exempt from a ban on general traffic using the bus lanes, and also Boots Corner, newly-installed cameras have captured their registration details and letters have been sent out. They have warned the owners of the cars that they were illegally driving in the areas and would be fined £60 if they did it again

Graham Foley, owner of Dial-a-Cab in Cheltenham, said it had been alarming for his drivers to receive the letters, which must have cost the tax payer a lot of money.

The new camera overlooking the bus lane on the A40, by the Benhall roundabout, has been in use since late last month. A new camera monitoring traffic at Boots Corner has also been operating since then.

Mr Foley said it seemed APCOA had sent out letters to hundreds of taxi drivers, telling them they had been spotted driving in the bus lanes at Benhall and in Albion Street.

He said drivers working for his company had been sent 100 and therefore he thought the total number sent out had been about 1,000.

The new traffic enforcement camera in Clarence Street, Cheltenham(Image: Rob Jenkins)

He said: "The biggest thing about this is the phenomenal waste of money and that is council tax payers’ money."

He said APCOA should have been sent a comprehensive list of taxis that are allowed to use the bus lanes and Boots Corner.

And he believed the county council could easily have got that information from the district councils in Cheltenham and surrounding towns and cities, which are responsible for issuing taxi drivers with their licences.

A spokeswoman for the county council said: "APCOA now has a full list of exempt vehicles from all district councils across the county and is working hard to upload them on to the system.

"We’re sorry for this delay and would like to reassure taxi drivers that this was a short term mistake and will not be happening moving forward."

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Memo To Mike 'On Side' Brown And Sadiq Khan....If NYC Can Do It, So Can't You ???

New York City officials are moving to cap the number of vehicles driving for Uber and other ride-hailing services as part of an aggressive move to address mounting concerns that their explosive growth has led to worsening congestion and low driver wages.

The legislation being considered by the City Council would make New York the first major American city to set a limit on ride-hailing vehicles, which in a relatively short period of time have transformed the transportation networks in cities across the world. Mayor Bill de Blasio, while stopping short of fully endorsing the proposal, suggested that the time had come to rein in the industry.

The proposal supported by the City Council speaker, Corey Johnson, would halt the issuance of new for-hire vehicle licenses, except for vehicles that are wheelchair accessible, while the city conducts a yearlong study of the industry.

It is the second attempt by New York City — Uber’s largest United States market — to cap the company’s vehicles after a failed effort by Mr. de Blasio in 2015. Since then, the number of for-hire vehicles in the city has surged, rising to more than 100,000 vehicles, from about 63,000 in 2015, according to the city.

Mr. de Blasio, Mr. Johnson and other elected officials have raised concerns about the decimation of the once-thriving taxi industry and the increasing gridlock on city streets. Questions over the impact of ride-hailing services have also become more visceral: Six professional drivers have killed themselves in recent months, including three taxi drivers.

New York’s strong stance toward Uber comes at a time when other cities are grappling with how to respond to the challenges posed by the remarkable rise of ride-hail apps. Last month, Uber won back its license to operate in London after agreeing to stricter regulations.

A series of proposals before the City Council — all seeking to tackle problems in the industry — would also move to set minimum pay rules for app drivers, a step that would make New York the first major American city to establish a pay minimum for drivers. The City Council could vote on the measures as soon as Aug. 8.

Mr. Johnson, a Democrat who became City Council speaker in January, said that it was clear that something needed to be done to grapple with the disruption in the taxi and for-hire vehicle industry.

“This is the plan that we came up with and in my heart I believe it’s the best path forward,” Mr. Johnson said in a statement. “Our goal has always been to protect drivers, bring fairness to the industry and reduce congestion. That’s what this proposal does, and it represents the broad outlines of what we think our next steps should be as a city to help the industry.”

Uber, setting the stage for what could be another fierce fight, immediately blasted the proposal, arguing that it would hurt its customers, especially those who live in the boroughs outside Manhattan, where the growth of ride-hailing services in neighborhoods ill served by public transit helped them achieve a milestone and surpass yellow cabs in the number of daily riders.

“The City Council’s Uber cap will leave New Yorkers stranded while doing nothing to prevent congestion, fix the subways and help struggling taxi medallion owners,” said Josh Gold, a spokesman for Uber. “The Council’s cap will hurt riders outside Manhattan who have come to rely on Uber because their communities have long been ignored by yellow taxis and do not have reliable access to public transit.”

Mr. de Blasio’s office worked with the City Council on the proposals and Eric Phillips, a spokesman for the mayor, said City Hall would monitor the legislation and hoped that it would help drivers and decrease congestion.

“The mayor was out front on this issue when few people were,” Mr. Phillips said in a statement. “He is pleased it’s getting the attention it deserves from the Council.” Any bill passed by the Council to regulate ride-hailing services would have to be signed by Mr. de Blasio before taking effect.

This week, transit officials said the popularity of Uber and other ride-hail apps had been a factor in the continuing decline in subway and bus ridership. But some transit advocates say the main reason riders are abandoning the subway and bus system is because of terrible service: Uber is just offering an attractive alternative.

The City Council is also moving to regulate Airbnb, another tech company that has upended a long established industry — in this case, hotels. Uber’s leaders have signaled that they were open to discussing new regulations, but they have adamantly opposed any cap.

On Thursday, as city officials began to discuss the cap, Uber released a new ad to oppose the proposal. The ad focused on the difficulty some New Yorkers — particularly people of color — face in hailing a taxi. It shows vehicles vanishing from the app. “If the New York City Council gets its way, all of this could disappear,” the ad says.

Mr. de Blasio, a Democrat in his second term, engaged in a bruising battle with Uber during the 2015 debate over a cap. The company introduced an app feature, known as “de Blasio view,” that showed riders lengthy projected wait times if a cap was approved.

But Uber’s reputation has taken a hit in the years since it successfully fended off the mayor. The company was rocked by accusations of gender discrimination and harassment in its workplace, and its founder resigned last year.

Still, Uber and other apps like Lyft are popular in New York. The City Council’s legislative package would change the way these apps operate, licensing companies that provide more than 10,000 daily trips as high-volume transportation services with separate regulations. Under the bills, city officials could also set standards for how often a vehicle must be occupied by a passenger, to reduce the time spent driving around the city while empty.

Mr. Johnson’s office said that it hoped the proposals would push companies to add more wheelchair-accessible vehicles — a longstanding problem in the industry.

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Victory for anti-CS11 campaigners as judge approves injunction against work starting and grants judicial review

The Mess That Would Be ‘Swiss Cottage’

A High Court judge has passed Westminster City Council’s bid for an injunction and judicial review into CS11, but said he was "exasperated" by both sides.

In a two-and-a-half-hour hearing this morning, Mr Justice Holgate heard Westminster City Council believed Transport for London (TfL) hadn’t properly modelled traffic for parts of the route, including through St John’s Wood.

Tristan Jones, acting for the borough, also alleged TfL hadn’t properly shared documents with Westminster City Council.

But this was rebuffed by TfL, which said it had shared the same information for the plans with consultants from the council as it had on the Oxford Street pestrianisation plans.

The High Court also heard the transport body hadn’t shown why the Swiss Cottage gyratory work and work on the 100 Avenue Road plans needed to take place simultaneously. Mr Jones said: "There has been no explanation why they most be done at the same time."

Andrew Parkinson, who was assisting the claimant, raised campaigners’ concerns that the gyratory section would increase traffic elsewhere in the route.

Meanwhile Timothy Straker QC, representing TfL, said the council’s "sudden" withdrawal was "politically motivated." He alleged that Westminster’s backing of the plans was dropped after May’s local elections.

The Conservative-run authority jettisoned support for the Oxford Street works at around the same time.

As TfL officers ferried information to him from the back of the court, he said: "If you look at Camden’s response to the consultation, they say they welcome the scheme because Swiss Cottage is so awful."

Throughout the hearing, Mr Justice Holgate aired his frustrations. 

At one point he accused Mr Straker of "grandstanding" over the accusation Westminster City Council’s actions were politically motivated.

He also said one authority taking the other to court was "like nothing I’ve seen before".

"Why is the court being troubled by this?" he said.

He urged the two parties to have informal mediation talks, and said they should be working together to agree the scheme.

The approval means work beginning on July 30 is delayed, and a full judicial review hearing will take place on September 6.

It is expected to last one day.

Following the hearing, campaigner Jessica Learmond-Criqui told the Ham&High: "We are obviously delighted that the judge expressly acknowledged and recognised the concerns of residents about ran running and traffic displacement into Hampstead and St John’s Wood.

"We were very ably assisted by the brilliant planning barrister Andrew Parkinson and couldn’t have done it without him.

"TfL will not be able to start work before the final decision of the judicial review full hearing."

She added: "The judge also mentioned there is a real prospect of an error of law in TfL’s decision [in March to begin work on Swiss Cottage]."

Ben Plowden, TfL’s director of strategy and network development, said CS11 was "a vitally important addition to London’s cycle network" and that work at Swiss Cottage would "make it a better place to live and work while reducing road danger for pedestrians and cyclists".

Of the hearing result, he said only: "Construction was due to begin on July 30. This will now be delayed pending the outcome of a judicial review."

Westminster’s environment chief, the rather more jubilant Cllr Tim Mitchell, said: "We are pleased with the High Court’s decision today which supports the council and residents’ right to be heard on CS11.

"We are worried that CS11 will cause traffic displacement, increase congestion and lead to poorer air quality.

"We are glad that the court has granted our injunction to stop works at Swiss Cottage until the very legitimate concerns with this scheme are addressed via a judicial review."

And he insisted: "Westminster City Council fully supports safe cycling and we are making major investments for cyclists within Westminster."

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Uber Suspend Services In Barcelona After Ciolent Protests From Taxi Drivers

BARCELONA, Spain — Taxi drivers from all corners of Spain drove to Barcelona to join a 2-day strike that started Wednesday in protest of the growing number of cars operating under ride-hailing apps. Uber and Cabify briefly halted service, saying some of their drivers were attacked.

The taxi drivers, who joined a raucous protest in front of the Arch of Triumph, oppose the recent suspension of additional authorization required for ride-hailing companies to operate in Barcelona.

They want a previously agreed ratio of 30 taxi licenses for every authorized ride-hailing car to be honoured. The current ratio in Catalonia, the Spanish region of which Barcelona is the capital, stands at about 6.7 to 1.

Thousands of demonstrators lit firecrackers and honked car horns as they marched to a government building to demand more regulation on the ride-booking apps they claim are taking away their jobs.

Later Wednesday, Uber and Cabify announced they were temporarily suspending service in Barcelona after some of their drivers were assaulted on the sidelines of the pro-taxi demonstration.

Eduardo Martin, spokesman for Unauto, the Spanish national association for drivers of ride-hailing apps, including Uber and Cabify, said there had been dozens of assaults of Uber and Cabify drivers and passengers in Barcelona, mainly in front of hotels.

Two drivers were hospitalized, he said. One was left unconscious, and the other was taken to the hospital with first-degree burns to his face after an acid attack.

Cars were left with broken windows and wing mirrors.

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Uber Accused Of 'Wage Theft' By It's Own Drivers Down Under.

Uber told its drivers they would get 'more trips' under recent policy changes, a claim which is being disputed.

Uber has been accused of "wage theft" by some of its drivers, who say they have been "deceived" into taking pay cuts under recent policy changes.

As competition intensified with competitors Ola, Taxify and DiDi entering the market, Uber introduced its UberPool and "upfront pricing" policies earlier this year.

The key change was that Uber would provide its customers with "more certainty" by quoting an exact "upfront" price (for example, $40), instead of a range ($35-45).

It's essentially Uber's best estimate of what the trip should cost, and drivers were promised they would get "more trips" as a result.

But several drivers allege they were not given a real choice, as they had to sign amended contracts agreeing to be bound by Uber's estimates, which were "frequently too low".

Otherwise, they risked "deactivation", which means getting blocked from the Uber app without explanation.

After interviewing 40 Uber drivers, the ABC found that an overwhelming majority (35) said they saw a "significant" drop in their earnings, as they were getting "short-changed" on almost every trip.

This was compared to what they would have earned according to the meter.

Only one said he was making more money, and four said their earnings were steady.

Why are drivers claiming underpayment?

Despite the transition to upfront fixed prices, Uber said it would still charge by time and distance, according to its app's meter, in some situations:

"If the trip changes significantly such as with heavy traffic or multiple extra stops, the fare will be automatically adjusted to use the actual time and distance travelled," the company said in an email to drivers.

But several drivers have told the ABC that their worst cases of "underpayment" happened precisely under those circumstances as Uber failed to follow its own policy.

Uber's online support staff told many of them that their 20 or 30-minute delays -- caused by traffic jams, and unexpected demands from customers to "pick up friends along the way" or "pull over at McDonald's" -- were not considered "significant" enough.

Therefore, their pay would remain at the lower figure (the upfront estimate), rather than the higher amount (based on the meter).

The problem was that the company "bases its fares on upfront calculations that nobody is able to explain", said one full-time driver, Jackie (not his real name).

None of the drivers wanted their real names to be published for fear of Uber deactivating their accounts.

On its website, the company said:

"Upfront Pricing is calculated using the expected time and distance of the trip and local traffic, as well as how many riders and nearby drivers are using Uber at that moment.

The company's spokesperson confirmed it uses "historical traffic patterns" to make that calculation.

But Jackie disputed the reliability of this method: "How can traffic jams, especially ones caused by future car accidents, be calculated based on 'historical' data'?"

"It wasn't in Uber's historical data yesterday, and it sure wasn't there 20 years ago."

"It frustrates the hell out of me they can sit in a bubble and make rulings like this."

"That's why I hate upfront pricing with a passion."

The price of the lower-cost carpooling service UberPool is also determined by its "upfront" fare policy.

"In most cases, UberPool trips are likely to undercut UberX trips [the next cheapest offering] by up to 40 per cent," said Max B, an Uber driver who runs an online advocacy group, Ride Share Drivers United (RSDU).

Uber's spokesperson said: "We continue to focus on demonstrating the benefits of UberPool and encouraging further use, including investing in discounts to passengers who share their ride.

"More affordable rides means more trips for drivers and less wait time between trips."

How much worse off are drivers?

One driver, Edmund, who has been with the company for more than two years, said he was losing on average $28 per week.

Among the other drivers, the alleged amount of underpayments varied according to each trip. Sometimes it was low as just a few cents.

But other times, the difference between Uber's estimate and what drivers claim they "should have" earned, under the meter, was as much as 30 per cent.

"This is wage theft -- nearly 90 per cent of the time, the company underpays me by 50 cents per trip, and up to $4," said another driver, Stephen.

Considering the full-time drivers take hundreds of trips each month, the difference can add up quickly.

Uber's spokesperson said: "We want driver partners to be successful which is why we are investing in innovations to encourage more riders to choose the app, and proactively share information about when and where the best times to drive are.

"We also continue to work on improving our driver app in response to feedback from partners so they continue to choose us.

One driver pointed out that there will always be "a loser" in the upfront estimate system.

"If I end up being paid more money under Uber's upfront price [compared to the meter calculation] that means the customer has paid too much.

"They would have been better off under 'time and distance' charging in that case, but that situation is rare."

Fair Work investigation

"This new system may sound sensible on its face value," said Max B.

"But drivers, who Uber claims are 'independent contractors', are kept in the dark and aren't told what the actual 'upfront fare' price is until the trip ends.

"The first rule of thumb to being an independent contractor is to know exactly how much they will get paid for a job, let alone a 'predetermined' job cost.

Some of the Uber drivers who spoke to the ABC have also recently been contacted with the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO), as part of its "sham contracting" probe.

Basically, it is looking into whether Uber is misrepresenting its employees as independent contractors (or entrepreneurs running their own businesses) -- to avoid paying minimum wage, annual leave, sick leave and superannuation.

The FWO, through a spokesperson, confirmed it is currently investigating Uber "to determine whether the engagement of Uber drivers is compliant with Commonwealth workplace laws", but would not comment further.

Bonded to Uber … for now

Drivers like Jackie are trying to minimise their time driving for Uber "as much as possible" in response to the recent changes to its pricing policy.

Despite his personal feelings about the company, he has little choice but to continue driving for Uber in the meantime.

"A driver is very expendable at the end of the day," he said.

"It doesn't matter if I leave -- 100 others would take my place.

"Unfortunately, Uber controls the market in Australia, and at least 90 per cent of my trips are with them.

"But only three-quarters of my pay is from Uber. I earn the rest from Ola and private chauffeuring because they pay better."

Uber takes a 27.5 per cent cut from its drivers' pockets, while Ola's and Taxify's commissions are lower, at 15 per cent.

"But until one of the other competitors gains ground on Uber, we have no choice but to tolerate the conditions of the dominant player."

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London Taxi Trade Needs To Act Now, If We Are Not To Become Slaves To The App...by Lenny Etheridge.

(The post above states "Drivers Today Protesting On London Bridge"... Picture is of course 'Tower' Bridge, typical Uber....pesky satnavs).

The significant problem with 'unregulated' apps is they will eventually dictate all work.

When a minicab driver applies to an office for work, the office may stipulate "We only have vacancies for day men." - dictating when you work.

They might 'let you go' if you don't cover enough work for them.

They might discriminate against a driver who doesn't do enough jobs that are not financially viable.

A minicab office 'employed' drivers who covered work.

And drivers worked for minicab offices that provided plenty of work.

A traditional minicab proprietor balanced the amount of drivers against the amount of work available.

He 'capped' his workforce.

Uber have changed all the rules

Uber does the opposite of capping. 

It floods the market with drivers, as it has in London where it has saturated the Private Hire industry. 

So Uber's 40k drivers have to scavenge over work which can only feed at most 15k.

We must make sure ALL apps (including Taxi apps) are regulated, if we don't want to become glorified Uber whores!

A few years ago Hailo made the statement that their biggest enemy was the street hail. 

Note: UPHD stands for United Private Hire Drivers.

Who can forget Uber's last protest to TfL, where 250,000 (unverified) signatures, were delivered to the wronge building by protesting Uber drivers. 

TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT :

London Taxi Driver/Photographer Terry Gibbons (above right) has an eye for pictures. 

Terry carries his camera in his Taxi, incase something inspires him.

His work is so good, that he's just been featured in an exhibition at the Oxo Tower. 

See video below which appeared on the BBC London News

    

Terry was recently featured on London Taxi Radio podcast ....UKIP INITIATIVE: THE KNOWLEDGE

Posted by Mirna Borne | Jul 17, 2018 | Podcasts, SPD on LTR | 0  |      

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With fines up to HK$500,000 and 3 years in jail – this is serious business

Home and ride sharing in Hong Kong has always theoretically been illegal. But like many cities around the world, a wink and a nod from the government has allowed services such as Uber and Airbnb to thrive, driving more opportunity and demand to the cities than ever. Recent crackdowns and proposed changes to Hong Kong’s enforcement and penalization of sharing economy policies could effectively end the presence of Uber, Airbnb, Grab, Gobee and other leading services in the city entirely, vastly change how travelers experience the iconic Southeast Asian destination. Perhaps, not for the better…

Sharing Economy Travel

Short term lettings under 28 days have always been illegal in Hong Kong, without a license. Since most Airbnb rentals are all under 28 days, virtually every one of them is "technically" illegal, but that hasn’t stopped a booming business of roughly 5,000 Airbnb hosts, each earning HK$25,000 annually, on average in the bustling city. In recent years, cost of living in the city of Hong Kong skyrocketed, and the city seemingly embraced Airbnb and sharing opportunities as a way for residents to subsidize their upward trending rents.

An Airbnb, Uber Crackdown

The South China Morning Post reports recent searches, fines and bans in a large scale step up of enforcement against sharing economy offerings, with further legislative proposals in the pipeline. In similar maneuvers against the ride sharing economy, 28 Uber drivers were fined and convicted of illegal carriage on Tuesday, facing fines up to HK$4,500. The newly proposed legislation would also pave the way for search warrants, where Hotel and Guest Accommodation Authorities could kick the door down on anyone suspected of offering home shares without license. Naturally, the proposal fails to offer a reasonable road to legal listing.

Uber Inflexible

Just weeks ago, Tokyo "cracked down" on Airbnb in a commendably appropriate and progressive way. The city loosened legal restrictions and fees for becoming a vetted and certified home share operator, making it feasible for most  current Airbnb hosts to quickly and inexpensively secure the legal framework to list their properties without grey area. Realistic limits were set, allowing hosts to list properties for up to 180 days a year. Hong Kong thus far refuses to engage in mediation to create new and sustainable laws for the sharing economy. Uber and sharing economy proponents have long lobbied the government to create a path toward legal operations, yet the Hong Kong Government insists all drivers and companies must conform with the current, arguably draconian laws.

Sharing Impact

Statistically, Airbnb hasn’t even made a dent in hotel occupancy rates or revenues. With the exception of Paris, hotel occupancy has continued to rise amidst booming economies and an ever increasing demand for travel. Many view Hong Kong’s proposal to limit the sharing economy as a benefit to hotel and cronies in traditional travel provider markets, with no benefit to residents or travelers. Airbnb, Uber and other sharing economy stalwarts offer travelers increased choice, and price competitive options. Hong Kong is not only one of the most expensive cities to live, but also to stay, and affordable options have only bolstered demand for this Southeast Asian jewel. Will the city pull the plug on thousands of bright lights?

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Yes Another Petition : Lets Get Local Hero Honoured With A George Cross For Bravery

A family friend of mine and well known local Roy Larner of South London, attacked the 3 terrorists during the London Bridge attack in order to try and stop them and help others escape. 

He ended up getting himself stabbed and slashed 8 times on he's head, neck, torso and fingers,  but managed to draw the attackers away saving countless lives. 

He eventually guided the terrorists into the Armed Polices sights and getting them shot down. 

All this whilst now famously shouting "F**** You, Im Millwall", showing great courage and preparing he's body for the ultimate self sacrifice to help others, he should be acknowledged and rewarded for he's actions! 

(The George Cross is the highest gallantry award a British civilian can be awarded for showing tremendous courage in the face of adversity and also having the selfless commitment to put both life and limb on the line to save others!)

Please click link below and sign. 

Get family members and friends to sign as well. 

https://www.change.org/p/award-roy-larner-the-george-cross?recruiter=13401275&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial..&utm_medium=whatsapp&utm_content=whatsapp_share_content_2:control

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