Taxi And Private Hire Regulations....What Is It The Media Doesn't Understand?... By Jim Thomas

What exactly is it that the media can't see or understand about Taxi and Private Hire regulation?

        Has this document become obsolete?

We already have sufficient legislation called the Private Hire Vehicles act 1998

Uber come along and amazingly, even though they don't conform to the regulations every other PH operator has to abide by, are licensed as an operator???

Uber don't do bookings! 

Contra to the PHV act 1998, their app allows them to illegally ply for immediate hire. 

When originally licensed in 2012, they had no proper operating centre, and ran their business from a rented desk space in More London. They didn't even have a landline to take bookings, contra to the regulations laid down regarding applications for operator licences. 

Even now over 3 years later, they still don't have a valid landline or take bookings. In fact they have no way to pre book a job.

The Taxi trade call foul and ask for regulations to be enforced (not new or more regulation just enforce what we already have) and suddenly it's a breach of Uber's consumer rights !!!

What about the rights of every other taxi driver or minicab operator in the industry?

Would it be a breach of our consumer rights to stop Taxi drives selling cigarettes or cans of beer to passengers or set up an app to supply cheap booze to people outside public houses ? 

Or perhaps we could perform cheap dentistry without any training?

Got a toothache? Call a cab....we have the tools to do the job cheap... 

Legislation is there to protect the public and should always be enforced.

Letting a company come here, who pay almost no tax, treats its workers like slaves, working below the minimum wage, reliant on benefits, is unfair competition. 

Why has this one company, with massive funds available for lobbying support, been allowed to operate "outside" the very legislation that every other PH company has to abide by ? 

Surely this is a breach of all other Taxi and Private Hire operators consumer rights!

What is it the media don't get about this ?

We are told this is allowed because it's what the public want, but as Steve McNamara recently pointed out in an ITV interview, a huge proportion of the public want controlled substances that are illegal. They can't because there is legislation against this, just like the legislation that governs minicabs. 

Unfortunately at present and in regards to Uber, the PH legislation, isn't being enforced. 

The Taxi trade doesn't want or need less regulation, it's there for a reason! 

We are proud of the fact we have all completed the knowledge of London process. 

Yes it's hard but it produces quality drivers who are regularly voted the best in the world.

We don't need more legislation in regards to PH we already have exactly what is needed. 

Why should one company be given an exclusion to operate in anyway they feel like? 

Has our licensing authority been corrupted?

All our industry asks for, is to have the rules and regulations we already have in place, enforced. 

What part of this request does the media, and interfering politicians find so hard to understand?

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TfL To Expand The Traffic Carnage With A £148 Million Pot Of Gold

A wholesale redesign of Bank junction and a fresh “mini-Holland” scheme in east London are among a string of projects unveiled today by TfL to improve the lot of cyclists and pedestrians in the capital.

While Local councils are desperate for funding of essential services like libraries, drop in centres, waste disposal and road sweeping, Transport bosses have pledged £148 million, to help London’s 33 local councils install more cycle lanes.

So, libraries and drop in centres close and rubbish piles up on the street because of lack of funding, Straford gets £5.5m for a mini-Holland project, which follows similar programmes in Walthamstow and Enfield that have seen roads closed and cycle provisions significantly increased.

Although Stratford failed to win any of the £10m up for grabs for “mini-Holland” programmes earlier this year, Newham Council has secured cash from a separate pot to go ahead with its plans to rip up the gyratory around Stratford station and “reshape” the town centre.

Don't worry about rats crawling round the bins.... at least the Bank junction will end up with nice wider footways, new cycle lane routes and improved public space to make the busy junction safer”-where have we heard that one before?

But don't expect to go through the bank junction in a Taxi, as they are about to be banned, in the new buses and cycles only scheme.

Other plans include new urgent work, to bring down Islington’s high number of road accidents. Despite the recent blanket 20mph speed limit, road accidents are still high.

Following on from the failure in Islington, Tower Hamlets, Hammersmith and Fulham and Wandsworth, are now to see blanket 20mph speed limits put in place, following consultations in 2015.

The total value of the grants is the same as it was last year, though the amounts given to each borough are different.

London’s transport commissioner Mike Brown vowed the cash would “help transform communities and boost the local economy”.

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Teenager Sets Up Free PCN Appeals Website...And Saves Drivers £2m In 4 Months

An 18-year-old IT student has saved British drivers £2million in four months after setting up a free parking appeals website.  

More than 86,000 people have launched appeals against council parking fines since August using the website which was set up by Joshua Browder from north London.

Nearly 40 per cent said they had been successful in overturning their £60 parking penalties, according to a poll of people who used the free service. 

More than 86,000 people have launched appeals against council parking fines since August using the website which was set up by Joshua Browder from north London

In total, claims amounting to £5.2million were challenged, meaning motorists have avoided paying an estimated £2million since the service was made available on August 24.

Mr Browder said the figure was based on an average fine per person of £60 and that 86,204 had used his >DoNotPay.co.uk< website to launch appeals. Of those, 39.1 per cent said they had been successful according to a poll of users.

The appeals were all against council-imposed fines - but the student plans to expand his website to cover private car parks 'in the near future'.

The appeals were all against council-imposed fines - but the student plans to expand his website to cover private car parks 'in the near future'.

He said statistics showed about 51,000 users accessed the site from London. 

Mr Browder, who is currently studying computer science and economics at Stanford University, California, set the site up after after being hit with 30 parking fines in and around Camden in north London.

The 18-year-old said: 'I am shocked that the site has had such a large impact. When I started DoNotPay, I thought that it would help a small handful of family and friends. 

'I could never have imagined that it would help reclaim millions in parking fines.

'I am disappointed that the councils are targeting the most vulnerable in our society. The elderly and the disabled are disproportionately receiving unfair tickets. 

Mr Browder, who is currently studying computer science and economics at Stanford University, California, set the site up after after being hit with 30 parking fines in and around Camden in north London

'The council has a responsibility to protect these groups rather than target them and it is rewarding to being doing something to work towards that.'  

Donotpay.co.uk, which is completely free to use, allows motorists to pick one of 12 reasons of defence, then enter the relevant details and send a custom generated appeal created by the website's algorithm to the council in question.

He said earlier this year: 'I was given parking tickets for trivial reasons. I have had to spend around one hundred hours of valuable study time writing appeals to these tickets, many of which have been successful.

I could never have imagined that it would help reclaim millions in parking fines

'I have come to realise that councils issue tickets first and ask questions later. Unfortunately, many recipients of these tickets don't have the time, legal knowledge or energy to appeal.'

Of the dozens of tickets he was issued, the majority of them were overturned on appeal.

He says motorists can generate appeals in less than a minute and the website ensures drivers have the best possible chance of winning their appeals.

Mr Browder, who taught himself computer coding at 12, created the service after scanning thousands of pages of documents released under the Freedom of Information Act and consulting a leading traffic lawyer. 

Last year it was revealed motorists paid out more in parking fines with councils accused of 'daylight robbery' as they continued to make a 'profit' from their parking operations, especially in London.

The RAC Foundation said councils in the UK made a £667million surplus from their parking operations in 2013/2014 – marking a 12 per cent increase on the previous financial year and the fifth year in a row of rises.

Motorists in London paid the biggest portion of the money for parking, with the capital accounting for 44 per cent of the total surplus generated over the last year. 

Man wins parking ticket battle, council then paint yellow lines

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Letter To The Editor : Legislation, legislation, legislation... By Lenny Etheridge

No one, not Uber or any PH company can compete with us.

Uber can only offer London wide coverage because there's a Prius parked up on every street waiting for crumbs.
Those crumbs would deplete significantly if Uber were made to toe the legislative line.

The lower end of the public market use Uber because of price. That price would have to become more realistic, to accommodate existing legislation, if it was enforced.
No one can give London coverage like a Taxi; which is looking for hailed rides as well as covering radio/app work.
Price would then become incidental.

Our 'act' is already together.
All we need is the authorities to administer the law.

The police and firemen are being shafted too. But their own hierarchy have been bought and paid for. The police in particular, take their orders from the top brass . The top brass are subservient to the politicians, who in turn are subservient to their 'owners' and benefactors.

The laws are already in place. 

We need existing laws to be enforced now.
TfL are corrupt - of that I have no doubt.

They are seeking to change legislation - this will not be in our favour. 

But in the meantime they are duty bound, along with the police, to uphold the existing laws. This is not the roaring twenties with Prohibition.

If and when we win this war against corruption and injustice, we should make sure those responsible for the corruption be punished, and those found incompetent be sacked.

There is no reason an enquiry should fail to find these glaringly obvious answers.

Over to you, Tom Watson.

L H Etheridge. 

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A Message To All Taxi Leaks Followers.

As we approach the most joyous and for many of us the most sacred day of the year, our thoughts naturally turn to our loved ones, our friends and our colleagues. 

Christmas is a time to share the goodness of our hearts with others, a time for expressing with words and gifts, what others mean to us. It's also a time for remembering those no longer here.

It's a chance to make someone's wishes come true and to truly give something from your heart. A chance to give a message that will express love and caring to the ones we care about the most. 

Taxi Leaks would like to wish all our followers a very Merry Christmas or a Happy Holiday, according to your faith or your custom. 

             Peace on Earth and good will to all.

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Why Did Uber Shun The PH Consultation....Have They Already Been Promised A Result ?

We at now being told in a certain newpaper, that
it's very unlikely TfL will introduce the new PH regulations proposed for next year. 

(There's a surprise)

Perhaps TfL would like to take notice of the recent poll carried out by the Daily Mirror which asked the question "Should Uber be banned in London ?"

72% of Daily Mirror readers say Uber should be banned!

UBER SHUN ONLINE CONSULTATION

We have been informed that Uber informed their drivers not to bother with the consultation, preferring to encourage their efforts by way of an online petition. 

Now why would they do this?

Could the reason be that with this consultation, security measures are in place, whereby the replier has to give a valid email address which triggers an automated reply to that email address. Plus only one reply allowed on each valid address. This stops fraudulent replies.

Remember the scandal when it was alleged Uber used its custermer data base of names and email addresses, to reply to an online poll without first acquiring  permission from the account holder. Many account holders complained when they received the confirmation email!

And so his time, it's heir own petition, carried out by themselves, where they make the rules....hence 205,000 completed by account holders and drivers who allegedly have no knowledge they have signed a petition. 

Normally, TfL refuse to accept bulk submissions. But in their infinite wisdom....this time they have decided to accept Uber's poll petition printouts. Makes you wonder what else was in the boxes 

Before any decision is made appertaining to the implementation of the new regulations, it's imperative that our trade orgs ask for an independent  adjudicator, to examine a cross-section of the submissions, to verify that the signatures are authentic.

  

On BBC London News, we wet told that most minicab operators say the current system would work "IF" properly enforced by TfL. Addison Lee's Dominick Moxon-Tritsch added TfL should insure that all PH operators have Fleet Insurance. 

Speaking for the licensed Taxi trade, Steve McNamara said  the change seen in the minicab industry is progress, but progress needs to be regulated. Lots of people in london like to use controlled substances, but they're  banned ! You have to have regulations it's all about safety. 

  

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Mum warns young girls of dangers of mini cabs after daughter sexually assaulted on Saturday morning

A MUM has warned young girls of the dangers of getting into a mini cab on their own after her daughter was sexually assaulted on Saturday morning.

The anonymous post on social media pleads with other Mums to warn their daughters of the dangers of some mini cab drivers.

After leaving a bar in Wokingham on Saturday morning, her daughter had to fight her way out of the mini cab to escape.

She left the bar at around 2am and went to get a mini cab from Elms Road and inside the silver BMW were three Asian men.

The post read: "Scared, she said where she wanted to go and they proceeded to go in the wrong direction. She asked them to stop 5 times....They carried on driving. During this time the passenger in the back started touching my daughter and made sexual requests."

The driver of the mini cab stopped down Finch Road and the daughter punched the passenger and kicked her way out of the car before running to a nearby house for help.

The post read: "This is a serious crime and I would ask you to tell your young ladies to please be careful and vigilant when getting into a mini cab.

"Ask to see their badge and to call the fare into their base. Please do not let this happen again!"

James Williams, a spokesman for Thames Valley Police, said: "I can confirm the incident was reported to us.

"The allegation is that the victim was sexually assaulted over her clothing at about 2am on Saturday. The victim left the vehicle and sought help from a member of the public. The matter was then reported to Thames Valley Police.

"If anyone has any information please contact the Thames Valley Police Enquiry Centre on 101.

"If you don't want to speak directly to the police you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://ift.tt/uUMqUx. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court."

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