Rickshaw rider JAILED as Westminster cracks down on ‘anti-social menace’.

Juris Briedis has been sentenced to six months in prison for riding a pedicab in Westminster (Photo: Metropolitan Police)

A rickshaw or ‘pedicab’ rider has been sentenced to 24 weeks in prison after he breached a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) which had banned him from riding a rickshaw in Westminster just three days earlier. 

Juris Briedis, of Edgware Road, had been given the CBO on Thursday January 7 after he broke a Community Protection Notice that forbade him from using his pedicab in an antisocial way. 

But on Sunday January 10, just three days later, he was spotted riding a pedicab in Bird Street, so found himself in Westminster Magistrates’ Court yet again on Tuesday - where he was jailed. 

However, the 21-year-old rickshaw rider is not alone in persistent antisocial behaviour whilst on the job. When he was given the CBO banning him from riding a pedicab in W1, SW1, W2 and WC2 for five years, so were four others: 

Elvis Bergins, 21, and Elviss Krauklis, 23, both also from Edgware Road, Kristaps Lapins, 21, of Wells House Road, NW10, and Ivo Laskivs, 25, of Clarendon Court, NW2. 

To date, 116 pedicab riders have been summonsed to court for parking their rickshaws in a way that causes an obstruction - and police and TfL say the crackdown is working. 

Inspector Guy Ellwood, of the Met’s Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street team, said: “This should send a clear message to riders who persistently engage in disruptive, criminal and anti-social activity will face significant consequences.”

Steve Burton, TfL’s Director of Enforcement and On-Street Operations, said: “We work closely with the police and officers from Westminster to stop Pedicabs from being an anti-social menace in central London, so this sentencing is welcome news. 

“We will continue to support the officers on the ground, and push for the toughest penalties, while continuing to lobby Government over the legislation of pedicabs in the capital.”

Source: LDN24 Zoah.Hedges-Stocks

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/1ZFPFut
via IFTTT

Cabbie's Wife's Showing Trade Orgs The Way To Go.

A campaign group set up by the wife of a taxi driver will this week mount a bid to force Transport for London (TfL) to put the brakes on Uber, the app which has recruited thousands of drivers and attracted a multibillion pound valuation.

Sky News can reveal that Artemis Mercer, who started a Facebook group last year in support of London's taxi trade, will launch a crowdfunding drive to raise £600,000 to fund the initial phase of a judicial review against TfL.

The move will come amid a fierce debate about the breakneck growth of minicab and other ride-sharing apps in London and elsewhere, with Uber facing an array of regulatory measures to restrict its operations.

Mrs Mercer has established Action for Cabbies as a private company to spearhead the campaign, which will use the platform Crowdfunder.co.uk.

The group wants to secure a judicial review on the grounds that TfL was wrong to grant a licence to Uber and its drivers in 2012, because it failed to follow correct procedures.

"There has always been a two-tier system with private hire vehicles on one side and black cabs on the other," Mrs Mercer told Sky News.

"TfL did not follow those regulations in 2012: it went from being a law-enforcer to a law-maker," she said.

"In doing so, it compromised public safety and cost black cabbies the opportunity to compete on a level playing field."

Action for Cabbies will repeat the widely deployed argument that Uber's drivers use a meter of the kind which should only be available to drivers of black cabs, while complaining that the app does not implement insurance and public safety standards as rigorously as those imposed on black taxis.

The crowdfunding campaign, which will launch on Monday, will target London’s roughly 25,000 licensed black cab drivers to raise the required money, with further finances expected to be required if Action for Cabbies is successful in securing a judicial review.

It will also be open to others who wish to contribute, although it will be unlike many crowdfunding efforts in that there is no prospect of a direct return on the funds invested.

TfL is itself proposing a series of new rules that would curb private taxi-hailing groups, such as forcing drivers to wait five minutes before picking up a customer and providing fixed fares at the beginning of each journey.

Those plans sparked a critical response from business groups including the Institute of Directors, as well as – unusually – the Competition and Markets Authority, the chief executive of which said that TfL would "artificially restrict competition".

In the promotional material for its crowdfunding campaign, Action for Cabbies will warn that unless TfL's decision to grant Uber a licence is revoked, the "black taxi industry will be decimated and the iconic black taxi [rendered] extinct".

Source : Sky News.

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/1QfQ5li
via IFTTT

Test

Yes I use iZettle and I'm very happy with their service.

I have in the past posted about Cab:App and iZettle, thought it would be fair to advertise all options available as what suits one driver, doesn't always suit another.

However I have been told that although all these hand held machines are currently advertising they comply with current TfL requirements, the game changes in April when new requirements will be announced. 

I would therefore advise drivers to wait before purchasing machines until after we know exactly what the new requirements are and which machines comply fully after April 2016.

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/1n9QZ7M
via IFTTT

Minicab driver targeted in horrific attack, ambushed in Plumstead by waiting gang members.

A minicab driver was sent on a back-and-forth journey through south London before being ambushed by a gang of thugs assembled by his passenger. 

Police said the driver and the passenger became embroiled in a series of arguments during the bizarre journey on December 12. 

Having been driven through south-east London for almost an hour, the customer asked to be returned to the original pick-up point of Invermore Place, close to the garages near Walmer Terrace.

On the way there the passenger made a call, and the driver heard him asked the person on the other end of the line to meet him at the garages.

As the cab arrived at its destination the driver noticed five men waiting in the area.

He was then dragged from his silver Skoda and brutally assaulted, leaving him with head and hand injuries. 

The attackers are then said to have made off with £30 they stole from his car. 

Graphic footage of the assault was later uploaded to social media after the incident was filmed on a mobile phone. 

Police today issued an appeal to trace a man in his 20s in connection with the incident.

The suspect is a slim black man, with a beard, who spoke with an African accent, police said.

Detective Constable Danny Banks, from Greenwich CID, said: "We want to urgently speak with anyone who saw this vicious robbery and assault, or who is aware of this incident and can assist with our ongoing investigation."

Anyone with information should contact police via 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Calls to Crimestoppers are free.

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/1leAR2S
via IFTTT

Plan for London's first underground hotel rejected

Plans for London’s first underground hotel, 50ft below the surface with windowless rooms, have been rejected by councillors who warned it would be a “minus-five star” destination.

Criterion Capital applied to convert a below-ground NCP car park in Bloomsbury into a 166-room Tokyo-style “pod hotel”.

The LDN hotel would be artificially lit and have no restaurant and bar. It would be on the fourth and fifth floors beneath a commercial block in Great Russell Street, near Tottenham Court Road Tube station.

It was touted as budget accommodation for tourists and business travellers. But Camden council turned down the scheme last night.

Councillor Stephen Stark said: “With no windows in the rooms, it’s not a zero-star rating for the hotel but probably minus five stars.”

Colleague Adam Harrison said: “We need to ensure it’s safe staying five storeys underground in a part of London with some of the worst air quality in Europe.”

Criterion argued it would “have much benefit to the area and create 24 jobs”.

Source: Evening Standard.

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/234HXcz
via IFTTT

ITS NOT JUST AT HEATHROW : Uber drivers upsetting villagers near Stansted Airport.

Lack of parking restrictions in a village just one mile from Stansted airport where residential streets are being used as waiting areas for minicabs is causing anger and frustration for those who live there.

Residents in Takeley are finding their streets lined with minicabs, lately many of them the new Uber cars, waiting for callouts to the airport.

And with no residential parking restrictions in place save for one hour between 10am and 11am each day, they feel they have “no leg to stand on”.

Paige-Elizabeth Reed, whose mother lives in the village, said: “The parking is getting so bad, with Uber drivers sitting outside the residents’ houses for hours.”

But North Essex Parking Partnership (NEPP), which has responsibility for parking in the Uttlesford District, says it is aware of the problem and is doing what it can to “enforce the area”.

A spokesperson said: “The problem extends to the clearway on Parsonage Road and Stansted Courtyard. Restrictions limiting parking to a specific one hour period are usually put in place to prevent commuters from all-day parking.

“Residents concerned about these licensed minicabs parking in the area should report their concerns to their Local Authority, in this case Uttlesford District Council which is the licensing authority.”

When asked about the licensing in the area, UDC replied: “UDC: “We do license taxis in the district, BUT, THESE UBER CARS ARE OFTEN PHVs LICENSED BY TfL IN LONDON, and they wait around near the airport for jobs to come in via the app.

“Obviously if there are no restrictions, they do have the right to park, even if it is inconsiderate of resident’s needs.”

NEPP says it considers the potential benefits and impacts of many parking or waiting restriction requests from across north Essex, and would gladly do so in this instance.

However, it does stipulate that applications for parking or waiting restrictions must be able to demonstrate clear support, including from the local ward councillor.

“Each request is reviewed and scored, looking at key factors including the level of local support, potential benefits and impacts,” said the spokesperson.

“Schemes are then referred to the Partnership’s Committee to prioritise and agree which will be progressed.”

Ms Reed says that restrictions must be looked at more closely and as a matter of priority, as currently residents feel powerless to take action.

“We have no leg to stand on. This needs to be sorted because it’s getting beyond a joke,” she said.

“1 mile from the airport and there’s people sat for hours just waiting and waiting. It has to and needs to stop. Make it permits only so residents can park easily with no hassle.”

Parish clerk Jane Heskey said the problem had arisen in the past few weeks.

She went on to say: “There is an average of 40 to 50 minicab cars waiting around the village. 

There is a real problem with litter and there are no toilet facilities in their cars so there is also the obvious issue with bottles of urine and plastic bags full of human feces being discarded.” 

She urged residents to record registration plates and take pictures of the cars so they could be checked out.

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/1PeSS9b
via IFTTT

PayPal Here : Approved For London’s Black Cab Payments.

If you jump into a Black Cab in London, you’re increasingly likely to be offered the option to pay with PayPal. You won’t even need a PayPal account.

PayPal, has been approved as a payment method by Transport for London (TfL). TfL’s has mandated that card payment facilities will be available in all London taxis, from October 2016.

PayPal Here is PayPal’s NFC enabled credit and debit card reader and to kick-start card payments in Black Cabs, PayPal is running taxi advertising with Ubiquitous, the UK’s leading taxi advertising company. The taxi advertising activity is primarily aimed at London taxi drivers and alerts them to the availability of PayPal Here as a contactless and card payment solution for their taxi.

As part of the advertising activity, inside the taxis passengers will see the tip-seat posters during their journey, which communicate the choice and availability of being able to pay for their taxi journey with a debit or credit card payment, including contactless payment, via PayPal. This includes of course Apple Pay for those with an iPhone that are signed up for the service.

Rob Harper, Director of Mobile Commerce, PayPal UK said, “There are more than 22,500 Black Cabs in London, offering a first class service throughout the capital. However, more people expect to be able to pay by card when they grab a cab, and are frustrated to find that many taxis don’t take cards. We hope to remedy this by working with Ubiquitous to make PayPal Here the choice of both London’s cabbies and passengers in 2016, giving people the option to pay via debit or credit card and by contactless card and mobile payments”.

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/1J5riyY
via IFTTT