Licensing Authority, Could Ban Taxi Drivers From Smoking E-Cigs....By Gerald Coba.

Tunbridge Wells Council decision on whether to ban taxi drivers from vaping in their vehicles has been put on ice.

Council chiefs have decided to hold off until they can ask the public for their views.

The licensing committee at Tunbridge Wells Borough Council unanimously voted to consult people on the matter of e-cigarettes and vaping in hackney carriage and private hire vehicles

It will be part of an already planned Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Policy review scheduled for later this year or next.

Licensing committee chairman Bob Backhouse told the Courier: "Further to complaints from members of the public concerning taxi drivers who have vaped while driving, I was asked 'is this illegal?' 'Is this against taxi regulations?' We discovered we only had a policy that stops smoking in taxis and obviously in the light of the widespread growth of vaping this needs to be amended."

He added: "Owing to the fact that we were about to make a public consultation with taxi drivers and members of the public, the licensing committee thought it best to incorporate this issue in that consultation. At the meeting councillors agreed that for people with asthma or other breathing difficulties it was considered anti-social for anyone to vape in a taxi, drivers or passengers."

EDITORIAL COMMENT (GC):

There are many establishments in and around the capital that have banned vaping on their premises. Restaraunts, bars, clubs, cafes and pubs have banned puffing on the e-pipes as some customers have complained about the sweet sickly smell associated with the device. Drivers in London are currently banned from smoking in their vehicles where passengers are carried for hire and reward. Should this ban be extended to e-cigarettes ?  

As Taxi drivers, are is your views on this

Do you think London Taxi drivers should be banned from vaping in their vehicles?

Use the comments section to give your views! 

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/29t5KA2
via IFTTT

7/7...We Will Always Remember, We Will Never Forget... By Jim Thomas

Eleven years ago today, 52 people were murdered and more than 700 injured when four bombs went off during a busy London rush hour.

The devastating terror attacks left a mark on our nation as one of the worst terrorist incidents in recent history.

Working nights, I was asleep and knew nothing of the carnage which had taken place. The phone rang 

"Hello" 

It was my wife Christine who worked for TfL

"Turn the TV on" she said "call me back, I can't talk at the moment it's too emotional".

I turned the TV on, and it was on all channels. 

I remember dropping to me knees in disbelief, hoping to God I was in some sort of nightmare dream.

My Christine never came home that day, she volunteered along with her colleagues to stay at her post and carried on working through the night. 

Chris was seconded to a support unit, set up to help trace the families of victims. Bodies were being identified by what was left of their processions. 

My Christine saw images on that day, no one should ever have to witness. 

Many of London's Taxi drivers stopped mid-shift and formed what could only be described as the fourth emergency service. Carrying the walking wounded to and from local hospitals and later on into the early hours, taking exhausted emergency staff workers home.   

I joined the ranks with my colleagues that day/night, many journeys undertaken in stark silence. Although all journeys were being undertaken free, many of the wonderful nurses and auxiliary staff insisted on payment and left money in the tray. But I felt couldn't accept and so later donated to the Rainbow Trust.

I phoned my wife at regular intervals to see if she was ready to come home, but she was adamant not to leave her post. In fact she stayed working till midday on the 8th. 

Later next day, we heard the awful news that the beautiful wife Susan of my friend Harry Levy had died from injuries sustained on the train underneath Russel Square. 

Susan Levy was the first casualty to be identified from the train, she was rushed to the Royal London hospital but died on arrival. 

An inquest in 2010 heard that legal secretary Mrs Levy "loved her job and was very good at it". Born on 17 December 1951, Susan had become accustomed to sharing the first half of her 17-mile commute from Newgate Street Village, near Cuffley, with her younger son.

On the morning of the attacks she had said goodbye to son Jamie, who got off at Finsbury Park, while she remained on the Piccadilly Line train which exploded underneath Russell Square.

At the inquest, Dr Alistair Mulcahy, a consultant anaesthetist at the Royal London Hospital who was working as a volunteer doctor for the British Association for Immediate Care on 7/7, said Mrs Levy was discovered struggling to breathe with "very severe lacerations" to her legs.

Asked if she could have survived if tourniquets had been applied to her limbs at the scene, he simply said: "Yes".

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/29ndXSh
via IFTTT

MAYFAIR MOB: IMPORTANT UPDATE ON TAVISTOCK PLACE by Rayman.

The Mayfair Mob (MM) have been working extremely hard in the background since the implementation of the Cycle Super Highway (CSH) route last year. 

For those who are unaware, Camden Council implemented a CSH scheme under an Experimental Traffic Order (ETO) last year in the Bloomsbury area and are planning a consultation, probably in September to make these changes permanent. 

As part of the public transport network you wouldn't have to look far to find a London Taxi driver who has not been affected by the congestion caused by this scheme, especially around Russell Sq and High Holborn. 

The Mayfair Mob have engaged with representatives from the Imperial Hotel Group (most notably SCP Transportation Planning) for many months to help find a solution which suits all forms of traffic in the area.

Whilst we fully understand the importance of CSH schemes it should not be to the detriment of businesses and residents in the area.

Imperial Group have liaised with not only ourselves but resident groups, other businesses and the emergency services to come up with an alternative proposal which ultimately should reduce the congestion in the area and still give cyclists a safe way to travel.

EXHIBITION

Imperial Group are to hold an exhibition in mid July to showcase these proposals to which drivers are welcome to attend and give their views. Details of place and time are at the end of this article. There will also be an opportunity to give your views online. How to do this will be published through the various MM Twitter pages in the near future.

AIM

It is hoped that Camden will include this proposal into the permanent consultation in September as their main choice, bringing a solution that suits all traffic in the area.

ORGS

The UCG and the RMT have both been updated with the new proposals and are both backing the new scheme 100%. All other trade bodies are invited to contact me via DM and I will happily update them in advance of the exhibition is they require. MM are certain that once the other trade bodies have been updated they will support these proposals going forward. 

This new scheme is a real step forward for the taxi trade and will help reduce congestion and pollution whilst keeping cyclists moving and safe. 

MM would like to say a big thank you to the Imperial group for all their hard work on this project.

MM - WORKING SOLUTIONS FOR THE TRADE.

The exhibition will take place on -

Thursday14th July 19.30 - 21.30

Saturday 16th July 10.30 -16.00

Emmerson Room

Mary Ward House

Tavistock Place 

London

WC1H 9SN. 

Ends...

Want to know how the locals feel about Camden's temporary system: 

Click Links

>Read Marchmont News<

>Read Camden news journal <

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/29pv6Q4
via IFTTT

Luton Airport tells taxi drivers, contract tendering process was 'fair and open'

RMT drivers protesting on the steps of the Town Hall about the airport contract being awarded to Addison Lee

LUTON Airport has told hackney carriage drivers the decision to award their contract to a rival taxi firm was fair.

Drivers from Luton Hackney Carriage Association say they face losing their job after the contract to operate the taxi rank they have worked in for 40 years was awarded to London based Addison Lee.

Drivers have argued that the decision will force them to take their black cabs to the town centre, where there is not enough work.

Munir Ahmed, a member of the association, said: "Years ago we were required to change all our comfy cars to back cabs to enhance the image of Luton Airport.

"So instead of buying a comfortable car for £15,000 I was obliged to buy an uncomfortable black cab for £40,000 with repayments of over £900 a month for four years.

"This pushed up all our fares and made us less popular with public. Now the decision has been reversed, but instead of letting hackenys convert back to cars they have awarded the contract to Addison Lee.

"What compensation will be given to drivers in causing the loss of jobs after decades working at the airport?"

Fellow driver Dahood Khan added: "Does this mean the policy was wrong when they forced us to buy expensive black cabs instead of saloon cars, claiming it would add to the prestige of the airport?

Members of the RMT recently held protests asking the tendering process to be undertaken again 'fairly', but Luton Airport say the decision was a fair one and there are no grounds to award drivers compensation.

A spokesman said: "The tender for a ground transportation provider has been a clear, fair and open process which began in December last year. Our priority is to ensure our customers receive the best possible service, and the tender was carried out with this in mind.

"There are no grounds for compensation under the previous contract which ended in June.

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/29iB5E2
via IFTTT

Uber's Crashes Are Health And Safety Risk. Plus They Are Driving Up The Cost Of Hire And Reward Insurance.

UBER drivers have come under fire through the #ubered hashtag, documenting the escalation of shocking Uber crashes across London. 

Photos uploaded on social media platforms show overturned motors, battered bonnets and cars crashed into buildings – all reported to be driven by drivers working for the uber minicab firm.

London Taxi Drivers pressure group, #Action4Cabbies are calling for accident statistics to be recorded in separate groups, as at present, all incidents are recorded as Taxi and Private Hire related. 

Insurance premiums for Taxis are artificially being increased due to the alleged poor driving from Uber drivers. When a Taxi org insisted that Taxis be included in the new scheme for Tottenham Court Road, they were told Taxis were considered a danger as they are in a group with the highest incidents of road traffic accidents. The truth being that Taxis have one of the best safety records on the streets of London.   

However, Uber's record on safety is appalling:

In one unbelievable image a white car is seen tipped on its side with the boot open inches away from a flat window.

There have been a massive amount of terrifying weets documenting dangerous manoeuvres, crashes and nail-biting experiences at the hands of seemingly inexperienced drivers, many alleged to have the wrong type of insurance which excludes cover for paying passengers.

Twitter and FaceBook photos show driver, reportedly working for Uber, turning the wrong way down one-way roads, knocking cyclists off their bikes and smashing into lampposts.

Mark Godden shared a photo under the #Ubered trend this week, of a driver seemingly driving the wrong way up London’s busy New Kent Road.

He tweeted the shocking image to TfL with the caption: “One of your drivers (Uber) attempts U turn in busy New Kent Rd, almost killing a motorcyclist.”

Another terrifying image shows a car badly impaled on a bollard with the front smashed in.

Passenger Jeannette Belaouane tweeted a photo of the shocking damage, writing: “Thank you @Uber_LDN for almost killing me!

“Please respond to my emails asap.”

Appallingly many stories shared on Twitter claim to involve uninsured Ubers getting into dangerous accidents.

Many mages show cars mounted on pavements, just inches away from front doors.

Another shows a white car that appears to have reversed into scaffolding on the corner of a road.

Others show mayhem on the streets with cars facing the wrong direction, stopped in the middle of the road or stuck on kerbs.

One incredibly shows a car that has crashed on top of a pile of motorbikes

The images are taken across the capital and show a number of accident scenes with police in attendance.

Tweets are uploaded under the hashtag on an almost daily basis by members of the public.

Others take to social media to complain about experiences inside the minicab.

Many complained about Uber drivers not knowing where they are going and taking one-way streets in the wrong direction.

Gabe Gurnsey moaned on Twitter: “My Uber driver has just passed his test and has no idea where Gatwick airport is. One star before we set off.”

Melody Kane wrote: “My Uber driver was telling me he has only been in the UK and driving for two weeks… While driving the wrong way into oncoming traffic

Uber denied all of the incidents uploaded under the hashtag involved their drivers and claimed it is used by detractors to make false claims.

They confirmed a number of the photos showed Uber cars, but claimed they were involved two-car collisions where the Uber driver was not at fault. 

Well, they would say that wouldn't they. They also claim female passengers are completely safe in uber cars, even in the light of a FOI request to the Met which alleges 32 incidents of rape and serious sexual assault by Uber drivers on passengers (including male passengers) last year alone.

A spokesman said: “On a number of others, we either cannot make out the registration plate in the tweets or do not have reports of any incidents matching what claims to have happened.”

We must remember here that their spokesman was saying many of the reported complaints of RAPE was in fact just a misspell of the word RATE, until the Met Police confirmed the figure of 32 attributed to Uber in just one year.

Wonder what the words 'serious sexual assault' were supposed to be misspellings of ???

Uber have declined to comment further.

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/298wVuX
via IFTTT

The On The Streets Of London Awards....And The Winner Is....by I'm Spartacus.

At last nights 'On the Streets of London Awards' the clear winner as voted by billions of passengers throughout the world in the innovation and service category was:

The London Taxi.

It's innovative idea of having a highly skilled driver with the passenger just having to raise an arm or visit a rank outside every good hotel, railway station or store is a proven success.

Most cabs also take contactless credit cards and all will do so from October, there are also many smartphone Taxi apps and Radio cabs available

Other great features include 100% access for wheelchairs, accessibility and clear pricing.

Everyone can use them, even if you don't have a smart phone. Not sure of the address... the fantastically knowledgeable driver in their purpose designed vehicle will get you there.

The judging panel stated 'no other product even came close'. 

'The total reliance on one form of technology such as Sat Nav with its inability to understand the dynamic nature of the streets, the poor quality driving standards, data security, taxation and personal safety incident records were key factors in ruling out a somewhat ragged group of also rans.'

Will 2017 keep the winning run of over 350 years going? 

Prediction is a certain yes and it will surely be the biggest non event since Boris Johnson who like all uber inflated interlopers just fade away into ignominy.

So Londoners and visitors alike will continue to hail the success that is, The London Taxi

I'm Spartacus. 

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/29aqnhK
via IFTTT

Evening Standard Tobacco Dock Awards Protest : TfL Ignore Uber Touting In Street.

With military precision, Dads Defending Daughters marched into Pennington Street Wapping, to protest against Uber being up for awards at the Evening Standard business awards being held at Tobacco Dock.

As the guests arrived, they were greeted by the banners and posters showing the despicable statistics being hidden from the general public by the mainstream media. 

The protestors were very vocal but, apart from making noise, it all went extremely peaceful. See video. 

When all the guests we're inside, the protest disbanded allowing the presentations to take place. 

But unexpectedly, just before the evening ended, the protestors returned. This time accompanied by many Taxis, causing completely gridlock the to surrounding area.

 

As guests left, they found they could not access their promotional uber codes, many guests believing it was done purposely as Uber did not receive their expected award.

 Could the judges have been swayed by the banners, posters, leaflets and mega phone sound bites, given out as everyone arrived?

Instead the award for the category Uber were in went to Aldi, the cheap supermarket chain. They didn't even get the Tech award which went to restaurant delivery firm Deliveroo. 

Because the signal outage, the uber app was down.

Uber sent along staff members in bright blue t-shirts with big white squares on the breast pockets. 

These employees were openly touting custom, using hand held devises to sign up new customers offering £25 off vouchers as enticement. 

Amazingly the 6 TfL PCOs who were in attendance from 5pm, were by now nowhere to be seen as the open touting took place. 

Uber cars were seen using the petrol station on the Highway as an impromptu rank. Cars were seen going into the court yard of the garage, waiting to recieve a message then moving out without buying petrol or even visiting the forecourt shop. 

    Tweet of the night award goes to CabbyDenny.

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/29jYAMh
via IFTTT