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Thursday, 21 July 2016
Police hunt cyclist after chain and lock attacks on taxis in Cambridge.
Images have been released by police after a Cambridge cyclist allegedly targeted city taxis in a series of violent attacks.
A bike chain and lock have been used to batter vehicles as part of a vendetta, say cabbies - and now Cambridge police have released photographs of a man they would like to speak to in connection with the alleged incidents.
A cyclist has been reportedly spotted several times over the years, apparently targeting taxis in similar attacks.
Karl Stamper, a member of Cambridge Hackney Carriage Association, is the latest driver to allegedly suffer damage to his vehicle, during an incident which he says terrified an elderly passenger he was carrying.
Mr Stamper was driving along Hobson Street in the city centre at around 1.50pm on Monday, July 11 when he says a cyclist hit his taxi with a chain and lock as he rode past.
He said: "I had passengers in the taxi and one was senior and we both jumped. He obviously knows what he is doing.
"It seemed he had gone out to deliberately do this. It was totally unprovoked and we know he has done it before. He must be stopped."
Another taxi driver added: "We've got one nasty cyclist going round hitting taxis with his padlock."
A Cambridge taxi drivers Facebook forum has been alive with reports about the alleged cycling attacker.
One driver said a man had punched his wing mirror when he cycled past on Bridge Street. "The glass fell out and I stupidly tried to chase him on foot. He gave me a 'two fingers' sign for good measure as well."
Another alleged victim said he was targeted on Newmarket Road a few years ago. "He actually hit my car with a D-lock. Nasty man, pure mouth on him until you challenge him."
"Starting to wonder if it's the same one who punched my mirror on The Broadway," said another cabbie.
Images of a man police want to speak to in connection with the attacks have been released to the News.
Anyone with information is urged to call Cambridgeshire police on 101.
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Wednesday, 20 July 2016
TfL Notice 12/16 New Island Ranks Trial
In accordance with this policy, from today, 20 July 2016, we are starting a trial of tuna all ranks at:
• Junction Road (Archway station), Islington.
– Rank number 5786
– Times of operation: 19:00-02:00
– Drivers license for Haringey, as well as all London drivers, can use this rank.
• Clapham High Street, Lambeth.
– Rank number 5787
– Times of operation: 19:00 to 07:00
– Drivers license for the clap and extension area, as well as all London drivers, can use is rank.
These new trial island rents will be in place for a minimum six months period and will be monitored to assist passengers and drivers usage to determine whether they should been designated as island ranks on a permanent basis.
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Will Green Taxi Be Final Nail In Coffin Of London Taxi Trade...by Jim Thomas.
Under Mayor Boris Johnson, TfL spent the best part of a billion pounds, putting in ridiculous congestion causing traffic schemes. They are now looking for a slap on the back for putting a bandaid plaster over the gaping wound they've inflicted on the population of the capital.
After an increase in fatalities from cyclist who thought it a great idea to undertake lorries turning right, Boris and his whipping boy introduced half a billion pounds worth of segregated cycle lanes. This was hoped to prevent a couple of dozen cyclist deaths. As a result there has been a massive increase to pollution caused by the extra congestion. Preventable premature deaths in London have gone up by over 2,000 from 8,000 to 10,000 per annum.
London's worst pollution hotspots will get an £11 million funding boost to help bring in tough measures to improve toxic air quality, it was revealed today.
Five “low emissions neighbourhoods” will be set up across eight of the capital’s most polluted boroughs by 2019.
The fund, run by Mayor Sadiq Khan, will support proposals including strict penalties for the most polluting vehicles, car-free days, green taxi ranks for zero-emission-capable cabs and reserved parking for clean vehicles.
At 60k a pop and with associate health risks to the driver, who does Mayor Khan think is going to buy the "Green Taxis", especially with more and more "Car and Taxi Free Days looming.
In one breath, Mr Khan said: “Air pollution is permanently affecting children’s lung development and nearly 10,000 Londoners are dying early every year due to the long-term exposure of London’s dirty air.
In another breath the Mayor announced that Oxford Street is to be pedestrianised!!!!
Where does Mayor Khan think this traffic is going to go?
Taxi Leaks recently asked Dame Tanni Grey Thompson to support access to Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road for all wheelchair access vehicles. She refused saying she has no trouble shopping around Westfield in her wheelchair.
So in future, can we expect to see only ex-Para-Olympic athletes shopping in W1 and Fitzrovia?
The outcome of these proposals will see complete chaos and gridlock, causing more congestion, more emissions and with more pollution and most certainly more premature fatalities.
“We need urgent, bold action and this includes targeted local initiatives.” Said the Mayor....Try banning all private vehicles from within the congestion zone....ah but that would put a stop to the money raised from congestion charging!
Better still sack the idiots who come up with these stupid, ill thought out schemes.
Another Consultation For TfL To Disregard?
It follows the launch of public consultation on air quality this month with proposals including a £10 “T-charge” for the most polluting vehicles in central London and the extension of the Ultra Low Emission Zone by 2020.
The five hotspots include Marylebone in Westminster, where plans include an electric vehicle delivery scheme and improving emissions from buildings
A “City fringe” scheme, covering parts of Hackney, Islington and Tower Hamlets, will feature tree planting, a focus on walking and cycling with improved pavements and cycle routes and parking places for clean vehicles.
The Barbican proposal in the City of London includes no-idling zones, green taxi ranks and restricted access to certain streets for all but the cleanest vehicles.
No-idling Zones
This will mean every time you pull up at lights, you will be expected to turn off your ignition.
Two problems here:
1. When lights turn green you now have to wait for the car in front to start up and move off, then you start your engine...result, traffic build up less vehicles get through on green. Causing even more congestion. Engine shake up from starting up, more emissions of airborne micro carbon particles (PM10, PMx), these are dangerous particles, even more so than NO2/CO2 emission.
2. In my Taxi, when I turn off the engine, the driver's compartment locks deactivate, leaving me at risk to the likes of the thriving scumbags operating in the Marylebone, Islington and Holloway areas.
Not one trade org has bought this problem up with manufactures. No one from TfL or the Mayors office has investigated this proposed breach in our security.
Some one tell me again "Just what is it our trade representatives actually do these days?"
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Tuesday, 19 July 2016
CAR CLOCKING IN PRIVATE HIRE, MINICAB AND CHAUFFEURING TRADE COSTING MILLIONS AND PLACING PASSENGERS AT RISK WARN EXPERTS
New research and investigations from automotive experts HPI and consumer group LicensedTransportUncovered.com (LTU) has revealed that private hire, minicab and chauffeur customers are at risk due to an epidemic of clocking, with hundreds of millions of miles being removed from odometers across the UK every year.
HPI and LTU have teamed up to warn of the dangers that clocked private hire, minicab and chauffeur-driven vehicles pose to the public who may be unwittingly putting themselves at serious risk every time they use one. The illegal practice of clocking revealed by an LTU investigation, takes place when drivers look to cut corners by saving on maintenance costs and deliberately defraud second-hand car buyers, when the vehicle is sold on.
HPI, the UK’s leading authority on vehicle checking services, estimates that used car buyers have a one in 20 chance of purchasing a vehicle with a mileage discrepancy, with the practice costing motorists £800 million every year*.
An investigation by (LTU) found hundreds of private hire, minicab and chauffeur-driven vehicles in the north west of England operating with clocked mileage. Post private hire usage, some vehicles went to dealers and were offered for sale at inflated prices.
The investigation found that one driver removed 114,000 miles from his Toyota. A Mercedes-Benz with 180,000 miles off the clock was on sale for £20,250 when it was really only worth £11,150 with its true mileage reading. In the worst case found as part of the investigation, a staggering 460,000 miles had been removed from the odometer of one private hire vehicle.
Chris Hargreaves, of LTU, said: “Clocking within the private hire, minicab and chauffeur industry has reached epidemic proportions and something needs to be done to prevent this unscrupulous practice before a real tragedy happens.
“The 330 clocked cars we found had about 80 million miles removed but that was just in the north west of England. UK-wide it’s safe to say that hundreds of millions of miles must have been wiped out thanks to clocking.”
“It’s truly shocking to discover that reputable leasing companies are giving out lease agreements to the industry based on as little as 10,000 miles per year – 27.3 miles per day! Surely neither the vehicle manufacturers nor the leasing companies have to be in the industry to see the warning signs. In most local authority districts a licensed vehicle has to be doing at least 1,000 miles a week to make any money. So why is any lease deal being done for less than, say, 50,000 miles per year? If any thought was given to these transactions, the ridiculously low mileage lease deals would never be signed up in the first place.”
HPI and LTU believe that as pounds and pence increasingly take precedence over public safety a major clampdown is urgently required.
Barry Shorto, head of industry relations at Cap HPI, said: “Our valuation data conclusively shows the potential cost to dealers and motorists of the clocking problem. With clockers able to add thousands of pounds onto the value of a car, unsuspecting buyers stand to lose out, as do dealers. That’s why we advise retailers and consumers alike to conduct a vehicle history check to spot a mileage discrepancy before they buy.
“It can be almost impossible to tell a clocked vehicle just by looking at it, which makes a vehicle history check an even more vital form of protection for buyers. A clocked vehicle could be hiding serious levels of wear and tear, especially if it has been previously used as a high mileage private hire vehicle for a couple of years, meaning the additional cost of unexpected repairs or even a potentially serious safety threat to driver, passengers and other road users. An HPI Check can help protect consumers from buying a vehicle with something to hide, saving them cash and keeping them safe.”
The HPI Check includes a mileage check against the National Mileage Register as standard, now with over 200 million mileage readings. HPI also confirms whether a vehicle is currently recorded as stolen with the police, has outstanding finance against it or has been written off, making it the best way for consumers to protect themselves from fraudsters looking to make a fast profit.
Register (NMR) checks and investigations have grown by over a third in the last five years.
Added Barry Shorto: “Not only should dealers make conducting mileage investigations an integral part of their business process, to protect their reputation and their customers, they need actively to promote the fact to their customers that these checks have been done. Our data confirms that consumers are seeking peace of mind against clocking, yet some dealers are choosing to overlook this. Proof of a mileage check should be a key part of a dealer’s sales strategy, promoting the quality of their stock, as well as highlighting the dangers of clocking for their customers.”
As part of its investigations, HPI found:
· Whilst almost one in three (29%) of used car buyers are believed by dealers still to be unaware of the risks of clocking, more than one in five customers now ask dealers, directly, for proof that they have validated a vehicle’s mileage.
· However, despite growing consumer awareness of the dangers of clocking, only ten per cent of dealers surveyed said they actively declare that they have conducted a mileage check on a vehicle, vitally weakening their sales proposition.
· Over 52 per cent of dealers said that consumers who enter their showrooms do know about clocking, but the level of concern varies significantly.
· 92 per cent of dealers consider clocking a ‘terrible’ blight on the industry and a major risk to its reputation.
Who are HPI and Cap
HPI and cap are two of the most recognised brands in the motor industry. cap is recognised as a leading provider of data and insight to the automotive industry. Its award-winning used car pricing and technical information has been trusted for more than 30 years.
Established in 1938, HPI is a primary source of vehicle information for the UK motor industry and motoring consumer. HPI encompasses both the HPI database of all UK road registered vehicle descriptions and histories, and the National Mileage Register (NMR) which holds in excess of 200 million mileage readings.
*Office for Fair Trading (OFT) figures for 2015
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cab:app contactless chip & pin – rental option now available
Credit Card Package – further to the changes by TfL on the mandatory credit card mandate which come into effect in October, cab:app has a fully approved solution which includes a contactless chip & pin device, a fixed bracket for the passenger compartment and a printer. This is now available to buy as a bundle or individually as follows (prices below exclude VAT and postage):
- M10 contactless chip & pin device - £79
- Fixed bracket for passenger compartment - £50
- Micronics Star Printer SM L200 - £170
- Bundle of chip & pin, bracket and printer - £295
As a reminder, the cab:app solution accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, contactless and Apple Pay. Processing fees for drivers are 2.7%, payment to your bank account is next day Monday to Friday. In addition, drivers also benefit from cashback, which is 10% of the net profit cab:app makes on each card transaction with the option to accept in cash or convert to shares in cab:app. We will also be updating the device software (remotely) in the next 2-3 weeks with a tip feature so passengers can add a tip at the end of the journey when paying by card.
The fixed bracket has already been approved for the TX vehicle and we’ve just had news that TfL have approved the same bracket for the Vito, so we will update you on this shortly together with the list of garages and their fitting costs.
Credit Card Rental Scheme – a number of drivers across the UK and Ireland have requested a rental option for the contactless chip & pin device rather than purchasing outright. We are pleased to announce that we have reached an agreement with our suppliers to provide a free device as part of a rental service that will cost £2 a week (£8 a month) with no tie in or contract.
Please note that this is for the device only, so London drivers will still need to purchase the fixed bracket and printer to comply with the new TfL regulations.
As there is a new Mayor and head of TfL, we have taken the opportunity once again to challenge the need for a mandatory fixed bracket and printer as we believe this to be an unnecessary cost and should be at the driver’s discretion. We await a response so we have been recommending that drivers wait a little longer before purchasing the bracket and printer just in case!
You can purchase the cab:app contactless device directly from the app. If you are interested in purchasing the bracket, the printer or would prefer the rental service then please email us with your name and address at ‘support@cabapp.net’
Thank you to everyone in advance for your support and patience, as the long term success of cab:app will ultimately be determined by drivers.
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Monday, 18 July 2016
Uber In A UK Court, Case To Be Heard On Wednesday 20th July.
Uber faces its first UK legal action to see if it should pay workers for holidays and pay the National Minimum Wage
The US-owned firm will appear in a case brought by law firm Leigh Day, supported by the GMB union, at the Central London Employment Tribunal on Wednesday.
It will be decided if Uber, whose European headquarters is Netherlands based, is acting unlawfully by not providing drivers with holiday pay or the National Minimum Wage.
A successful claim against Uber could have ramifications for all self-employed in other industries, said Leigh Day.
But why have we had to wait for the GMB to act, why haven't our representative orgs taken Uber to court?
The a LTDA splashed over pages of their paper, they had a fighting fund if a million pounds. Isn't it time they put this money to good use.
The evidence is out there:
In a Toronto court case, Uber have openly admitted (under oath) that worldwide, they do not receive or handle customer bookings in any way.
They said they simply put the customer in contact with the driver, and then it is the driver who accepts the booking IN CAR.
This actually means that Uber do not operate within the terms of their TfL operators licence. In fact it is the drivers who are acting as operators outside the conditions of their Private Hire drivers licence. Therefore every journey accepted by Uber's drivers past and present could and should be deemed to be undertaken illegally.
TfLTPH already know this but are too frightened to take action against this alleged multibillion dollar corporation which up to now has been protected by Government ministers such as chancellor Osborne who was leaning on the previous Mayor Boris Johnson to give Uber an easy ride.
Circumstances have now changed and the LTDA with their much publicised one million pound fighting fund should be all over this.
This is a winnable case.
Why are our orgs always seem to be dragging their feet?
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