Want to get an Uber in Copenhagen? Too bad – it’s illegal now

A high court has ruled that Uber is now illegal in Denmark.

Judges upheld the conviction of one of the app’s drivers for violating taxi laws.

The Danish Uber driver, a male student, had been found guilty in July of failing to meet legal requirements for driving a taxi.

He had claimed he was only taking part in car-pooling and appealed the decision, but the High Court disagreed and said he lacked a permit to drive as an occupation and his car was not registered or licensed as a taxi.

The ruling has effectively rendered Uber illegal in the country

‘We have great respect for the Danish system of justice, but are of course deeply disappointed in the verdict,’ an Uber spokesman said.

‘There is a growing recognition of the positive effects of car-pooling, and it is encouraging that modern legislation is being considered in the (Danish) parliament.’

Despite the various operating challenges since launching in 2009, including other country bans and court action, the company is still valued at $62.5 billion (£50billion)

The Uber driver in Denmark was also fined 6,000 Danish crowns (£690

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Another broken promise from Khan, on the scale of Nick Clegg and tuition fees.

Sadiq Khan, blatantly lied to the Taxi trade before he was elected, saying he would run Uber out of town. He said  "Uber are operating illegally and I will revoke their operating licence". 

Now the bullshit Mayor is getting positive headlines after confirming today he would “freeze fares across the Transport for London network”, he says its in line with his manifesto promise:

He promised “Londoners won’t pay a penny more for their travel in 2020 than they do today".

Fares are not being frozen for travel cards and daily and weekly caps, which are expected to rise. 

Commuters, the people who use the tube most, are the ones Khan was targeting with his manifesto pledge to freeze fares. 

They use travel cards so their fares will not be frozen. Remember, Khan told Londoners they would “not pay a penny more” if he won. That is demonstrably untrue. 

And where did he make his misleading announcement?

In CityAM of course, Uber's bough and paid for advertorial. 

His announcement today, is a shamelessly misleading distortion of the truth. 

Make no mistake, this is a broken promise on the scale of Nick Clegg and tuition fees.

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Harry Wall on why TFL can keep from releasing sexual assault figures FOI request

We're all trying to understand how and why TFL can keep from releasing FOI requests, also the latest rape/sexual assault figures. 

I think I've tumbled it thanks to a very clued up friend of mine.

Search for FOI exemption guidance and although it's a bit of a minefield for non legal people it's not hard to find some similarities to the situation we find ourselves in with respect to TFL's refusal to answer our requests for clarity on most subjects. See the pics below and you'll see for yourself.

There are two exemptions that can stop an FOI request.

Briefly, a Qualified Exemption is applied if the information would be contrary to public interest e.g. National security.

An Absolute Exemption is applied if the information would result in an adverse effect to a firm/company's commercial interests.

I'd say TFL has used the absolute version. We all know those figures would embarrass TFL and,please God, finally educate the country as to how dangerous Uber drivers are. But it also highlights that damage could be done to a licensing authority from certain information released.

Therefore, not only is it in Uber's interests for these figures to be withheld for commercial interest reasons but TFL's interests also because of the damage to their authority that will be inflicted should these figures be released. 

What they fail to realise is that when they are released, in my view after Uber's been relicensed, not only will hundreds if not thousands more potential rapists have been licensed but a similar number of women may have been added to the rape list.

I've often said TFL are using the law to navigate their way around every obstacle that's placed in front of them and this is proof as far as I'm concerned. But to ignore the chance to protect someone's wife, sister, girlfriend or daughter from being victim of a dreadful crime like rape or sexual assault and place the "commercial interest" of Uber first. Its despicable and illustrates the state of our society today. 

Also don't forget this is part of the "Gig Economy" that the IEA's Sophie Sandor was banging on about on her video, post court ruling.

I may have read it all wrong, I'm a cab driver not a lawyer but it tells me what I've always thought which is however many legal routes we take, it really won't matter. The rats have the upper hand and they'll use the laws they've created, complete with carefully placed loopholes, to win through regardless. 

Even if it means ignoring rape. 

Money is king, especially in the hands of the establishment and they don't care where or how it reaches their grubby little hands so long as it gets there. 

And don't forget the dogs who help them along the way. The lawyers who facilitate the wrangling around those loopholes treading on the rape victims as they escalate there own career without a second thought except for what chambers they'll be in five years from now.

I know I keep banging on about this but we must mobilise in a way never seen before. 

Time in running out and so is our window of opportunity, we MUST act now! 

Bridges, pinch-points, airports, all must be subject to demo on a regular basis starting now. 

I know Christmas is looming but worry about next Christmas, and the following ones. Or better still, worry about the wives, girlfriends and daughters whose Christmas will be ruined by a rapist in a minicab this year, and next year. 

If I'd known about these exemptions earlier I'd have mentioned it on London Taxi Radio as Jamie Owens kindly invited me on the show last Monday, but I had a chance to air my views and if I'm invited on again I'll certainly bring it up.

Please don't think about next week, think about next year.

The clocks ticking.

Be lucky. 

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Sadiq Khan threatened crackdown on Uber, saying allowing its "taxis" was a ‘mistake’...We are still waiting Sadiq!

Pre Mayoral election, back in March, Sadiq Khan tells James O'Brien on LBC: 

"The iconic Black Taxi is at risk. There are 100,000 private hire vehicles, black taxis are down to 23,000 and for the first time in a generation there are fewer people doing the knowledge".

He went on to say the mistake was made by TfL when they allowed Uber "Taxis" to come on stream. 

"Let me tell you what I will do" he said

"I will make sure we have proper regulation around PHVs

I want a cap on PHVs

I will bring about the renaissance of the black taxi

I don't want the black taxi to go the way of the red telephone box".

   .

Now fast forward to Mayors Question time 16th November 2016, Khan, is questioned by David Kurten.

What happened to khan's one hit and your out policy.

What happened to, I will be the Mayor who runs Uber out of town. 

After Khan became Mayor, TfL removed certain parts of the PHV act 1998 to make it look as if Uber comply with all operator regulations -the need for an operator to have a landline for pre bookings- it's seems Khan has now down a complete U-turn.

    

We now know where we stand with the bullshit Mayor.

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Police shoot dead 'serial killer'.... in chance encounter over unpaid taxi fare

Police may have unwittingly solved the mystery of a suspected serial killer after shooting dead a man who opened fire at officers in a chance encounter over an unpaid taxi fare.

James Dale Ritchie's weapon, recovered from the scene of the shooting in Anchorage, Alaska, has been linked to at least five murders in the city this year.

The drama reportedly unfolded in the early hours on Saturday, when officers approached the 40-year-old in the street after responding to a report that a man in the area had refused to pay a taxi fare and walked away from the vehicle.

When they asked him to stop, Ritchie is said to have "unloaded" his gun multiple times on Anchorage police officer Arn Salao, who returned fire along with colleague Sergeant Marc Patzke.

Once the situation was under control the officers made attempts to save him, but he died at the scene.

It was only when ballistics tests were run on the weapon that the police department linked it to the series of murders.

In a news conference, police chief Chris Tolley described both officers as heroes.

He said Mr Salao remained in hospital after two emergency operations, but is out of intensive care and "recovering".

Mr Tolley praised the officers, saying they had "made sure that this individual will not hurt any one of you or any one of the citizens in Anchorage".

Ritchie's gun, a Colt Python .357 revolver, was used in two double murders and in a fifth killing in the city this year, Mr Tolley said.

The bodies of the four victims of the double murders were reportedly all found along bike trails, while the fifth victim's bicycle was stolen by his killer.

At least four other people are said to have been killed under similar circumstances this year - bringing the number of related murders in the city to nine.

Anchorage is said to average about 12 murders a year, but has already seen 25 so far in 2016.

Prior to the discovery of Ritchie's gun, authorities had remained tight-lipped about the high number of unsolved murders, according to the Alaska Dispatch News.

This was despite the involvement of the FBI, a warning to residents to steer clear of isolated area and widespread rumours a serial killer was on the loose, it added.

Police have stressed the investigation is still in its early stages and that they have not definitively linked Ritchie to any of the deaths, NBC reported.

However, they said his driving licence picture closely resembled a composite sketch of the suspect in at least one of the earlier murders.

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Taxi booking app tie-up between Hailo and SMRT exits Singapore

SINGAPORE - Another taxi-booking app has bitten the dust in Singapore.

After two years in the market, the London-based Hailo stopped operations here on Tuesday (Nov 15), The Straits Times has learnt.

The app was introduced in Singapore in October 2014, under a joint partnership between Hailo and SMRT Roads, pitting itself against rivals such as Uber and Grab, which made their debut earlier.

 

In a joint statement shared with The Straits Times, SMRT and Hailo confirmed that taxi bookings via the app ceased on Tuesday.

The firms said that Hailo had recently completed a merger with another taxi app, My Taxi, and the new joint venture will focus on expanding its presence in Europe.

My Taxi is owned by auto giant Daimler, which purchased a 60 per cent share in Hailo, it was announced in July. My Taxi itself was acquired by Daimler two years ago.

In Singapore, Hailo faced stiff competition from apps such as Grab, Uber and the now-defunct Easy Taxi, when it entered the market two years ago.

But the company said then that it was confident of marking its mark. Besides offering cashless payments, the company also touted its app's "allocation algorithm".

Through it, the Hailo app determines which driver is the nearest to the passenger and assigns him the job. In contrast, other apps used a bidding system in which the first driver to accept a passenger's booking request gets the job.

The exit of Hailo from Singapore follows the winding up of another player, Karhoo, last week. The start-up, which had a presence in London, New York, Singapore and Tel Aviv, shut down its operations worldwide, after it ran into financial difficulties.

In Singapore, there are three taxi apps left in the market - Grab, Uber and MoobiTaxi.

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Croydon tram crash: Funeral costs offer from Transport for London

Transport for London (TfL) has offered to pay for the funerals of the seven victims of the Croydon tram crash.

Six men and one woman died, and more than 50 people were injured, when a tram overturned on 9 November.

TfL has pledged to do "everything we can to support the families and all those affected".

An interim report into the crash is due to be published on Wednesday, but it could take "many months" to produce a final report, investigators warned. 

Announcing the offer of assistance to victims' families, London's Transport Commissioner Mike Brown said: "The TfL Sarah Hope line is available 24 hours a day to provide advice on a whole range of matters and immediate financial and other support.

"This includes covering funeral costs and travel expenses for relatives."

'Significantly' faster

Meanwhile, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has conducted preliminary analysis and downloaded information from the tram's "black box" data recorder. 

Previously it said the vehicle had exceeded the speed limit on the bend.

The RAIB said last week the two-carriage tram had been travelling "significantly" faster than the permitted 12mph (19km/h) as it entered a tight bend near the Sandilands stop.

Trade body UK Tram said tram accidents were incredibly rare and has cautioned against hastily imposed precautions as a knee-jerk reaction.

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