ON TAXIAPP THE METER FARE DOES AND WILL ALWAYS PREVAIL.

Our 363 year old trade is at the most crucial juncture in its entire history.  Our mantra may well be 'BE LUCKY' but there are going to be choices on individual, as well as collective levels that cannot be left to luck or chance.

 

TAXIAPP was formed a year ago by working Taxi drivers who couldn't stand by and witness the trade’s struggles any longer.  'The Knowledge' and 'Meter', bedrocks of our industry have become endangered.

 

Every licensed Taxi driver embarked on the Knowledge and sacrificed plenty of years to attain self-employment and independence.  Only then were we able to ply for hire and work a meter.  A privilege accorded exclusively to proud recipients of Green and Yellow badges.

 

TAXIAPP have come to the opinion that it's time this trade, CIRCLED ITS WAGONS and started to fight back.  

 

At TAXIAPP we are opposing the competition, whether it is from within or out of the trade.  We don't do "If you can't beat them, join them" defeatism.

 

THE METER RULES 

 

TAXIAPP believes the meter is a great equaliser affording drivers and customers protection and transparency.  We also believe in not devaluing the professional World class service that we offer.  Only individual drivers at their discretion should consider 'fixed prices'.

 

ON TAXIAPP THE METER FARE DOES AND WILL ALWAYS PREVAIL.

 

NO COMMISSIONS ON TAXIAPP

WE have faith in our own technological structure and altruistic business model that can collectively insulate ourselves from the corporate inspired takeover of our industry.  Far off mercenary money men 'wrongly' think our trades’ future belongs to them.

 

Now, more than ever, we need to work cohesively together to ward off their aggressive drive to control 'OUR' work, and force us down to a one tier system. 

 

The corporates lobbyists, with government collusion and facilitation, have been pushing the American tech firm hard.  Even so, their mega budgets have been unable to polish that turd!

 

TAXIAPP represents the best our proud trade offers.  Safety, instantly recognisable, knowledgeable drivers.

 

Only by banding together can we protect ourselves from whatever the gig economy may throw at us.

 

WE HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF OURSELVES.  WE CANNOT AFFORD NOT TO.

 

GET YOUR FRIENDS TO JOIN US AND RECLAIM OUR WORK.

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Oh What A Tangled Web They Weave...It Just Gets Worse... By Jim Thomas

In criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to commit a crime at some time in the future. Criminal law in some countries or for some conspiracies may require that at least one over act must also have been undertaken in furtherance of that agreement, to constitute an offense. 

There is no limit on the number participating in the conspiracy and, in most countries, no requirement that any steps have been taken to put the plan into effect (compare attempts which require proximity to the full offence). 

For the purposes of concurrence, the actus reus is a continuing one and parties may join the plot later and incur joint liability and conspiracy can be charged where the co-conspirators have been acquitted or cannot be traced. 

THE TRANSPORT FOR LONDON AND UBER CONNECTION.

 

Rules have been bent, relaxed and changed to smooth the way for Uber to be licensed. 

Lies were told by TfL directors, at transport committee investigations conducted by members of the Greater London Authority.

We've recently been informed by a nation newspaper that certain government members including a former Prime Minister and Chancellor leaned on former Mayor Boris Johnson, to "go easy on Uber".

We are now informed by the GBM that in June 2015, Transport for London move their £3.8bn pension fund in to the hands of Uber's biggest investor. 

Conflict of interests? 

Below is an article posted on Black Rocks website

Transport for London ("TfL") Pension Fund selects BlackRock for £3.8bn investment mandate

London – June 11, 2015 – TfL Pension Fund ('The Fund') has appointed BlackRock to manage liability-driven investing (LDI) and passive equity portfolios totaling £3.8bn assets.

The £1.6bn LDI mandate will include measures to protect the Fund from market uncertainties, including inflation as well as interest rate and equity volatility, whist having measured exposure to risk to achieve excess positive returns. The Fund's £2.2bn passive equity exposure will include investments across a range of index funds. The primary objective is for the Fund to hold sufficient assets to meet its member liabilities.

This new mandate follows an initial £100m commitment made by the Fund into the BlackRock Renewable Income in March 2014 - a UK-focused fund that invests in onshore wind, offshore wind and solar projects - which is part of a strategy to introduce new asset classes into the Fund's alternatives portfolio.

The Fund has over 82,000 members with assets of £7.3bn as at March 31 2014, across multi-asset index strategies, enhanced index funds, bonds, global equities and alternatives.

Editorial Extra: 

With all this evidence on the table, our trade should be on the cusp of a major victory, and yet forces are at work to deflect efforts away from total victory ... simply because of egos and ulterior agendas.

Instead of all orgs and unions fully uniting as a force complete, against the people very who would seek our destruction...yet again, we see exclusions and secret deals with the chosen ones around the folding table. 

Instead of drawing a line and leaving past histories behind, certain people have had a line drawn around them, akin to a forcefield and are being targeted in revenge for scores that have been festering over many years.

Fake Twitter and FaceBook accounts abound, commissioned to spread malicious gossip on social media, in attempts to blacken names and reputations of targeted trade figures. 

The reasoning behind the fake rumours and PR spin is simply greed, the massaging of egos and the pursuit of glory.

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How Much Does It Cost To Buy A Judge In Italy?

A Rome court on Friday suspended a lower court ruling that had blocked the use of smart phone apps for Uber cars [UBER.UL] in Italy.

The court accepted an appeal by Uber against the first ruling, made a week ago, which said Uber could not use its Black, Lux, Suv, X, XL, Select and Van phone applications nor could it promote or advertise its services in Italy.

The first court had ruled in favour of a suit filed by Italy's major traditional taxi associations, taking the view that the apps constituted unfair competition.

Sorce : Rueters 

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Hackney Council Could Fine Parents For Driving Kids To School. You Just Couldn't Make This Up.

Two schools in London are taking the next step in tackling the growing air pollution crisis by fining parents £130 for driving their children to and from school. Experts believe that tackling the pollution issue at the source, by hitting parents in the wallet, will cut down on those who unnecessarily drive their kids to school. The measure should radically improve road pollution around schools where public transport is easily accessible

As part of an unprecedented initiative called “School Streets,” Hackney Borough Council will ban parents from picking up and dropping off their children between 8.30-9.15 am and 3.15-4.00 pm.

The ban is set to begin in June and, while it only applies to two schools now, could be expanded across the borough (and the capital) if it proves a real success.

Whilst primarily focusing on reducing the amount of pollution that school children breathe in daily, it is hoped that the ban will also increase children’s activity levels, by encouraging them to walk or cycle to school and to use public transport.

This follows last week’s news that London will be introducing a “toxicity charge” from October, to help prevent the highest-polluting vehicles from using capital’s roads.

The dangers of air pollution are becoming increasingly apparent, igniting a war on air pollution across the UK. While these measures attempt to encourage use of public transport, how realistic is that, when London Underground and train routes are already close to breaking point ?

If this was rolled out across all major towns and cities in the UK, what impact would it have on pollution ? 

Is the public transportation infrastructure ready to cope with a massive increase in the number of children using it to go to school? What about the public safety of children if this was made law ?

Whilst this attempts to tackle a serious problem, do you think that it is a viable solution ? 

Could it be improved ? 

Or has this council finally lost it ?

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If Drivers Can Work Together...Why Can't Our Representative Orgs ? The Time Has Come For A Council Of War.

While reading a post on FaceBook, about how cabbies took back the rank at the Cafe Royal, a noticed a comment from a driver who made a terrific point....he said that when up against it, rank and file drivers 'can' and 'do' work well together...

And he's 100% right.

So why can't our orgs?

In the face of on street adversity, we work extremely well together. The Mayfair Mob, the Dads Defending Daughters and the driver led Independent Drivers Alliance, are leading the way when it comes to fighting for our trade's survival . Made up from a conglomeration of cabbies, from all orgs and backgrounds, we eat together, rank up together and we fight together... united under the same cause. 

If we can do it as rank and file drivers, with no egos, no empire building, not looking for careers in politics, no seats on the board....if we can do this on the streets, then why in hells name can't our orgs. 

It appears the only thing they can do together religiously, is take our money.

With all the stuff coming out daily about corruption from TfL, the Government and Uber employees....we should be stamping all over our problems. But we are in danger of dragging defeat from the jaws of victory....again.

Just recently, our orgs and unions came so close to uniting fully but again, egos and empires and outsider influence got in the way. As one org is accepted into the fold, another is excluded. It's been th same process for the past 20 years. 

Now we have a group of drivers who have turned towards a predomenently minicab Union, looking for help they feel they can't get inside the Taxi trade.

Quite a bit of this division is coming from outsider intervention, people who are not cabbies with conflicting interests to our unity, people with differing agendas trying to pit driver against driver, org against org. While this brand of infighting continues, we are no more than lame ducks and it has to stop. 

If our leaders can't work together like the drivers, then we must get rid of them and get new leaders who can work side by side. There must be no exemptions from any talks or negotiations. If the powers that be wont talk to all, then we must not talk to them. It's simple....all or nothing.

We are fighting a corrupt licensing authority, administering to corrupt government officials past and present.

There can be no doubt, we've been under attack at government level.

If ever you were in doubt of the corrupt collusion that's been going on between top of the pile Downing Street government ministers and the USA based non tax paying instant hail online minicab app, you must listen to this interview on LBC with friend of the Taxi trade Frances Wyhowska, below.

Frances recalls a conversation she had with Prime Minister David Cameron at a party on the 20/11/2015, where he openly informed her he was now on the side of Uber and that he didn't need taxis in London as we now have Sat-Navs.

Earlier in the radio interview, Steve McNamara had spoke about the way Cameron, Osbourne, and Sajid Javid had called senior TfL officers to Downing Street and told them to go easy on Uber.

But, just because the Mayor and "these people" at Transport for London were leaned on to give Uber an easy ride... and to aid the destruction of a trade with 360 year history of service, it doesn't dissolve them from the responsibility to act in the safety and protection of the general public, be they residents or visitors to the capital.

W heard that last year there were 5 attempted suicides within the trade. At this rate it won't be long before some drivers actually manage to  take their own lives over decisions made by TfL directors and managers.

Will we soon be seen headlines here in London as we've seen in Dublin after their trad deregulated?

I believe these people should not be allowed to just walk away, they must be made to pay for what they have done

As we all know full well the Nuremberg defence is no defence.

  

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Breaking News: Sao Paulo judge rules Uber drivers are employees, deserve benefits.

An Uber driver holds his cell phone showing the queue to pick up passengers departing Guarulhos International Airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil. 

A judge in Brazil's biggest city ruled this week that a driver using the Uber [UBER.UL] ride-hailing app is an employee of the San-Francisco-based company, threatening its business model in one of its biggest markets.

Uber said it would appeal the decision on Tuesday by Judge Eduardo Rockenbach Pires at the regional labor court in Sao Paulo, which was made public in recent days.

"By connecting drivers and users, Uber creates thousands of flexible opportunities for generating income," the company said in a statement.

Pires ordered Uber to pay the driver 80,000 reais ($25,000), including compensation for holidays, contribution to a severance fund and 50,000 reais in "moral damages" related to attacks from taxi drivers upset with Uber's competitive pricing model.

The decision follows a similar ruling in a labor court in Minas Gerais state, along with parallel cases in the United States, Britain, Switzerland, and Europe's highest court threatening to subject Uber to higher costs and regulation.

The lower house of Brazil's Congress has also threatened Uber's business model with a bill requiring it and other ride-hailing apps to register with city authorities as conventional taxi services. President Michel Temer has pledged to veto parts of the legislation if it passes the Senate. 

Adding to Uber's challenges, a Reuters investigation found a ten-fold increase in attacks on drivers in Sao Paulo last year, including several murders, after the start of cash payments on its platform at the end of July.

Source Reuters 

McNamara on LBC this morning 

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TfL MiniCab Gang Who Stole £3m In High-End Cars Jailed For Total Of 46 Years

A prolific east London gang caught on camera at a McDonald’sdrive-thru in one of a haul of £3 million worth of stolen cars have been jailed for 46 years.

The eight-person gang broke into peoples’ homes during the night to steal car keys before making off in expensive Range Rovers, BMWs and Mercedes.

Some of the stolen motors were exported intact to Africa while others were broken down for parts.

The criminals also drove about in minicabs emblazoned with Transport for London’s “private hire” stickers to steal keyless cars by using technology to spoof the unlocking of the car – a technique often referred to as 'keyless car theft'.

Mugshots: Khuram Zaman and gang ringleader Manji Sandhu. (Met Police)

Police caught them after raiding a pub in east London’s Manor Park on August 17 last year, belonging to the father of the gang’s ringleader, Manjit Sandhu, 32, where they found bags of stolen car keys in the basement.

Officers also found key programming technology, blank keys and a tool for picking car locks.

Sandhu went into hiding but police tracked him and his fellow gang members down during raids at their home addresses.

Guilty: Sufiyan Mahmood and Faisal Khan. (Met Police)

Police discovered the gang had carried out more 120 crimes between March 2015 and August last year, working out as more than seven a month.

A dash cam on one of the stolen BMWs caught the criminals on camera as they got in and out of the car while CCTV footage from McDonald’s drive thru pictures two of the gang members in a stolen car.

The prosecution also used evidence from Sandhu's own CCTV system to show him leaving home in the early hours of the morning in order to commit offences.

Gang members: Heena Bux and Geoffrey Cairns. Met Police car theft gang (Met Police)

Sandhu's offending was so brazen that he even committed an offence on the very same day that he received a suspended sentence for involvement in the theft of another vehicle. That incident is not related to this case.

Detective Inspector Caroline Clooney, who leads the Met's Organised Vehicle Crime Unit, said: "This was an extremely prolific and well-organised criminal gang.

                     

Found guilty: Mohammed Ariful Islam (Met Police)

“They brought distress to many victims whose homes they broke into, who not only lost their vehicles but in many cases were traumatised by the thought of someone having been in their house while they slept.

“Although the case involved over 120 offences, it is clear that this team were responsible for an even greater number of crimes."

Sandhu, of Fairlawns Close in Hornchurch, Heena Bux, 21, of Walwood Road in Leytonstone, Khuram Zaman, 20, of Violet Road in Walhamstow and Mohammed Islam, 21, of Knox Road, Forest Gate, were all found guilty of conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to steal.

Sufiyan Mahmood, 19, of Stracey Road in Forest Gate, and Faisal Khan, 23, of Chestnut Avenue, Forest Gate, both pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit burglary and to steal.

Nicked: Some of the car keys found by police in east London raids. (Met Police)

Humzah Bhariwala, 23, of Dunbar Road, Forest Gate, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary while Geoffrey Cairns, 55, of Swindon Lane, Romford was found guilty of conspiracy to commit burglary after having pled guilty to conspiracy to steal.

Sandhu was sentenced to 12 years in prison, Bux was jailed for a total of nine years and six months, Zaman was sentenced to a total of four years, six months in prison and Islam was sentenced to three years in prison.

Mahmood was jailed for seven years and six months and Khan was sentenced to four years and six months in prison.

Cairns was sentenced to three years and six months in prison while Bhariwala was jailed for a total of 18 months.

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