Speeding Fines Set To Rocket From Next Week

From 24th April, the rules are changing in relation to the way drivers will be fined for speeding offences in the UK.  As of next week, the maximum fine will increase by 150% from £1000 to £2500.

The new rules mean that from 24th April, driver’s can be fined up to 175% of their weekly income.  They can also be disqualified from driving for up to 56 days for ‘driving grossly in excess of the speed limit’ according to the Sentencing Council.

A new three-band system will be in place, which will determine a driver’s fine and number of penalty points.  We have outlined below the three bands and the new rules that will apply to each band.

Band A – Driver’s will receive 3 penalty points and a fine, which starts at 50%, but can range from 25% to 75% of their weekly income.

Band B – Driver’s will receive 4-6 penalty points OR disqualification from driving for 7-28 days and a fine which starts at 100%, but can range from 75% to 125% of their weekly income.

Band C – Driver’s will receive 6 penalty points OR disqualification from driving for 7-56 days and a fine, which starts at 150%, but can range from 125% to 175% of their weekly income.

These bands are based on a driver’s speed in mph.  The speed limits, recorded speeds and relevant bands are shown below.

Speed Limit                                                    Recorded speed (mph)

20                       Speed 21-30 (Band A)       Speed 31-40 (Band B)       Speed 41+ (Band C)

30                       Speed 31-40 (Band A)       Speed 41-50 (Band B)       Speed 51+ (Band C)

40                       Speed 41-55 (Band A)       Speed 56-65 (Band B)       Speed 66+ (Band C)

50                       Speed 51-65 (Band A)       Speed 66-76 (Band B)       Speed 76+ (Band C)

60                       Speed 61-80 (Band A)       Speed 81-90 (Band B)       Speed 91+ (Band C)

70                       Speed 71-90 (Band A)       Speed 91-100 (Band B)     Speed 101+ (Band C)

For a first time offender, the chance to take a speed awareness course may be offered, which would mean avoiding the penalty points, but not the fine.  This however, won’t be offered to repeat offenders.

New research by Green Flag suggests that speeding offences in the UK have increased by 44% in the last 5 years.  The Sentencing Council has said that the move to raise penalties aims to ensure there is a “clear increase in penalty as the seriousness of offending increases”.

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Uber Has Apologized In Advance If Anyone Finds Out About Something Called ‘Project Judas’

From price gouging to workplace discrimination and driver mistreatment, Uber has been no stranger to controversy in recent years, but it appears an even more damning scandal may now be brewing. Earlier today, the company publicly apologized in advance in case anyone ends up finding out about something called “Project Judas.”

Well, looks like they’re really trying to nip this one in the bud.

“Should the as-yet-undisclosed details of Project Judas someday come to light, we would like to take this moment to offer a full apology,” read a statement issued by the company this morning. “If our emails are ever hacked, causing the location of the testing facilities to become known, then we express our sincerest regrets for that. We are currently unable to stop Project Judas even if we wanted to. We are nonetheless deeply sorry and would like to offer all of our users 15% off their next ride as a token of our gratitude for their understanding.”

Taking their efforts one step further, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick even took to Twitter to issue his own personal apology:

Wow. Uber is clearly going all out to minimize the PR fallout from Project Judas before it begins. Will this be enough to right the ship, or will shareholders see this as another red flag portending Uber’s doom? Only time will tell!

Source : clickhole.com

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Can We Do It, Yes We Can.... We're Still Here And We're Fighting Back

Couldn't believe my eyes when I came back from a shopping trip. When I went out, we were still three grand short with just a few hours left to go.

When I got in a checked the total.... £105, 895.

Ive been informed that proceedings have started against Uber, and they will be served court papers by the end of this month. 

A very big thank you to all those who pledge, some pledging multiple times. There were some massive pledges, but every pledge mattered.

To those who never pledged, it's not over yet, you will have another chance to help soon. 

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Good Riddance To Old Rubbish. Osborne to stand down as MP

What they think of the SubStandard at London Taxi Shelters

George Osbourne, the former chancellor, has said he is stepping down as an MP “for now” following his decision to take a job as editor of the Evening Standard and other lucrative roles outside the House of Commons.

Following 24 hours of speculation about his future, he told the Evening Standard he was quitting but hinted he may want to return to frontline politics in future. Fat chance there Georgie boy...

His decision to quit will be a relief for Theresa May, who sacked him as chancellor when she took over last July. Osborne had indicated he was prepared to fight against a hard Brexit taking the UK out of the single market from the backbenches.

He has been under pressure from some Conservative colleagues and the opposition to go since he was revealed as the surprise choice to edit the London newspaper. Labour raised concerns about the potential conflict of interest between his job as a Tory MP and publishing objective news coverage for readers.

Some of his constituents also opposed the idea of having a part-time MP who was editing a London newspaper and four other roles, which collectively made him the highest-earning member of the Commons. 

Since becoming a backbencher, Osborne declared new employment paying £650,000 a year for one day’s work a week for fund manager BlackRock. He has earned £800,000 for 15 speaking engagements in the last year, collects a £120,000 a year stipend from a US thinktank and has a book deal on top of the £75,000 MP’s salary. He will take up his editorship in mid-May.

Almost 200,000 people had signed a petition started by one of his constituents urging him to “pick a job”.

Osbourne can expect to be welcomed on his first day as editor of the Standard by a mass reception of London's Taxi drivers, called by the Independent Taxi Alliance.  

The ex-chancellor sold the London Taxi and Private hire industries down the river in favour of a NonDomicile company that pays no Tax or VAT and treats its workers like slaves. 

Osbourne and former Prime Minister Cameron put pressure on former Mayor Boris Johnson, which saw TfL change statutory legislation to allow licensing of this toxic company by TfL.

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Breaking News ... Another Rat Jumps From The Sinking Ship.

Uber's vice president of global vehicle programs leaves company

Uber Technologies said on Monday that its vice president of global vehicle programs, who played a role in the company's self-driving car program, has left the company.

Neither Uber nor the executive, Sherif Marakby, said why he was leaving. The former Ford Motor executive joined Uber just last April to help with its autonomous vehicle project in Pittsburgh.

"Self-driving is one of the most interesting challenges I've worked on in my career, and I'm grateful to have contributed to what will soon be a safer future for everyone," Marakby said in an emailed statement.

The departure is the latest of several high-profile exits from the ride-hailing company.

Uber has been rocked by a number of setbacks lately, including accusations of sexual harassment from a former female employee and a video showing Chief Executive Travis Kalanick harshly berating an Uber driver.

It has also been sued by Alphabet's Waymo unit for stealing some of its self-driving technology, an accusation Uber denies.

The company is seeking a chief operating officer to help Kalanick manage it, repair its tarnished image and improve its culture.

Separately, the privately held company made public some of its financials on Friday, revealing that it was generating more revenue but still making large losses.

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---1851, The Great Exhibition ---- 2017, The World Turned Upside Down? By I'm Spartacus

So let's cast our minds back to the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park in 1851, imagine the millennium dome (but successful) times ten with millions and millions of visitors, anyhow some (they are always with us!) unscrupulous operators took advantage of passengers and charged double or treble the usual fares.

Nowadays that chicanery is all done electronically by others!

Anyhow the authorities decided to introduce a fare chart which became the meter to mandate the fare based on the running costs and a fair return for the driver and the horse of course.

THE METER IS THERE TO PROTECT THE PASSENGER AND SECONDLY THE VIABILITY OF THE INDUSTRY.

Now as fools join the race to the bottom against others who subsidise fares as the rider only pays 41% of the true cost, why is this done, they're not a charity?

It is of course to exterminate the competition aided and abetted by morally (but not financially) bankrupt politicIans who favour offshore predators against the interests of their own citizens!

This is a scandal that should make any right thinking person sick to the pit of their stomach, let's hope those involved are shown for what they are, it's not about 'technology' it's about greed, tax avoidance and immorality, nothing new under the sun there!

Anyhow now we have so called supporters of the cab trade offering fixed fares below any kind of economic return, it can only end one way as we engage in a Dutch Auction, you can bet these 'supporters' won't have their income cut.

One Taxi Trade union has taken a stand and its members voted unanimously to boycott these fares, I urge you to do the same. 

Ask your org to set aside any shilling your organisation takes in advertising, it ain't worth it, don't act like the politicians we condemn please?

EITHER YOU DEFEND YOUR TRADE OR YOU BECOME A COMMODITY TO BE SOLD TO THE  LOWEST BIDDER.

          THE RACE TO THE BOTTOM 

Last week's C4 inspirational documentary of The Knowledge should remind us of what we have and what we have to defend.

STAND STRONG.

I'm Spartacus

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Open Letter Calling For The Resignation Of TfL's Leon Daniels ... from Sean Paul Day.

Please treat this correspondence as a statement calling on the resignation of Mr. Leon Alistair Daniels (Managing Director, Surface Transport)

Mr. Daniels  wilfully facilitates a covert political agenda against the licensed taxi trade & Private Hire industry,  inflicting immeasurable harm. 

The policy, which has left the taxi trade in a place of excruciating incertitude for over four yeas has caused chronic economic and emotional damage- to many.  TfL has never collated data on the detrimental effects sustained  by tens of thousands of individuals as a result of policy direction

The  interminable haemorrhaging of PH licenses has decimated environmental and economic sustainability and embedded great uncertainty into a comparatively harmonious market. 

TfL is a weird and grotesquely unaccountable arrangement that has never questioned  investment (from institutes with gross human atrocity records) to fund an aggressive predatory pricing policy. 

A corporation only fixes prices artificially low to annihilate the opposition and with that I conclude, TfL cultured an environment for the taxi trade to become unviable. 

I am aggrieved that Mr. Leon Daniels is still in public office and/or sharing a Directors position on London Buses LTD. By remaining, Mr. Daniels ridged adherence to policy constitutes a dereliction of care to ensure public safety. TfL has never afforded due diligence on safety. 

To  disambiguate, I meet all statutory licensing regulations to work as a taxi driver and fulfil the criteria of a ‘fit and proper’ person. 

With this, I question the ability and efficacy of senior management at TPH to regulate with discernment  after inflicting on it such irreparable damage. 

If senior management at Transport for London believe this comment to be unjust or injurious to an employee or brand, then I invite Mr Mike Brown (Commissioner) or Peter Blake (Director Of Service Operations) to file a lawsuit against me. 

I conclude, the only solution to the dire situation (experienced across the whole of surface transport) to to fully dismantle TfL. Nothing has convinced me that TfL can take an objective stance and make decisions in the interest of the trade. 

TfL needs to disband at the earliest possible moment. But Mr. Daniels needs to go now. Malfeasance in public office is being committed. 

Sean Paul Day

Editorial Extra :

Statement From The ITA : 

Want to know who's side Mayor Khan is on, why not come along with the ITA and ask him.

May 18 at 10pm.

   

 

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