Letter From Harry Wall : The Blind Leading The Blind ?

You may be aware by now that Monday's Make a Stand demo has been cancelled. I can't tell you all how choked I am but unfortunately not enough support was forthcoming.

Initially, the feeling was good but as the days went on it became apparent that feeling wasn't lasting. 

Add to that the dreadful members of our trade, only too pleased to scupper any chance of unity that might bring some semblance of hope, who played their part brilliantly and I have to congratulate them on a job well done. 

They should all be very proud of themselves.

This past 3 weeks has been an education in many ways but the main lesson I learned was that this animal is too sick to help. 

The negativity on social media has played a huge part in its failure and has been watched from around the country by those who were at first raring to stand with us regardless if they were Taxi or PH because they saw the bigger picture.

Now, 3 weeks on and after reading the comments from leading trade figures within the orgs they want nothing to do with us, can you blame them?

I can't.

We had 8 cities at one point, 8 CITIES!!

Almost over night, they all cried off.

All because of org mentality, caveman mentality and sheer ignorance.

I've learned many in this trade, including activists from all orgs and unions are riddled with insincerity and deceit and I no longer want any part of it, it shames me.

Next week TFL officially announce if Uber are licensed. If they are, the orgs will go into overdrive and scream from the rafters, "JR,JR,JR!!"

Whist watching Taxify come back on line.

If they don't get licensed the orgs will go into overdrive screaming "Look what we did! Look what we did!"

"Ain't we clever"

Then Uber will appeal and keep functioning for the duration of the appeal. During which time Taxify will come back on line, along with Via and no doubt closely followed by Lyft.

Back to square one.

"Big news Monday!"

It's the business model that's the problem, not the company.

We had our chance, we blew it thanks to us.

I tried, I failed and I'm truly sorry.

I now wash my hands of it.

Be lucky

Harry.

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Estonian ride-hailing startup Taxify hopes to have issues with local regulator Transport for London (TfL) resolved and restore service in the British capital by the beginning of next week at the latest.

On Sept. 8, just three days after launching its service in London, Taxify had to halt its operations there after TfL launched an investigation into the company.

It was determined that Taxify was not registered in London as a private hire vehicle operator, due to which it did not have the right to accept ride bookings.

Taxify CEO Markus Villig told ERR that preparations are underway for continuing operations in the British capital — TfL demanded additional security requirement compliance from the company, and Taxify hopes to have everything in order by the end of the week.

"Our plan is to launch sometime this or next week," he added.

The Estonian ride-hailing service has previously cited TfL's lack of interest in dialogue or offering tips to ensure their application is approved. According to Villig, the authority's attitude has not improved, but the company has reached an alternative legal solution.

"The first time they were not satisfied with the licensed business we have, but this time we found a different kind of legal solution with which we believe they will be more satisfied," Villig explained. "We're currently waiting for final approval from them so we can relaunch."

While the delay has meant additional expenses for the expansion to London, according to the CEO, the increase has been marginal in the context of the company's launch budget.

"Ultimately, what is most important for us is that [London] was our most successful launch ever for drivers and clients alike, so if we incur some additional legal fees, that isn't the main concern," said Villig. "Businesses are generally more concerned about where to find clients and drivers. In our case, thankfully, these problems have already been solved."

Expansion to Paris not to be affected

According to Villig, Taxify's planned expansion to Paris will not be affected the obstacles the company has encountered in London, as transport regulations in Paris are significantly simpler and the launch of new platforms more competition-friendly.

"Everything is going smoothly in Paris," the CEO confirmed. "Rather, we hope to receive final confirmation from London this week — then everything will be shipshape in both cities."

He noted that preparations are underway in Paris, and that there are teams on location in both cities who are working on training drivers.

When exactly Taxify can be expected to launch in Paris, however, Villig was unable to say, noting that the goal was to line up hundreds of drivers first, as Paris is such a large city to cover.

During its first three days of operation earlier this month, 3,000 drivers joined and 30,000 clients downloaded the Taxify app before the company halted operations after local regulator Transport for London had claimed that the new market entrant had failed to obtain a proper operating license.

Taxify operates in 19 countries around the world. In early August, the company announced that Chinese ride-hailing app Didi Chuxing had purchased a 13-percent holding in Taxify and would support the growth of the Estonian-developed platform in Africa and Europe.

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Transport For London Have Quietly Increased The Cost Of Uber's Licence To Operate In London....Follow The Money... By Gerald Coba

A major set back for those who thought Uber would not be relicensed at the end of this month

London's Licensing authority (TfL) have pushed forward with new plans that are set to add nearly £1m to its bill.

They now plan to charge a maximum fee of £2.9m for the largest mincab firms to operate in the capital, it can be revealed, amending its original plans to increase it to £166,000.

To those who said there is no way TfL could relicense a company with so much controversy and complaint against it (sexual assaults including rapes of passengers by drivers, theft, customer account hacking, overcharging, spying on officials) we would answer, this has never been about regulation, legislation or public safety, it's always been about money.

Follow The Money!

TfL have also quietly backed down on their proposal to charge a £68 fee per Minicab, for any firm with more than 1,000 vehicles, after a backlash from the operators.

The changes were made after the industry warned that the extra costs would put small and medium sized firms out of business. This means the larger operators such as Uber and Addison Lee will now pay more and just a few of the smallest will pay less.

The troubled startup would have been charged just over the £2m mark, based on the number of cars it has, but will now have to pay the maximum £2.9m fee for operators with more than 10,000 vehicles.

And Addison Lee is now expected to foot a bill more than twice as much as under the original "per car" plans, as operators running between 1,001 and 10,000 cars will be charged £700,000. A further 10 operators with between 500 and 1,000 cars will have to pay £350,000.

The current fee is just £2,800 for any operator with more than 1,000 cars, but TfL has said it must change in order to cover the costs of a huge rise in the number of minicabs on the road. So much for congestion and pollution,as long as you got the money.

Follow The Money!

The changes are expected to bring in millions more as it becomes self sufficient after losing government subsidies, but it has warned that it still faces a shortfall.

It estimates more than 1,500 operators in total with fewer than 500 cars will be negatively impacted, paying between £3,174 and £157,000 in additional costs over five years. 400 with less than 10 cars will pay £826 less.

The details of the changes were quietly revealed among documents published with TfL's latest finance committee meeting last week and also include the date they are likely to be implemented - 1 April 2018.

Uber and Addison Lee have had their operating licences renewed in the short-term while TfL makes the changes, for four and six months respectively. But both will face a second temporary renewal before the changes comes into force.

Uber's is due to be renewed at the end of September and Transport for London faces mounting pressure over the matter. But where money is concerned, pressure calling for public safety is like water off a ducks back to TfL. Its alleged they will be looking to give Uber an 8 month extension, by then the new charges will be firmly in place.

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Is Westminster Council getting ready to pedestrianise Oxford Street, by making one ways, two ways ???

You can now turn right into Brook Street from New Bond Street and go through to Grosvenor Square. A word of warning though. As this is a new feature please be very aware that other motorists still think Brook Street is one way and you may find cars coming at you head on. 

Claridges Taxi rank has been moved to outside the Ballroom and is now for four Taxis. Westminster council gave the ranks committee assurances that cars would not be parked in between the rank and the Hotel main door, but on first day half a dozen cars have been parked there most of the time. 

One of the reasons the rank was refused outside the Hotel, is that the hotel it's self refused, saying they didn't want the Taxis outside. This was the same with the Palm Beech casino in Berkeley Street. 

It's been said that this new system is gearing up for the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street, but one of the main factors is that it's part of the cycle route...."The Grid"

You can also turn left and right from Book Street onto Davis Street southbound, traveling through to Berkeley square. 

As part of the trade off, with the removal of the four spaces in Davis Street by Brook Street, there is now a two cab rank outside the C London Restaurant in Davis Street. Although evening time I've been there over the last few nights, the rank has been blocked by cars.  

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Jailed: Minicab rapist who plied student with drink and drugs

A minicab tout who twice raped a student after plying her with cocaine and alcohol has been jailed for 14 years.

Amos Mbonu, 48, preyed on the victim when she got off the Tube at the Barbican, offering her drugs and then taking her to a party in Leytonstone. 

He pounced on her as he drove her home, ignoring her pleas that she had a boyfriend and was not interested in him. 

The woman told Blackfriars crown court she has been left depressed, afraid to leave her own home, and unable to enjoy a normal social life after the attack.

Jailing Mbonu for 14 years for the “heinous” crime yesterday, Judge Rajeev Shetty said: “She wanted to do nothing more than get home, but unfortunately through nothing more than bad luck she came across you. 

“You enticed her to get into your car with the offer of class A drugs — you saw a female walking at night, probably under the influence of alcohol, and thought it was someone you might be able to take sexual advantage of.” 

Warning that Mbonu may continue to be a danger to women, the judge ordered him to serve an extra five years on licence after his release.

In her impact statement, the woman said she was unable to go to university lectures after the attack in October last year and may have to repeat her second year. 

She added: “I don’t go out to clubs and bars any more with my friends ...I’m afraid I will never enjoy life again.” 

Prosecutor Tara McCarthy told the court the victim, who had earlier been refused admission to a nightclub for being drunk, believed Mbonu was a regular minicab driver when she saw him in his car. He offered to sell her cocaine and drove her to a party in Leytonstone where he plied her with a bottle of wine. He then attacked her in a deserted car park as he drove her home. 

He was caught because he gave her his phone number earlier in the evening. 

Mbonu, from Bow, denied rape at trial but was found guilty by a jury in July. 

He continued to insist he was innocent at his sentencing hearing yesterday, but was also found guilty of supplying cocaine. He had been cleared of a second rape charge in 2001

Taxi Leaks Comment: 

Please remember, being drunk is not illegal. RAPE IS...

Source Evening standard, Court News

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Uber found guilty of avoiding government officials by using Greyball software

More troubling news for Uber, as an investigation conducted by the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), have found Uber Guilty of using Greyball software that enables the firm to avoid government officials.

The concluded in their report that Uber had “illegally entered the Portland Market in 2014,” whilst they had no permit to do so.

PBOT said that Uber had “intentionally deceived PBOT’s officers” by using the Greyball software in the city as the software had been applied to 16 accounts that belonged to government officials.

The report further said: “In using Greyball, Uber has sullied its own reputation and cast a cloud over the TNC [transport network company] industry generally.”

So, what is Greyball?

Greyball is preventing undercover regulators globally from shutting down the hailing app service. This secret program can identify officials monitoring Uber drivers however, it was initially developed to protect the company from any “violations of terms of service.”

However, data collected from the Uber phone app had been used to identify regulators and other officials monitoring their drivers. This secret program has allowed Uber to monitor user’s habits to identify undercover regulators using the service as normal passengers by obtaining geolocation and credit card data.

Once the program has identified any official, regulator or even the police trying to entrap a driver another version of the app cancels their booking.

These methods and techniques are clearly enabling Uber to globally circumvent the authorities.

Dan Saltzman of Portland city commissioner said: “As regulators, it is our job to ensure these companies [like Uber] play by the rules, keep passengers safe, and act ethically.

“Moving forward, we have ensured that no attempts to evade regulators or deny service to riders in violation of city code or law will be allowed in the future.”

This week ten MPs said Uber is an “unfit and improper operator,” police have also accused the firm of failing to report sex attacks.

Labour MP Wes Streeting, who is the All Party Parliamentary Group on Taxis, wrote to Mike Brown, TfL’s commissioner, he wrote: “The safety of Londoners must be at the forefront of decisions taken about the taxi and private hire industry in our capital city.

“We do not believe that Uber has shown itself to be a fit and proper operator.

“Competition in the taxi and private hire industry is welcome, but it must be on a level playing field and the safety of passengers must be paramount.

“In cities around the world, Uber has shown itself to be an unfit and improper operator.

“It’s time that London followed cities in the United States, Canada, Australia, Italy, Denmark, Germany, Bulgaria and Hungary by revoking Uber’s licence.”

Inspector Neil Billany of the Metropolitan Police, has said Uber only informs the police of “less serious matters” therefore being selective of the crimes they report.

Source : London Loves Business

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"Not only must Justice be done; it must also be seen to be done."... By Lenny Etheridge

   Brighton & Hove Taxi Trade News

ITS NOT ABOUT COMPETITION.............

        SIGN PETITION CLICK HERE

The GMB Brighton & Hove Taxi Section calls for the November 2017 renewal of the Uber Britannia Ltd Brighton & Hove Operators Licence to be held as a Public Hearing with participation of the trade..media and other interested parties.

When Uber Britannia Ltd (UBL) originally applied for an Operator’s Licence in 2015 it was effectively treated as an unknown entity which is why the application was referred to a ‘Licensing Panel’ that was held in public and was open to questions and objections and recorded for a local TV station..

The licence was granted but UBL did not launch until nearly the end of that one year period so there was no basis of evidence not renew the licence... albeit for another one year period instead of the standard five years... and thus the decision was held in ‘In Camera’.

However with UBL now operating in the city for approaching one full year there is every reason for the renewal process to be fully focused on a Public Hearing.
Justification for this... even on just one simple point... can be based on the fact that at that initial ‘Panel Hearing’ which was held in public... UBL made a statement of their undertaking to only use Brighton & Hove licensed vehicles. This statement is often used when UBL applies for  local Operator Licences in various locations throughout the UK.

This undertaking has been blatantly broken with the use of TfL minicabs and private-hire vehicles from all over the country predominantly working in the city out of sight and control of their respective Enforcement Officers.

On this point the argument given by UBL every time is that they only use B&H licensed vehicles on their Brighton & Hove Operators Licence. However... as we all know.. this is all smoke and mirrors. The undertaking was from UBL and not from ‘UBL Brighton & Hove’.

We have photographic and video  evidence of Uber TfL minicabs sleeping in their vehicles literally 'camped out' which is unprecedented in Brighton & Hove.

We have photographic and video evidence of Uber Tfl minicabs and 'Out-of-Town' ph vehicles driving the wrong way in one way streets....

We have photographic and video evidence of Uber TfL minicabs illegally using bus lanes and driving in restricted areas....

Uber Britannia Ltd is fully responsible for these activities but takes no responsibility...

In addition at that 'Panel Meeting' UBL undertook to address the provision of wheelchair access stating that as it was a ‘Start Up’ company it would need a few month to progress this. we have an original audio recording of this commitment. On this basis the trade is within its rights to publicly question that failed commitment for this to be on public record.

The question that the council needs to be asked in public is if UBL had stated: “No.. we will use private hire vehicles from all over the country” then would the council have granted the licence in the first place?

The trade needs to address UBL directly in the same way as with the initial application. 

Mr Fred Jones of UBL is now a Trade Rep attending the Council Trade Form Meetings but often refuses to address matters of concern by the trade. Or when matters are addressed the answers are quite frankly beyond belief such as matters regarding public safety of CCTV and vehicle identification. Such matters are of extremely high public interest which needs to be reported on by the media.

The trade has officially been refused the request for a 'Public Hearing' but given the recent high media exposure of Uber  both nationally and internationally that covers a significant range of allegations such as government intervention through to Uber using software to “Dodge the law”* known as ‘Grey Ball” and the hundreds of lawsuits  then it is quite incredulous that Brighton & Hove City Council has chosen not to undertake the renewal process of the UBL Brighton & Hove Operator’s licence in Public but instead behind closed doors.. away from the direct questioning of the trade and the media.

We now request that the council reconsiders the process of the renewal of the UBL Brighton & Hove Operators Licence and place the matter for a Public Hearing for trade... the media and public to participate in.  

If any other Brighton & Hove Licensed Operator acted in the same way then we would demand the same Public Hearing for its licence renewal....

     ..................................................ITS ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY

Andrew Peters  Secretary GMB Brighton & Hove Taxi Section

This is inspired and rousing!

Sean's best to date.

Check out @seanpaulday’s Tweet: 

https://twitter.com/seanpaulday/status/908582738726354944?s=08

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