Uber War Of Words Explodes As Council Boss Hits Back At 'Fake Outrage' Coventry Politicians.

A war of words has erupted between councillors in Coventry and Wolverhampton as the row over Uber licensing in the city reaches boiling point.

There is a long-running dispute with Coventry accusing their Midlands neighbours of exploiting a loophole in licensing regulations to allow Uber drivers with Wolverhampton licences to operate in the city. 

Wolverhampton Council has made £1.3m by giving out taxi licenses this year - with over 200 of these drivers operating out of Coventry.

There are concerns that the licensing of Uber cabs is affecting Coventry’s black cab trade - though many residents are in support of Uber’s presence in the city.

Today, a top Wolverhampton councillor hit back at “fake outrage” Coventry politicians and said that the authority was only interested in preserving its “long-standing cosy relationship” with the hackney carriage trade.

It came after Coventry councillor Damian Gannon accused Wolverhampton of handing out Uber licenses "like sweeties".

This is the staggering number of Wolverhampton taxi drivers exploiting loophole to work in Coventry

Wolverhampton City Council’s Cllr Alan Bolshaw, chairman of City of Wolverhampton Council’s licensing committee, said: “The attitude of some Coventry politicians towards the issue of private hire licensing is getting tiresome.

“I’m afraid my patience has run out with those who are cynically trying to drag the reputation of City of Wolverhampton Council through the mud to further their own agenda.

“I think it’s about time someone called out the motivation of these people who are hiding behind smoke and mirrors. The reality is that there is a long-standing cosy relationship between Coventry City Council and the hackney carriage trade and preserving this relationship is what this is really about.

“Of course the hackney carriage trade, which has been protected in Coventry for so long, doesn’t want competition. They are doing everything possible to try and stifle competition which is simply not on because it is the people of Coventry who suffer.”

      Councillor Alan Bolshaw

Thanks to a loophole, Uber cabs can pick up fares in Coventry despite not being licensed to operate in the city.

That means an accident could potentially leave passengers uninsured.

Black cab drivers in the city say Uber drivers undercut their prices and do not have the same standard of safety checks that they do.

But taxi users in the city say all they want are value fares and efficiency.

Cllr Bolshaw said Wolverhampton was doing nothing wrong in giving out licenses to drivers.

He said: “Surely Coventry councillors should be welcoming the fact that 240 jobs have been created in their city due to the private hire licences we’ve issued?

“It is galling to hear the fake outrage voiced by certain individuals in Coventry who know full well that we are doing nothing wrong here in Wolverhampton. All we are doing is following the law which allows taxi drivers and operators to choose where they get their licence.

“Frankly, this smacks of sour grapes. Coventry know that our systems and processes are modern, efficient and far superior to their own. This is why drivers choose to come to us. People are trying to make out that our standards are lower than Coventry’s, but this is absolute nonsense.

He added “Nobody is fooled into thinking that the Coventry opposition is about safety – this is about protectionism and perpetuating the status quo to the detriment of customers.

“You only have to look at the comments left by residents on the Coventry Telegraph website to see that they welcome competition and want that choice. 

“I hear people talk about the supposed ‘gold standard’ of black cabs in Coventry. If that were true, people would have nothing to worry about from increased consumer choice and competition. The bottom line is that the time has come for those who are peddling myths and playing dirty tricks to be honest about their motivations and stop using City of Wolverhampton Council as a scapegoat."

Coventry taxi drivers and council members including cabinet member for city services Cllr Jayne Innes launch a campaign for safe professional taxis outside Council House

Talks between Cllr Jayne Innes, Coventry City Council’s cabinet member for city services and Cllr Bolshaw two weeks ago seemed to have yielded a positive outcome, with talks of improved communication between the two mooted.

But any good feeling appears long gone, with Coventry councillor Damian Gannon accusing Wolverhampton of "handing taxi licenses out like sweeties".

He said Wolverhampton did not "give a damn about how it makes the taxi trade unaccountable to Coventry residents".

     Cllr Damian Gannon

Cllr Gannon said: "Ideally, the taxi trade should be accountable to Coventry residents so if you drive a taxi in Coventry you should be accountable in Coventry.

"At the moment Wolverhampton are exploiting a gap in the licensing regulations to make as much money as they can and that is just plain wrong. Treating taxi licensing as a cash-cow undermines local democracy, it undermines public safety and it undermines the ability of taxi drivers to make a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.

“But we also need to accept that the trade has changed and companies like Uber are not going to go away. We need a better way to ensure that they can operate in a manner that delivers an accountability, public safety and fair wages. Council’s should not be pitched against each other in a race to the bottom of licensing regulations.

“At the moment Wolverhampton City Council are undermining local democracy, public safety and worker’s rights and it is not good enough.

"It's time they treated taxi licensing as less of a cash cow and took its duties and obligations much, much, more seriously as a result, I have written to the Minister for Licensing and Metro Mayor to ask them to put pressure on the council to stop this race to the bottom.

"This is a regional problem, it needs a regional solution and the regional mayor Andy Street should step-in and resolve it.”

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PLANS to limit the colour of cars which can be used as taxis in Barrow, will "force cabbies out of work", say drivers

'It's like forcing every shop in town to paint their frontage the same colour'

Barrow hackney taxis will be brought in line with Carlisle where the vehicles are white. Taxi driver Wayne Casey from Carlisle.

Barrow Borough Council's licensing department has launched a consultation to adopt a new regulatory policy which will apply to all 365 hackney carriage and private hire drivers currently licensed.

The new policy includes imposing restrictions on the colour of vehicles allowed as hackney taxis and banning any vehicle which is older than seven years for all drivers.

The proposed changes state the exterior colour of all 157 hackney carriages must be white, except for the London type black cab; which can be either white or black. Private hire vehicles must be any colour, other than white.

All drivers are self-employed which means any expenses incurred have to come from their own pockets. 

Bob Mullen from the Furness Taxi Trade Association said the stress and cost would add to the "already unhealthy lifestyle that we are forced to lead". 

Mr Mullen, a taxi driver of 14 years, said more than 150 hackney cars would be forced to adhere to the 'white-only' rule. 

The reason given is to distinguish between hackney and private hire vehicles but as has been pointed out by the trade time and time again at trade liaison meetings all that needs to be done is to remove roof signs from private hire vehicles, then if the vehicle has a roof sign it’s a licensed hackney taxi," he said. 

"It’s like forcing every shop in town to paint the frontage the exact same colour. 

"Nearly every wheelchair accessible vehicle in the area is private hire and white which would not be allowed under the proposed rules. 

"Evidence can show that any other colour except white is very difficult to source and that these vehicles are very expensive, therefore these proposals would lead to either a vast price increase or a scarcity of wheelchair accessible vehicles. This is disability discrimination at its worst."

Responding to Mr Mullen's concerns, Cumbria County Councillor Sol Wielkopolski said the Conservatives would "scrap this insanely petty rule" if his party was in power on Barrow Borough Council. 

The chair of Barrow Conservatives said: "If Furness Conservatives are elected in Barrow we'd scrap this insanely petty rule and listen to taxi drivers."

If @FurnessCons are elected in Barrow Elections we’d scrap this insanely petty rule and listen to taxi drivers. >https://t.co/wUKdaf5ars<

— Sol 🇬🇧 (@SolWpolski) October 26, 2017

The restriction on the age of a vehicle is being brought in to drive up standards. Around a third of current taxis in Barrow are believed to be older than seven years.

Mr Mullen said: "The age restriction would lead to a vast increase in expense both for the owner driver and the operators who rent out vehicles to drivers.

"We have already noticed a scarcity of new faces entering the trade and any of the operators will confirm that they are struggling to recruit new drivers."

Barrow Borough Council's licensing committee is expected to decide whether or not to adopt or amend the new policy in December or January.

Latest new restriction to hit Barrow taxi drivers

The proposed changes are the latest in a series of new restrictions and regulations being imposed on Barrow's taxi drivers.

Applicants for licences now need to undergo the test and existing drivers would need to take the exam when their licence is up for renewal. Failure to reach the pass mark would result in their licence being revoked.

Taxi drivers will have three attempts to take the test – if they fail the third test, they will be banned from resitting it for six months.

Last Christmas, a number of drivers were pulled up for decorating their cars with festive signs and ornaments.

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Uber Finally Sees Decline in Riders

For all of Uber’s screw-ups, none of them ever seemed to hit their bottom-line money making. The self-driving cars running red lightsdidn’t do it. The sexual harassment scandals didn’t do it. The fare manipulation and price gouging schemes didn’t do it.

Maybe it was a combination of all of the above, but something finally did it. According to CNet, Uber has experienced its first-ever decline in ridership, according to business travel expense accounting firm Certify.

“Whether it’s a reaction to the latest headlines or the introduction of new features like tipping, the power of consumer choice has become a major factor in travel and entertainment expense spending,” Certify CEO told CNet in a statement.

Certify only tracks business travel, by monitoring expenses and receipts. Uber’s not obliged to disclose their general ridership numbers across the board because they’re not yet a public company. But the business travel community is beginning to buck Uber, according to Certify data.

Admittedly, it’s only a one percent drop for Uber business nationwide. Though here in San Francisco, the birthplace of Uber, the rideshare company saw its largest decline with an eight percent loss of its business riders. The city may be home to massive corporations, but that doesn’t mean our residents have to be its pawns.

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TfL, Not A Fit And Proper Licensing Authority Part 3. The Production Of Fake Medical Certificates ?

Last month, I had to have a medical, inline with the terms and conditions, of my TfL Taxi driver licence.

Both myself and my doctor are of the opinion that because of the way driver medical procedures are currently set up, TfL have made it extremely easy for anyone (of a mind), to produce a fake medical certificate. 

At present, medical application forms are sent out to drivers, who then take the form to the doctor to be completed at the surgery. On completion, the form is given back to the applicant, who then has to provide an envelope and a stamp. 

It is then up to the applicant to post the form back to TfL.

It is extremely easy to produce a copy of the form, which the doctor will then fill in and return to the driver. 

The applicant could then transfer the information to the original form, changing details to insure a pass.

It is also extremely easy to stop this abuse.

All it would take to stop this abuse, is for a stamped return envelope to be sent out with the medical form. That way the doctor could fill in the form and post back to TfL without the need to return the paperwork back to the applicant. 

It would cost very little (under £1 per application) to produce a stamped addressed return envelope and even if TfL were to decide not to cover the cost, a small amount could be added to the licence fee. The safety of the public should transcend such a small amount. 

My doctor said he would be more than happy with this procedure, as it would stop future fraudulent abuse.

A simple idea to say the least, but then the best ideas are normally just simply common sense. 

TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT: 

Blast from the past. 

We all read the expose' below in the Sun (also carried by other national publications) in October last year. But since the article hit the headlines, like everything Uber/TfL related, the scandal soon became a wall of silence. 

ROGUE GPs are coining it from minicab and Uber drivers by lying on vital forms about their fitness to carry passengers.

Three doctors caught by The Sun were happy to sell a faked medical all-clear — required to get an official cab licence.

• Have these two doctors 'Dr Ashraful Haque Mirza and Dr Abdi Issa Creek' been struck off ?

• A third doctor in Barking was also I'm,I acted but unnamed in the article.

• Have the drivers who paid for fake medicals had their licenses revoked ?

The Sun's investigation from August 2016:

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Are 13,000 Uber drivers, without proper DBS certificates, currently picking up members of the public?

Last month, it came to light that over 13,000 Uber drivers have been licensed by TfL after presenting fake criminal record check DBS certificates. 

Helen Chapman took it upon herself last month, to defend these drivers at a meeting with Taxi trade orgs, saying (in her opinion) all drivers would subsequently pass a proper enhanced TfL certified DBS. 

As a result, all 13,000 were given 28 days to re-present. 

Helen also appears to be quite happy with the fact that 13,000 drivers without adequate checks have been picking up members of the public since January. TfL actually said nothing about this scandal, until the story was given to the Sunday Times by the LCDC.

When asked why Taxi drivers (caught up in a backlog of licence applications renewals) weren't being allowed to carry on working, Helen Chapman said she wouldn't be able to live with herself should a Taxi driver without a certified DBS commit an offence, while waiting for the enhanced criminal record check to go through.

We wonder what suddenly changed her attitude when it came to 13,000 Uber drivers without proper DBS clearance? 

Taxi Leaks would suggest that any member of the public who has been a victim of an attack by one of the drivers without a proper DBS, should sue TfL, who have admitted they knew about this and chose to say nothing for 10 months.

Another question that should be asked:

Are Uber currently paying a licence fee to TfLTPH whilst appeal going through? 

Or operating for free, courtesy of TfL?

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TFL Not Fit And Proper, Part 2 : TfL Licence Uber Driver Banned By Bath Council

Appeal For Unwanted Clean Clothing And New Sanitary Products. .... By Dean Thomas.

If you have any unwanted clean clothing please drop at LTDA house Woodfield Road #taxiwarmclothing.

We will be distributing it to the homeless community on Wednesday 29th November outside Charing cross police Station in Agar Street.

Wanted : 

• Men and Women's warm, clean clothing

• Men and women’s underwear

• Sanitary products are wanted (but must be new).

Last year was an amazing success and we would like to match or go bigger.

Everyone is more than welcome to attend from 7.30 pm.

We are London taxi drivers who care about the homeless on our London streets.

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Not Fit And Proper To Be A Licensing Authority? Part 1.... By Jim Thomas.

A few weeks ago, drivers started reporting sightings of private hire vehicles, sporting liveries for a certain Russian Cable News Channel. 

The sighting were passed on via Twitter to TfLTPH, who confirmed that the full vehicle livery seen in the images, in some cases covering the rear TfL roundel, was not authorised and should be removed by the owner. TfLTPH said the information would be passed to compliance and on street enforcement, for them to deal with the matter.

Not forgetting....Addison Lee took absolutely no notice of TfL compliance/enforcement, when told their Rugby World Cup livery was illegal, they carried on and saw their contract through. 

When asked if any action had been taken against Addison Lee, TfLTPH confirmed that no action was taken.

Sighting continue on a daily basis 

It now seems that compliance/enforcement have not dealt with this issue and it  now appears we have another advertiser, taking no notice of TfL....why should they, as no action was taken in the past with Addison Lee! 

Hypocrisy Or Bias?

Recently, Taxi drivers were warned at ranks, that their Taxis could have their TfL licence revoked if they left a certain copy of a trade publication in the back window. N one incident caught on camera, a TfL CO removed the publication from the vehicle, while her colleague was talking to the driver.

TfL PCOs were insisting drivers removed copies of the Taxi paper from view, with some COs saying the paper was being used as unauthorised signage, while others stated the paper constituted unauthorised advertising. 

    

 

Is this more proof of TfLTPH's bias against the licensed Taxi trade?

At present, TfL appear to wait until they have a complaint against an individual PH vehicle carrying the livery before they take action. They then inform the person complaining that the vehicles owner will be contacted by compliance and told to remove the livery. Going on the abundance of sightings (often the same vehicles already reported), this doesn't appear to be happening. 

We asked TfL TPH if the legislation had been changed recently to allow full liveries on PHV's, and this was the reply they gave us...

  

A Tip, For TfLs Head Of Compliance And On-Street Enforcement, Siwan Hayward And TfL General Manager Helen Chapman.....

Surely (if TfLTPH compliance is serious), it would make more sense to contact the company supplying the wraps/stickers, inform them that the work they are carrying out on London minicabs is in breach of current legislation and ask for a complete list of PHVs already supplied with front, side and rear strikers. Then every owner/driver can be notified in just a few days. 

Just incase TfL have any trouble locating the company responsible for the illegal stickers, we've investigated and found it to be a company by the name of 'StickerRide'.

• Their European base is at the White Collar Factory, 1 Old Street Yard, London EC1Y8AF.

• Their contact number is +442039481106 

• And their email address is info@stickerride.com.

This way, every vehicle in contravention of the PHV act 1998, can be notified within days and all illegal adverts removed. 

Even the Met police are now stopping non-compliant PHVs.

In this security conscious climate, the Met have more important issues to deal with, without doing TfLTPH compliance's job for them.

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