Are HAL Putting Themselves On Offer Over Uber Using The AVA.

HAL have been warned that they are conspiring with and abetting uber drivers to tout in the Authorised Vehicles Area (AVA) Private Hire feeder park. 

The news that Uber drivers accept booking in the vehicle before the company means that none of the jobs acquired under the present system are pre booked therefore are illegally obtained. 

HAL have now left themselves open to claims for damages from Licensed Taxi drivers waiting up to 5+ hours in the Taxi feeder park while Uber are allowed to operate outside the regulations laid down. 

Until HAL can guarantee 100% that uber drivers do not accept the booking (which at present they can't), then the AVA must be "geo fenced" so as not to allow the uber app to work inside the AVA. All jobs dispatched inside the private hire feeder park must by law be "PRE-BOOKED ONLY".

An LTDA rep at the port allegedly said if they geofence the AVA to exclude Uber then the cars will return to the surrounding streets... But surely that is the councils and TFL's problem, not ours. 

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Uber’s Pre Licensing Consultation In Aberdeen Branded 'Farcical'

The consultation held ahead of the granting of a licence allowing taxi firm Uber to operate in Aberdeen has been branded "farcical" by a MSP.

It was announced last week the ride-hailing firm had been granted permission to operate in the city.

Council officials were able to approve the licence rather than it going before a committee.

BBC Scotland has learned a notice detailing the application was posted in the window of offices rented by Uber.

It was the only public notification of the application.

Aberdeen Central SNP MSP Kevin Stewart said it had not given anyone a realistic opportunity to object.

The delegated powers that were used for the licence can only be used if there are no objections following a period of consultation.

The application was sent to the normal statutory consultees which in this case was only Police Scotland, and no objection was raised.

Uber was required to place a statutory notice of display.

The firm has rented a registered office on Berry Street in Aberdeen.

Although the period of consultation has ended, the notice is still displayed at the bottom of a window at the main entrance.

'No consultation whatsoever'

Nothing was posted on Uber or Aberdeen City Council's websites and no notice was placed in the local press.

MSP Kevin Stewart told BBC Scotland: "I think that the consultation itself has been farcical.

"I have had a lot of correspondence already from taxi drivers and constituents about the fact that there has been no consultation whatsoever.

Uber has rented offices in Aberdeen

"The fact the the council only talked to the statutory consultee, which in this case is Police Scotland, and no-one else is quite outrageous.

"It's ridiculous that officers of the council have taken the decision to allow Uber to operate using delegated powers."

He has written to council chief executive Angela Scott to express concerns.

An Aberdeen City Council spokesperson said: "Police Scotland is the statutory consultee for an application for a booking office. No other persons are directly consulted with for such applications.

"The applicant is, however, required to display a notice at the proposed booking office for 21 days which must be viewable by the public. The applicant complied with this requirement.

"As there were no objections, the matter was not referred to the Licensing Committee. This is usual practice."

'Reliable ride'

Last week Uber confirmed that a licence had been granted but said there was not currently a launch date set for the service.

Uber is a cashless service where users book taxis through a smartphone app.

An Uber spokesman said the firm would benefit drivers, customers and improve competition in the city.

He said: "We're really pleased about being granted a licence in Aberdeen.

"Passengers tell us they love being able to book a reliable ride at the touch of a button.

"Furthermore, tens of thousands of licensed private hire drivers across the country have partnered with us because with Uber they can choose if, when and where they drive."

The controversial taxi firm was deemed unfit to operate by Transport for London and is appealing against a decision to remove its licence with similar action being taken in York. 

It also currently operates in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

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Victims Of Uber Data Breach Are Now Being Joined By Card Fraud Victims

Victims of Uber's customer account data breach have now started to surface. Added to this, are non account holders who's card details have been used t pay for fake Uber journeys. 

Victims have tried to contact Uber on Twitter, currently the only way possible. Most ask for a landline, (you know the one Leon Daniels told the GLA transport committee they definitely had).

To everyone's amazement, Uber still have no land lines for customer queries or complaints. Victims are told to email the company. 

Also, it's no good complaining to the licence regulator TfL, because it's their policy not to deal with PH complaints but to refer the complainers back to the operators to sort out any complaints.

Here is the series of tweets that appeared on Twitter over the weekend.

TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT : 

We know for a fact that TfL are 'Woefully Inadequate' that was the conclusion given when they were investigated by the GLA....but again no action was taken to deal with this, although there has been a few staff changes. 

Because of the way TfL dealt with the fact that Uber are (and never have been) not fit to operated, by the lack of action from TfLTPH, Uber have been allowed to continue, even though their licence has expired. We've been informed by a weak Mayor, the appeal could stretch out over a 3 years period.

We must now get the word out to all victims, from simple theft to sexual assault and rape, that by their actions (or lack of) TfL can and must be held as complicit in any complaint, by fact that their lack of action has allowed an illegal operation to continue.

TfL staff have recently deserted the sinking ship but can always be dragged back to face any charges of alleged corruption or malfeasance.

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Scandal From The Past Jumps Up And Bites TfLTPH On The Arse.... By Jim Thomas.

When TfL moved from Penton Street to Palestra, the trade suddenly started hearing about fake bills turning up, almost undetectable from the genuine articles.

City Police were worried that a Taxi Bill, they were in possession of at Bishopsgate police station, didn't match with any on record, but looked and felt exactly like an original licence issued by TfL. 

There followed a terrible accident in Victoria Street where a PHV broadsided a black cab, turning it over complete with passengers on board. The roof had to be cut off by the fire service to free the trapped passengers but the driver of the Taxi (on rent from a garage in Hammersmith) absconded from the scene, and has never been traced. 

Helen Chapman made a brief statement at the time saying that the copy bill given to the cab owner was a fake. The owner said the copy bill was 'indistinguishable' from a genuine TfL bill. 

We then heard from a whistleblower at Palestra that senior staff at TfL were in turmoil as 5,000 new numbered bills had gone missing in the move, something Director John Mason strongly denied at the time....many in the Taxi trade thought, the man doth protest too much!!!

Soon after the Victoria accident, TFL's PR machine swung into action with a massive cover up, supported by a fake news story about a bill factory in a Taxi garage in East London. 

The episode known as BillGate, was swept under the carpet, much like the 13,000 fake DBS certificates of 2017 which TfL knew about in January, but said nothing about till news broke in the Sunday times after information was given to them by a team from the LCDC. 

The original blank bills from Penton Street, will have run their coarse now and were the main reason TfL were forced to change the design, adding a hologram. 

But the question still remains;

WHY HAS THE 13,000 FAKE DBS CERTIFICATE S

BEEN SWEPT UNDER THE CARPET BY TFLTPH?

The scandal continues..... 

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Ealing private hire driver ordered to pay almost £4,000 in costs and fines after illegally agreeing to take mystery shoppers on trip

Press Statement From PointCab After Fridays Meeting With PM Theresa May

On Friday 5th of January 2018, a meeting took place with the Prime Minister Theresa May. During the meeting, Mrs May was informed of the necessity to grant a full Statutory Public Inquiry into how and why @TfL licensed.

Following the meeting with the Prime Minister on Friday 5th January, she will respond in writing to these requests put to her below. link: http://pointcab.co.uk

pointcab.co.uk would like to especially thank @paulkelly70041, @TootlestheTaxi and @oldunderground for their hard work and assistance leading up to the meeting with the Prime Minister

The demand for a Public Inquiry into how and why @TfL licensed Uber UK must continue.

If you haven’t already done so, please visit (link: http://pointcab.co.uk) pointcab.co.uk. 

After Friday’s meeting with the Prime Minister, the pressure needs to continue.http://pointcab.co.uk)

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Opinion ... Gerald Goureit QC : Uber London Model, Not Legal.

This is one ( if not the best ) Licensing lawyers in the U.K. 

Who is currently working for our biggest Trade Org:

This is his analysis of UBER and our present situation.

UBER have lied to the Courts, the High Court, MPs & Tfl.

So what happens?

They are allowed to work unlicensed, if only our very own Sean Stockings had that chance.

The Mayor should have revoked their license and let UBER prover otherwise, this is an utter disgrace and how UBER must be laughing their socks off at us -

Source:

Grant Davis, London Cab Drivers Club FaceBook Group.

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