Sir Vince Cable Slams TFL And Local Authorities Responsible For Hammersmith Bridge Fiasco.

Sir Vince Cable said passengers who use Hammersmith Bridge deserve a better deal

Twickenham MP Vince Cable has criticised the authorities responsible for Hammersmith Bridge, saying bus passengers who use the bridge “deserve a far better deal”.

The bridge, which was closed for most of the day on December 28 and December 29, can currently only hold a single decker bus at any one time, holding up many bus commuters who travel on the six bus routes that pass through it.

Plans to improve the bridge were made back in 2014, but repair work has allegedly been suspended due to an ongoing dispute between Hammersmith Council and Transport for London.

(Its alleged TfL's priority is the implementation of the Segregated Cycle Lane through King Street and Chiswick High Road )

Sir Vince said: “Due to dithering about undertaking proper repairs and strengthening work of this bridge, we now have the situation where the bridge completely closes at short notice.

“I do wonder how many of these sudden closures due to ‘emergency repairs’ will occur in the year ahead. And even when the bridge is open it can only operate with a 7.5 tonne restriction in place which involves wardens having to be employed to ensure that only one single decker bus can cross the bridge at any time.”

Hammersmith and Fulham Council, which is are responsible for maintaining and controlling the bridge, issued a cabinet member decision report back in December 2014 which included plans to strengthen the bridge between the summer of 2015 and 2016.

TFL, which runs the bus network that uses the bridge, according to the same document, requested that the bridge is strengthened to allow double decker buses to pass through. They estimated it would cost £25 million and offered to pay £23.5 million towards this.

Since then motorists and bus passengers who travel on the 72, 209, 419, 485, 609 buses and the 33 bus, which travels through Twickenham before going through Richmond, East Sheen, Barnes and ending at Hammersmith, have contended with bridge closures in October and December last year, because emergency repair work was needed.

But the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said that essential repair work on the bridge was not expected to be completed until 2021, in an answer at Mayor’s Question time last December. He said this was based on information TFL had received from Hammersmith and Fulham Council, who announced a major programme to repair the bridge would not commence until late 2018.

A Freedom of Information request (FOI) revealed that as of March 2017, the weekly cost for TFL enforcing the single bus rule was £6,600 per week.

But Hammersmith and Fulham Council has denied any dispute between themselves and TFL.

A representative from the council said they continue to work closely with TFL. They added: “There is absolutely no dispute between Hammersmith & Fulham Council and TFL over funding refurbishment works for Hammersmith Bridge.”

TFL has also denied there is any dispute.

(Another scandal sweated under the carpet perhaps)

Sir Vince said key decisions between the two organisations needed to be made quickly. He said: “I accept the current situation creates far more inconvenience for people nearest to the bridge, such as in Barnes and East Sheen, however the bridge also serves the important 33 bus route which is vital to many communities throughout Twickenham. Bus users on both side of the Thames deserve a far better from Hammersmith Council and TfL.”

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Call For More Details On Operating Rules For Uber’s Minicab Service In Aberdeen

An MSP has called for details about how a controversial taxi firm will operate in Aberdeen.

Uber has been granted a licence to operate in the city but MSP Kevin Stewart has urged Aberdeen City Council to give assurances about the company.

The firm was given permission by local authority officers under delegated powers last week.

     MSP Kevin Stewart      Angela Scott ACC

Mr Stewart, who represents Aberdeen Central, has written to Aberdeen City Council’s chief executive Angela Scott on the issue after he was contacted by constituents and taxi drivers.

However, both the council and Uber have said they abide by the same rules and applications for private hire operators.

Mr Stewart said: “People in Aberdeen deserve an immediate and detailed explanation from the chief executive as to how exactly Uber will operate in this city, and what assurances there are that this company will comply with all relevant legislation and local policies.

“Uber has become a controversial company, and with their licence to operate in London being taken away just four months ago, it’s surprising that no elected councillors in Aberdeen were given the opportunity to scrutinise this decision.”

The Evening Express revealed in September that the cashless service, which uses an app to book taxis, was attempting to launch the service.

An Aberdeen City Council spokeswoman said: “The applicant is required to display a notice at the proposed booking office for 21 days which must be viewable by the public.

“As there were no objections, the matter was not referred to the licensing committee.

“The licensing regime in London is different to the licensing regime in Aberdeen.

“Any driver operating in Aberdeen must pass a street knowledge test, be deemed to be a fit and proper person and their vehicle must undergo strict checks.”

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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