Uber is struggling in the UK. Can India's Ola do things differently?

India’s largest ride-sharing service, Ola, is coming to Britain. It’s news that will make not just Uber sit up and pay attention.

For Uber, it’s another direct rival. The US company, marred in the UK by controversies and court cases, is trying to rebuild its reputation in UK after after Transport for London (TfL) first withdrew its licence to operate in the city and then put it on notice by only issuing it with a probationary short-term licence.

Now Uber and the UK’s plethora of minicab firms find themselves cautiously eyeing a fresh competitor, and – once again – demand on it playing by the rules.

"Ola says that it is committed to raising safety standards in the UK’s private hire industry from the get go, unlike Uber," says Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association. With Uber’s reputation harmed, "Ola will be hoping to establish itself as a more ethical alternative," adds Lauren Foye, an analyst at Juniper Research.

Cautious about diving straight into London traffic - not least in light of all the issues Uber faced in recent years, the Indian company has chosen South Wales and Greater Manchester as pilot areas. An Ola spokesperson says the decision was based on "positive engagement" with the local authorities. Analysts, however, put it quite bluntly: rather than enter the fray in locations where ride-sharing is being scrutinised from a legal perspective, Ola is looking to get a foothold in areas yet to be significantly disrupted by the gig economy.

So who is Ola? Backed by SoftBank, the company has had its fair share or problems in its native India. There have been reports of drivers engaging in unethical and at times criminal behaviour, while Ola itself has been accused of exploiting its drivers, by first offering incentives to sign up and then cutting earnings later. It’s enough of a track record to make UK consumers wary, says Foye. "To address this, Ola will need to impose stringent checks on its drivers, and could look at features to make customers feel safer, such as panic buttons or CCTV equipment," she adds.

A major challenge to succeed with customers and to hire drivers will be brand recognition. "It is not known," says Yugal Joshi from Everest Group, a research firm. "[It will need] a meaningful marketing blitz around its entry, create incentives for drivers, work with regulators to better understand the constructs, and understand the taxi habits of UK passengers," he adds. What it shouldn’t do is market taxis as an alternative to other modes of transport, as it does in India. Instead, Joshi argues, it should make it essential for British commuters.

That Uber and licensed cabs have to make space for a newcomer isn’t a total surprise – quite the opposite. "The demand for that type of (sharing) mobility is certainly there, and I certainly believe that transportation as a service is going to grow," says Egil Juliussen, an analyst at IHS Markit. Uber, Ola and a few other major ride-sharing players such as Lyft and China’s Didi are just the beginning. The next step will be, inevitably, driverless cars – and that will at least remove the problem of underpaid or unethical and abusive drivers.

Pilot projects using driverless vehicles are growing in number, and Waymo, GM, Uber and Lyft are set to bring them to our streets in just a few years’ time. This, in turn, will make the cost of sharing mobility plummet, driving up demand and slowly but surely killing car ownership. "The peak in terms of car ownership will come very, very soon," Juliussen predicts.

For now, passengers will have to share their cab with a driver – and many UK drivers may soon find themselves working for an Indian firm. The UK, Ola’s spokesperson says, "marks a natural but significant next chapter in our international expansion," – after its expansion into Australia in January this year. The UK, the spokesperson adds, is "crying out for a responsible, new competitive player".

Ola will offer British passengers something different from Uber. And it has grand plans. Greater Manchester and Wales are "only the beginning", the spokesperson adds.

Source : Wired 

TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT:

We received this email today from a driver. Name and badge number have been reserved by us.

            

Morning Taxileaks,

   I'm a London Cabby - only found your website this morning - another cabby recommended it. I read the article in TAXI magazine yesterday about sueing Uber, and could not believe what I was reading. Mishcon de Reya, the legal firm that is supposed to be putting the case together, are the most bent legal firm in London !! Private Eye magazine have spent the last decade trying to uncover some of the corruption and cronyism at Mishcon. They are the Establishment cover-up legal firm of choice !!

     As soon as I read the article, I stopped the cab and ran into the Private Eye office (6 Carlisle St Soho) - they said they would dig out some of their more recent articles about Mishcon.

     I assume Uber have already agreed to pay them to lose the case, or Mishcon may already know it's not actually possible to win the case. Either way, it's another stitch-up.

from Taxi Leaks https://ift.tt/2OovOMI
via IFTTT

PH Operator Caught Touting On Street, Using Four Operatives Outside The Royal Albert Hall.

Yesterday afternoon, we witnessed four males giving out leaflets with s voucher offering FREE TAXIS to people around the Royal Albert Hall. The men were all wearing a T-shirt advertising Via-van. 

We asked TfL on Twitter, are Via Van a licensed operator and if this was acceptable and this was their reply: 

Yes Via Van is a licensed private hire operator what you witnessed was far from acceptable please report all you saw and heard to us by using tfl.gov.uk/tph.report.

Below is a video of just one of four of them, they were there for over half an hour and must have handed out hundreds of vouchers to people going into the Albert hall, he has the via van logo on his shirt.

    

He was standing right beside the Albert hall’s licensed taxi rank shouting repeatedly "free taxi". It’s blatant touting and misleading the public (they don’t supply taxis)

If TfL let them get away this what’s to stop other minicab firms doing this at major taxi ranks in London?

Via Vans licence should be immediately revoked for touting in a public place. 

TfL say they have passed this on to compliance but also stress that should you see this happening, you should use the form on tfl.gov.uk/tph.report. to report. 

TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT :

TfL haven’t got a great track record with this kind of touting offence. Uber were doing the same thing outside the Evening Standard Awards at tobacco doc. Many drivers took photos and complained but nothing happened.

Also, while John Mason was Director of TPH a private hire company was giving passengers free rides home from ranks in central London. The company played advertising videos to the passengers on rout. Mason refused to do anything about it. 

We must contact our orgs and make sure this corporate touting is followed up by TfL and isn't swept under the carpet. 

from Taxi Leaks https://ift.tt/2nivDqA
via IFTTT

TfL under fire for signing 'amazing' number of non-disclosure agreements with departing staff

Transport for London (TfL) has been criticised for signing more than 800 "gagging" agreements with departing members of staff in one year.

TfL signed 848 non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) – a legal contract that binds former employers to confidentiality restrictions – during the course of 2016 to 2017, the latest year for which data is available. That year, 2,100 members of staff left TfL, meaning NDA's were levied on 40 per cent of the employees that left.

London Assembly member Caroline Pidegon, who asked Khan about the NDAs, said she was "amazed" at the numbers.

“While non-disclosure agreements and confidentiality clauses can have a role in protecting commercially sensitive information, I am amazed that TfL considers such agreements to be necessary for over 40 per cent of their departing staff," she said.

“TfL needs to justify this high level of agreements and reassure the travelling public that they are not gagging former staff who should have every right to comment on an organisation they once worked for.”

A TfL spokesperson said: “We are delivering huge savings in our operating costs while delivering safe, reliable and affordable transport services and one of the biggest programmes of capital investment anywhere in the world.

"Part of this involves merging functions and reducing management layers enabling net savings of over £500m over the course of our five-year business plan and recurring savings every year thereafter. This proactive management of cost is helping us turn an operating deficit into a surplus over this period.”

In May the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, launched a review into senior staff severance pay after TfL admitted spending £50m on departing staff over the past year.

Anyone earning over £100,000 now has to have their pay packet signed off by Khan.

The transport body has been tasked with shedding management layers and cutting its reliance on agency workers as part of a cost-cutting drive.

Among the big earners at TfL are commissioner Mike Brown, whose total remuneration for the year was £374,959, and Crossrail boss Andrew Wolstenholme, who collected £736,157.

Last month Khan sparked criticised after he refused to sit on TfL's remuneration committee to have oversight of the generous payouts, arguing that the launching of the review made it unnecessary.

Previous mayors Ken Livingstone and Johnson both sat on the committee – Livingstone as chair throughout his time on the board and Johnson as a member during his time as mayor.

Source : CityAM

from Taxi Leaks https://ift.tt/2KBgOIS
via IFTTT

Cabbie Group Action : Are we being led down the wrong valley to protect Mike Brown's TfL ?

When Tennyson penned the searing words about the disastrous Charge of the Light Brigade, he was – like the poet laureate’s angry readers – demanding answers to one of the most pressing questions of the day: who/what led to the slaughter. 

Capt Nolan was the messenger who conveyed Lord Raglan’s written orders to Lord Lucan,

But, Captain Louis Nolan thought he was a battle tactician and led the charge down the wrong valley.  Ring any bells here???

Funny, the man who thought the three drivers taking Uber to court, (who eventually settled out of court), were wasting their time has suddenly had a changed of mind !!!

Any bells ringing yet. 

Try this one: No action can be taken against Mike Brown’s TfL while the case against Uber is running because it might prejudiced the case....in the eventuality of Uber settling out of court, probably for a lot less than the £500m stated this morning, no case against TfL would be viable. 

Are we being led down the wrong valley to protect TfL ?

TfL are the guilty party here as they allowed Uber to continue to operate for six years knowing that it was the driver who accepted the booking (admitted in court), Uber’s  operation was illegal ? 

Another question you might like an answer to before signing up for this action...Uber made Deloitte sign a non disclosure agreement over their second report ? 

You can’t see it, even the LTDA can’t see it ?

TfL cannot themselves dissect it ?

People are rushing in to sign up but wouldn’t it be a good idea to take some form of legal advice first?

Looking at the FAQ's : If you decide this action’s not for you after you’ve initially committed, it may incur a cost ?

Who large a cost????

Who remembers this email?

It is not about 'loss of earnings' - it's about recovering what was stolen from us.

Our Group Litigation should be for £1.5bn.

It was announced on Wednesday that this 'unelected' group would sue for £1bn.

Now it's down to £0.5bn.

We should be suing TfL. We are charging down the wrong valley. 

Let’s do the maths:

It's not rocket science.

CwP or Ernst &Young would do it this way.

As a professional with own vehicle (or rented) a professional is recognised in these matters as at £30 ph.

They'll gauge that at "gentleman's hours"; 40 hours pw.

x 52 weeks

× 6 years.

Then gauge how much work Uber has done in London (Uber say 2m pw)

We would judge this to be 40% (LTDA say 30%).

Whichever it is, Uber owe every driver that percentage.

The sums come out around £1.5bn (£1.7bn).

Every Taxi driver who was badged for those six years should receive £70k+

This is NOT loss of earnings!

Some drivers didn't lose earnings. They worked longer hours and lost valuable family time causing stress, having to work 40% longer. Some lost houses, wives, their kids once a fortnight, and some their lives.

Many have left the trade because of the hardship!

PH, garages, apps, etc., must take a different suit to ours. For damage to their livelihood and business and shouldn’t be included in any claim made by the drivers. 

Is the reason McNamara wants to sue Uber, so that it will be settled out of court for a great deal less! And to protect TfL ?

Is he using the other Orgs to give himself legitimacy.

News this morning from the  ITA, who have said, they will take an injunction against this suit, if need be!

WE SHOULD BE SUING TFL!

TAXI LEAKS EXTEA BIT : from LTR’s Sean Paul Day

Cabbies didn’t study The Knowledge of London for three years to operate on an equal playing field.

The LTDA should be calling on Transport for London to reinstate the demarcation between taxis and PH, and drivers should be recompensed for losses and damages incurred as a result of Über’s  operation being licensed illegally. 

from Taxi Leaks https://ift.tt/2LYVhQ4
via IFTTT

Nissan e-NV200 Taxi Saves Fleets So Much Cash That It’s Like Getting A License To Print Money

British taxi company C&C Taxi from St. Austell was already featured by Nissan as one of the LEAF and e-NV200 pioneers. 

Now, it turns out that by switching to EVs, C&C acquired a license to print money (no, not really), saving over €79,000 in 18 months on fleet costs.

According to the press release, the annual savings per car on fuel alone in the UK stands at €11,374 (£8,500) or over $12,000.

To make savings like that you need to drive a lot, and to drive a lot you need to charge a lot, and to charge a lot you need to do it fast so C&C installed two DC quick chargers – one at its office and one in an industrial estate. The result is 77,000 miles (123,000 km) in just 12 months for one of the cars, which translates to some 6,400 miles (10,250 km) a month!

Neither C&C Taxi nor Nissan provided the total payback period for the cars (including fast chargers) compared to conventional cars, which maybe would convince more taxi companies to switch to EVs.

Nissan’s Director of Electric Vehicles, Jean Pierre Diernaz explains the significance of C&C’s experience, commenting:

“C&C Taxis proves once again that Nissan electric vehicles work extremely well as taxis with huge cost savings for the business and big benefits to CO₂ emissions and air quality. These cars work hard, averaging 40 taxi fares and 240 km (150 miles) per day with zero reliability issues. It just works!”

C&C Taxi Fleet Manager Mark Richards commented:

“We have had such a positive experience with our Nissan LEAF fleet, even the drivers, who were anxious to start with are now very happy to drive a 100 percent electric car. They tell us a 10 hour shift is less tiring with an EV and the e-NV200 we have now means we can extend that experience to the drivers who were previously in diesel minibuses.”

“People often say that electric cars are just for cities, but we are in one of the most beautiful and rural counties of England with no cities or even motorways and they are working amazingly well for us. We are a family owned business and this is not a vanity project, this is something that is that is saving us money and getting us extra business.”

from Taxi Leaks https://ift.tt/2LZg1Y4
via IFTTT

Fury As Lifer Policeman Serial Rapist Is Released After Only 7 years

Victims' fury as rapist policeman, 50, is freed from prison less than seven years after he was jailed for life for attacking up to 30 women he met on duty. 

 • Stephen Mitchell was given two life sentences at Newcastle Crown Court in 2011

 • The police officer and ex-soldier raped and sexually abused vulnerable women

 • The 50-year-old has been released and was seen enjoying life on the outside

 • His victims and campaigners are outraged over his release, saying it was wrong 

Stephen Mitchell raped and sexually vulnerable women. He was jailed for life in 2011 but has since been released 

A rapist policeman has been freed from prison less than seven years after he was jailed for life for attacking up to 30 vulnerable women he had met on duty.

Stephen Mitchell raped and sexually abused heroin addicts and a disabled teenager by offering them help while in custody, then demanding sexual favours afterwards.

The former soldier was handed two life sentences at Newcastle Crown Court in 2011 and was told he would not be eligible for parole for at least seven and a half years.

But the 50-year-old has since been released and was seen enjoying life on the outside, riding a £500 bike, according to a report by the Sunday People.

Mitchell's victims and campaigners are outraged over his release, saying it was wrong Mitchell, who was deemed a 'high risk to women' by psychiatrists, was freed. 

One victim told the Sunday People: 'It's wrong that he can get on with his life, when he has ruined so many others.'

Another added: 'I certainly didn't expect him to get out so quickly.

'I have never, ever heard of anyone getting parole first time around for such a serious offence, given the fact he was so manipulative and never admitted anything.

'He deliberately chose victims who were vulnerable and wouldn't be ­believed if they ever dared speak up.'

She continued: 'I honestly think he has used everything he learned in the Army and the police to help him get parole by just telling them what he knew they would want to hear. He knows exactly what he's doing.

'He managed to get away with what he was doing, despite being in the police, so he is very cunning.' 

Labour's shadow home ­secretary Yvette Cooper called for the Parole Board to review its decision.

She said: 'We urgently need to know what the Parole Board's reasons were because to most people this really does not look like justice for victims. 

'The Justice Secretary needs to tell us urgently what progress he has made since his decision on John Worboys to stop the same things happening all over again.'

from Taxi Leaks https://ift.tt/2Kr9qQd
via IFTTT

Private Hire Driver Prosecuted, After Being Caught Using His Suspended Private Hire Vehicle.

Junaid Yaqoob of Green Keepers Road, Great Denham, pleaded guilty to using an unlicensed vehicle and driving without insurance on three occasions in November 2017. 

He was fined £211 and £635 respectively. He was also given six DVLA penalty points and ordered to pay costs of £900 with a victim surcharge of £63.

At the time of the offences his vehicle was operated by taxi firm Speedline.

Milton Keynes Magistrates Court heard that an MK Council taxi patrol officer was on duty at the CMK train station on November 29 when he conducted a compliance check on Mr Yaqoob’s vehicle. 

He noted the brake light was not working and issued a written notice suspending the vehicle for use as a private hire vehicle. 

Mr Yaqoob was advised that the vehicle could no longer be used to provide private hire services until the defect was repaired and then presented to South Northants Council who would inspect the vehicle and lift the suspension.

Later that day the patrol officer saw Mr Yaqoob’s vehicle again at CMK train station and noted the defective brake light had not been repaired.

The patrol officer then obtained booking records from operator Speedline who confirmed that Mr Yaqoob’s vehicle had completed three private hire bookings after the patrol officer had suspended his vehicle.

A spokesman for MK Council, said: “I would like to commend our taxi patrol officer for his vigilant work and taking the appropriate action. 

"This result will hopefully send a strong message to all drivers who want to ignore council officers as they will be caught and prosecuted.”

Shame London PCO's aren't as vigilant and up to this standard and no longer patrol the WestEnd and City. Apparently they only respond to what they are calling intelligence led compliance. But this Intelligence led compliance is shrouded in secrecy. 

Another reason why all meeting with TfL need to be minuted, especially compliance!!!

As complaints are made nightly about Private Hire vehicles parking on the busy working ranks at Shepherds Bush, Hakkasan and Nobu's....we can only assume they are not taking any notice of 'our' intelligence. 

from Taxi Leaks https://ift.tt/2Mj99AF
via IFTTT