GMB -Brighton And Hove Taxi Section- Confirms, Uber Is Private Hire Operator.

Email sent to a considerably large list: 

Once again it appears we see that Uber are trying to escape the fact that they are blatantly a Private Hire Operator with insistence that they are a “Third party technology company”

However.. on May 2nd 2017 two Uber representatives attended the Brighton & Hove Taxi Trade Forum meeting:

These were:

•  Helen Fletcher - Senior Compliance & Litigation Counsel at Uber

•  Emilie Boman - Senior Public Policy Associate at Uber

The Brighton & Hove Taxi Trade representatives refused to acknowledge the presence of Uber at that meeting of May 2nd 2017 as being a legitimate trade representative .

This was based on a statement made by Mr Fed Jones  (Head of Cities for Uber) who was present  at a  previous Trade Meeting held in December 2016.

At that December meeting Mr Jones denied that Uber was a ‘Private Hire Operator’ insisting that it was a ‘Technology Company’.

At the meeting on May 2nd 2017 the trade read out a statement at the beginning of the meeting stating:

“Until ‘Uber Britannia Ltd’ concedes it is a ‘Private Hire Operator’ it will not be recognised by members of the BHTTFA.”

However the response from Helen Fletcher was.. as quoted in the councils own Minutes were:

“HF who was present as Uber’s lawyer / representative at the Forum meeting confirmed that Uber are a private hire operator in the Brighton and Hove area and are also licensed in 70 other jurisdictions in the UK”.

It is clear and evident that at the Brighton & Hove Taxi Trade Meeting on May 2nd 2017 Uber Britannia Ltd officially acknowledged that it was indeed a ‘Private Hire Operator’

If there is any necessity of proof that Uber Brittania Ltd is indeed a ‘Private Hire Operator’ then this evidence supplied directly from UBL itself should be used.

Andrew Peters

Secretary

GMB – Brighton & Hove Taxi Section

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/2tUVslP
via IFTTT

Minimum Wage Threat To Minicab Firms Like Uber And Addison Lee

Taxi Drivers Protest Against Mike Browns Snub Of Trade Orgs.... By Jim Thomas

Protesting Taxi drivers brought Blackfriars Road (and most of London) to a standstill for almost three hours during Tuesday evening's rush hour, in a protest against Transport for London's commissioner Mike Brown, who has cancelled the last three scheduled Taxi Trade meetings. 

TfL's commissioner Mike Brown, London's Mayor Sadiq Khan and deputy Mayor Val Shawcross have all turned their backs on London's Black cabs. 

Cabbies complain that TfL bosses and the Mayors Office have failed to meet them to discuss threats to the trade such as the proliferation of minicabs using Uber and similar apps.

Last month Mayor of London Sadiq Khan Lied when he gave this answer to a question tabled by UKIP AM David Kurten: "In my Taxi and Private Hire Action Plan, I committed to review engagement arrangements with the taxi trade. 

"Key trade bodies were involved in discussions about the new arrangements and these have recently been put in place (there have been no all trade discussions for 8 months).

"As part of this new plan, the major trade representatives have the opportunity to meet with my Transport Commissioner, Mike Brown, along with other senior representatives within TfL providing a direct route to the relevant operational teams". (Another lie as Mike Brown continues to cancel meetings with the trade giving no explanation)

This statement is completely untrue. Mike Brown has cancelled the last three trade meetings and given no explanation other than he was 'unavailable'.

Deputy Mayor for Transport, Val Shawcross, (who when a GLA councillors was a staunch Taxi trade supporter) suddenly became unavailable and stopped meeting trade representatives soon after her appointment.

The protest was in the form of a flash demo, organised and publicised over night. Hundreds of Taxi drivers turned up and bought the area to a complete standstill. 

The target was 230 Blackfriars House, nicknamed Rachael Grundy house by Taxi drivers in honour of the £140 an hour prostitute with whom former TfL commissioner Sir Peter Hendy had a much publicised adulterous affair  

The protests started at 4pm and at first, police were slow to act. After 30 minutes, a motorcycle traffic unit turned up and to everyone's surprise drove along the lines of black cabs saying "if you move up, we can get more Taxis into the area of the protest. Drivers were told they could block the road between Stamford Street and Palestra. 

Unfortunately, because of the short notice, there were no placards, but these will be available at the next and subsequent demos.

Drivers were told they could park up and they did, which gave them opera unity to talk to the public who were very interested in why drivers felt the need to protest. Virtually all of the people spoken to appeared to support the drivers, even those waiting for buses which had been diverted. 

Again taxis drivers showed compassion as a disable boy and his mother were taken home by a volunteer cabby free of charge, when the found waiting at one of the bus stops close to Palestra.

All in all, the demo was continued without incident, except when a female compliance officer was found taking Taxi details. I approached the officer and asked to see her RIPA (Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000). 

I told her if she carried on without the permit I would call over a police officer and have her arrested. She then called in and was told to return to Palestra. 

The overhaul behaviour from the drivers was impeccable and the police were helpful and very supportive. It was a great turnout for a flash demo, considering the timeframe, but make no mistake we will be back and next time, we will be given more notice.

It was great to see my old friend Tony making his own protest outside Palestra. 

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/2tgvojB
via IFTTT

London Uber Sex Assault Shame...New Freedom Of Information Request, Shows Its Getting Worse.

More bad news is on the way for driver and rider matching service Uber: hot on the heels of revelations about their drivers having to sleep in their cars, vehicles moving hundreds of miles from their licensed areas to look for business, the impasse over the company getting its operator’s licence renewed in London, and the departure of CEO Travis Kalanick, have come the figures on sexual assaults by London’s Uber drivers.

And those numbers not only look bad, but all indications suggest that they are getting worse. On top of that, the figures will be receiving much wider circulation tomorrow when the Daily Mail hits breakfast tables and news stands, as the statistics have caught the eye of hack Guy Adams. He has been on Uber’s case ever since the legendarily foul mouthed Paul Dacre decided that the company’s behaviour had incurred his displeasure.

Dacre took exception to Uber after revelations concerning the ease at which it became established in London, and particularly the supine manner in which the capital’s formerly very occasional Mayor Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson seemed to roll over in the face of the Uber PR machine - and his being leaned on by Young Dave and the Rt Hon Gideon George Oliver Osborne, heir to the seventeenth Baronet.

Cameron and Osborne’s closeness to Rachel Whetstone, another who has now left Uber, were another item displeasing the Mail’s editor. That closeness arose mainly through her being married to Young Dave’s alleged guru Steve Hilton, now safely out of the country in West Coast USA. All of this will push the news that several Uber drivers are the subject of sexual assault allegations well up the Mail’s Monday news agenda.

So what of those numbers? Well, following an FoI request made of TfL, it has been revealed that the widely reported figure of 32 allegations of rapes and other sex attacks from 2015-16 has been eclipsed in the 2016-17 figures. Those figures, which have just been released, show that a total of 48 allegations of sexual assault, including in some cases rape, have been made against Uber drivers during that period.

That means a rate of one alleged sex assault almost every week. While it has to be conceded that some punters call any minicab “an Uber”, there is also the point that these allegations are the only ones specifying Uber - it is possible that other allegations were levelled where the complainant did not specify whether it was an Uber vehicle, because they lumped those in with other private hire operators. Swings and roundabouts.

On top of that, it has been put to me that the Metropolitan Police are investigating the possible use of TfL minicab licenses - some of which may be Uber drivers - by gangs trafficking illegal drugs, offensive and potentially illegal weapons, and sex workers around the capital. The name of a Police inspector on the investigation has been passed to Zelo Street. And much of this will be in tomorrow’s Daily Mail.

There is a good reason for taxis and minicabs to be subject to regulation, whether Uber and their cheerleaders like it or not. Now, perhaps, after Bozza, Dave and George have been swept from the scene, some action might be taken.

But by the way TfL have bent over backwards to protect Uber, I wouldn't hold your breath. 

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/2tzhTwl
via IFTTT

Minicab Driver Idrissa Bangura Leaves Passenger With Brain Damage, And Gets Off With A Fine.

A minicab driver who has left his passenger with brain injuries when he fell asleep after 15 hours at the wheel, has been fined £1,000. 

Idrissa Bangura, 61, lost control of his Mercedes Benz Vito minicab while driving oil industry analyst Mubarak Al-Shafi, 28, from the Sheraton Park Hotel in Mayfair along the A4 towards the Piccadilly Underpass. 

As they approached the split between the underpass and the slip road, Bangura fell asleep and the minicab ploughed into a bollard. 

Although Bangura was found guilty at Southwark Crown Court, he is still licensed by TfL to work as a minicab driver today.

So what happened to the Mayors one conviction and your out policy.  

And yet, a Taxi driver who videoed Leon Daniels and Mike Brown in a public place, eating dinner outside a restaurant.... had his licence revoked 

The Taxi driver in question, who hasn't been charged or convicted of any offence, is now unable to support his wife and children or pay his mortgage repayments. 

TfLTPH, why is this minicab driver, who fell asleep at the wheel of his minicab after working 15 hours, leaving his passenger with serious brain injury, able today to pick up our mothers, fathers, children, friends and family members, with the complete blessing of Mayor Sadiq Khan, Mike Brown Peter Blake, Helen Chapman and Leon Daniels. 

Many Taxi drivers will recognise Mr Bangura. He can often be found Touting outside Mayfair Clubs, Bars and Hotels. 

This video was taken 30th April, 2015. Its of Mr Bangura getting quite upset at being videoed in the act of touting outside Novikov's restaurant where he is a regular. 

Why are these tours never troubled by Operation Neon Compliance teams?

And yet literally hundreds of Taxi drivers are being harassed, badge and bilked every week outside this venue. 

Surely TfL are not operating an agenda of bias against the London Taxi Trade, turning a blind eye against the touts and putting the public in danger?

 

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/2udQwFA
via IFTTT

New Calls To Halt Blight Of Long Taxi Queues

Councillor Gill Mitchell is hopeful of a solution to the problem of taxi traffic outside Brighton Station

PRESSURE is mounting on rail bosses to find a solution for the ongoing “nightmare” of long queues of taxis snaking outside Brighton Station.

Residents enduring daily disturbances have called on Govia Thameslink Railway to “pick up the slack” and find an alternative site for the busy rank.

Councillors said the current layout had been an issue for years and caused a blight on the life of residents in Surrey Street.

GTR said positive discussions with the council had been held but warned moving the rank required considerable consultation.

Relocating the rank is not backed by all taxi drivers who say it will make journeys longer for passengers and increase air pollution.

The issue of taxis blocking up and causing noise nuisance for Surrey Street has persisted despite a £1.5 million refurbishment – a move residents claim has exacerbated the problem by narrowing the street.

Green Councillor Pete West said at Tuesday’s transport committee meeting it had been an absolute blight on the lives of residents and was affecting a major transport hub. 

He added: “This issue has had a lack of progress over many years. It needs a stronger light to be shone upon it. GTR have been extremely resistant, I’m glad to hear now they are more sympathetic for a plan first proposed five years ago.”

Councillor Leo Littman said the last few years had been “totally unacceptable and a “long-term solution” would require partnership work with GTR and taxi companies.

Councillor Gill Mitchell, transport committee chairwoman, criticised the gateway refurbishment planned under the Green administration. She said: “We are shining a light on the very unfortunate consequence of the flawed gateway project. The taxi rank should have been moved to the back of the station and we are having to respond to the mess. I hope sooner rather than later we can come to an agreement with GTR.”

A GTR spokesman said tailbacks in Surrey Street were caused by the volume of traffic at the one-way system and compounded by Terminus Road traffic and the busy bus interchange. 

He said: “Positive discussions have taken place with the council and a further meeting is planned when we hope to bring a solution closer.”

He warned moving the rank to the back of the station had to be carefully thought through because of the high use of Stroudley Road for pick up and drop offs, rail replacement buses, disabled parking, the entrance to the 600 space station car park, the Jurys Inn hotel and a newly built apartment complex.

He added despite owning the road, the decision was not solely theirs but required a high degree of consultation with affected parties especially considering the unpopularity of a temporary rank in Terminus Road last year.

Source : The Argus 

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/2t5Nchv
via IFTTT

London Taxi Rear Mounted Credit Card Readers, Compromising Driver Safety

We all know that rear fitted Card readers compromise the safety of the driver (especially in the case of female drivers. 

Our largest org the LTDA says there's nothing to be done, that it's a done deal. Our other orgs and unions remain silent on this issue. 

Well the GMB Taxi Branch, see things differently and would like all Taxi drivers who agree about the dangers of rear fitted units, to fill in this quick survey. 

There is a section at the bottom where you can add your own comments 

http://ift.tt/2uam7bp

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/2tBpomR
via IFTTT