Uber Spelling Tips From The Producer Of The Knowledge Play At The Charing Cross Theatre!

Good Advice from this driver advising you to go see this fabulous show .

Today's topical spelling tip :

" licence " is a noun 

" license " is a verb 

( in British English, the Americans use " license " for both ) 

Hard to remember UNLESS you think of " advice " and " advise " , which work exactly the same way but their respective pronunciations give them away. 

FYI " practice " and " practise " also work the same way 

SO to choose a random example : 

Uber have lost their licence 

Uber are no longer licensed 

Uber were not deemed fit and proper to hold a licence 

TfL's licensing decision re Uber was the right one 

Uber are appealing against the loss of their licence 

We all hope that Uber are not relicensed 

Hope that helps !

Vaughan Williams.

Taxi Leaks Extra Comment :

Yes it's very true....this blog needs all the help it can get with spelling !

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

Cambridge 'looking closely' at Uber licence after London drops the ride-hailing app

The Mayor releases statement over UBER petition:

In response to a petition on Change.org about TfL’s licensing decision on Uber, The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:

 

“Transport for London (TfL) yesterday informed Uber London Limited (Uber) that it will not be issued with a private hire operator licence after expiry of its current licence on 30 September.  This decision was made independently by TfL as the legal taxi and private hire regulator for London. 

 

“TfL has concluded that Uber’s conduct is not fit and proper to hold a private hire operator licence. TfL considers that Uber’s approach and conduct demonstrates a lack of corporate responsibility in relation to a number of issues that have potential public safety and security implications. These include Uber’s approach to reporting serious criminal offences, its approach to how medical certificates are obtained and its approach to how Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks are obtained.  

Read more here: http://bit.ly/2yhssmC

 

“I have written for The Guardian about why I have backed TfL’s decision, however, I want to be absolutely clear that there is a place in London for all private hire companies that play by the rules.

 

“Uber’s current licence does not expire until the end of September so the service will continue until then. The company can also continue to operate until the appeals process has been exhausted.

 

“I know that Uber has become a popular service for many Londoners – but it would be wrong for TfL to license Uber if there was any way this could pose a threat to Londoners’ safety or security.

 

“As Mayor of London I welcome innovative new companies that help Londoners by providing a better and more affordable service – but providing an innovative service is not an excuse for not following the rules. All companies in London must play by the rules and adhere to the high standards we expect - particularly when it comes to the safety of customers.  

 

“I have every sympathy with Uber drivers and customers affected by this decision but their anger really should be directed at Uber. They have let down their drivers and customers by failing, in the view of TfL, to act as a fit and proper operator. 

“I suspect it will take some time before this situation with Uber fully plays out. In the meantime, I will continue my work to help support innovative businesses in London and to create a vibrant and safe taxi and private hire market.”

 

ENDS

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

Fake Medicals, Fake Topographical Test's, Fake DBS Certificates.... And now

THEY'RE AT IT AGAIN

Remember the petition, Uber handed it in at the wrong building. You remember the one, it had tens of thousands of signatures from people who said they never signed it!!!

Well they are at it again and now, the Media onslaught begins.

Uber has launched an on-line petition with figures of apparently half a million signatories being regularly mentioned on TV and Radio.... and yet no one states the plight of the sweat shop economy Uber operates by... no, its the "me me me" attitude of no longer being able to get home below reasonable cost riders not even caring one jot about the many victims of sexual assaults and the clearest dismissive attitude of their Uber app provider who felt it was in their own remit to choose and adjudicate as to the seriousness of reporting crimes committed by staff under their watch. 

This whole seedy episode was brewing daily and clear for everyone to see for the last 5 years, prospective Uber drivers were even recruited with interpretors to assist their applications and now they have their feet firmly under the table and irrespectively finding themselves being threatened as completely damaged by the un-removable stain of corruption greed and exploitation and complete irregularity, their resurrection plans and tactics are becoming clearer by the hour, ..... bribery by populism.

Uber have launched a campaign of popularity by launching the petition to overwhelm adjudicators and influence future judges into making decisions purely on popular grounds which has nudged online signatures in return for cheap and even cheaper journeys home....same old corrupt Uber using the only tool in their box of buying influence by cash burn ideology.

I was reading about an Uber driver who joined 4 years ago simply because the local mini cab firm he had worked for for years had gone bust because of high rents and overheads of providing TFL legally required offices, phones, staff to check driver validities such as insurance driving licenses mot's and CRB's and equally importantly eye contact with the prospective driver to plainly assess their capability and ability to do the job, That requirement was avoided by Uber, And now TFL has made the decision they have about Uber, he would be delighted to return to a local service where he had excellent local to-and-from knowledge and importantly received a living wage according to the reasonable competitive fare and not being exploited to having to work 8 hours a day to achieve break even before profit began as with Uber.

Right now, there are large sections of the press and media stirring up the completely laughable notion that somehow 30-40 Thousands of Uber drivers will be turning up at the unemployment offices being rendered out of work if TFL are not forced into changing their minds about not granting Uber a new license from 1st October which is complete rubbish.

Every good private hire driver will return to where they once worked and some may even find confidence to open new offices, and a more technological private hire system will be resurrected where (as now) texts are sent to the booked caller wherever they are, stating the car type, registration number and drivers name, and yes it may be slightly more expensive....that is the reality of fair business practices.

If the BBC or any Newspaper ceased tomorrow all the better journalists would soon find another job...as for the rest, it seems unemployment would clearly suit them in the longest queue we'd have seen for ages because that profession is clearly lacking in moral fortitude and honest thinking, and remember how much governmental subsidy and tax credits are being paid to all those underpaid Uber drivers which could now turn into unemployment benefit helping finding new honest employment instad of shoring up one... if not 'the' most parasitical business enterprises ever created on planet earth.


Be Lucky

greenbadgejohn (on twitter)

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

And So The Madness Is To Come To An End. TfL Refuse Uber Licence To Operate In London.

Uber will not be issued a new private operators licence, when their current licence expires, Transport for London (TfL) said today. 

Their current licence expires at the end of September and then they will have 21 days to appeal, during which time it can continue to operate.

TfL concluded the ride-hailing app firm was not fit and proper to hold a private hire operator licence after a number of contributory scandals hit the media earlier this year. 

Also a mass of FOI requests from members of the Taxi trade, exposed emails which showed an unsavoury relationship with senior TfL staff.

Uber's approach and conduct demonstrated a lack of corporate responsibility which could have potential public safety and security implications, it said. 

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said in a statement: "I fully support TfL's decision - it would be wrong if TfL continued to license Uber if there is anyway that this could pose a threat to Londoners' safety and security. 

Current statistics have shown that in London alone, Uber drivers were responsible for committing one serious sexual assaults including rape of vulnerable passengers every eleven days. Last year showed a 50% rise in passenger attacks from Uber drivers.

A spokesman for the Taxi trade Gerald Coba said:

"This decision from TfL will almost certainly make traveling on London streets much safer. Bus drivers will no longer be doing uber shifts before starting work driving buses. 

"It should also make driving along one way streets safer too.

"But this isn't the end. Uber will try to carry on using PHVs registered by other licensing authorities. 

"But now TfL have refused to relicense, I strongly believe other authorities around the country will now follow suit."

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

More Congestion, More Pollution, More Cycle Lanes

Legal Trouble On The Horizon For The Toxicity Charge

To try to reduce air pollution in London, the toxicity charge, or T-charge, will come into effect on the 23 October 2017. It aims to discourage the use of older cars on the road, as these produce the most dangerous fumes.

Now, however, FairFuelUK is seeking to raise a legal challenge against the T-charge, arguing that a full public enquiry should have preceded the decision to implement it. The challenge could have implications for every major UK town and city.

What is the T-charge?

The T-charge is expected to affect up to 10,000 vehicles every weekday, so plenty of people will find themselves needing to pay it. It targets nitrogen oxide and particulate matter, as these have a negative effect on human health. This is becoming more worrying as the population of London continues to grow.

Anyone driving through London in a car, van, minibus, bus, coach or heavy goods vehicle that does not meet the Euro emissions standards will be required to pay the T-charge. This is in addition to the congestion charge that is already in place.

What will you be paying?

The minimum emission standards are Euro 4 for petrol and diesel vehicles, and Euro 3 for motorised tricycles and quadricycles. Any vehicle that does not meet these standards will be subject to the T-charge.

The charge will apply to drivers using the capital’s roads between 7 am and 6 pm Monday to Friday. The cost to those drivers will be £10 per day. The T-charge does not apply on bank holidays, or from Christmas Day to New Year’s Day.

If you are unsure of whether you’ll need to pay the T-charge for your vehicle, you can check your vehicle registration certificate (V5C), which displays the emissions standard that the vehicle is classed as.

If your vehicle doesn’t meet the Euro emissions standards, and you fail to pay the T-charge, you will be sent a penalty charge notice for £130. This will be reduced to £65 if it is paid within 14 days.

Legal issues with the T-charge

The T-charge has recently come under fire from FairFuelUK. The organisation has described the Mayor of London’s decision to implement this charge as unlawful and unfair. This is because FairFuelUK doesn’t believe that drivers should be penalised for driving older petrol and diesel cars. The campaigning organisation feels that a full public enquiry should have been carried out before the decision to roll out the T-charge was made.

FairFuelUK has now launched a crowd funding campaign to raise money for a two-part legal challenge against the T-charge. This would firstly see it ask the Mayor of London to change his mind about introducing the T-charge. Secondly, it would ask the Prime Minister and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) to investigate how else London could reduce pollution.

Learning from other countries

The T-charge may seem like a harsh idea. However, examples from around the world show that Londoners could actually have it worse. Paris, for example, has banned all cars registered before 1997 from using city centre roads between 8 am and 8 pm on weekdays in a bid to reduce pollution.

Similarly, the Mayors of Mexico City, Madrid and Athens are currently looking at banning all diesel cars from their city centres by 2025.

If the T-charge is a success in London, it is thought that it will be rolled out to 25 other UK towns and cities. These include Birmingham, Nottingham, Southampton and Derby, which will start by charging older lorries, taxis and coaches by 2019.

With legal issues against the T-charge being raised before it has even been implemented, the future of the charge is far from certain. However, one thing is for sure – urgent thought needs to be put into how else pollution can be lowered in the UK’s major towns and cities, whether this has to do with penalising certain motorists or not.

What can we do to reduce pollution in our city centres without penalising motorists? Or is charging drivers based on their vehicle type the only viable solution? Leave a comment below. 

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