In A Bid To Win Back Customers Uber Resorts To Fake News Stories... Gerald Coba

After a barrage of bad publicity over recent months, regarding customer rapes, serious sexual assaults and even murders by Uber Drivers, on top of accounts being hacked and customers tracked (even after deleting the app), with Apple threatening to evict Uber from the App Store-  Uber has now hit back- with fake news.

They say you couldn't make this up!

Well, it appears Uber have. 

ATLANTIC CITY:

Hundreds of Uber drivers in South Jersey are suing the Atlantic City Yellow Cab Co., alleging taxi drivers have been fraudulently posing as drivers working for the rideshare serviceto steal their customers.

United Drivers South Jersey -- a rideshare drivers group that serves South Jersey, Atlantic City and Philadelphia areas -- filed a class-action lawsuit Tuesday in Atlantic County Superior Court on behalf of 240 Uber drivers, according to a statement issued by the group.

The Uber drivers allege that taxicab drivers in Atlantic City have been depriving "authorized Uber drivers of customers and fares that they otherwise would have received," said United Drivers South Jersey on its Facebook page.

The owner of Atlantic City Yellow Cab Co., Murray Rosenberg, called the lawsuit "outrageous," and flat out denied the allegations.

"There's no validity whatsoever," he said.

In a post last month, the United Drivers group said customers' trust was being broken by "lying, greedy cabdrivers trying to scam them and the whole Uber system in general."

The group has also posted videos that it claims shows taxicab drivers posing as Uber drivers and stealing their customers.

The lawsuit, according to United Drivers South Jersey, includes claims under the New Jersey's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, which is a state law to combat racketeering in commerce.

The group also alleges that taxicab drivers are "putting riders at risk" because posing as Uber drivers invalidates their insurance.

Earlier this year, Gov. Christie signed a law to license and regulate ridesharing companies after years of that industry's own controversy and regulatory battles with the state.

"It is the hope of United Drivers that the taxicab companies will take immediate steps to stop this dangerous practice," United Drivers South Jersey said on its Facebook page.

Source : 

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Great News For Claire And Alex Blackman, And All Who Supported Marine A

'She has saved me': Sgt Blackman tells how the love of his campaigning 'wife in a million' Claire won his freedom as he gives his first interview since being released from prison.

Sealed with a hug from his ‘wife in a million’, Alexander Blackman finally savoured freedom yesterday.

The Royal Marine was reunited with Claire after 1,277 days behind bars and said: ‘She has saved me. Her determination to keep on fighting for me has been nothing short of incredible.’

Released from prison in the early hours of yesterday, he described waking up as a free man to the sound of ‘glorious birdsong’.

It was the moment the couple have dreamed of since the commando was jailed for life in December 2013 for shooting a Taliban fighter in Afghanistan. 

Top brass and the Establishment left him to rot in prison but Sergeant Blackman – known as Marine A at his military trial – was saved by a campaign for justice spearheaded by his loyal wife.

Daily Mail readers raised £810,000 to fund a fresh legal challenge and last month he won a stunning victory at the Appeal Court which dramatically slashed his sentence.

Now released on licence from HMP Erlestoke Prison in Wiltshire – half way through his revised jail term – Sergeant Blackman, 42, said: ‘I will be eternally grateful to Claire and I cannot put into words how wonderful she is.

‘She is a wife in a million. Other inmates often said how lucky I was to have her fighting so hard for me. 

'I don’t think there is anybody who has witnessed the effort she has gone to who will doubt how she feels about me, and that’s beyond words really. You just can’t imagine anyone cares for you that much.

‘I also want to thank the Daily Mail’s readers with all my heart. Without their amazing support, I would still be behind bars.’

Sgt Blackman added: ‘Being out of prison is an immense feeling, but I am very conscious that my sentence is not complete. I have been released on licence, and there are certain conditions which I must – and I will – respect.

‘But it is the little things I can enjoy. Suddenly I can sleep when I want, eat when I want, go for a walk... this freedom of choice over basic things is going to take some getting used to.’

Click on link for full Story :

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Taxi Alliance Spends The Night With Liverpool Echo Who Were Shocked At What They Saw....

Careful What You Wish For, Because Sometimes... Dreams Come True.

Never underestimate the collective Cab trade  ability to overlook the inexplicable

Question : 

Where did Gett get their pricing structure?

And what is it they are working towards 

In Uber a Law suit it was explained, no complicated maths.

In one case, an Uber rider paid $54.80 to be brought from the Fairfax district in Los Angeles to LAX. But Uber used a fare of $43.55 when calculating the amount it forwarded to the driver, which came to $32.89.

Sound familiar ?

If Uber fail to get relicensed this month, there will be 30,000 PH drivers looking for an app!

Gett say Taxi fares are too expensive!

2+2= 4... It's not complicate maths

The hits keep coming for Uber — and not the good kind.

The embattled ride-share company, already buffeted by a barrage of lawsuits and public-relations crises, is being sued again. This time, a driver is alleging that the Silicon Valley behemoth’s fare structure deliberately shortchanges drivers.

In the complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, attorneys for the plaintiff say they seek to have the case designated as a class-action on behalf of all Uber drivers in California.

At the center of the lawsuit is Uber’s use of upfront pricing. Introduced in major markets last year, the feature provides passengers with the cost of their ride before they summon a car. Uber pitched the fare model as a way to increase transparency and address anger over unexpected rate surges when demand for rides spiked.

“There’s no complicated math and no surprises: Passengers can just sit back and enjoy the ride,” the company said in a press statement.

However, according to the lawsuit, Uber also took the change as an opportunity to pull off “an active, extensive, methodical scheme … to defraud drivers.”

The lawsuit alleges that Uber essentially calculates two fares for each ride — one charged to the passenger and a cheaper one used to determine the driver’s pay. Uber, according to the suit, then can pocket the difference. (Sound familiar?)

The lawsuit claims that the discrepancy between the two prices violates the terms of an agreement Uber drivers must sign, specifying that they will receive the amount charged to passengers minus a percentage the company keeps.

In California, Uber generally takes 25%.

To bolster their claims, attorneys Bobby Saadian and Daniel Miller — representing driver Sophano Van — allowed The Times to review photos of receipts that drivers and passengers received from three rides.

In one, a rider paid $54.80 to be brought from the Fairfax district in Los Angeles to LAX. But Uber used a fare of $43.55 when calculating the amount it forwarded to the driver, which came to $32.89.

A spokeswoman for Uber declined to comment on the lawsuit. She acknowledged that the calculations used to determine what passengers are charged and what drivers are paid can differ.

"Riders agree to a fare upfront, while drivers earn based on the actual length of the journey plus applicable surge and promotions,” the spokeswoman wrote in a statement to The Times. “There are times when the two differ, and as we’ve noted before, the rider fare is often lower than what a driver earns for the same trip.”

Uber’s software algorithms calculate the fare charged to riders based primarily on the distance of the trip and an estimated time it will take, as well as factors such as how many drivers are in the area at the time, the company said when it unveiled upfront pricing.

But Uber's programs can overestimate or underestimate the distance or duration of a ride, leading to passenger fares that are out of line with the reality, according to the company.

The lawsuit is only the latest legal trouble for the company.

For years, Uber has been fighting class-action lawsuits that seek to redefine the employment status of drivers in California and elsewhere from independent contractors to full-fledged employees. A ruling against the company would upend a crucial underpinning of its business model, as it would have to pay drivers benefits and reimburse them for gas and other expenses.

A $100-million settlement proposed by the company was rejected last year by a federal judge in San Francisco as insufficient.

And Uber has been in damage-control mode over a sexual harassment allegation from a former employee that led users to drop the service’s app from their phones. Google also has sued over alleged theft of trade secrets, and Uber’s senior vice president of engineering recently resigned for not disclosing another sexual harassment accusation

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More Scandal, Lies And Cover Ups From The Conservatives

Over the last few days, drivers have been receiving emails and letters from their MP, in reply to the pointcab.co.uk system, and we've noticed a worrying trend from the Conservative MPs. 

It seems the conservative MPs are under the impression that all Boris's recommendations to make the private hire industry safer, have been implemented. 

It also appears most of the Tory replies contain similar breakdown of supposed events. 

This one below comes from Helen Grant MP:

Boris Johnson, the previous Mayor of London, worked extremely hard to ensure that there is a sustainable future for London's iconic black cabs by helping to bring the trade into the 21st century and create a level playing field for both black cabs and minicabs in London. As a result of a consultation, the Transport for London (TfL) Board approved the following proposals to modernise private hire regulations, and to raise standards in the industry in London, which came into effect in June 2016:

   . A formal English language requirement for drivers.

   . Private hire operators to ensure that customers can speak to someone in the event of a problem with their journey.

   . Even more robust 'hire and reward' insurance requirements.

    . Improved record keeping and real-time provision of driver and vehicle information to TfL to make enforcement even easier and more effective

 

On your specific point on capping the number of private hire vehicles in London, then London Mayor Boris Johnson asked TfL to investigate the impact and feasibility of removing the Congestion Charge exemption for private hire vehicles in central London to tackle pollution and reduce congestion.

Then we had this reply from the Office of James Berry MP

I should add that I supported Boris Johnson's original proposals because I support London's iconic black cabs. Boris Johnson worked hard to ensure that there is a sustainable future for London's black cabs.  These included requirements for

. A formal English language requirement for drivers

. Private hire operators to ensure that customers can speak to someone in the event of a problem with their journey

. Even more robust 'hire and reward' insurance requirements and improved record keeping and real-time provision of driver and vehicle information to TfL to make enforcement even easier and more effective.

I hope these changes will have a positive impact for black cab drivers.

Do these Tory MPs seriously not know that Boris's recommendations were not implemented or have been seriously watered down. 

Not only that, we now have another Tory minister who has told lies to the Taxi trade.

Christopher Stephen Grayling PC is a British Conservative Party politician and former author who has been the Secretary of State for Transport since July 2016. He recently stated in answer to a parliamentary question (72004) that at no time had Mayor Sadiq Khan asked for a cap on private hire vehicles in London. 

        Letter From Mayor Khan To Chris Grayling.

The LTDA posted this image on Twitter earlier today, of a letter from Sadiq Khan to Chris Grayling which stops short of accusing the MP of misleading parliament by saying he (Khan) is disappointed that the MP hasn't been fully updated on the matter and offered to sent the MP and his officials any further information if required. 

Going by the growing trend, seen within the Conservative MPs replies to Pointcab.co.uk, it appears most of the Tory party haven't been fully updated on this matter.

But then Chris Grayling, prefers to keep people in the dark. 

In a chilling move, debated for less than an hour, the House of Commons decided the public have no right to know if their MP is arrested. The motion was tabled when Grayling was Tory Leader of the House, arguing the naming of MPs under arrest breached their "right to privacy" under the Human Rights Act.

And yet while he was Justice Secretary, Mr Grayling led Government plans to scrap the Human Rights Act.

But the best emails I saw this week was the reply to James Berry MP.

Dear James Berry MP,

Thank you for your e-mail response to my correspondence regarding allegations in the Daily Mail about former Prime Minister David Cameron, former Chancellor George Osborne and Uber and I thank you for writing to the Cabinet Office to ask that the sequence of events be properly investigated so that the record can be set straight and any further investigations taken forward.

I can fully appreciate that you have to balance your thoughts when it comes to your constituents’ problems and those on a national level.

As an elected Member of Parliament you are the custodian of the parliamentary legislation that has been handed down to the various government bodies and their civil servant employees who should make sure that in this case the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998 (PHV(L)A 1998) is enforced.

It appears that the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer along with some civil servants have been asked for favours from family friends regarding the Uber Platform. All that the national taxi trade is asking is for a public inquire as to if this is true or not, which would settle the matter once and for all.

Uber has stated in a court of law that they are not a transport provider, so one has to ask why were they given a private hire operator’s licence in the first place?

The (PHV(L)A 1998) states that the booking has to be made through a registered private hire operating centre where the records must be kept for inspection should the need be.

The private hire driver cannot accept a booking in their vehicle even if they have a private hire operator’s licence. Therefore, Uber and its driver/partners are acting illegally as the customer is directed straight thorough to the driver, bypassing the registered private hire operating centre as required.

In the last 5 years that Uber has been registered in London as a private hire operator, how many times has the registered private hire operating centre in London been visited and the records inspected, as it appears that their registered private hire operating centre is an empty shell void of any communication equipment or booking records.      

It’s all well and good Transport for London (TfL) Board approving the proposals to modernise private hire regulations, and to raise standards in the industry in London, which came into effect in June 2016, but unless this and the (PHV(L)A 1998) legislation is enforced and the private hire industry complies then there will be no change as Uber and its driver/partners will carry on circumnavigating the parliamentary legislation that is there to protect the British public and its taxi and private hire business model.

Uber may have an effect on reducing the employment figures, but what it is actually doing in reality is massively increasing the benefits budget at the same time.

I look forward to receiving from you the response from the Cabinet Office.

Yours sincerely

(If you want to use this letter to reply to your MP, just copy and paste and add your name here )

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LTDA REPORT FORMER GOVERNMENT MINISTERS TO SERIOUS FRAUD OFFICE

LTDA have also issued follow up letter objecting to TfL re licensing Uber, it is now available to download online:-

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Government MOT plan to make cars unsafe?

The government is proposing that newly purchased vehicles have their first MOT when they are four years old (rather than three, as per the current requirement).

This information is from the SMMT. They report that the proposal has caused widespread concern from UK motorists who fear that it could lead to unsafe cars being allowed on the roads.

The government argues that extending the wait for MOTs could save an average of £45 over the course of a vehicle’s lifetime. That works out at a saving of £100 million per year for the UK’s motorists. Of course, the counter-argument is that it will cost the car servicing industry to lose the same amount.

In order to put the proposal into action, a public consultation will occur. If successful, it could lead to the new measures being in place as early as 2018.

It seems, however, that the majority of motorists oppose the proposal. YouGov has conducted a survey on the matter, which indicates that 83% of drivers would rather have peace of mind over the safety of their vehicle than an extra £45. 76% of a similar data set back calls from the automotive industry to keep the law as it stands (currently a three-year wait between the purchase of a new vehicle and its first MOT).

What risk does this bring to road safety?

During an MOT, a mechanic rigorously tests the vehicle against legal requirements. This includes examining lights, seatbelts, tyres, brakes and emission levels. Motorists can receive fines of up £1,000 for driving a car without a valid MOT.

Interestingly, many in the car industry actually believe that the current MOT checks are not rigorous enough. They would prefer reform in this area, rather than a new policy that they see as potentially harming the safety of motorists even more.

In reality, most four year old cars should pass an MOT with flying colours. Indeed, the Department for Transport points out that improvements in manufacturing standards mean that new vehicles stay roadworthy for much longer nowadays.

However, as AA President Edmund King said, the new proposal could see an increase in the number of cars on the road with “faulty tyres and lights,” which an MOT would address and which enhanced manufacturing standards have not necessarily impacted. King did also acknowledge, however, that the new measures would bring “cost and time savings for drivers.”

What do you think about the government’s new proposal? Would you take the £45 saving over the full peace of mind regarding vehicle safety? Let us know in the comments section below

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GMB Announce Uber To Get 1 Year Licence Renewal And Good Law Project Ready To Issue Proceedings

   

 

At 5:41am this morning 28April 2017, the Branch Secretary of the GMB Union made this statement about the relicensing issue concerning instant the hail app company Uber:

He was then asked by a respect trade voice if this was a fact, or just a prediction, to which he made this further reply. 

Although Steve has said that Uber will be granted a one year operators licence, this has nothing to do with the scandalous controversy, which alleges members of a previous government administration and their friends and colleagues, were implicated in putting pressure on the former Mayor of London Boris Johnson, to go easy on Uber. 

The one year operators licence is actually a stop gap measure by TfL while the consultation for a massive increase in licence fees take its course. 

If the consultation goes TfL's way, which consultations seem to have a habit of doing, then it could get very expensive to be a PHV operator in London. The largest companies (Uber included in this bracket) will have to find £1.6m plus £68 per mobile vehicle. 

But all this to one side, according to the GMB branch secretary, Uber's relicensing is already a done deal.

Funny how our trade has to turn to a minicab Union to get this new while our own New United Trade Group remain silent. 

Other news released today:

The Good Law Project has today stated that their Uber claim has been drafted and is ready to go. 

The say they are currently taking advice from a specialist costs QC and will issue proceedings shortly. 

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As McDonald's Make Uber Announcement : Cab Trade Drivers And Families Announce Boycott Of McDonalds.

TfL CO's standard fare, big Mc and fries can now be delivered to a rank while badge and billing Taxi drivers. It's not like they need the exercise!

London's Taxi drivers (and their extended families) have just vowed never to walk through the Golden Arches again, after McDonalds announce they are to partner with Uber to have their food delivered. 

The fast-food chain is currently riding a wave of success founded on several prosperous initiatives, including all-day breakfast, aggressive soft-drink promotions, and a makeover of the Big Mac.

This killer combination (possible killed more Americans than bullets) has led to exceptionally strong first-quarter sales, shooting the stock up to an all-time high. 

But in London, they will soon see a loss of well over 100,000 customers as cabbies boycott the store after the announcement.

The move was reported yesterday by Crain's Chicago Business, which broke the story on its website:

McDonald's plans to expand its relationship with Uber Technologies as it seeks to offer delivery of its food to customers in more U.S. cities.

The Oak Brook-based burger chain, which has been testing delivery through the UberEats mobile app in about 200 restaurants in Florida since December, said today it will launch delivery in several cities by the end of June.

"We're encouraged about the start we've had," CEO Steve Easterbrook said on a conference call with analysts and investors. "We are not in test mode, we are expanding."

I know what you're thinking:

Who in the world wants McDonald's fast food delivered? It's not even that great when it's fresh.

And it's not just in London.....

Taxi social meter pages from around the world are announcing similar bans.

At present, just go to any a Taxi rank in London and you will find many drivers with McD coffee cups in their drinks holders. Taxi cabs can be seen constantly day and night in the queues at drive throughs. 

Last night, I spoke to drivers on ranks and in a main Taxi restaurant and the drivers appear to be wholly united in their ban on big Mcs, coffees and soft drinks. 

One driver remarked:

"We announced a boycott of Mansies Pie and Mash Shops and next day they announced they would drop the Ubereats contract and the same with the Baigel shop in Brick a Lane"

He went on to say:

"Our families health can only improve by a Maccy D's ban. Now you don't even have to ge up off the sofa and make an effort to get there, they'll come to you (probably stone cold). You ever tried their fries cold ?"

Set to profit from this major commercial mistake will be the company who has shown more support to the London Taxi trade than any other, Pret A Mange. Twice a year they give free coffees out to cab drivers who only have to show their badge to get the free refreshment (which is also the best coffee on the market). 

So the London Taxi trade, and going by social media many Taxi trades around the world say fair well to the ginger headed clown, as another American firm joins the circus of fools.

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Counter Terrorism operation in Willesden - Four arrested and woman shot

During an ongoing counter terrorism investigation this evening, Thursday, 27 April, armed officers entered an address in Harlesden Road, NW10, shortly before 1900hrs.

During the operation, a female, who is one of the subjects of the investigation, was shot by police. The woman, aged in her twenties, has been taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service. 

Due to her condition, she has not been arrested at this time and remains under police guard at hospital. We await an update on her condition.

Four people have now been arrested. The first, a 20-year-old man was arrested near to the address. A male aged 16 and woman aged 20 were arrested at the address. 

A 43-year-old woman was arrested in Kent a short while later.


All four have been arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of terrorist acts under section 41 of the terrorism act 2000.

They are currently in custody at a south London Police station. 

The address and persons connected with it had been under observation by counter terrorism officers as part of an ongoing intelligence led operation.

This incident is not connected to the arrest in Whitehall earlier today. 

In line with established post incident procedures, the incident has been referred to the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards. 

This matter has also been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission as a matter of course.

There are no other reported injuries. Enquiries continue. 

Searches at the address are ongoing, as well as further searches at linked addresses across London.

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Romania: hundreds of taxis, buses protest against Uber

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) - Hundreds of taxi and bus drivers protested outside Romania's government offices on Wednesday to demand that Uber and other online ride service be outlawed.

Drivers parked some 200 taxis and buses outside the office buildings in the capital, disrupting transport in the already crowded city, and blew vuvuzela horns.

The protest, which had been planned to last all day, ended early after the government agreed to pass an ordinance within days better regulating taxi services.

Minister for Public Consultation and Social Dialogue Gabriel Petrea met with some of the protesters and the two sides signed a protocol where the government pledged to pass the ordinance within 30 days.

There were no details immediately available how Uber would be affected.

The Confederation of Licensed Transport Operators says it wants "online technology platforms that provide unauthorized taxi services to be outlawed," to protect licensed carriers.

Uber says it is a ride-sharing service with transparent costs and its drivers pay taxes. It says some 250,000 clients have used its services in the Romanian capital and other major cities in the past two years.

Taxi drivers blow into vuvuzelas during a protest outside the government headquarters in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, April 26, 2017. Some 200 taxis and buses have parked outside the government offices in Romania's capital, Bucharest, demanding that Uber and other online taxi services be outlawed in the country. 

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Whats On The Horizon : A New Greener Horizon, Or Project Horizon By Jim Thomas.

    

   After six demos and two all party engagements, the signs are still going up

I remember, many years ago, the public carriage office writing to every licensed Taxi driver saying, their must be no, 'no go areas' in London for Taxis. You will be expected to go to any destination within a six mile radius or within one hour duration and their must be no exceptions. 

Now we have a Mayor, in charge of a Transport body (TfL), bent on the destruction of our 360 year old trade by creating no go areas for London Taxis.

We've had 8 years of protest, demonstration, consultation after consultation, engagement and negotiation. Apart from the killer on the knowledge protests, which saw top TfL directors moved sideways, we've had little or no success. 

Now, after six demonstrations and two bouts of negotiations, we are about to lose access through the Bank Junction, financed by TfL to speed up bus times. This will be followed by a complete ban from Tottenham Court Road, then Oxford Street and Baker Street.

But this time there is an unfortunate victim caught in the middle of this attack on our trade, and that is the disabled and less mobile members of the public. Mayor Khan is about to  steal the freedom of the disabled to shop wherever they like, in order to give way to able bodied shoppers who he hopes will travel forwards and backwards on the Tubes new Elizabeth line. 

Khan obviously feels he can supply passengers to the new line by making it as difficult as possible for taxis to get to popular destinations around central London. 

OPERATION HORIZON:

Taxi Leaks spoke of Project Horizon several years ago and TfL flatly denied it ever existed.

We predicted back then, that under this agenda, there would be Taxi no go areas, followed by Private Hire rest ranks where drivers could wait to be hired and PH WAVs rank spaces at mainline stations. 

Remember the Gold, Silver and Bronze PH ranking system? It's still there in the background as TfL never fully scrap an idea, they just shelve it till the time is right. 

With Country Boy Rett Russell in charge of London's Ambulance service, it's only a matter of time before we see NHS Uber ranks at hospitals around Greater London...an going on TfL's present form, outside Greater London too. 

As Harry Wall said, "History is there to learn from".

Seems our trade has learned nothing

After years of negativity and deterioration, fighting an unfair and elitist United Trade Group, did we not cheer when Val Shawcross announced the UTG would be scrapped and the gagging order known as the engagement policy would be assigned to the shredder. 

So what is plan B.

It seems the old United Trade Group is to be replaced by the new United Trade group, and the old gagging order known as the engagement policy, is to be replaced by a new gagging order called the new engagement policy. Again the right to exclude any group they see fit to exclude.

And the price for signing away the right to criticise TfL in print or on social media, is a seat at the old fold up table.

Towards the end of this year, the Taxi trade will be expected to purchase the new electric TX5, even though neither TfL, the GLA, the Mayor or our trade Orgs, have bothered to explore the health risks associated with the radiation given off from the bank of batteries inside the vehicle. 

Not only has TfL put us in the predicament of not being able to afford this vehicle by selling our work to a NonDomicile company that pays little to no tax, we now learn this week that the government is likely to scrap the subsidy they were going to give Taxis and private hire to go electric.

But tell me this Sadiq, will the new electric Taxis be allowed to use all these no go areas and eventually replace the dirty buses that are running round, 100% on diesel, as replacement batteries proved to be too expensive ?  

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PCS BOSSES JAILED FOR CLOCKING FRAUD, BUT EMIRATES DEFENDS CONTINUED USE OF CRIMINALS’ FIRM

    PCS boss John Murphy.

Remember PCS the Tfl Registered PH Outfit who have a contract with Emirates Airport ?

A couple of years back I was asked  to investigate their Lewisham Office.

There was absolutely no sign of activity at that address, which was alleged to be no more than a front for the company who work mainly in Manchester and Newcastle.

This was reported to TfL who never answered the emails. 

We've been informed that TfL's Operators Licence has finally been revoked, since five Directors were convicted of Fraud at Chester Crown Court and receiving prison sentences totalling nine and a half years. 

Surprisingly, Emirates have continued to use PCS Events, even though the TfL operators licence has been revoked and gone so far as to issue a statement defending the company. 

“PCS has been serving our passengers since 2007 and currently handles around 85,000 trips a year, without any incident on record,”

Acting upon further Information from a licensed Taxi drivers association in Manchester, Photo's have been taken showing TfL registered PCD cars still working, still picking up at Manchester Airport in the VIP pick up area.

TfL Licensed Vehicles photographed on Friday 21-4-17, picking up passengers in the VIP area Manchester Airport.

Other vehicles seen licensed by TfL and working from the VIP pick up area are:

MV65ZBJ

MJ15OGR

MJ15OJL

MJ15OHF

If these vehicles are no longer registered with an Operator, they are in fact not Licensed to Pick up anywhere.

This matter has now been reported to TfL.

Plus, our contacts in Manchester have reported the matter there and at Newcastle Airport, where I believe vehicles from PCS are also Operating.

If these cars are operating illegally, then their TfL licence must be revoked, which means they will also be uninsurable to use for hire and reward anywhere in the country.

We have to ask ourselves why a company based up north, would go to the trouble of registering an operating centre in London, then drive it's vehicles all the way down to NSL passing stations in the capital, when they can get vehicles licensed in the cities where they operate. 

Why are they coming to London to get the vehicles licensed?

What incentives are there to be licensed at NSL?

Are these vehicles being given an easy time at NSL centres?

We've seen in the past a case -when TfL was under the directorship of John Mason- where a West London private hire company, produced an envelope full of roundels, when police officers turned up at the operators address. It later transpired that none of their vehicles had attended TfL passing stations and the roundels had been sent out by post......no one was ever prosecuted for this either.

Could it be that this practise is still wide spread and vehicles from around the country are being licensed by post?

After the recent private hire medical and topographical tests scandal, anything is possible as time and time again, TfL have shown they are not fit for purpose in respect of being a licensing authority.

For full story published in Pro Driver Magazine, click on this link below

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Stop Using Unroll.me, Right Now. It Sold Your Data to Uber

Tucked away in a rollicking New York Times profile of amoral Uber CEO Travis Kalanick is a tidbit about Unroll.me, a popular service that aims to rescue your email inbox from unwanted newsletters and promotional messages with an easy automated unsubscribe service. The problem is, it’s been selling you out to advertisers, and you should stop using it immediately.

The Kalanick profile says that Uber previously used Unroll.me data to gauge the health of archrival Lyft:

Uber devoted teams to so-called competitive intelligence, purchasing data from an analytics service called Slice Intelligence. Using an email digest service it owns named Unroll.me, Slice collected its customers’ emailed Lyft receipts from their inboxes and sold the anonymized data to Uber. Uber used the data as a proxy for the health of Lyft’s business. (Lyft, too, operates a competitive intelligence team.)

Slice confirmed that it sells anonymized data (meaning that customers’ names are not attached) based on ride receipts from Uber and Lyft, but declined to disclose who buys the information.

This is a capability it’s safe to wager virtually none of Unroll.me’s users are aware of, let alone comfortable with. Indeed, the company’s CEO and co-founder, Jojo Hedaya, immediately penned a pro forma apology blog for the ages, in which he says he and his staff “weren’t explicit enough” about terms that allow, as Unroll.me’s privacy policy puts it, the company to “collect, use, transfer, sell, and disclose … transactional or relationship messages.” Hedaya joins a historic chorus of Silicon Valley executives who say what they always do when they’ve been found out: “We Can Do Better,” as the title of the CEO’s blog post declares:

I can’t stress enough the importance of your privacy. We never, ever release personal data about you. All data is completely anonymous and related to purchases only. To get a sense of what this data looks like and how it is used, check out the Slice Intelligence blog.

This is by all evidence false: If your privacy were important to Jojo Hedaya, the contents of your email, even if anonymized, would not be for sale. Were he ever serious about keeping your inbox private, an apology blog wouldn’t have been needed to begin with. (Hedaya and his co-founder could not be reached for comment.)

At Hacker News, a sort of virtual startup water cooler, a former web developer named Karl Katzke has further alleged in a series of comments that Unroll.me also secured customer emails poorly and that a company for which Katzke worked declined to acquire Unroll.me due in part to concerns over executives’ honesty. In an email to The Intercept, however, Katzke said that while he stands by those comments, “my information is, at best, third person hearsay based on a rumor that was based on hearsay.”

Still, even just based on the facts Hedaya has openly acknowledged, you shouldn’t trust him or his company and should remove Unroll.me’s unfettered access to your Google account immediately, because that’s just what you gave them when you signed up:

       

Here’s how to remove Unroll.me (you can also delete your account following the company’s instructions here):

From your Gmail inbox (or any Google page), click the button with your face on it in the top-right corner, then “My Account.”

Under “Sign-in & security,” click “Connected apps & sites,” then “manage apps.”

           

Find Unroll.me, click it, and then click remove. You might also want to take a very, very close look at any other apps that have been granted the ability to “Read, send, delete, and manage your email.” Do you have a clear assurance that they won’t leverage their access to make money from the likes of Uber? Probably not.

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Another Corrupt Consultation From TfL and the Mayor Caught Out Telling Lies.

Last year's consultation, informed us that TFL would be reducing buses on Oxford Street by 40%. Now, in their infinite wisdom, they are actually considering banning Taxis -and believe it or not, cycles- completely, in a bid to improve air quality and pedestrian crowding.

You don't need he brain of Einstein to realise that by doing so, they will be creating absolute gridlock in the surrounding areas. 

The move will force through traffic onto residential streets such as Wigmore St, Mortimer Street and New Cavendish Street. Regent Street, already congested for most of the day, will also see a rise in usage, as will Grosvenor Street, Conduit Street and Berkeley Square. 

Problems along oxfords street are not caused by Taxis or cycles, they are caused by the excessive numbers of buses, empty for most of the day and night. Plus the current NO VEHICLES except Buses and Taxis rule has never been strictly enforced. 

As the London Taxi is the only passenger transport vehicle which is fully wheelchair accessible, to ban Taxis from Oxford Street is like saying to disabled passengers, find somewhere else to shop!

This is the second in a series of consultations, the first began in November 2016 and ended in January 2017. In that consultation, we were Informed buses would be reduced by 40% with all traffic banned by Mayor Khan later in 2020.

Lies, damn lies...and TfL's statistics.

You couldn't make this stuff up, wait a minute... they have!

There has been little to no growth in Taxis, this is Tfal misleading the public...again.

The growth has come from the Mayor's reluctance to ask the transport secretary Chris Grayling for a cap on private hire licenses. 

 

TFL's 2nd consultation is now opened.

Please click on the link below and take 5 minutes to fill in the consultation form and help stop this utter madness.

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