A cabbie was suspended and others received warnings following checks in Leamington and Warwick.
According to the Leamington Observer, Warwickshire Police stopped and checked 40 taxi and private hire drivers during a joint operation with City of Wolverhampton Council’s taxi compliance officers.
Checks were carried out to ensure both the drivers and their vehicles were appropriately licensed and had the correct documentation.
Officers with vehicle inspection and prohibition powers also checked the roadworthiness and overall safety of vehicles.
Of the 40 cars, one driver was suspended by the licensing authority as well as being prosecuted for two bald tyres.
A further seven drivers received formal warnings on their licence records for infringements and four more were given advice as their tyres were less than 1mm from the legal limit.
Sgt Simon Dalby, who led the operation, said: “We were pleased to see that the majority of taxi drivers we checked during the operation had carried out their vehicle checks and the vehicles were safe to be on the road.
“Checking drivers are using a safe, approved vehicle when carrying members of the public and following all laws and regulations will undoubtedly help improve road safety, and reduce the risk of collisions.
“Checking the taxi driver documentation also helps reduce the risk to vulnerable people who may fall prey to unlicensed drivers in the night time economy.
“Due to the success of the operation, we will be doing it again soon to cover all our towns across the county.”
John Roseblade, director of resident services at City of Wolverhampton Council said: “City of Wolverhampton Council takes its licensing responsibilities seriously and our officers work proactively across the country, carrying out regular operations with partners to protect the public.
“We will continue to support Warwickshire Police to carry out further random checks on taxis over the coming months to ensure both the driver and vehicle meet the requirements to carry members of the public.”
Source: https://leamingtonobserver.co.uk/news/taxi-driver-suspended-following-spot-checks/
Edinburgh black cab drivers have criticised the council after being asked to pay to have planters on The Royal Mile moved for their annual outing for vulnerable children.
For more than 75 years the capital’s taxi drivers have treated local youngsters with special needs, life-limiting conditions and terminal illnesses to a fun day out parading through the city in their brightly decorated cars.
But after seeking to return to the route taken by the much-loved Edinburgh Taxi Outing before the pandemic – at which point planters were used to block traffic from the High Street under the Spaces for People scheme – they were told temporarily removing the blockade would come at a cost.
According to the Edinburgh Reporter, organisers have said they remain hopeful the issue is just one of “miscommunication” and that any fee would be waived by the council for the long-running event.
After submitting plans to go along Princes Street, up the Mound and down The Royal Mile for the first time since 2019 organisers were quoted a figure understood to be around £1,500 to have the planters moved.
In a letter seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service the council said during events such as the long-running Taxi Outing its staff were “not required on site” and therefore there were “no resources available to move or return the planters”.
It said: “If an organiser wishes to use a route which requires the planters moved or returned then the costs for the work would be at the expense of that organiser.”
A council spokesperson said the drivers would be free to shift the large boxes themselves or alternatively alter their route by turning down Cockburn Street.
Taxi Outing secretary Keith Bell said it isn’t “physically feasible for us to do that”.
He said: “I’m not sure why they can’t just send a man in a flatbed with a tail lift, drop the tail lift, or a pallet truck, and move the planters.
“What happens if the public see Joe Bloggs moving the planters? You really need to have a council lorry there with council staff moving it, because if I can just shift them what’s to stop anyone else shifting them? It’s on a hill as well, it’s not like we can do that – we’re taxi drivers.”
He added: “I think the figure quoted was probably for a commercial event, which is fair enough – if people are making a profit from the city it’s only fair the council recoup their cost and I would never have a problem with that – it’s just we’ve been going for over 75 years.”
The Association of Hackney Carriage Drivers of the City of Edinburgh said: “Despite the commendable efforts of the city’s taxi drivers to uplift the spirits of vulnerable children, bureaucratic hurdles erected by the council threaten to undermine their altruistic endeavours.
“The refusal to accommodate these compassionate acts speaks volumes about the council’s misplaced priorities.”
Mr Bell said he was “sure it’s just a misunderstanding” and “when the officials realise it’s for the Outing and we’ve been doing it for 75 years the matter will be resolved quite amicably”.
He said: “I suspect what’s happened is the email has come in – because the council is more like a sort of call centre where they just have generic staff answering the phone, doing the post – and the person probably wasn’t aware of what the taxi outing was, so they’ve just given the generic answer.
“I know sometimes how bureaucracy can get in the way and what you would think would be a simple solution sometimes turns into a nightmare.
“I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding and when the officials realise it’s for the outing and we’ve been doing it for 75 years I think the matter will be resolved quite amicably.”
The Edinburgh Taxi Outing is set to take place this year on Tuesday, 11 June.
Source: https://theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2024/05/cab-drivers-may-have-to-pay-to-move-planters-for-outing/
A total of 19 taxis have been stopped in and around Cambridge in a crackdown on vehicle safety and parking on double yellow lines.
Licensing officers from South Cambridgeshire District Council and Cambridgeshire Constabulary carried out the joint operation.
CambridgeshireLive reports that the officials checked taxi driver badges were displayed correctly, vehicles had door signage and that they were carrying a first-aid kit and fire extinguisher.
Officials also cracked down on double yellow line parking on roads around Addenbrooke's Hospital amid increasing complaints from people living nearby.
Patrols found issues with three vehicles parked on double yellow lines - including one taxi parked on double red lines at Addenbrooke's next to a “no parking at any time” sign. Problems were found with identity badges not on display or missing, and door signage not displayed.
More serious issues were found with four vehicles that had tyre tread depth below the legal limit. The vehicle licences were immediately suspended until the tyres were replaced.
One driver was made to remove a large heavy torch secured to the side of his seat, which could be considered an offensive weapon.
If found attached to the seat on any further checks he was warned that he would be arrested. Another vehicle was found with aftermarket window tints, which are not allowed under the current South Cambridgeshire Hackney Carriage and Private Hire policy.
The vehicle will be reinspected at the council offices and, if not removed, the vehicle will be suspended.
Of 19 taxis stopped, only three drivers and their vehicles were found to have no issue. The other 16 were sent either an advisory letter or issued with penalty points against their Council-issued licence.
Cllr Henry Batchelor, Lead Cabinet Member for Licensing for South Cambridgeshire District Council, said: “It was quite concerning that out of the 19 vehicles checked only three had no issues and were fully compliant.
"We will continue with regular spot checks as being compliant with policy is a requirement, not an option. Moreover, it is necessary for both the driver and the passenger's safety and protection."
All drivers using a vehicle with illegal tyres were issued with six penalty points. If they receive further points within the next year - giving a total of 12 points or more - they will automatically be referred to the Council’s Taxi Licensing Sub-Committee to decide on their suitability to continue holding a licence.
Following the operation’s success, it is anticipated further partnership crackdowns will take place at various times throughout the year.
A black cab driver, who fled a midnight hit-and-run and continued picking up passengers in his damaged taxi leaving his victim in the road has been jailed for four months.
MailOnline reports that London cabbie Farid Cheheb, (pictured left) fatally injured Irish barman Shane Scannell, 44, who died in hospital four days later surrounded by his devastated family.
Cheheb, 60, pleaded guilty to failing to stop after a road accident on May 21, 2023.
Cheheb, of Epsom, Surrey, was not charged with a more serious offence as a forensic police investigation found no fault with his driving.
As he was sentenced to four months imprisonment, and handed an eight month driving ban, Cheheb collapsed in the dock at Staines-upon-Thames Magistrates' Court, and was eventually taken away in an ambulance after an hour of medical attention in the court.
Prosecutor Amanda Burrows told the court on Thursday 2 May: "Very tragically it was the consequences of this defendant's actions that led to the death of Shane Scannell.
"Mr Cheheb was dropping off the passenger he was driving in South Street, Epsom when he collided with a pedestrian, Mr Scannell, who had left McCafferty's public house where he worked at around midnight."
Police officers investigating Mr Scannell's death 'considered a number of possible scenarios', the court was told, eventually concluding it was 'very unlikely' the victim had been 'upright and on two feet'.
"Maybe he had fallen and was in the process of getting to his feet when the vehicle collided with the victim and left him with traumatic injuries," the prosecutor said.
"Very quickly after the collision members of the public became aware of Mr Scannell in the road and he was attended to fairly rapidly after the impact and taken to St. George's Hospital, south-west London.
"Police made enquiries and traced the vehicle back to this defendant," said Ms Burrows. "There was damage to the vehicle consistent with the accident and he was arrested and interviewed.
"He said he was aware of the impact and thought he had hit a deer or a fox, but this was not accepted by the officers because the visibility should have allowed him to see what he had collided with."
Father-of-two Cheheb has been in the UK for thirty years, and has a 2009 offensive weapon conviction and one for assault in 2017.
His hackney carriage licence has been suspended for ten years.
His lawyer Suzy Wainscoat told the court: "Mr Cheheb accepts his responsibility for the tragic incident and extends his condolences to Mr Scannell's family and expresses remorse and regret for his actions.
"It is not suggested he was at fault with the standard of his driving. He was not speeding, he was not using his electronic devices, which the police have checked.
"He was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol and he continued to work for a short period afterwards. Mr Scannell was not run over. He was at a low level to the ground, that is the police evidence."
Cheheb's lawyer described him as a 'well known and respected person in Epsom' that had been doing the 'train run' in the town for the last twenty years.
District Judge Julie Cooper told Cheheb the circumstances of the offence were so serious only an immediate custodial sentence could be justified.
"The police investigation shows you would have seen Mr Scannell in the road for ten metres.
"When you knew you had hit something you should have stopped to see what it was, even if it was an animal which you are not required to stop for, but could have called the RSPCA.
"You did not know what you had hit, but it could always be a person. It would take just seconds to see what you had done, but you carried on and picked up two more fares.
"This accident left a man dying in the road to the horror of his family and knowing he was left in that state will weigh heavily on them.
"I cannot pass sentence today other than a custodial one and that must be immediate. I cannot suspend that sentence."
At this point Cheheb collapsed to the floor of the dock and remained breathing, but unresponsive for some time as police and custody staff attended to him.
A York taxi driver who knocked down a pedestrian while speeding close to the city centre has lost his licence and his job.
The York Press reports that Sam Bradley’s actions left the victim with a broken leg and broken ankle, said Sarah Tyrer, prosecuting.
He was exceeding the 30mph speed limit as he drove along Fishergate where it is two lanes wide in the early hours of June 17 last year.
He told police he had finished his shift five minutes before the collision and was on his way home on a road that he drove on regularly.
Bradley, 36, from Bishopthorpe, pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by careless driving at York Magistrates' Court.
District judge Adrian Lower told him: “As someone who works as a professional driver, you would know better than most, there is a reason why there is a speed limit. They are there to be obeyed.
"If you want a taxi licence back you may find it very difficult because of this conviction."
He banned Bradley from driving for 12 months and gave him a 12-month community order with 100 hours’ unpaid work. He must pay £85 prosecution costs and a £114 statutory surcharge.
Bradley’s solicitor Liam Jackson said he had given up his taxi licence.
Ms Tyrer said Bradley had been a taxi driver for nine years and held a driving licence since he was 18.
The pedestrian, a student, came to York to meet up with friends. He was in Fishergate and started to cross the road towards one friend.
The next thing he remembered was lying on the ground and then being in an ambulance en route to York Hospital.
As a result of the collision, he was unable to do a summer vacation job that would have helped pay his living expenses while studying at Leeds Beckett University. He is expected to make a full recovery.
In a police interview, Bradley said the student appeared to be on his phone when he first saw him and didn’t look before stepping into the road.
The taxi driver had no previous convictions.
Mr Jackson said Bradley’s insurance company were dealing with the financial aspects of the collision.
“He takes full responsibility for the offence,” he said. “He accepts he was driving too fast and that was a considerable factor as to how the accident happened.”
Bradley was very remorseful for his actions. Immediately after the collision, he had given first aid to the student.
He had also remained at the scene until the police arrived.
Source: https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/24294515.sam-bradley-loses-taxi-driver-job-knocking-student/
Warwickshire Police stopped and checked 40 taxi drivers during a joint operation with City of Wolverhampton Council’s taxi compliance officers.
Edinburgh black cab drivers have criticised the council after being asked to pay to have planters on The Royal Mile moved for their annual outing for vulnerable children.
A total of 19 taxis have been stopped in and around Cambridge in a crackdown on vehicle safety and parking on double yellow lines.
London cabbie Farid Cheheb, 60, fatally injured Irish barman Shane Scannell, 44, who died in hospital four days later surrounded by his devastated family.
Sam Bradley’s actions left the victim with a broken leg and broken ankle, said Sarah Tyrer, prosecuting.
New data has confirmed the city as the country's private hire vehicle capital - with a licensing rate a staggering 500 per cent higher than the second-placed location.
The repetitive action of pressing the car accelerator pedal activates certain neural pathways that promote relaxation and reduce stress levels.
The single zone could bring about a new 'knowledge test' covering the whole of North Northamptonshire if plans are approved.
Erewash Borough Council is looking to hike a wide range of fees applying to taxi and private hire drivers for the first time since 2019.
A taxi driver whose dangerous driving caused a pedestrian's death just sixteen minutes after he had been warned about his speed by the police was jailed for six years and ten months on 2 May.