CABBIE HELPS RESTRAIN MAN WHO SNATCHED TODDLER FROM MUM IN BOLTON STREET

A toddler lost her toe in a violent struggle after a man snatched her from her mother in the street.

Martin Enow grabbed the 18-month-old girl from her mother in the terrifying incident on Mayor Street in Bolton.

Enow, 24, from Preston, was ‘experiencing a psychotic episode at the time’ on February 21 this year. He grabbed the child by her neck and tried to run ‘while holding her upside down’, the CPS said.

Her mum, who was with her other child, struggled with him and tried to grab her daughter back.

A passer-by intervened and restrained Enow so the mother could grab the girl. Another passer-by stopped her car and ran out to help, leaving her child in the passenger seat.

Enow then jumped into the driver seat of this car but didn’t have the keys, so ran from the scene. He climbed into the passenger seat of a taxi that had stopped and asked the driver to take him to the football stadium, the CPS added.

But the cabbie refused and locked him in the car until police arrived.

The toddler lost her toe and had to have an operation on her foot as a result of the horrific incident. She also suffered a broken arm.

Enow was charged and pleaded guilty to kidnap and inflicting GBH at an earlier hearing. On August 9, he was jailed for four years.

Prosecutor, Garry Crawford, said: “This was a terrifying incident which encapsulates every parent’s worst nightmare. It is thanks to the actions of the good Samaritans and the taxi driver, that Martin Enow was stopped before any further harm could occur to either the child or himself.”

DUNDEE MUM GIVES BIRTH IN BACK OF PHV THAT WAS DRIVING HER TO HOSPITAL

A Dundee mum has given birth in the back of a PHV taking her to the hospital. Caitlin Nuttall called a taxi on August 1, after going into labour.

Despite being picked up and rushed to the hospital by driver Jimmy Crerar of Tele Taxis, the 22-year-old’s water broke on the way, leaving the pair with no choice but to opt for a back of the taxi birth.

Making it to Ninewells Hospital car park, Caitlin gave birth to a baby girl thanks to Jimmy and some midwives who rushed out to help.

The mum-of-two explains that by the time the pair arrived at the hospital, she was fit to burst, with Jimmy sprinting into the ward to get help.

Midwife’s soon appeared, getting into the car with seconds to spare as Caitlin gave birth there and then. Amazingly, Caitlin and her baby were totally fine, with the mum back home and resting up with her newborn just six hours later.

Tele Taxis took to social media to share the incredible story, writing: “Not every day someone gives birth in a taxi. She never made it on time to Ninewells, then our driver Jimmy was in for a surprise. Congratulations to the passenger on the birth of their baby. Hope mum and baby are doing well.”

The post has since attracted hundreds of likes and dozens of comments from astounded users who heaped praise on Jimmy for his actions.

One user said: “I was in the labour suite and seen it from window. Well done to driver.”

Another joked: “Driver did what he had to do. Pressed the ‘extra passenger’ button on the meter.”

Another added: “That’s something else to add to his CV, emergency midwife. Well done.”

Caitlin said: “Jimmy was lovely. He came to the door, helped me with the bags and reassured me it was okay. All of a sudden I felt the most horrible intense pain and my waters just burst. Next we’re in the car park and she’s about to shoot out!

“[Jimmy] was out the car like lightning and got the midwives out and the door opens and one of the midwives just catches her with her bare hands! It was a bit like a baby drive through.

“Bless his heart, he didn’t bill me at all. I offered but he was just lovely and only cared if we were both alright.”

VEEZU LINKS UP WITH BRISTOL RESTAURANTS TO BOOST HOMELESS CHARITY’S COFFERS

Veezu has partnered with Caring in Bristol, donating to the charity on a monthly basis through a joint scheme with the city’s restaurants.

The move will see the regional brand of Veezu Group partner a different Bristol restaurant each month, donating £2 from every ride to and from the chosen venue to Caring in Bristol.

For August, Veezu has linked up with COR, in Bedminster, which itself will donate 50p for each order of a special dish to the charity.

Caring in Bristol’s mission is to create a city empowered to solve homelessness, by finding gaps in local provisions and working in creative ways to fill them. Donations support its proactive work to help individuals and communities take steps to prevent homelessness before it happens, breaking the link between food poverty and homelessness in the city.

Luke Mitchell, co-ordinator at Caring in Bristol, said: “We’re so happy to partner with Veezu, which will not only raise much needed funds to support our day-to-day activities, but will also help the local community come together to support their own.

“By taking rides with Veezu to COR this August, the community will be supporting two local businesses and a local charity, plus all the people at risk that we help.”

Regional director at Veezu South West, Jack Price, said: “We’re very proud to be able to announce our partnership with Caring in Bristol and COR for the month of August. This scheme will see significant funds donated to support the vital work Caring in Bristol does in our community, whilst also hopefully encouraging people to support local businesses wherever they can. Our motto is: when you ride, your community thrives.”

SCOTTISH HIGHLAND CABBIE’S LIFE SAVING CAMPAIGN EXTENDS TO HIS LOCAL PUB

A cabbie aiming to save lives by kitting his car out with a defibrillator has now done the same for his local pub. David Purvis, who has been trading under the name DP Taxis since 2015, serves the areas of Tain and Dornoch using his taxi and an eight seater private hire minibus.

Taking inspiration from the Euros 2020, the 53-year-old has been crowdfunding to enable the purchase of the life-saving equipment.

Mr Purvis said: “I had been pondering the idea for a while. I first had the idea when watching football the day Christian Eriksen collapsed on the field and I thought that having a defibrillator in the car would be a good idea.

“I could be flagged down at any point in the case of an emergency as my vehicles are on the road seven days a week for 10-12 hours a day sometimes.”

Originally setting out to raise a sum of £520, Mr Purvis watched in amazement as donations exceeded £630, allowing him to purchase two defibrillators – one for each of his vehicles.

But having already raised the funds he needed, he was then approached by Keiran’s Legacy, an Elgin-based charity which raises money to provide defibrillators to local communities in the north.

After hearing about the project, the charity generously agreed to donate a mobile AED (automated external defibrillator) to be installed in one of Mr Purvis’ cars.

Mr Purvis says the donation has now allowed him to purchase a third AED, which he plans to donate to his local pub – the Star Inn in Tain.

Scott Crombie, who co-owns the Star Inn with Caroline Henderson, said: “We were delighted when David came up with the idea and we were only happy to contribute to his crowdfunding page. We were humbled to be asked to have one placed in the Star and it was an easy decision to accept.

“Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have one. It will be available to the public outside the pub too, of course.”

NEW TAX CHECKS FOR LICENCE RENEWALS IN SCOTLAND AND NORTHERN IRELAND FROM 2nd OCTOBER

In Scotland: individuals, partnerships (including limited liability partnerships) and companies applying for licences to either drive taxis or private hire cars (PHCs), operate a booking office or deal in scrap metal.

In Northern Ireland: individuals applying for licences to drive taxis.

The measure also affects licensing bodies in Scotland and Northern Ireland that administer those licence applications.

An applicant who wishes to renew a licence will need to carry out a tax check. The licensing body (a local authority in Scotland or the DVA in Northern Ireland) will have to obtain confirmation from HMRC that the applicant has completed the check before being able to consider their renewed licence application.

This will be a small addition to the requirements already put in place by licensing authorities, for example checks to ensure that licensees are fit and proper persons. This will be a straightforward online process, taking a few minutes, typically once every three years. The tax check will simply confirm that applicants are registered for tax if they need to be.

The process will be slightly different depending on whether someone is renewing their licence or applying for the first time.

If they are renewing their licence, they’ll need a tax check reference number which they can get by submitting their details into the HMRC online service. The licensing authority will use this to confirm with HMRC that the applicant has completed a tax check. The licensing authority will then reach a decision on the licence in the usual way.

The HMRC website contains guidance on the renewal process for applicants (https://shorturl.at/esDV2) and also guidance on the renewal process for licensing authorities (https://shorturl.at/huSX2).

First-time applicants will not have to complete the check. Instead, licensing authorities will make sure they have access to HMRC guidance, showing them what they need to do in order to be properly registered for tax in the future. As decisions on applications for these licences are conditional on the tax check (in addition to the licensing authorities requirements) this is known as ‘tax conditionality’.

The HMRC website contains guidance for first-time applicants (https://shorturl.at/ivyAE), and also guidance for licensing authorities on first-time applicants (https://shorturl.at/foxRY).

The legislation will also make necessary consequential changes to section 3 of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 (CGSA) and paragraph 7 and 8 of Schedule 1 to CGSA. These changes will clarify how tax conditionality and licensing legislation interact.

Applications for licences in Scotland must be considered and a decision made on the application within a fixed period, otherwise the licence will be deemed to be granted to the applicant. Amendments to section 3 of the CGSA will clarify that this period begins once the licensing body has fulfilled its tax conditionality obligations, if applicable, for that licence application. This will prevent an applicant being able to have their licence deemed to be granted without completing the tax check.

In addition, when an applicant applies to renew their licence, their existing licence is extended until that application has been dealt with. If the licensing body is prevented from considering a renewal application by the requirements of tax conditionality (in cases where an applicant does not provide confirmation of completion of a tax check) amendments to paragraph 7 and 8 of Schedule 1 to CGSA will cause the existing licence to expire.

This will happen on either its normal expiry date, or, 28 days after the licensing body makes a request for further information from the applicant to enable it to fulfil its tax conditionality obligations, whichever is later. If the licence being renewed is a temporary licence, this time period is reduced to seven days. This will prevent a licence being extended indefinitely as a result of the applicant failing to provide confirmation of the tax check.

Similar consequential amendments were made when the legislation was introduced in England and Wales. These amendments will ensure the tax conditionality rules are applied consistently for licensing bodies across the UK where licences are used to drive a taxi, PHV/PHC, operate a booking office for a PHV/PHC business or deal in scrap metal.

SAN FRANCISCO GRANTS SELF-DRIVING PERMITS FOR WAYMO & CRUISE DESPITE OPPOSITION

The widespread adoption of self-driving cars nudged a step closer last month, after Cruise LLC and Waymo LLC were granted permission to operate full-time taxi services in San Francisco.

On Thursday 10 August, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) announced it had approved resolutions granting additional operating authority for the two companies to conduct commercial passenger services using driverless vehicles in the city.

The approval includes the ability for both companies to charge fares for rides at any time of day, and further cements San Francisco’s position as the home city for self-driving car services.

According to the CPUC, its approval comes after a decision that had been adopted in 2020.

The CPUC said it had evaluated the Cruise and Waymo Advice Letters to ensure they met the licensing requirements set forth in the Decision, including passenger safety measures.

Until the approval, there had been a number of limitations placed on both General Motors’ Cruise and Alphabet’s Waymo. Their experimental services had been limited by times and geographic areas within San Francisco.

Cruise had only been authorised to offer a fared passenger service in limited areas from between 10pm to 6am without a safety driver present; fared passenger service at any time with a safety driver present; and non-fared passenger service at any time without a safety driver present.

Meanwhile the CPUC noted that Waymo had only been authorised to offer a fared passenger service at any time with a safety driver present and non-fared passenger service at any time without a safety driver present.

Waymo had also been authorised to offer a non-fared passenger service in parts of Los Angeles and in and around Mountain View, with or without a safety driver present.

“While we do not yet have the data to judge autonomous vehicles (AVs) against the standard which human drivers are setting, I do believe in the potential of this technology to increase safety on the roadway,” said CPUC Commissioner John Reynolds.

“Collaboration between key stakeholders in the industry and the first responder community will be vital in resolving issues as they arise in this innovative, emerging technology space,” said Reynolds.

Now that both Cruise and Waymo have permission to begin a citywide paid taxi service at all hours of the day, both stated in promotional emails that they plan to deploy more cars as a result.

There is said to be more than 500 autonomous vehicles already in operation. But getting to this point has been a long and contentious process.

The CPUC vote on 10 August had faced vigorous opposition against granting approval from some residents, taxi drivers and safety agencies, such as the police and fire departments .

Commissioners heard more than six hours of public comment supporting or opposing the measure.

Cab driver Matthew Sutter was one of dozens of people who protested at CPUC headquarters right before the hearing.

He has been a driver for more than three decades. Sutter said he got through the pandemic and now he is fighting for his survival with the possibility of robotaxis expanding in San Francisco.

“If there is no limit on robotaxis, I’m afraid we won’t be able to get through this,” said Sutter.

The big concern on many minds is how safe are robotaxis in San Francisco and how many sudden stops have there been.

Another concern is how many times robotaxis have blocked emergency vehicles.

“At Waymo, we are working to ensure that vehicles stay out of the way of emergency vehicles whenever possible,” said Rob Patrick, a manager of Emergency Response and Outreach with Waymo.

According to a graphic shared by San Francisco city leaders at the hearing, there were almost 600 incidents of unexpected stops reported in the city since the launch of driverless operations. It’s likely a fraction of actual incidents.

San Francisco Fire Chief, Jeanine Nicholson, said critical data from Waymo and Cruise is missing.

“We just don’t have the data. It has not been disclosed by AV companies. Everything has been redacted,” said Chief Nicholson.

She shared her earnest opinion in her testimony to the CPUC: “I understand and appreciate the safety that autonomous vehicles can bring to the table in terms of no drunk drivers, no speeding, all of that kind of stuff.

“However, they are not ready for prime time because of how they have impacted our operations,” said Nicholson.

The fire chief said San Francisco Fire Department responds to 160,000 calls a year - 80 per cent of them are medically-related.

According to the fire department, this year, there have been 55 reported incidents of interference.

“This includes not just unexpected stops in front of our fire stations, but not allowing our vehicles to respond to our incidents,” said Nicolson.

Phil Koopman specialises in self-driving car safety at Carnegie Mellon University and has been in that field for more than two decades. He says the fire chief has a point.

“The big problem here is that these cars are not very good at dealing with the unexpected. That’s a fundamental limitation to the technology. Twenty-five years ago a Carnegie Mellon car with 98 per cent hands-off the steering wheel, crossed the country and for 25 years we’ve been working on that last two per cent. So these companies say it will be fixed right away but we keep hearing that year after year,” said Koopman.

Concerned cab drivers listened carefully at the hearing, worried about their jobs. But they and others question the safety and the track record of autonomous vehicles.

“To give these vehicles full access to the streets 24/7, all over the city, for commercial passenger service, at a time when they’ve proven to be not up to the task, would be a grave, grave mistake,” said Mark Gruberg, member of the San Francisco Taxi Workers’ Alliance.

Concerns were also raised at the hearing by transportation and safety agencies about erratic driving. They lobbied forcefully for a far more measured rollout of the experimental autonomous vehicles but to no avail.

So, following approval by the CPUC, Cruise and Waymo will now be able to operate in direct competition with Uber and Lyft in offering rides summoned by an app in San Francisco.

Waymo will be permitted to drive at speeds of up to 65 miles per hour and in inclement weather, while Cruise will be limited to 35 miles per hour and will not be allowed to drive when weather does not permit.

Meanwhile, within days of the CPUC’s approva, l videos of robotaxi malfunctions began appearing on social media, with opponents saying they are seeing their fears realised.

On Friday, amid increased traffic from a music festival, a number of self-driving cars seemed to glitch. One TikTok user recorded a Cruise vehicle causing “mayhem” outside the festival where it was stuck at an angle in the middle of the street. “They’re causing mad confusion over here,” the user said. A Twitter user shared a video of a Cruise vehicle nearly running over a family on a crosswalk over the weekend. In San Francisco’s North Beach neighbourhood, as many as ten Cruise cars blocked a main thoroughfare, stoking anger from locals.

Aaron Peskin, who represents the neighbourhood on the San Francisco board of supervisors said he received a number of complaints from his constituents that night. He said on Twitter that the chaos underscored the concerns he and others raised ahead of the CPUC vote.

“Why do state commissioners think it’s OK to put people in danger and create traffic chaos on our neighbourhoods streets?” he wrote. “We warned them and they refused to listen.”

In a tweet, Cruise said that the music festival caused issues with the cellphone networks the vehicles rely on for connectivity, and that it is “actively investigating and working on solutions to prevent this from happening again”. Critics pointed out that the ten-car traffic jam occurred several miles from the concert.

HOW CAN TAXI INSURANCE POLICYHOLDERS ENSURE THEIR PREMIUMS ARE AFFORDABLE?

It’s no secret that taxi drivers have to invest a considerable amount of money before they can get out on the road and accept their first fare. Getting badged and plated incurs fees, so when they finally come to take out insurance, how can they ensure that they’re doing all they can to keep their premiums affordable?

At The Taxi Insurer, we strive to help drivers get the right cover for their needs at our best price, and so we’ve compiled our top tips to do just that.

The first, and most obvious, point to make is that drivers should always give themselves enough time to shop around for the best quote. That’s not just to make sure that they’ve done sufficient research to be comfortable that they’ve secured a good deal. It’s also because insurers actively provide a better price the further in advance of the policy’s start date that they’re contacted by a driver, as they aim to secure new business as early as possible.

Second, although the online market and price comparison websites offer consumers a great deal of choice and convenience, drivers should be aware of the pros and cons of the digital realm. In reality, some online-only insurers aren’t specialist taxi insurance experts and can’t offer the range of choice, quality of service or depth of experience that a dedicated taxi insurance broker can.

Many online providers, who don’t offer consumers physical premises that they can visit, can only be contacted via their app or email, removing drivers’ ability to speak directly to a customer service representative over the phone or in person. Buying from a specialist ensures that they are adequately covered by a broker who understands the risk.

Some astute drivers will fit front- and rear-facing cameras, as well as CCTV, in their vehicles to demonstrate that they’re driving responsibly and to protect themselves from opportunistic claims from other drivers or passengers.

It's also worth checking, when using price comparison websites, that any quote offered hasn’t included the highest available excess on a policy in order to offer the cheapest possible premium. Brokers, in contrast, will work with the customer to find out their desired level of excess and then offer them a suitable policy.

Unfortunately, for a large number of taxi drivers, insurance is just another piece of paper that they are required to have before they can begin earning. As a result, some fail to research the background of their prospective insurer in enough detail and can ultimately end up paying the price; this could take the form of an unprofessional or incompetent insurer offering an insufficient level of cover to a driver, or an insurer in financial difficulty suddenly ceasing to operate and no longer providing any cover at all.

That’s why it always pays to look for a specialist taxi insurance provider who can offer cover with insurers who hold an A* financial rating. Again, this is where a broker can provide drivers with both the reassurance and choice that they’re looking for, so it always pays to have a conversation.

SPOT CHECKS REVEAL SERIOUS ISSUES AMONG SOME SLOUGH TAXIS AND PHVs

Shocking numbers of Slough taxi and private hire vehicles have been found to have “serious issues” during spot checks including one driver with no licence.

Slough Borough Council officers teamed up with Thames Valley Police to conduct random inspections on the borough’s licensed fleet.

Half of the ten vehicles checked were found to have issues, including one with an unlicensed and uninsured driver. The vehicle in question was seized by Thames Valley Police and the licence suspended.

Others included two drivers who were given points on their private hire drivers’ licences for failing to display their badges.

Cllr Puja Bedi, lead member for transport, housing, highways, the environment, said: “It is so disappointing to hear that during these random vehicle stop checks, a high number of the taxis and minicabs stopped had serious issues.

“It is particularly shocking that one driver was unlicensed and uninsured when people trust these drivers with their safety.

“Thank you to the licensing team and to Thames Valley Police for their continued hard work to keep our roads safe.”

In addition, one driver was cautioned by police for speeding and one vehicle was found to be displaying an expired licence in spite of an application being made and a new plate being issued.

ENFORCEMENT IN STRATFORD AS NUMBERS OF WOLVERHAMPTON LICENSED PHVs INCREASE

Licensed taxi drivers in Stratford-upon-Avon are up in arms after a sudden influx of Uber drivers from Wolverhampton.

Fifteen PHVs licensed by the City of Wolverhampton Council (CoW) were recorded in Stratford-upon-Avon in just one night.

A joint operation involving Stratford District Council’s (SDC) licensing team and the CoW’s Compliance Department was undertaken after concerns were raised about the increase in Uber drivers during the summer months.

Of the Uber drivers who were stopped on Saturday July 15, four were reported for re-inspection and two were given the appropriate advice about breaching Wolverhampton’s vehicle licence conditions.

Lorraine Grocott, SDC’s environ-mental and neighbourhood services boss, said: “This partner-ship working with other licensing authorities shows our commitment to ensure drivers and vehicles that are licensed maintain the highest standards.

“It’s not illegal for vehicles licensed by other authorities to operate across our district. And although the district council doesn’t license any Ubers operating in the district, they operate as private hire vehicles which must be pre-booked via the vehicle’s operators with an agreed price. Failure to be pre-booked invalidates the driver’s insurance.”

“Taxis are a vital service and are a huge support to the night-time economy,” Cllr Grocott added. SDC’s standard of vehicle and driver is high. A robust system of licensing and checks keeps it at the standard required by this authority.”

Cllr Craig Collingswood, CoW’s environment and climate change chief, said: “We expect drivers and vehicles licensed by us to always maintain the highest standards, irrespective of the administrative boundary within which they are operating at any particular time.

“CoW takes its enforcement responsibilities seriously and our officers are out across the country, every Friday and Saturday night, working to protect the public.”

SEVEN PH DRIVERS CAUGHT PLYING FOR HIRE IN NOTTINGHAM

An operation to crack down on PHV drivers illegally accepting passengers in Nottingham city centre without taking a booking caught seven drivers.

Following complaints that illegally plying for hire was becoming a problem and unlicensed vehicles were operating in the city centre, the Nottingham City Council, in partnership with Nottingham-shire Police and Rushcliffe BC, carried out an operation on the evening of 28 July.

Council staff acted as customers, approached private hire vehicles parked in the city and asked the drivers if they were free.

If they said they were, and the driver moved off after being asked to drive to a location outside the city, the licensing officers identified themselves.

The vehicles were checked for compliance and the drivers reported for the offences of illegally plying for hire and no insurance – as they are not covered to pick up without bookings through their operators.

Four drivers licensed by Nottingham City Council and three drivers licensed by Rushcliffe Borough Council were caught. At courts, they can be fined and penalty points put on their DVLA driver’s licence.

After conviction, their private hire licences will be reviewed by their respective licensing authorities and their licences could be suspended or revoked.

ENFORCEMENT IN STRATFORD AS NUMBERS OF WOLVERHAMPTON LICENSED PHVs INCREASE

A private hire vehicle was seized in Bradford over the weekend by West Yorkshire Police’s Steerside Enforcement team.

Police said the driver was stopped for not wearing a seatbelt in Idle, on Saturday August 12. They said they then discovered the vehicle was not registered to any keeper and had not been taxed since April.

The Steerside Enforcement Team tweeted: “A private hire vehicle was stopped as the driver was not wearing a seatbelt with no passenger. The vehicle was not registered to any keeper and had no VEL since April 2023.

“Despite protests from the owner, the vehicle was seized on behalf of the DVLA.”

On Thursday 15 August, a number of taxi licences were suspended as part of a driving crackdown in Great Horton, Bradford.

Bradford South police teamed up with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, taxi licensing and Bradford Council for a day of action on driving offences.

The day of action saw 43 traffic offence reports issued by police for a number of offences including using a mobile phone while driving, failing to wear a seatbelt and driving with no insurance.

Taxi licensing also suspended four taxi licences for varying reasons as part of the crackdown.

West Yorkshire Police - Bradford South posted details of the event on its Facebook page.

DELAY ANNOUNCED TO CCTV IMPLEMENTATION FOR SWINDON’S TAXI AND PHVs

The expected date for mandatory CCTV in Swindon taxis and private hire vehicles may slip.

Last September members of Swindon BC’s licensing committee authorised the licensing manager to draft a policy on mandating CCTV in both hackney and private hire vehicles – and to bring it back to the committee.

The aim was to start on January 1, 2024, for new licence applications and April next year for renewed licences.

But the council’s head of regulatory services, Kate Bishop, told the committee that staff shortages had put the work towards the back burner: “Within the last ten months a number of licensing officers and the licensing manager have left the borough council.

“This has meant that the progress expected has not been made as the resources and expertise have not been available. As a result, the timeline and work requirement are currently being reviewed.”

Chairman on the committee Cllr John Ballman said: “We’ll let this go back on the agenda for the September meeting and we’ll see where we are then.”

The council has been discussing and consulting on bringing CCTV into all taxis and PHVs in the borough since at least 2019.

Drivers have expressed concern with making it mandatory owing to the cost and also privacy and security issues.CCTV is set to be introduced in all taxis within the borough of Gosport after private hire driver, Hardeep Landa, was convicted of sexually assaulting a passenger in Southampton.

GOSPORT TAXIS TO GET CCTV AFTER SOUTHAMPTON PRIVATE HIRE DRIVER JAILED

CCTV is set to be introduced in all taxis within the borough of Gosport after private hire driver, Hardeep Landa, was convicted of sexually assaulting a passenger in Southampton.

Gosport Borough Council has pledged to make CCTV in taxis and private hire vehicles mandatory in the wake of Landa’s imprisonment.

The Southampton cab driver, 30, was jailed for six years and eight months in May after sexually assaulting a 21-year-old passenger in his car at St Mary’s Road car park.

Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) later wrote a letter to the secretary of state for transport to change national licensing guidance.

Gosport council’s Regulatory Board agreed that the new CCTV rules for all new taxis in the borough which is due to be implmented by April 1, 2025.

Deputy Leader, Cllr Robert Hylands, said: “I’m very proud that Gosport is leading the way among smaller councils in the county to help make taxis safer.”

The PCC added: “This move makes Gosport the first borough council in the county to show its commitment to keeping its residents safe.

“The introduction of regular background criminal checks and drug testing for new applicants and randomly for licensed drivers is also welcome.

“My ambition as Commissioner is to encourage all councils to follow suit. At a national level, I will continue to lobby the government to make sure passengers and drivers alike are afforded the maximum protection.”

The council also agreed to introduce six-monthly DBS checks for drivers, and to start drug testing for new applicants and random drug testing for licensed drivers.

Southampton City Council’s licensing requirements for hackneys and private hire vehicles already require CCTV to be fitted.

Speaking after Landa’s sentencing, Phil Bates, Licensing Manager at Southampton City Council, said: “The council undertakes robust checks on all drivers it licenses, including an enhanced police check every six months.

“This case highlights the excellent working relationship between the police and council officers by facilitating the immediate revocation of the licence and the sharing of evidence, it also appears to be a prime example of the benefits of mandating the fitting of permanently recording taxi cameras.”

PREDATORY DUNDEE PH DRIVER JAILED FOR RAPE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT OF YOUNG PASSENGERS

A private hire driver who raped a teenage passenger and sexually assaulted another in his vehicle has been jailed for eight years.

Saifal Zaveri preyed on a terrified 17-year-old student after picking her up in Dundee on August 14 2021. The married 42-year-old had earlier molested and groped another young woman in his PHV on March 1, 2020.

On 17 August, Zaveri was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow, having been convicted of rape and sexual assault after a trial in Edinburgh in June.

It emerged Zaveri already had a previous conviction for stalking a teenage girl when he was aged 36.

His lawyer told the sentencing hearing that the rapist had urged him to ask Lord Fairley to consider an alternative to jail. But, the judge dismissed the request for what he branded “opportunistic and predatory” crimes aggravated by a serious breach of trust.

Zaveri will be monitored for a further three years on his release and be on the sex offenders list indefinitely.

The rape victim earlier told jurors how Zaveri had been driving her to address in Dundee when he instead pulled into a lay-by.

She recalled: “I was scared. I just remember him going on about sexual things. First of all he was saying I was good looking and then he went to kiss me.I had a top on with a zip down the front of it and he unzipped it.”

She told the prosecutor her attacker was aggressive before going on to rape her and then saying: “That was good.”

Zaveri had earlier pounced on a 16-year-old girl on a journey to Monifieth as she sat in the front seat.

Zaveri, also of Dundee, maintained his innocence, claiming that there had been consensual sexual activity with the rape victim and that nothing happened with the other girl and that all was “fine” when she got out of his vehicle.

BELFAST CABBIE WHO CAUSED FEMALE PASSENGER TO SEXUALLY TOUCH HIM GIVEN PROBATION

A West Belfast cabbie who caused a female passenger to sexually touch him in his car has been handed a three-year probation order.

James Haughey, 54, from Dunmurry, had previously pleaded guilty to a single charge of causing a person to engage in a sexual act without her consent.

Belfast Crown Court heard that in the early hours of 22 April 2019, the defendant was working as a taxi driver and was flagged down by the victim and her then boyfriend.

When they arrived at the destination, the male went into a flat saying: “I will get more money.”

The victim got into the front seat of the taxi and told the driver about problems she was having with her boyfriend. She was under the influence of cocaine and prescribed medication at the time.

A plea document stated: “The boyfriend did not come back and the accused drove to a side street believing the complainant wished him to do so.

“It is accepted by the defendant that she did not wish him to do so and it is accepted by the prosecution that his belief was reasonable.’’

The defendant put his hand under her dress and rubbed her leg towards her groin area.

“He believed that she consented and the prosecution accept that his belief may have been reasonable in the circumstances.’’

The defendant then got her to touch him sexually but he now “accepts by his plea of guilty that she did not consent to this and it was not reasonable for him to believe that she did’’.

He then drove his taxi back to her boyfriend’s flat and gave her his business card.

The court heard the driver has now separated from his partner over the incident. Haughey, who had been a taxi driver for 20 years, had also lost his job.

Defence counsel said: “The defendant is willing to engage in any treatment or counselling that the GP recommends.

Haughey was placed on the sex offenders register for five years

FORMER CO DURHAM CABBIE JAILED FOR 23 YEARS FOR RAPE AND SEXUAL ABUSE OF CHILD

A predator took advantage of a young girl’s “vulnerability”, growing in his bravado as he committed a series of increasingly serious sexual offences against her, a court was told.

Former cabbie Allen March was said to have been aware that the girl had been the victim of online grooming and was at a low in her life.

Durham Crown Court heard that the first inkling she received of his unwanted attention was when he sent her a message commenting on her body and breasts, which his victim now believes was the defendant seeing, “what he could get away with”.

March moved on to touching offences before he raped the girl for the first time prior to her 13th birthday.

Joe Cully, prosecuting, said the defendant’s abuse continued for several years, before his victim finally got the courage to speak up about his activities, having feared for a long time that she wouldn’t be believed.

Crook, 58, was charged with 18 sexual offences, including five of rape. Despite his denials and claims his victim was lying, he was convicted of all 18 offences following a week-long trial in May.

March was back before the court via video link from nearby Durham Prison for sentencing on 9 August.

Mr Cully said that important evidence emerged during the trial of March having sent a photograph of his private parts to another child and to a 17-year-old female passenger in his taxi.

Judge James Adkin said some of the evidence heard about the sexual abuse of the victim, during the trial, was, “harrowing to listen to.”

Sentencing him as, “an offender of particular concern”, he imposed the 23-year prison sentence with a one-year licence extension. March will have to serve at least two-thirds, before he will be eligible for release on licence. He was made subject of a restraining order, and registration as a sex offender, both for life, and has to abide by the terms of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 30 years.

28 MONTHS’ JAIL FOR LIVERPOOL CABBIE AFTER POLICE FOUND £44K OF CANNABIS AND COCAINE

A cabbie lost his licence and his liberty after being caught dealing drugs on the job. On June 19 last year, Joseph Johnson, 43, was spotted by police making a “suspicious transaction” with a customer in Waterloo.

They followed and saw another person enter his passenger seat and hand over £40 cash in exchange for a bag of white powder.

The officers searched Johnson’s vehicle and found two mobile phones and a bag containing 11 wraps of cocaine with a value of up to £1,000. A subsequent search of his home found 48g of cocaine and 2.9kg of cannabis with a value of up to £44,000. £1,090 in cash was seized, as well as drugs paraphernalia and a mobile phone with drugs-related messages.

Johnson pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply class A and B drugs, and appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on August 16, for sentence.

Michael Scholes, defending, said Johnson, who has no previous convictions, had become involved in drug dealing to pay off his debts after falling into cocaine addiction following several family tragedies.

He said the dad of one had been living “a double life”, hiding his dealings from family and friends.

Judge Andrew Menary, sentencing Johnson, said: “You have not sought to deny your responsibility, and I have seen many personal references which describe a very different person to the one apparent from these circumstances.”

However, he added: “You need to understand that becoming inolved in drug dealing is contributing to others’ misery and that’s why these offences are serious.

“I’m afraid that it must be an immediate term of imprisonment.”

He sentenced Johnson to 28 months in prison for the class A offences, and eight months for class B, to run concurrently.

EDINBURGH PRIVATE HIRE DRIVER ACCUSED OF CREATING FALSE LICENCE DOCUMENT

An Edinburgh private hire driver has been accused of falsifying documents so he could continue operating. Shakti Singh faced having his licence suspended as a result when he went before Edinburgh Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee on 25 July.

In the report, published online, officials said Mr Singh was no longer considered “a fit and proper person” to hold a licence following “an admission of deliberate falsification of a licence document” by Mr Singh.

The council was first contacted in April by Bolt, through which the driver operated, to report the alleged incident. Bolt requires its drivers to provide proof of both themselves and their vehicles being fully licensed, said Mr Singh “had uploaded a potentially falsified document,” adding that as a result it had suspended his account and he was unable to accept bookings.

At an interview with council officers in May he then “admitted to changing the expiry date on the private hire car licence document before submitting it to Bolt,” the report said.

It added Mr Singh stated that because the original owner of the vehicle had sent him the original licence document dated 2023 “he thought he could change the date to 2024”.

The report continued: “This appears to be an admission of deliberate falsification of a licence document and amounts to inappropriate behaviour for a person working as a licensed driver. It is sufficiently serious to call into question Mr Singh’s continued fitness to hold a licence, and hence the request for suspension of the licence.

“The directorate recommends that the licence is suspended on the grounds that Mr Singh is no longer a fit and proper person to be the holder of the licence.”

Edinburgh Council later said that as the meeting was held in private the results also had to be kept confidential.

LEICESTER PRIVATE HIRE DRIVER PROSECUTED FOR FRAUD FOR SUPPLYING FALSE INFORMATION

A rogue private hire driver who lied about having a previous licence revoked has been prosecuted for fraud. Mohammed Mirza Noor, 51, from Leicester, had his PH licence revoked in 2015 by Leicester City Council for plying for hire - but then lied to a different council about this to get a new licence.

Through his lies Noor abused a position of trust, magistrates ruled, as “members of the public would be getting into his taxi on trust yet not knowing he has lied to the council”.

Noor pleaded guilty to fraud at Leicester Magistrates’ Court last month and was sentenced to 100 hours of unpaid work.

Noor said in an application to Blaby DC for a new licence that he had never been refused a licence and had never held one with another council. The council granted him a three-year licence. This was then renewed three years later in 2019 when Noor again said he’d never been refused a licence.

However, when he came to renew in 2022, Noor admitted he had previously had his licence revoked.

Blaby DC said, upon investigating, it was then told by Leicester CC about the revocationin 2015, so refused his application and took steps to prosecute.

Noor admitted to lying to the council and deliberately failing to disclose information relating to his previous offences for personal gain during an interview with the council under caution in March. He then pleaded guilty to fraud by failing to disclose information when he appeared at Leicester Magistrates’ Court on August 2.

He was given a 12-month community service order in which time he must complete 100 hours’ unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay costs, including a victim surcharge, of £1,467.64.

Magistrates said Noor had abused his position of trust as “members of the public would be getting into his taxi on trust yet not knowing he has lied to the council”, adding he had conducted this “fraudulent activity” over a “sustained period of time”.

Dear Licensing Service and Committee Members

Re: Proposed increase in HC & PH Licensing Fees.

We have been engaged on behalf of the Huddersfield Hackney Carriage Association to submit an objection to the proposed fee increases as published in the Huddersfield Examiner on 27 July 2023.

Sections 53 and 70 Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 makes it clear that a district council may only charge such fees as may be sufficient to cover its actual reasonable costs of administration of the licences.

The council cannot make a profit from licence fees and any surplus must be carried forward and form part of any subsequent review of fees. It is accepted that this principle would also apply if there was a deficit. R (Cummings) v. Cardiff [2014] EWHC 2544

Having researched this matter we have ascertained that since 2008 to 31 March 2023, Kirklees Council has in total made surplus profits from the licensing account amounting to £3,985,000. (See table below)

We appreciate that this is a surplus made on the whole of the licensing fee account, however, despite many FoI requests to have this amount broken down between the various streams of licensing income, the trade has been fobbed off time and time again. We are sure though that a substantial amount of the almost £4 million pounds would be from the taxi and private hire licensing accounts. We therefore put you to providing a detailed and precise breakdown of this surplus income.

Additionally, we are aware that each financial year the licensing service is given a “negative” budget which sets out the income expected from the service. This is broken into the income streams for licensing. We believe that budget is arbitrarily fixed with a clear intention to raise amounts in excess of actual costs.

Not a single penny is given to the licensing service from central budget to assist in its functions although we are aware that some functions attract no fee income. For example, house to house collections, Hypnotism permits, street trading (where application refused) etc. Therefore, the cost of carrying out these functions is swallowed up by the licensing regimes that do attract fees. This is grossly unfair and unlawful.

With regard to the surplus income we mention above, we have found no evidence that year on year any of that surplus income from any of the preceding years has been returned back to the licensing budget. It has simply disappeared and no account has been given to the licensing service and more importantly to its fee payers for these surplus monies collected by the council.

This is blatantly unlawful. It is well established both in legislation and case law (R (Cummings) v. Cardiff [2014] EWHC 2544) that a council can only set its fees to cover the reasonable cost of the various heads of licensing and cannot make a profit. Any surplus (or deficit) must be carried forward and form part of any subsequent review of fees. This has clearly not happened ever that we can ascertain, in reviewing fees for hackney carriage and private hire licensing by Kirklees Council. That cannot be allowed to go unchallenged again.

We are also aware that the actual cost of processing, administration and enforcement, has reduced as there is no longer any constant and consistent enforcement, especially late-night enforcement on the hackney carriage and private hire trade. Additionally, officer numbers have reduced. Officers paid for by licensing income also appear to be carrying out enforcement for the noise nuisance team within environmental health. How is this fair to the fee payers?

Accommodation costs must also have reduced in that many officers now regularly work from home, there is no longer a dedicated “licensing office” for the full licensing team to sit and those who do go in to the office are now desk sharing. Counter provision has been delegated to what is effectively a “tin hut” at Fartown with no proper customer facilities. (We would invite elected members to go check that out for themselves).

It is not a lawful consideration to say: “We haven’t raised hackney carriage and private hire fees since 2015 so a fee increase is overdue”. Before determining whether a fee increase (or reduction) is necessary a full and transparent review of the account is called for taking into account all profits and/or losses. Considering the excess income licensing has made over the past years this clearly has not been done, yet current proposed increases range anywhere between a 10% and a 58.8% increase.

The council now needs as a matter of urgency to review its position immediately by publishing a financially accurate and detailed licensing fee income and expenditure under its separate income heads for all years shown in the above table. Then and only then will the hackney carriage and private hire fee payers be satisfied that the council is operating with transparency and fairness. Then and only then can the members of the Licensing and Safety Committee be confident that what they are currently being invited to vote on by the management team is not unlawful.

Therefore, with the current lack of any such evidence and transparency by the council and the clear evidence of an almost £4 million overcharge to the service we must therefore strongly object to the proposals as they appear to be not only unjustified but also unlawful increases.

Yours sincerely

C Walter, Hackney Carriage & Private Hire Consultants

For and on behalf of Huddersfield Hackney Carriage Association

To the Licensing Service

Objection to Proposed Fee Increases

Date:

We are writing to strongly object to the proposed increases for taxi and private hire licensing.

Whilst we object to all the proposals, we are particularly opposed to the outrageous hike in the proposed fee for private hire operators.

The relevant legal provisions are set out in the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 (‘the Act’) specifically section 51 with respect to a grant of a driver licences, section 55 with respect to the grant of an operator licence and sections 53 (2) and 70 (1) in relation to fees for vehicle and operator licences, both of which permit the recovery of a reasonable fee for the grant of a licence

Section 53 of the Act specifies that the reasonable costs related to issue and administration of licences can be recovered in driver’s licence fees. In respect of vehicle and operator licences, section 70 specifies that the reasonable cost of inspecting vehicles, the reasonable cost of providing hackney carriage stands and any reasonable administrative costs in connection with the foregoing and with the control and supervision of hackney carriages and private hire vehicles can be included in the fees.

It is accepted that fees charged can include a reasonable and proportionate amount to cover the costs of enforcement.

The test to be followed in sections 51 and 55 are almost identical in that both sections require that the applicant is a “fit and proper person”.

51 Licensing of drivers of private hire vehicles.

• (1) Subject to the provisions of this Part of this Act, a district council shall, on the receipt of an application from any person for the grant to that person of a licence to drive private hire vehicles, grant to that person a driver’s licence:

• Provided that a district council shall not grant a licence - (a)unless they are satisfied [F1 -

• (i)]that the applicant is a fit and proper person to hold a driver’s licence; [F2 and

• (ii)that the applicant is not disqualified by reason of the applicant's immigration status from driving a private hire vehicle; or]

55 Licensing of operators of private hire vehicles.

• (1)Subject to the provisions of this Part of this Act, a district council shall, on receipt of an application from any person for the grant to that person of a licence to operate private hire vehicles grant to that person an operator’s licence:

• Provided that a district council shall not grant a licence unless they are satisfied [F1 - (a)]that the applicant is a fit and proper person to hold an operator’s licence [F2; and

• (b)if the applicant is an individual, that the applicant is not disqualified by reason of the applicant's immigration status from operating a private hire vehicle.]

The disparity therefore between the cost of each licence is a source of confusion for licensed operators within Kirklees. The application process for either a driver or an operator licence is virtually identical, application, DBS check etc. Though drivers have an added burden of driver training and driving test etc – yet the fee element of those application costs is miniscule compared to current and proposed fees for operators. There is in fact less work and checks to be carried out for a grant of an operator licence.

We are angered that the council also deems it acceptable to charge varying fees under its operator fee table, depending on the number of vehicles that the operator may have in their business. There is no provision in the legislation which either supports this or implies that fees can be set in this manner. We repeat the legislation only allows a fee to be charged for the reasonable costs associated with any given licence.

The number of vehicles operated under the licence is irrelevant. You cannot claim it is for enforcement against the “vehicles” per se as you have already factored in vehicle enforcement costs under the grant of the licensed vehicle.

Further, following the decision in R (on the application of Cummings) v Cardiff City Council [2014] EWHC 2544 (Admin) it is well known that councils must separate out the five streams of taxi licensing (comprising vehicles, drivers and operators), when collecting their licence fees. It is also settled law that there must be no cross subsidy within these streams and councils must not use the licensing fees as an income generating scheme.

Yet, the current and proposed operator fees appear to be just that – an income generating scheme for the council. We believe Kirklees Council is acting unlawfully in this manner.

For the reasons set out we strongly object to and oppose the proposed increase in taxi and private hire licensing fees.

Yours sincerely

Huddersfield Hackney Carriage Association

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BOY, 14, CHARGED AFTER COUPLE INJURED WHEN CONCRETE SLAB THROWN AT PHV IN GLENROTHES

A couple have been left scarred for life after senseless yobs allegedly launched a concrete slab onto their PHV from a pedestrian bridge. Amanda Finlay, 37, her husband, Terry, 36, and their two children, aged eight and 11, were on their way home in a PHV to Glenrothes in Fife at midnight on Saturday, August 5, when the horror incident took place.

The family had been travelling along the B921 from Kirkcaldy when their PHV windscreen was suddenly smashed with by a 12-inch piece of concrete.

Recalling the terrifying moment, Amanda said: “It came out of nowhere, we didn’t see anything from the road - not a person, another car, nothing. Suddenly there was a huge smashing noise.

“We thought we had crashed into another car at first. We couldn’t believe it was a big brick that had been launched through our windscreen.”

The slab fell around 16ft from the flyover and directly into the passenger side of the vehicle before smashing into Terry’s face, causing the skin around his eyebrow and eyelids to tear open. The glass from the shattered windscreen flew into the back seats of the taxi and into Amanda’s head, leaving her with a deep gash across her skull. Thankfully, the couple’s children were left uninjured.

Amanda continued: “We came to a sudden stop and the kids were screaming - we had no idea what had just happened. Once I checked that they were okay, we got out of the car and the driver called the police.”

Shocking images from Saturday night show Terry’s face covered in blood with a deep gouge pictured above his right eyebrow. Amanda’s head can also be seen oozing with blood, while the windscreen of the PHV has been left completely destroyed.

The pair were rushed to nearby Victoria Hospital for treatment, where they spent five and a half hours in the hands of medics.

She said: “We don’t even know how many stitches he has, there are so many. They go from his eyelid and across his face. How that brick didn’t catch his eye, I’ll never know.

“We suspect his glasses might have saved his eye. Doctors told us it will scar. He’s lucky to be alive.”

Six days on from the horror ordeal, Amanda said her husband is only just beginning to recover and that he is now able to open his right eye. Meanwhile, the mum-of-two, who is a full-time carer, has started to suffer from excruciating headaches every morning.

Terry, who is a local bus driver, has been signed off work due to the incident. It is unknown when he will be able to return.

On Thursday 10 August, police confirmed that a 14-year-old boy was arrested and charged in connection with a series of incidents where items were thrown from a pedestrian flyover in Glenrothes.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “The incidents occurred on the B921 Kinglassie road between Sunday, July 16, and Sunday, August 14, and two people suffered injuries as a result of one of the incidents.

“The boy has been released on an undertaking to appear at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court at a later date. A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.”

FEMALE CABBIE BADLY SHAKEN AFTER SHE WAS THREATENED WITH KNIFE DURING BELFAST ROBBERY

A female taxi driver has been left badly shaken after being robbed at knifepoint in north Belfast during the early hours. Police are investigating the report of the robbery in the Shore Road area on Saturday August 5.

“It was reported that two men flagged down a taxi in the Clareglen/Ballysillan Park area of Belfast at around 3.30am on Saturday morning and asked to be taken to the Shore Road,” said a PSNI spokesperson.

“When they arrived at their destination, in the Seamount area of the Shore Road, one of the men threatened the female cabbie with a knife and demanded money.

“A sum of money was handed over and the two men then made off on foot.

“The taxi driver was not injured but was left badly shaken.” An investigation is underway and anyone with any information is asked to call detectives at Musgrave 101, quoting reference number 1719 07/08/23.

ABINGDON TAXI DRIVER VICTIM OF A BRUTAL ATTACK WHICH LEFT “BLOOD EVERYWHERE”

A long-serving taxi driver has warned other cabbies to “always be alert” after he was the victim of a brutal attack which left “blood everywhere.”

Self-employed taxi driver Colin Dobson, who works primarily in Abingdon and Wantage, was sat in his cab near a pedestrian crossing in Kidlington, when a man approached his car, opened the door and punched him in the face.

The courageous cabbie said: “I noticed the perpetrator some time before the attack. I and four or five other drivers hadn’t let him cut into the lane, so he overtook the entire stream of traffic on the wrong side of the road.

“He then stopped at the pedestrian crossing and got out of the vehicle. I sat there, he walked up to my car, opened the door, leaned in as if he was going to kiss me, said I should have let him in, then punched me in the face.

“There were no swear words, no verbal abuse. He did the whole thing very calmly. There was a lot of blood. There was blood everywhere.”

The taxi driver of 14 years, from Oxford, said usually he would lock his car doors if approached, but because he was in a new car when the attack happened, wasn’t too sure how to lock them.

Mr Dobson will have to undergo expensive dental work because of the assault. He said: “I’m pretty upset. There was no choice but to take the tooth out, because it was split down the middle. The dentist said he’d never seen anything like it, the amount of force the guy hit me with.

“It’s cost me £300 for the emergency treatment, which is just a cap to stop the pain, but it will cost me £3,000 for an implant.”

Mr Dobson said he took the weekend off following the attack, which took place at around 3.30pm on Friday, August 11.

He said: “If you’re a self-employed taxi driver you rely on driving jobs for income, so I had no choice but to get back in the car.

“I took some time off to recover, and now I’m back serving the people of Oxfordshire.”

Having picked up from the Abingdon taxi rank before going independent, Mr Dobson has seen his fair share of antisocial behaviour.

He said: “Before this attack nothing had happened to me personally, but I’ve witnessed it multiple times with other drivers over the years.

“It’s a very high-risk occupation, especially between 1am and 5am when people are frequently drunk.”

Sometimes it’s very easy to be critical of others, but then again sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.

Drivers in various online groups have been advocating signing a petition that’s doing the rounds and building up supporters. I’d actually previously seen it myself as it had been posted on a number of trade Facebook groups over the last month or so. And having read it, along with all the clapping and whooping, sat back with a sigh.

The trouble is that there are so many in the trade who really don’t have a clue and have to be educated. Now, don’t get me wrong, even though I have been in the trade for forty years I would certainly not say that I am an expert by any means, as I consider learning to be a life-long path. I’m also happy to say that I don’t always get everything right and I am very open to being corrected by those who know better than me.

However, this petition, which has been set up in good faith and is well-intended was doomed from the moment it was uploaded and unfortunately gives hope to those who’ve supported it.

I’m not going to give the petition a link as it would look like I am advocating it. But this is what it’s all about:

• “Require taxis and private hire vehicles be licensed in the areas they operate.
• “We want the Government to require taxi and PHV drivers to be licensed in all areas they operate in. The Deregulation Act 2015 has created loopholes that allow big companies to monopolise this trade, which has affected rates.
• “Some councils are reducing the rates for taxi and private hire vehicle licences and making it easier to get a licence, eg. not needing to prove knowledge of local areas. This has resulted in a huge increase in licences being granted by some councils.
• “People who are being banned from holding a licence with
• one council are going to other councils where they can easily obtain licences. The law has to change. Drivers should only be allowed to work in areas they have a licence for.
• Waleed Hussain”

Mr Hussain, I really do admire your effort and I really do hope that you don’t take offence. But unfortunately, the contents of the petition are totally inaccurate and if it did gain enough support to be presented to Parliament it would be rebuked within a few seconds.

The Deregulation Act 2015 certainly did not create “loopholes”. It has always been very clear that what the Act did was to clarify what should be in place when operators sub-contract out work, either locally or nationally. This is known as the ‘Triple-Lock’ which ensures that all the required three licences are in place, those being for the vehicle, driver and operator. Without all three the booking would be illegal.

This means that the operator in ‘Area A’ can pass on a booking to another operator in ‘Area A’ or indeed another operator in ‘Area B’. But the responsibility is there to ensure that the ‘Triple Lock’ is in place, meaning that an operator cannot issue the job to any vehicle/driver that is not licensed by the same licensing authority as the operator, such as a vehicle/driver licensed in ‘Area-C’.

Additionally, natural cross-border hiring has been going on for years and is perfectly legal and would be extremely difficult to not justify this happening.

However, the real issue is where there are literally thousands of ‘out-of-town’ drivers predominantly working many miles away from their respective licensing authority, and out-of-sight and out-of-mind of respective local enforcement. I think this is what the petition is trying to put across but has failed.

It was stated: “Some councils are reducing the rates for taxi and private hire vehicle licences and making it easier to get a licence, eg. not needing to prove knowledge of local areas.”

Well, we all know where this has come from, don’t we.

Yes, the magnificently ultra streamlined Wolver-hampton Licensing Department that has turned licensing into an art where the proof is in the pudding having fantastically licensed in excess of 40,000 drivers/vehicles. With a population of 226,000 that means that there is one PHV/driver for every six people in the city. So, in reality there must be at least one private hire driver/vehicle waiting in every street and outside every pub in the city. Brilliant service! Well done Wolverhampton Licensing Department!

Although my own personal opinion on Wolver-hampton not making CCTV compulsory is a bit of a let-down, but would probably push up the cost of a taxi/private hire licence due to it having to be the data-controller, I think we can all assess the aspect of safety compared to costs here….in my opinion.

This probably means that other licensing authorities are having to look at their dwindling funding for their Licensing Departments as potential drivers look elsewhere for the lowest costs and speed of getting a licence. With the only solution being that possibly requirements for being licensed are now being looked at with the view to costs savings for applicants to try and get drivers licensed locally. It maybe the case that compulsory CCTV as a condition of licence will be rescinded which would be a lessor cost and responsibility for a Licensing Department.

We have this in Brighton & Hove where it is much easier to get a private hire driver/vehicle licence in Lewes DC next door than it is here in the city. And, Lewes DC is now looking to reduce the private hire driver licence requirements even further!

So, that part of the petition is reasonably accurate but with no real explanation behind it.

But what is very inaccurate is where is states: “People who are being banned from holding a licence with one council are going to other councils where they can easily obtain licences.”

This really backs up where I previously mentioned where some in the trade are very inexperienced. There is now the ‘National Register of Taxi and Private Hire Licence Revocations and Refusals (NR3)’ to which 90% of local authorities have signed up. It will then be up to the individual council to assess whether an applicant who has been refused elsewhere would be deemed suitable to be licensed or not.

So, as you can see. The petition was well intended but carries no substance. So, if you signed it, well it really wasn’t worth the effort.

INTENDED USE POLICY

I’ve always considered that an ‘Intended Use Policy’ should be applied to the vehicle licence in legislation to both a hackney carriage and private hire vehicle. In its simplest term this would mean that natural cross- border hiring would still take place.

A HCV could still carry out private hire work in another area and a PHV could still take and pick-up Mrs Jones at the hospital ten miles out of area. But it would stop those drivers getting a vehicle licence in an area where they have absolutely no intention of working.

This is something that I put to the Labour MP, Wes Streeting, about three or four years ago when I was working under a different role. However, whilst being a very simple solution in its basic intention, I know that this will never be put in place. One reason being that the situation is out of control with so many drivers now reliant on working hundreds of miles out of area that this will never be tamed. And I doubt that those drivers who (legally) do this would make the effort to undertake the requirements needed for being locally licensed to only predominantly work in one area.

LGMPA 1976

All credit for raising this, and such a long time ago, must be given to Lee Ward and Mark Jennings which PHTM extensively covered over three editions and with a great animation that explains all the relevant sections. It can be seen at: https://tinyurl.com/section75-2

In part of an online discussion Lee wrapped this up very succinctly:

• “Legislation already prohibits a PHV from sitting in another area waiting to accept a booking, sub-contracted or not it doesn't matter.

• Section 75(2) gives a licensed vehicle the ‘right to roam’ while engaged in a booking but once that booking is fulfilled then the exemption to a licence for the area that it is in ends.”

This is exactly what should be pushed in a petition, enforcing existing and current legislation..... nothing else is needed.

THE NEW 20MPH SPEED LIMIT

From 17 September the national 30mph limit in Wales will be lowered to 20mph. The change will apply to all ‘restricted roads’ and will be in force across the roads in Wales, not in England and Scotland.

Despite the lack of media attention, we at Patterson Law consider this to be a huge change. Yes, we’ve already seen a fair few roads in London and inner cities changed to 20, but this is the first time the law is being changed so that the standard limit is 20 rather than 30.

But what does this mean for drivers, how can you tell what the speed limit is and when, and is this going to roll out to England and Wales?

This article will help answer your questions on speeding, but if you need advice on a specific speeding offence, please email advice@pattersonlaw.co.uk or call 01626 359800 for free legal advice.

WHAT IS A ‘RESTRICTED ROAD’ AND HOW CAN YOU TELL WHAT THE SPEED LIMIT IS?

Generally speaking, there are three main speed limits in the UK: ‘restricted roads’, the ‘national speed limit’ (NSL) and ‘motorways/dual carriageways’.

• 1. A restricted road is one determined by a system of street lighting no more than 200 yards apart – the usual speed limit you will see in towns and cities. The limit on a restricted road is 30mph – although this is now changing to 20 in Wales. Restricted roads are not determined by signs. So if you are in a town/city or any road where there are streetlights but no signs, then the limit will be 30 in England and Scotland, and as of the 17 September, 20 in Wales (although local Welsh councils have applied ‘exception zones’ where this will not apply. To see a full map visit: gov.wales).
• 2. The national speed limit is 60mph – so a road without signs or a system of streetlighting will be a 60 limit.
• 3. A motorway is a specified road and is subject to a 70mph limit. Dual carriageways with a central reservation also carry a 70 limit (but one without a central reservation will be 60mph).

Any other speed limit (e.g. 40 or 50) must be determined by two signs on entry to the speed limit, one either side of the road, with regular repeater signs.

SPEED LIMITS FOR DIFFERENT CLASSES OF VEHICLE

It’s important to remember these speed limits are for ordinary vehicles and won’t apply to certain vehicle classes.

• • If you’re in an ordinary vehicle but towing a trailer, the limit will be 60 on a motorway and 50 in a NSL.
• • Passenger vehicles (vehicles constructed to carry more than eight passengers excluding driver OR unladen weight exceeding 3.05 tonnes) are restricted to 50 in a NSL and 60 on a dual carriageway if they are less than 12m in length, and if more than 12m in length are restricted to 60 on a motorway too. They will be further restricted when towing trailers.
• • Goods vehicles (constructed or adapted for the purposes of carrying goods) are restricted to 50 in a NSL and 60 on a dual carriageway if the maximum laden weight is less than 7.5t, and if higher than 7.5t are restricted to 60 on a motorway, 50 on a dual carriageway and 40 in a NSL. And again, will be further restricted when towing.

WHAT HAPPENS IF I GET CAUGHT SPEEDING?

The first thing you will receive is a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) notifying you of the offence, together with a request for information asking you to nominate the driver. You must respond to the request – failure to do so will see you prosecuted for failing to provide driver information – an offence which carries six points and up to a £1,000 fine. However, this only applies if you were caught by a camera – if you were stopped by the police they will give you a ‘verbal’ NIP and will identify you as the driver by looking at your licence.

After the NIP/identification has been done, there are one of a few things that can happen:

• 1. If the speed is low enough and you’ve not done one in the previous three years, the police will offer you a speed awareness course instead of points. Speed thresholds for courses are determined by police policy.
• 2. If the speed is too high for a course, you’ll be offered a fixed penalty of £100 and three points. If you accept it, you pay the fine, send your licence to the police, and that’s the end of proceedings. However, you will not be able to accept if you already have nine points on your licence (see below). The speed thresholds for fixed penalties are also determined by police policy.
• 3 If the speed is too high for a course or a fixed penalty, or if you’ve got nine or more points and aren’t eligible for a course, the case will proceed straight to court, where you will be at risk of a penalty based on the Magistrates’ Sentencing Guidelines foundhere:

https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/offences/magistrates-court/item/speeding-revised-2017/

WHEN WILL I BE AT RISK OF A BAN?

You will be at risk of a ban in only in two cases:

• 1. Where the speed itself is so high the case proceeds to court and the guidelines (above) say that the court should consider a ban.
• 2. When somebody reaches 12 points they are at risk of a minimum six-month ban – but even then, a ban is not inevitable. The courts have the discretion not to disqualify if they believe that a ban would cause you exceptional hardship.

CAN I CHALLENGE A SPEEDING OFFENCE IN COURT?

Yes. If you’re offered a fixed penalty or a speed awareness course, you don’t have to accept it. You can reject and take the case to court. Although if you’re on nine points already or the speed is too high, the case will automatically proceed to court anyway, so you’ll have no choice.

CAN I SEE EVIDENCE BEFORE CASE GETS TO COURT?

You can ask the police for it, but you are not legally entitled to see the evidence until the case gets to court and you have entered a not guilty plea.

It can be a tough decision. If, for example, you were recorded travelling at 32mph in a 20mph limit, you will be offered a fixed penalty of three points. If you reject that offer and take your chances at court and lose, then you’ll end up with higher fines and costs, and a minimum of four points because of Sentencing Guidelines.

WHAT ARE THE TIME LIMITS?

When a speeding offence is committed a NIP must be served either verbally at the roadside or at the registered keeper’s last known address within 14 days.

NOTE: receiving it out of the 14 days does not automatically mean you can challenge it. A NIP is not needed in 14 days if the keeper has for example moved but failed to update the V5 with the new address, or if it’s a lease car so you’re not the registered keeper. However if you are the registered keeper and it’s registered at your current address, and you didn’t receive that first request perhaps due to postal problems, you may be able to rebut the presumption the letter was served on you and you may be able to challenge it.

After that initial time limit, there is no deadline for the police to give you the offer of a course or fixed penalty. If the case is going to court they must lay the charges within six months. This means they must instigate the proceedings within six months – not that you have to receive the court papers within six months.

WHAT HAPPENS AT COURT?

The first thing you would receive is a Court Summons called a Single Justice Procedure Notice, asking you to plead guilty or not guilty. At this stage, you have a decision to make.

If you plead guilty, you have the best chance of keeping the sentence to a minimum. You will receive 1/3 off of any fine, lower prosecution costs, and have the best chance of avoiding a ban if you’re at risk of one.

The alternative is to plead not guilty. This means the case is listed for a trial in the Magistrates’ Court. This will trigger the prosecution to serve all of the evidence, meaning you then have the opportunity to scrutinise their case. There are two ways to win a case – either to argue that the prosecution does not have enough evidence to convict you (e.g. because their camera wasn’t working), or you advance a positive defence case (e.g. ‘yes I was speeding, but it was a medical emergency’).

Signage issues are common points of concern. Where for example there are a lack of signs in the area, or signs are covered by foliage this can lead to a defence (if you have evidence). If you have been caught by a camera, or by an officer following you, then the evidence will be in the form of witness statements, footage or pictures, depending on how they have recorded you. If you are advancing a medical emergency, then you will need medical evidence.

Before you plead not guilty – seek legal advice. We never advise anyone to take a speeding offence to court unless they have an argument to run – and this will entirely depend on the case’s own specific facts. All too often, we see people take a case to court on a punt – hoping the police won’t serve evidence or simply asking for photographs – and then end up with more points, more fines and more costs, all for no reason.

We have seen cases where people have taken a case to court and asked for calibration because of a case they read on the internet – and ended up with over £5,000 in prosecution expert fees. So if you are considering challenging a speeding offence, seek legal advice before you do!

WILL THE CHANGE AFFECT ENGLAND & SCOTLAND?

At the moment, no. So far, all we have seen in England and Scotland is an increase in 20 limit roads – so roads that have 20 limit signs at their entry and regular repeaters. But restricted roads remain at 30.

In Wales, the law has changed so that restricted roads have officially been lowered.

There are no concrete plans for the same change to happen across the UK, but it surely won’t be long before discussions start….

HYBRID VEHICLES ARE NOW LIMITED AND VEHICLE PRICES ARE RAPIDLY RISING

As new vehicle prices increase so inevitably will weekly payments for drivers, irrespective of whether your vehicle is paid for on finance, settle or even rented. Shaun Marnell, Director of Car n Cab Care, explains what he believes the future holds for the taxi vehicle market and what this means for licensed drivers.

This year we have had to continuously increase our vehicles prices. One example is the Kia Niro:

• • In 2019 the price was £21,000
• • The price has increased by £400 + vat every three months
• • In January 2024 the price increase will be £850, putting the cost of a basic Kia Niro, with no extras, up to £26,700 - which also includes our trade discount of £5,500!

Furthermore, as the price of full EVs is also increasing, we predict the future price difference for a Kia Niro below*:

• • Hybrid to full electric: cost to upgrade c. £10,000
• • Plug-in to full electric: cost to upgrade c. £5,000

Manufacturers now incur big fines if they sell too many diesel and hybrid vehicles. The higher the C0₂ of the vehicle sold, the bigger the fine - which could be up to £8,000 per vehicle.

Manufacturers therefore no longer want to sell diesel or hybrid vehicles as they want full EV sales and so the trade discounts given to taxi suppliers, like ourselves, could be drastically reduced.

MG is actually the only manufacturer we sell that is not incurring any fines because the majority of their vehicle sales are full EV.

As such, based on current information predicted price increases over the next five years could be*:

• • 2024: £8,000 difference from hybrid to full EV
• • 2025: £6,000 difference From hybrid to full EV
• • 2026: £4,000 difference from hybrid to full EV
• • 2027: £2,000 difference from hybrid to full EV
• • 2028: £2,000 difference from hybrid to full EV

*All examples based on the amount of zero emission vehicles that must be sold.

• • We only have 38 hybrid Kia Niros left for this year - however, we have an unlimited supply of full electric vehicles
• • Manufacturers don’t want to keep paying fines for bringing ICE vehicles into the UK
• • All manufacturers will either just stop making diesel and hybrid engines or have a plan B in place until the infrastructure improves

What’s going to happen next year?
Price increases will continue if manufacturers do not sell enough zero emission vehicles

But why the same amounts?
Each year the government’s expectations will go up

• • January 2024 - 22% of vehicles sold must be zero emission
• • January 2028 - 80% of vehicles sold must be zero emission

What about larger vehicles such as minibuses or purpose-built vehicles?
It is impossible to meet current Euro 7 CO2 standards without damaging a diesel engine or reducing the life of the engine as it will need to regen more.

Airport service vehicles
A diesel engine vehicle loves long distances as the oil becomes red hot so the vehicle is performing more cleanly so will not regen.

The life of the engine is actually predicted by how many regens it does (you need to change the oil every 5,000 miles to prevent it)

Examples of regularly serviced Mercedes Vito minibuses with failed diesel engines:

• • Euro 4 engines Vito 580,000 miles
• • Euro 5 engines Vito 350,000 miles
• • Euro 6 engines Vito 250,000 to 280,000 miles

New diesel minibuses are still be available but are very expensive to buy because diesel vehicles are only being made for the next couple of years to give the UK time to prepare for the upcoming changes.

• • We have financed over 3,000 licensed drivers to settle buy their private hire vehicles, taxis and minibuses
• • We no longer sell or finance diesel vehicles

HP Finance

• • Minimum 10% deposit
• • Deposit cannot be borrowed and you must confirm being paid from savings
• • You must sign a statement confirming affordability of weekly payments

Finance Lease

• • We are now offering finance lease options to help drivers get into full EVs with very small deposits.

Interest rates

• • Loans amounts will also keep going up unless the public stop borrowing on none essential items
• • Blackhorse Finance goes up by 1% from 17 August 2023 with another predicted rise of 1% in January 2024

• • We have spent £620,000 on making our own on-site power station specifically for licensed drivers to cheaply charge their EVs superfast
• • We have designed charging options for drivers living in terraced houses
• • We have teamed up with our solar supplier to to enable drivers to take control of their electric costs by installing solar roof mount systems or solar fences at their homes and businesses

We know there are some drivers that cannot go electric. We also know there are others that don’t want to go electric

If you prefer a diesel vehicle that’s OK but for how long? If you prefer to rent a vehicle then do that....

HOWEVER, EVs ARE THE FUTURE FOR OUR TRADE.

If you do not have a driveway then buy a hybrid or plug-in vehicle BUT, ideally if your work is mostly local then go full electric so that you can enjoy all the tax benefits too.

Electric vehicles are a great investment in your future and with the UK Government’s new emission standards it is clear that vehicle prices are going to rapidly increase.

Therefore if you are licensed driver who wants to move with the times then our advice is to act fast as this really is the time to buy.....

Call Car n Cab Care, your trusted EV specialist, today on 0151 678 3066 / 07517 996 286 or see our advert on pages 10 and 11.

YOUR TAXI BUSINESS NEEDS A GREAT WEBSITE!

In today’s high-tech world, having a website is like having a shopfront for your taxi business. It’s a place where people can book rides, learn about your services, and find out what makes you better than the competition. But a website does more than that – it can boost your visibility on Google, get you more customers and drivers, and even help you stand out in the crowd.

A good website WILL get you seen on Google!

A well-designed website can actually help your business show higher up on Google when people search for taxis. It’s all thanks to something called “search engine optimisation” or SEO. This means making your website easy for Google to understand and like. When you use the right words, make your site fast, and make sure it works well on phones, Google notices. The more Google likes your website, the higher it shows up in search results.

Your website CAN get you calls!

Beyond just showing up on Google, having a website that’s easy to use can make customers happy. If folks can easily book a taxi or get a price quote on your website, they’ll be more likely to come back. This kind of happy customer not only keeps coming to you but also tells others about their good experience. And guess what? Google notices when people like your website. The more they like it, the higher your website climbs in the search results.

“Making Your Website Awesome”

Your website can do more than just book rides. Offering cool extras like info about local hotspots, recommending good places to eat, or providing airport pickup and drop-off services can make people love your business even more. These little extras keep people interested and hanging around your website for longer. When Google sees that people are spending time on your site, it thinks your site must be pretty helpful and important – so it bumps up your ranking.

Other good stuff

Having a website also makes it easier for your passengers to find you. When you put a contact form on your site, it’s like putting up a “We’re Open” sign. People can get in touch with you easily, and that’s something Google likes. It knows your business is active and ready to help.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, a well-designed website is a must if you want your taxi business to shine online. Think of it as your digital business card – it shows you’re a pro and means serious business. By getting a website that’s easy to use and looks great, you can impress Google, get more drivers and customers, and watch your taxi business thrive.

Need a hand?

If you’re ready to rev up your online game with a website that brings in drivers, bookings and accounts, then we’re here to help. Our websites are designed to work perfectly on phones, come with strong security, and we’re always around to keep things running smoothly.

Let’s talk today at 0330 088 6006 and get your taxi business on the digital fast track!

Visit www.taxisolutions.co.uk or see our advert on page 14.

REQUEST TO CABBIES FOR ASSISTANCE TO COMBAT FRAUD TARGETING VULNERABLE VICTIMS

In recent months, several incidents have occurred in which elderly and vulnerable members of the community have been the victim of fraud. The method used by criminals is as follows:

• • Victims receive a telephone call from someone claim-ing to be a police officer or other authority figure. The victim is persuaded to withdraw money or buy a high value item, such as gold bullion, or a Rolex watch. Victims often use a local taxi/PHV for the journey to and from the bank or jewellers. The items are then collected by a courier on behalf of the criminals.
• • Couriers often travel by train from London and use a local taxi firm to take them to the victim’s home to collect cash and other valuables. The courier directs the taxi to the victim’s address and instructs them to wait as they go to the front door. The courier then returns to the taxi after a few minutes (sometimes carrying a package) and returns to the train station to board the next London-bound train.
• • Traditionally, victims were persuaded to attend their high street bank but the success of the Banking Protocol and the closure of many high street banks has resulted in fraudsters increasingly sending victims to withdraw euros from Money Service Bureaus (MSBs) such as Bureau de Changes or post offices. Staff in MSBs tend to have less awareness of courier fraud and the warning signs to look out for and are therefore more likely to dispense cash and not alert police.

Such offences often target the elderly and/or vulnerable. Victims may be asked to travel many miles to draw out money or collect goods. Victims are often monitored by fraudsters resulting in devastating financial and phycological impact on them. These crimes are occurring nationwide.

Taxi Drivers are sometimes used to commit the offence. Like couriers, taxis services are unknowingly used by criminal networks to get to victims, transport them and collect goods or money. Efforts are being made to engage taxi drivers and other public and private partners to combat this serious offending.

• • Taxi drivers are asked to be aware of this type of crime and remain vigilant.
• • If a driver is asked to take an elderly or vulnerable passenger to the bank, or to a jewellery store, be aware they may have been targeted. If you are concerned this may be the case, dial 999 and report that your passenger maybe a victim of courier fraud.
• • Drivers are asked to be vigilant of journeys to and from local train stations by potential couriers. If you suspect a courier is in your taxi, call 999 and explain the situation. The relevant force will be notified and deploy a police response. You will be asked to supply the taxi vehicle index, location, and destination.

Taxi/PHV drivers can also contact Crimestoppers annonymously who will share any information with the police so that the fraudsters are brought to justice. Contact them on 0800 555 111 or crimestoppers-uk.org

Find out more on courier fraud: https://shorturl.at/cpGJ6

ALL BLACKS SET FOR WORLD DOMINANCE – BENGALS TO ROAR IN CINCY

Has four years passed since the Springboks thumped England in the Rugby World Cup final? Incredibly yes! And it’s now full throttle to France as host venue for Rugby World Cup 2023.

And if I asked you to pick a nation that is synonymous with the oval ball who would you automatically pick? Yes the All Blacks (NZ) with their air of invincibility, the Haka and their enduring record of the world’s best team. The facts however don’t back that up…in the previous nine World Cups, they have won only three times!! And in crucial games (semis, finals etc. across all those year’s since 1987), they have to my mind choked (please don’t tell this to the Front Row!!!), so why are they such good things?

Does 5/2 repre-sent value? Does 5/2 become a winning bet?
In my mind un-questionably yes; a statement rendered more so now that their chief market rivals, the hosts France, have lost Romain Ntamack, their star playmaking fly half with a ruptured ACL who will miss the tournament. Opposition is strong, especially from the Springboks, but despite Ireland being rated the World’s best and the current Grand Slam Six Nations champions, I have a feeling they are on the wane and the wait will surely continue for Northern Hemisphere glory with only England winning the tournament once in 2003 (Hello Johnny!!) The ALL BLACKS are also continuing to thrash their Southern Hemisphere opponents in 2023 and are a confident choice to add to their tally of three world cups

RYDER CUP
Europe will this year host the bi-annual Ryder Cup at the end of September, a real treat for golf fans. The venue is Rome and teams were finalised on Sunday 3 September. There is no doubt that the only winner this year is LIV golf, the Saudi backed breakaway tour with the fallout likely to rage on for decades yet.

Golf fans will know the USGA has made ‘peace’ with the Americans who joined the tour and YES, incredibly, they are being allowed to play in the Ryder Cup, something the European Tour has not allowed. Will this unity bond McIlroy et al or will the loss of Garcia, Poulter, Stenson, Casey and Westwood amongst others be too much for Captain Donald to compensate for? A strong case can be made for them being past their sell by date, but that is conjecture.

On the American side, Brooks Koepka is now eligible, and a certainty for selection and likely to join him via Captain’s picks will be D J, and possibly Talor Gooch and Patrick Reed. After all, won’t the governing body want unity over form?

Either way, the arsenal that the AMERICANS can fire far outguns Europe and at a whopping 8/11, fill your Footjoys! (geddit?)

SUPERBOWL LVIII
Put the 11th of February 2024 in your diaries now, as Superbowl 58 to you and me, takes place in the new home of the Raiders in Nevada, shame they won’t be there. Anyone who reads my column regularly knows that BtB is well clued up on American sports and has tipped winners at 18/1, 12/1, 16/1 and 13/2 before a ball has been kicked…and this year is hopefully no exception.

And yes, my fancies might well be honed before Week 5, but at this embryonic stage my main pick is the CINCINATTI BENGALS at 12/1. How they lost last year’s AFC Championship game is beyond me and to my mind they are the best AFL team, with powerful playmakers such as Joe Burrow (QB), Tee Higgins (RB) and Ja Marr Chase (WR). Back them now. I think they will be challenged to the AFC by the resurgent NY Jets (16/1), now they have a rookie QB from Green Bay!! But ultimately they don’t as yet have a Broadway Joe.

In the NFC, battle should wrest between the Eagles, Cowboys and San Fran for Superbowl glory. They are currently available at 8/1, 14/1 and 9/1 respectively. Preference is for Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers.

Of course, this time of the season I like to put a fanciful 6, 7 and 8 timer on the Divisional winners that can pay mega bucks if all come up.

This year my picks are: NY Jets, Bengals, Jags and Chiefs in the AFC and Philly, Detroit, Atlanta and San Fran in the NFC.
The 8-timer pays £4,966 to a £10 stake!!