A man caught driving without insurance and a UK licence has been given permission to be a private hire driver.
Glasgow’s licensing committee approved Samuil Losif Teglas’s application despite an objection from Police Scotland.
GlasgowLive reports that the committee did issue a warning to the driver, who had been disqualified for six months over the incident.
Police Scotland had argued the applicant was “not a fit and proper person to be the holder of a licence” due to his offences.
An officer told the committee that Mr Teglas had been pulled over in August 2020.
“It was revealed there was no insurance for the vehicle and the applicant only had a Romanian drivers’ licence,” he added. “The vehicle was subsequently seized and uplifted.”
The applicant was fined £400 over the incident, given six points and disqualified for six months.
He was also fined £200 after police caught him driving while “using a handheld mobile phone” in 2023.
Mr Teglas said he had been driving without insurance due to different rules in the UK compared to his home country.
He said he had moved his mobile phone into the door of his car, but wasn’t using it, and the police had seen him.
The applicant added he currently works at a car wash but thinks a “taxi driver is a better job, and I like to drive”.
Cllr Jill Pidgeon, Labour, and Cllr Sean Ferguson, SNP, suggested the application was refused, but a motion from Cllr Alex Wilson, SNP, supported by Cllr Eunis Jassemi, Labour, was passed by four votes to two.
Denbighshire councillors threw out proposals to increase taxi fares at a licensing committee on Wednesday 5 June, after fears were raised about the elderly.
According to the Daily Post, at a meeting at Denbighshire Ruthin County Hall HQ, members debated proposals put forward which would have enabled hackney carriages to increase their maximum fees.
Currently the maximum a taxi can charge for a two-mile journey in Denbighshire is £6. The new proposals would have seen an increase in fares to £6.94 for a two-mile taxi trip.
If councillors had backed the move, a public consultation would have followed. But the committee feared the change could damage the taxi trade by dissuading customers from using taxis if fares increased.
Cllr Brian Jones said: "I don't think there's an appetite from the customer to swallow another increase and certainly (not) the elderly who rely on taxis to go shopping and things like that.
"They probably wouldn't be best pleased about hearing an increase in this and anything to do with their daily lives.”
Licensing officer Ian Millington said if Denbighshire backed the proposals, the county would become the most expensive in North Wales. "It is currently at £6. The proposal from the calculator (formula) was to go up to £6.94, increasing by about (nearly) a pound,” he said.
"That would take us in reality to (be) the dearest in North Wales. But I would point out no other authority uses the same methodology as us, and we don't know what methodologies they use.
"Overall, I think in Wales, we wouldn't be the highest. In the overall GB league, I think we'd be midway.”
Councillors then learned that a public consultation would cost around £1,500-£2,000.
Cllr Hugh Irving said: "I'm more in favour of staying with the status quo because if we go to consultation, which is going to cost a number of thousands of pounds, and it just so happened nobody made any representations, then the increase would be implemented, and then there might be a howl that it was not necessary or not wanted.
"I'd be inclined to move we stay with the status quo and review the situation again in the light of whatever representation comes forward over the next 12 months.”
Cllr Joan Butterfield seconded the proposal, and the committee agreed to keep fares as they are and review the situation in a year.
Source: https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/proposal-increase-taxi-fares-thrown-29299743
Uber will soon be operating its ride hailing service in Aberdeen after being granted a licence to operate in the city.
AberdeenLive reports that the firm previously put forward an application in 2019 before it was withdrawn, but it reapplied to the city council earlier this year.
It will see Aberdeen become the third city in Scotland to have access to the service after Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Ahead of the licensing committee meeting on Wednesday 6 June, the council received 485 letters of support for the plans, while 23 objections to the application were also received.
An additional three objection letters were also submitted beyond the cut-off date set by the local authority.
During around two hours of discussions, Uber officials fielded questions surrounding the service from how the ride hailing company operates to fares and passenger safety.
However despite protests from existing taxi firm bosses at the council meeting, Uber was granted its licence in Aberdeen.
The news comes following the back of recent frustration among locals with the current service in the city, with lengthy queues at taxi stands and a lack of availability at night time.
Commenting on the decision to award the licence, Adrian Watson, chief executive of Aberdeen Inspired, said: "We are grateful to the licensing committee for their decision and delighted that Uber’s application to open a booking office in the Granite City has now been approved.
"Aberdeen Inspired brought Uber to the table in Aberdeen after we recognised there was a crying need to address serious issues with taxi provision in the city, especially around late nights at the weekend.
"This need wasn’t something Aberdeen Inspired simply plucked out of thin air. Our levy payers, partners and the wider public, came to us with a litany of complaints and issues they had faced with a severe lack of taxis especially at night on weekends.
"Their fears – and ours – were simple and direct: Concerns over safety as people, especially the vulnerable, try to make their way home alone on foot in the small hours.
"The impact on the city’s economy, especially at night time, as people openly say they will not come into the city centre for fear they can’t get home safely at the end of their night out.
"The detrimental effect on Aberdeen’s reputation as visitors struggle to get where they need to be – including transport hubs - because no taxis are available.
"We respect the taxi trade in Aberdeen, their dedication and hard work and their commitment to the city. That is never in doubt. But it has become obvious the current situation isn’t meeting the needs of transport provision in Aberdeen and, worse, is hurting the city as a result.
"We do not expect Uber to be a magic wand that will fix all of these woes overnight. However, bringing more taxis and drivers onto the streets of Aberdeen must be part of the solution and that is the prospect Uber offers.
"Giving permission for Uber to operate in Aberdeen is not the end of the story over taxi provision. It is merely the start of a conversation with all parties and stakeholders to ensure our city and its people have the taxi service everyone wants and needs."
Source: https://www.aberdeenlive.news/news/aberdeen-news/uber-granted-licence-operate-taxi-9324521
A former cabbie has been found guilty of carrying out unlicensed private hire work.
According to the News & Star, Jamie Rimmer, formerly trading as 'Egremont Cabs' failed to appear at Workington Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, May 22.
The charges included operating without a proper private hire driver's licence or vehicle licence.
He was found guilty in his absence of offences relating to carrying on unlicensed private hire work on two dates in November 2023.
He was fined £1,320, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £220, and incurred costs of £350, totalling £1,890.
Graeme Wilson, Cumberland Council’s Assistant Director of Public Health and Protection, said: “Our regulatory services teams are there to ensure the safety of residents.
"We always look to work with businesses to help them understand and comply with the regulations.
"However, there are times when we have to take enforcement action, such as in this situation, which I’m pleased to see was successful."
Liverpool licensing officers discovered this Wolverhampton private hire vehicle operating in Liverpool city centre with an illegal tyre.
The vehicle licence was suspended and driver reported.
Please check your vehicles tyres regularly as they cover a lot of mileage.
Ways of increasing the amount of wheelchair-accessible taxis across the city are set to be explored to make it easier for those who need one to get one.
Cumbrian taxi drivers are fighting back against proposed licensing changes they fear will cripple their livelihoods.
Bolton taxi drivers are urged to sign up for free safeguarding and disability awareness training before the deadline on October 31st, 2024.
A Conwy Council meeting on Monday revealed a critical failing that allowed a taxi driver whose license had been revoked to continue transporting children to school.
Worcester City Council is seeking public opinion on a proposal to make safeguarding training mandatory for taxi and private hire drivers.
A proposal to increase driver, vehicle and private hire operator licences was discussed on Friday 19 July 19 at Sheffield City Council’s waste and street scene committee.
Through this collaboration, FREENOW willl provide additional benefits giving drivers up to 25% off pay-as-you-go rates across the entire bp pulse electric charging network and discounted fuel at all UK bp branded sites.
Wakefield Licensing, working alongside West Yorks Police Roads Policing unit, NPT, Off-Road Bike Team, Police Intercept Team, DVLA & DVSA, held a Partnership Day of Action at Thornes Park.
A pilot emissions reduction grant scheme providing financial support for hackney carriage drivers to upgrade to cleaner EURO 6 and fully battery powered vehicles has been launched.
The ride-hailing giant has submitted an application for an operator licence to Darlington Borough Council, with a decision expected in August.
Darlington could soon see Uber cars on its streets after the ride-hailing giant applied for a licence to operate in the town.
Stratford-upon-Avon District Council has revoked the licences of two taxi drivers following a series of speeding offences.
A Northampton taxi driver has been found guilty of trafficking cocaine between his home city and Milford Haven.
The move comes after concerns were raised by the taxi industry about the rising cost of purchasing new vehicles.
Guide Dogs charity has asked licensing authorities in England for their support in sharing guidance on the law on carrying guide or other assistance dogs with all taxi and private hire operators.
Reading Taxi Association (RTA) chairman Asif Rashid has slammed Reading Borough Council's proposed phase-out of older petrol and diesel cabs by 2028, calling it a financial burden for drivers.
Dorset Council is poised to review taxi fares across the region, excluding Weymouth and Portland which have separate regulations.
A North Belfast man, Ruairi Fintan Muldoon (31), has been sentenced to 12 months in prison with an additional 12 months on supervised release for a botched attempt to rob a taxi driver.
Passengers are been invited to take part in a survey aimed at finding out if the taxi trade in West Suffolk is accessible to all.
A Glasgow man, Darren Gray, 31, launched into a verbal tirade and racially abused a taxi driver on Paisley Road West on August 19th, 2022.