A private hire driver in Stevenage has been punished for operating without a proper licence and insurance.
The Comet reports that Stevenage Borough Council (SBC) took legal action against Paul Notley after he was found to be driving a PHV without an appropriate driving licence or insurance.
At a hearing in Stevenage Magistrates' Court on September 8, Notley pleaded guilty to all 12 charges brought against him.
They included charges for driving a private hire vehicle without a licence, and using a motor vehicle without third party insurance.
He has accumulated 36 points on his licence, resulting in an automatic six-month disqualification.
Notley has also been fined £1,680 and ordered to pay costs of £2,345. This culminates in a grand total of £4,025.22, payable in monthly instalments of £200.
The court heard of Notley “conveying vulnerable passengers over a prolonged period of time”.
Cllr Claire Parris, chair of SBC's licensing committee, said: "It’s essential that we lead by example and ensure that any wrongdoing within our taxi services is recognised and reprimanded.
"All our licensed drivers abide by these rules and Mr Notley was fully aware of the consequences of what he was doing.
“This case only contained a small specimen sample of the number of charges that could have been applied for.
"It was deeply concerning to learn that someone who had responsibility for vulnerable people, undertaking SEND School transport and hospital trips would allow this to happen."
Source: https://www.thecomet.net/news/23854101.stevenage-taxi-driver-fined-operating-without-licence/
Herefordshire’s long-standing wrangles over taxi licensing have finally been resolved with a new deal agreed between drivers and the county council.
According to the Hereford Times, at a full council meeting on Friday 13 October, Herefordshire councillors voted unanimously to adopt a new taxi and private hire vehicle policy which will run until 2028, following changes in national guidelines on licensing made in 2020.
Hereford Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Association chairman, John Jones, who has campaigned during this period to have drivers’ concerns taken into account, welcomed the move.
The association’s members had unanimously backed the new policy earlier in the week, following “quite a lot of meetings” with council officials, he said.
“We now have a good set of conditions that are fair on taxi drivers.”
Mr Jones has already retired from the trade, “but I stopped in just to see this through”, he added.
Previous sticking points had included a proposed “Knowledge”-style test of the county’s routes and tight age limits on vehicles.
In March last year around 50 taxi drivers protested at a council meeting where an earlier draft of the licensing policy was being debated, before staging a rally through Hereford in their vehicles.
The drivers then threatened to call a strike last New Year when they felt their concerns still hadn't been addressed.
Herefordshire Council licenses around 900 owners of taxis and private hire vehicles as well as dual drivers of both classes.
Cllr Barry Durkin, Cabinet Member Roads and Regulatory Services, said: “The new policy has been created by a legal specialist following consultation with taxi trade members and meetings with both the local and national trade associations.
"Due consideration has therefore been given to all the comments received, and we’re very pleased to have the support of The Taxi Association.
“We would like to extend our thanks for the time and work that the Herefordshire Taxi Association Members has provided, and I would like to express my appreciation for the contribution they have provided to the development of this new policy.”
The new policy further enhances the council’s ability to carry out suitability tests and ensures that all licence holders are informed about their safeguarding responsibilities. In addition it offers the opportunity to share information regarding issues surrounding child sexual exploitation, modern slavery and illicit trade practices with other authorities.
The revised policy is not expected to have any major impact on the trade which also includes consideration for direct environmental impacts, such as encouraging as many different fuel types as possible, including small two seat electric and hybrid vehicles.
The implementation date will be two calendar months from the date of this decision to allow time for existing licence holders to achieve compliance.
Liberal Democrats group leader Cllr Terry James, a former leader of the council, welcomed the breakthrough, saying: “We’ve got to where we should have been a long time ago.”
For more information and to read the new Taxi Policy, please view the meeting papers: https://councillors.herefordshire.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=291&MId=8968&Ver=4
Two drunk thugs forced a taxi driver to pull over before launching a brutal attack and robbing him of cash and equipment.
According to the M.E.N., prosecutor, Katy Laverty said that the taxi driver picked up Ryan Wynn, 27 (pictured right) and Ellis Mayall, 26 from a cafe on Oldham Road, Royton on March 28 this year.
As he drove off, they asked him if he had any change for £50, which he said he didn’t. They then told him to pull up outside a pub.
“As soon as he stopped the car, Ellis Mayall punched the complainant whilst Ryan Wynn grabbed him from behind,” Ms Laverty said. “They then stole cash to the value of £60 as well as a PDR system.
“During the course of the robbery, the complainant sustained injuries including cuts and bruises to his lips, as well as a suspected broken nose.”
The man was unable to work for two weeks due to his injuries.
He said in a statement: “I have been a taxi driver since 1989, and I have never been robbed before.
"I was left feeling really down and upset and it has made me think about whether I want to be a taxi driver any more.”
When Mayall was arrested, he told officers to ‘prove it’ as he was cautioned; and when Wynn was caught, officers found a knuckle duster in his coat pocket.
They both later admitted being present at the robbery but blamed each other.
Both eventually pleaded guilty to robbery and were jailed on October 6 at Minshull Street Crown Court.
Wynn was said to have a previous conviction for driving offences and Mayall was said to be of previous good character.
Jailing them both, Recorder Joanne Woodward said: “The attack took place at night, in the complainant’s vehicle where he should have been safe and in circumstances where it was extremely difficult for him to make good his escape.
“He was left extremely distressed, which is understandable, as a result of this. I have no doubt this incident will play on his mind in the future.”
Wynn and Mayall from Royton, were both jailed for 40 months.
Uber drivers in Brighton have called for the company to pay them fairly in a protest near its local office.
The Argus reports that drivers for the ride-hailing app gathered near Uber’s “greenlight hub” at the County Ground in Hove, demanding the firm address its “unfair price policy” and “high trip commission”.
Protesters held placards which said “Uber driving us into poverty” and “share fair, pay fair” and encouraged people to sign a letter to Uber calling for action.
The letter said that the issues drivers have faced with “unfair fares” had “been affecting us and our ability to sustain a decent livelihood”.
Isaac Aydur, who has been an Uber driver in the city for five years, said the company takes high commissions from each trip and that earnings have not kept up with inflation.
He said: “Despite the increase in the cost of living, maintenance, fuel and insurance, our earnings are dropping.
"Five years ago, I was earning more for the same trip than now.
“I’m earning up to 40 per cent less than I used to earn for the same journey.”
Another driver in the city, Ali Omar, worked out that he earned around £50 after working almost all day yesterday.
“How am I supposed to live in Brighton, as one of the most expensive places in the country, with that amount of money I earned?,” he said.
Other drivers explained that, even on better days where they earn more, their wages are eaten into by the cost of fuel, maintenance of their vehicles, tax and national insurance, before even factoring in the cost of rent or a mortgage and other bills.
Mr Omar also criticised Uber’s algorithm, which can assign them a journey with a passenger more than a mile away even when there are drivers closer to them.
“I am polluting more driving two miles to pick up a passenger when there is already a driver around - where is the logic in that?
"It’s then costing me more as I’m using more fuel,” he said.
Source: https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/23856066.brighton-uber-drivers-call-fair-fares-protest/
The car park at Luton Airport engulfed by fire earlier this week remains shut – with drivers with vehicles inside saying they have been offered “no help”.
Bracknell News reports that Luton Airport said Terminal Car Park 2 cannot be accessed safely so it is “unable to confirm the condition of any individual vehicle at this time”.
Up to 1,500 vehicles remain in the car park, with the debris of some cars piled up within its blackened structure.
Steve Amos, who has a vehicle inside, said: “We’ve been left to our own devices. The airport has offered no help at all.
“We don’t know when we’re going to have a car again or how we’re going to get home now.”
Mr Amos, who flew into Luton Airport on Friday from Palma, Mallorca, said there has been a “total lack of any proper information” from airport authorities.
He said he was “astounded” to hear Bedfordshire’s chief fire officer say earlier this week that the car park, which opened in 2019, did not appear to have a sprinkler system.
A taxi driver at the airport who saw the fire on Tuesday night criticised Luton Airport’s response.
“They haven’t helped the poor people that have come down to try to collect their cars. Nobody’s out here giving them information,” he said.
The driver, who did not wish to be named, also criticised the lack of sprinklers in the car park.
He added: “There’s a lot of questions that need to be answered about fire safety.”
He said it was “scary” to see “cars exploding” and estimated he “lost at least 14 hours of work” after the taxi rank was shut following the fire.
In a statement, London Luton Airport apologised to customers with vehicles in the car park, which is a five-minute walk from the airport’s terminal.
It said: “We understand the distress this incident has caused for our car parking customers, and that many are still anxious for more detail.
“We’re sorry that we have not been able to respond as quickly as we would have liked.
“We are working with Apcoa Parking and the Motor Insurers’ Bureau who will co-ordinate with the various vehicle insurance companies.”
Apcoa Parking said in a statement: “Terminal Car Park 2 is closed. The fire has caused extensive damage to the car park and there is currently no access to the site.
“We cannot confirm the condition of any particular vehicle at this time, but we recommend that you alert your insurance company immediately.”
The airport’s Dart rail transit system, which opened earlier this year, also remains closed following the fire.
The crackdown targeted drivers operating across council boundaries to ensure public safety and compliance with regulations.
Lucio Valentino relies on his six-year-old Border Collie, Pixel, to help manage his mental health conditions, including depression and personality disorders.
Taxi drivers across the Fylde Coast are set to receive a briefing note aimed at clearing up confusion over out-of-area private hire vehicles.
Police are appealing to find a taxi driver who may have "vital clues" about the murder of Ryan Passey seven years ago since he was fatally stabbed in a Stourbridge nightclub.
A joint operation by Hull City Council, Wolverhampton Council, and Humberside Police has uncovered a number of safety issues with taxis operating in the city.
French taxi drivers are calling for government compensation after suffering significant revenue losses during the Paris Olympics.
Coventry city centre has introduced a new taxi marshal service aimed at improving safety and efficiency for late-night revellers.
A court heard harrowing details of the moment a drink-driving uninsured motorist killed three people in a 90mph crash.
The Taxi Charity for Military Veterans was amongst the thousands who enjoyed the Battle Proms at Highclere Castle on 3 August.
Swindon residents could be facing a hike in taxi fares from October after councillors gave the green light to a £1 increase in the standard fare minimum charge.
Ricky Harold, a 20-year veteran of the town’s taxi trade, was parked in a lay-by when his vehicle was struck from behind by a black Audi A2.
Chinese automotive giant Geely has deepened its commitment to the UK electric vehicle market with a £120m cash injection into London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC).
North Tyneside Council is facing a backlash over plans to increase taxi fares by 6.3%.
Nazim Asmal preyed on his victims after nights out in Preston and Darwen, driving them to secluded spots before carrying out horrific sexual assaults.
Newcastle is set to see a surge in pink taxis driven by women as part of a new initiative aimed at improving passenger safety.
An unlicensed taxi driver who picked up two vulnerable women in Aberdare has been ordered to pay nearly £1,500 in fines and costs.
Cleethorpes taxi drivers are breathing a sigh of relief after council enforcement officers cracked down on vehicles illegally parked in designated taxi ranks.
A Barry man has avoided jail after launching a drunken attack on a taxi driver who refused him entry to his vehicle.
Jersey’s taxi service is in crisis, with driver numbers plummeting by more than a quarter since 2014, a new report has revealed.
On Wednesday 27 July, more than 300 vulnerable youngsters were taken on an all-expenses paid trip to Southport.