Cabbies fear Uber’s expansion into Colchester will impact their livelihoods.
The Gazette reports that the app company is now operating in Colchester, although its presence is tiny compared to big cities such as London, with only a handful of Uber drivers understood to be operating there.
However, cabbies are asking “lots of questions” and are “worried about their businesses” according to Dave Harris, who is the chairman of Colchester Council’s licensing committee.
Mr Harris said: “I get a lot of the licensing trade contact me and they’re worried about their businesses and whether it’s a level playing field. There’s lots of questions coming in about Uber.”
The councillor has written to the authority’s licensing team to ask for more information about Uber’s operation in the city.
“I am expressing concern to make sure there is a level playing field across all private hire vehicles, hackney carriages, and Ubers,” he said.
“I want to make sure no-one is disadvantaged.”
The extra choice for passengers is welcomed as long as everyone is safe, Mr Harris said.
“I would start asking questions if my daughter was coming home late at night and I didn’t know who that driver was.
"I only want the people I love to be coming home in the safest ways possible.”
Resident Abbey Ward, who has used Uber before on a trip to the capital, thinks it is a great addition to Colchester.
She said: “It was easy to book and pay for on the app and the journey was ten-out-of-ten.
"It was a 40-minute journey, the driver made it comfortable and he was very chatty.
“As a girl on my own late at night in London, I felt very safe. I think it being in Colchester is a good idea because taxis can be so unreliable.”
When the Gazette checked on the price of a trip from its newsroom in The Crescent to Colchester High Street, a journey of less than four miles, the cost was £11.99.
But the quote was £8 – almost 50 per cent less – by a local cab firm for the same journey.
Source: https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/24353866.uber-expands-colchester-worrying-taxi-drivers/
A number of new taxi ranks will be created across St Helens town centre as part of the regeneration programme.
The St Helens Star reports that the changes will see an additional 11 bays created, with new ranks being created closer to Bridge Street and Baldwin Street to cater to both daytime and nighttime increase in customer traffic in those areas compared to current stands in places like Hall Street, which have seen a fall in customer numbers in recent times.
The moves will help support the works for the first phase of the St Helens town centre redevelopment which centres around the soon to close Hardshaw Centre and bus station.
Councillor Trisha Long, Cabinet Member for Supporting Neighbourhoods, said: “This is a great example of collaborative working, with our Licensing Team working with our regeneration partners and the trade to find solutions that meet everyone’s needs.
“We have met with and incorporated the suggestions from representatives from the hackney carriage trade including the extension of spaces on Church Street and they have welcomed the changes that will benefit not just the drivers but also visitor to the town centre who rely on the taxi trade to get them home.
“These changes will help to futureproof the trade over the coming years as we see the transformational changes to St Helens town centre as part of our once-in-a-lifetime regeneration plans.”
To see the full map of changes visit St Helens Council’s website: https://sthelens.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s158072/Appendix%201.pdf
Source: https://www.sthelensstar.co.uk/news/24340642.changes-hackney-taxi-ranks-support-town-centre-economy/
A blind woman has called for taxi drivers to be reminded of the law after she was repeatedly refused a ride because she had a guide dog.
The Gazette reports that Ruby Smith-Blythe, 28, from Colchester, is registered blind and has the help of her labrador-retriever Greta, a trained guide dog, to get around.
Ruby claims she has been refused taxis while trying to travel in the city and on occasions has been asked to pay extra for Greta to ride.
Rules state drivers cannot refuse people who have a guide dog with them unless they have a certificate from Colchester Council.
Ruby said: “When I book a taxi, I had drivers cancel on me or not even show up, on multiple occasions. It happened before, but now it is happening again more frequently now.
“Some drivers wanted me to charge £1.50 extra for having a pet with me, even though I always tell them that Greta is a guide dog.
“It is against the law to refuse a guide dog or to have people pay extra, and I feel like drivers should know that.
“This has been extremely difficult for me and my mental health.”
Experiences like these happened with several firms, but repeatedly with Panther Cabs, who apologised for the drivers’ behaviours to Ruby.
Bridget Everitt, manager at Panther Cabs said: “We have been made aware of the fact that she has had issues with some of our drivers.
“If drivers are exempt due to allergies or other things, they need to get a certificate from the council.
“We have spoken to the customer and told her to call or email us so she can tell the operators to then make it clear in the booking, clearer than through the app.”
Clive Wood, lead policy and campaigns manager at Guide Dogs, said: “We are disappointed to hear of the issues that Ruby has been experiencing with taxis in her local area, as a result of having her working guide dog Greta by her side.
“Guide dog owners deserve to be able to live the lives they want and feel confident, independent, and supported in their day-to-day lives. However, too many guide and other assistance dog owners continue to face discrimination and are turned away because they have their vital mobility aid with them.
“Our research shows that 81 per cent of guide dog owners have been refused access to a business or service at some point, and around half said they changed or restricted their plans because they were concerned they would be refused access because of their guide dog.
"That’s why we are calling on the Government to take action to strengthen the law to end this unacceptable discrimination.”
A Colchester Council spokesman said “Every licensed taxi is required to carry assistance dogs with their owners.
"It is a criminal offence, under the Equality Act 2010, for a driver to refuse to do so or to charge a higher fare for carrying an assistance dog.
"A small number of drivers may hold exemption certificates which exempt them from the requirement to carry a passenger with an assistance dog, due to medical or physical conditions.
"These drivers carry a notice of exemption issued by the council.
"We expect all hackney carriages, private hire vehicles, drivers and operators working in Colchester to follow their licensing responsibilities and would urge anyone who has experienced a problem, to get in contact via colchester.gov.uk/taxi-complaint/.”
Source: https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/24352750.blind-woman-refused-taxis-colchester-guide-dog/
South Gloucestershire councillors are supporting a call for all taxis to carry bleed kits in response to the rising knife crime.
GloucestershireLive reports that the newly elected Green Councillor for Ashley ward, Abdul Malik, emphasised that these life-saving kits, which include tourniquets, bandages, gels and advice, should be more accessible as they can save lives in the critical moments following an attack.
Cllr Malik has committed to discussing with the city council about supplying drivers with these kits.
While members of South Gloucestershire Council's regulatory committee welcomed the idea, they stressed the need for comprehensive training for taxi drivers.
As part of a new taxi and private hire vehicle licensing policy being developed by the local authority, officers will consider plans to require or encourage drivers to carry bleed kits.
Cllr Mike Bell (Labour, Staple Hill and Mangotsfield), who brought up the issue at the committee, said: "They are quite small packages and we could encourage our drivers to carry bleed kits."
Cllr Ron Hardie (Labour, Emersons Green) added: "It's a great idea to put bleed kits in taxis because it makes them available to so many more people. But at the same time if you're going to provide them in taxis, you need to educate the people who carry them to make sure they know how to use them.
"We have our concerns on a local level with bleed kits that we are supplied, that people aren't educated in how to use tourniquets properly and they can cause a lot of damage if they're not used properly. "
Cllr Carol Strange (Conservative, Longwell Green) said: "I understand there are instructions inside the bleed kit so that if a member of the public should access one of the public offers, they will know what to do."
"Perhaps one per cent might go wrong but we've got to take that the overall 99 per cent will be great," Cllr Keith Cranney (Conservative, Stoke Gifford) said: "I don't see a problem with having it but the people that have them onboard would be expected to use them, so yes, they would need training.
"It opens up a bigger issue as to what is going to be expected of our licensed trade in the future. If we're going to start adding on that they're going to take on virtually paramedic issues as well then they do need training, otherwise they could be sued for not having done things correctly.
"A tourniquet has got to be used properly. "
He said South Gloucestershire was the first council to introduce mandatory safeguarding for cabbies.
Cllr Cranney said: "It would be nice if we could turn around and say all of our drivers are first-aid trained as well. But it needs to be given officer time and reports, and let's see how it's possible to bring it in."
The city's Council Service Director for Place, Andrew Birch, delivered a message at a meeting on May 16. He revealed: "We're about to go to a review of our taxi policy and the requirements we put on drivers' vehicles. That's probably best to be considered as part of that policy review. "
A cabbie was just doing his job when he was allegedly threatened with a knife and left fearing he would not see his family again.
The driver, who asked not to be named, said he feared he was going to die on Saturday morning, 25 May, when a passenger allegedly held a knife to his throat.
The dad-of-two said: "I thought that's it, I'm not going to see my family again", the driver told ChronicleLive.
It was shortly after 12am on Saturday when the driver said he picked up a male passenger from Hebburn and took him to a house in Jarrow. But on arrival, he says the passenger claimed that he was leaving the car to retrieve money from the house.
The driver said that after waiting in his taxi outside the house for some time he decided to knock on the door to ask for the fare. However, when the passenger answered he allegedly said he didn't have money and would pay "in a few days".
He added: "I asked if he could give me something [that he would get back once he had paid]."
The driver claims that the passenger said he could take a photo of his driving licence but could not take anything away to guarantee payment.
It is alleged that the passenger then pulled a knife from his back pocket before holding it to the driver's throat.
The driver said: "All I was saying to him was 'put your knife away, put your knife away'."
The incident was reported to Northumbria Police who were on the scene within minutes.
A man has now been charged with threatening a person with a bladed article and making off without payment.
A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: "Just after 1am on Saturday (May 25), we received a report of a disturbance on Cedar Drive, in Jarrow. It was reported that the victim, a male taxi driver, was in his vehicle when a male passenger refused to pay a fare.
"Following a disagreement, it was reported that the passenger then threatened the driver with a bladed article. The offender then made off from the scene. The victim was unhurt in the incident.
"Following the report an investigation was launched and officers arrested a man.
"The man, David Newsome, 52, of no fixed abode, has now been charged with threatening a person with a bladed article and making off without payment."
Newsome appeared before magistrates in Newcastle on Monday and will next appear at Newcastle Crown Court on June 24.
Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/taxi-driver-feared-would-never-29250478
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.