A taxi driver lost his licence and his liberty after being caught dealing drugs on the job.
According to the Liverpool Echo, Joseph Johnson, 43, was driving on Hicks Road, Waterloo, on June 19 last year when plain clothes police officers spotted him making a "suspicious transaction" with a customer.
They followed him onto Glendower Road, where they 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 various drugs paraphernalia, a mixing bowl, scales, adulterants and cutting agents.
A mobile phone used for the selling of drugs was also found, with messages from customers such as "are you about?", "need two big ones" and "can you get to Southport for 3pm?".
Johnson pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply class A and B drugs, and appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday 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 himself following several family tragedies.
He said the dad of one had been living "a double life", hiding his day-to-day dealings from his family and friends.
He said: "They (family and friends) point to a man who is utterly dedicated to his child. His son has a severe learning disability. Whatever criticism one may make of the defendant, and there may be many, it's clear he has dedicated his entire existence to trying to make for his son the best life that he can.
"The people who will suffer most as a result of the defendant's folly will not be the defendant, but his son and his partner... who will be left to care alone for that child."
Judge Andrew Menary, sentencing Johnson, said: "You have not sought to deny your responsibility, and I have seen a very large number of personal references written by friends and family, all of which describe a very different person to the one which is apparent from these circumstances. In other respects you are a perfectly decent man, keen to work hard and support your family."
However, he added: "You need to understand that becoming involved in drug dealing in this way is contributing to others' misery on the streets of this city 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.
Source: https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/dad-living-double-life-spotted-27532346
A taxi driver was lured to a Derby park and told he would be stabbed if he didn’t hand over his money.
Derby Crown Court heard how the terrified victim had to take weeks off work from a job he had enjoyed for almost two decades as a result of what Kassim Hussain and Harris Hickman Tahir subjected him to in Alvaston.
According to the Derby Telegraph, after Hussain, 24, took the cash and keys from the cabbie he and his 19-year-old co-defendant then fled in the car. But it was found parked up around two hours later and the two robbers were caught walking towards it.
Jailing Hussain for 18 months and handing Tahir a suspended sentence, Judge Shaun Smith KC said: “This is a serious offence where a taxi driver was out doing something he enjoyed and which he was confident to do. You, Hussain, the lead in this enterprise, told him you had got a knife and told him to get out of the cab and when he did that, you drove off in it.
"You, Tahir, have never been in trouble before this but you got involved with Mr Hussain which was a big mistake, because when he decided he was going to steal some money from a taxi driver you hung around.”
Abigail Joyce, prosecuting, said the incident started at around 11.35pm on July 13, 2021, when the taxi picked up a fare in the city containing Hussain, Tahir and a third man who was never charged. She said he was asked to first drive to Sunny Hill and then on to Alvaston Park.
The prosecutor said: “As the car went down Meadow Lane and into the park under an arch, Hussain suddenly said to the driver ‘give me the keys or I will stab you with a knife’. All three men got out of the cab and Hussain approached the car and removed the keys from the ignition telling the taxi driver to get out of the car or he would be stabbed.
“Hussain then said ‘hand over all of the money’ and the driver handed him £30. They then got in the car and drove it off leaving the taxi driver there. His mobile phones and money were in the cab.”
Miss Joyce said police spotted the cab at around 1.45am on July 14 and two men who matched the description the driver gave of the men who robbed him came out of a nearby property.
She said that it was Hussain and Tahir and a search of the older defendant’s room revealed the keys and the driver’s mobile phones.
Miss Joyce read out a victim impact statement made by the driver in which he said he’d done the job happily for the past 18 years but had to take a number of weeks off following the robbery due to the fear he felt.
Both men pleaded guilty to robbery and Hussain has previous convictions for drug dealing, which saw him jailed for 30 months in November 2018 when he was caught selling to addicts in Arboretum Park, and an unconnected robbery when he was a youth.
Ragveer Chand, his barrister, said: “He has remorse. He clearly accepts his wrongdoing.”
Tahir, of Littleover, was sent to youth detention for nine months, suspended for a year, with 100 hours of unpaid work.
Steve Gosnell, mitigating, said his client had no previous convictions and had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.
Source: https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/derby-news/robber-lured-taxi-driver-derby-8682228
Gett and Sherbet have announced a new collaboration that will bring an additional 400 electric taxis to Gett’s network.
According to Breaking Travel News, this new arrangement gives Gett’s customers access to Sherbet's electric taxi fleet directly from Gett’s app and web platform.
All Sherbet drivers undergo disability awareness training, and so the Gett offering to passengers with sensory or physical impairments is also enhanced.
Gett drivers are also set to benefit from the collaboration, with Sherbet offering new, exclusive discounts at their Putney LEVC warranty and service centre, as well as up to four weeks free rental of a 2023 plate Sherbet electric taxi. This presents an opportunity for any drivers wishing to upgrade to an electric taxi from an older diesel vehicle, or those already renting their vehicle elsewhere who are looking for a new lease.
Sherbet is the leading provider of rental taxis in London, with the largest number of owned electric taxis in the UK.
The Sherbet/Gett collaboration adds on-demand bookings to Sherbet’s system, which previously only offered pre-booked ride bookings, improving the opportunity to earn for Sherbet taxi drivers.
With several new high profile corporate customers onboarded to Gett recently, Sherbet drivers are expected to benefit from extra demand for their services. Providing an additional pool of fully licensed, professional drivers to the Gett customer base is also expected to help maintain their high levels of reliability.
“We are delighted to welcome Sherbet to our network, especially at a time we are expecting a trend towards higher growth in demand for business travel and last-mile transport solutions. We are looking forward to a productive collaboration that fits our sustainable approach to ground transportation,” said Guy Gaash, VP of Global Partnerships at Gett.
He continued, “This is an important milestone for Gett and one that gives us an opportunity to support our customers by giving them access to a reputable eco-fleet, and our current driver base by deepening the range of benefits available to them.”
Asher Moses, CEO of Sherbet, added: “This collaboration brings our award-winning Sherbet electric fleet onto one of the UK’s leading ground transport platform and this will help Gett’s corporate customers meet their CSR goals, as it will boost the number of electric black cabs available on the platform, helping more businesses reduce their carbon footprint as they travel throughout London.”
He continued, “For Sherbet drivers, this deal means more work and greater value from being part of the growing Sherbet family. For many years a number of aggregator services have wanted to gain access to the Sherbet fleet, but in Gett, we have found the right partner for the first time, as they align with our values on bringing the benefits of cleaner, more efficient transport to a wider audience across the capital.”
This collaboration reconfirms Gett’s commitment to sustainability, making green business travel even easier for riders in London. Over 54% of the vehicles available through Gett’s platform in London are electric or hybrids.
Gett is one of the leading taxi platforms operating in the United Kingdom and Israel, offering its corporate clients a comprehensive ground transportation management solution. Corporate clients benefit from Gett’s wide range of services designed to fit any budget and business need, from reliable pre-book options to quick on-demand solutions. As of the end of 2022, Gett serves more than 10,000 B2B clients and has more than 700,000 quarterly active B2C customers across both the United Kingdom and Israel.
Sherbet is the largest fleet of privately owned electric taxis in the UK and the only taxi operator in London that offers rides, vehicle rental and taxi media services all within their business model. Taxi drivers, often unable to afford the purchase cost of a new electric taxi, can access flexible rental options with Sherbet that fit their working pattern, meaning fleet optimisation and efficiency is best-in-class. In addition, leading global brands advertise on Sherbet taxis for its unrivalled coverage of London.
This extra income stream allows Sherbet drivers to earn an extra income from their taxi. The Sherbet Intelligence platform is one of the leading data aggregation services in the mobility sector, collecting rich data on passenger numbers, audience management, fuel and energy efficiency, usage trends and traffic behaviour, all this elevating the black taxi into a Smart, Electric taxi fit for the modern city and traveller.
Sherbet were named in the Sunday Times Fast Track 100, are winners of the SME UK Enterprise Awards, and won the Most Innovative Taxi Company in the Innovation & Excellence Awards. They have been named as a finalist in the 2023 Business Travel Awards Europe.
The cost of getting a taxi at Christmas should be increased to encourage more drivers to work, Falkirk Council has been told.
According to the Daily Record, next week's meeting of Falkirk Council's executive will discuss proposals to update taxi fares, which last rose in September 2022 in response to concerns over rising fuel costs.
And while general fares look set to remain steady, calls have been made to increase the festive fares - and to more than double the penalty charge for soiling a taxi.
Falkirk Council has consulted members of the local taxi forum, which represents members of the trade, about what changes are now considered necessary. Its members were not in favour of any increase in the taxi tariff but they have proposed a change to how public holidays are treated.
They would like to see additional charges for most public holidays removed entirely, so it would no longer be more expensive to get a taxi on Easter, May Day, Falkirk Trades Fair, and the Falkirk September holiday.
However, they would like to see a higher charge for Christmas and New Year public holidays, introducing a new rate of time and a half.
The taxi forum has told the council it is getting increasingly difficult to get drivers to operate during the festive period and they feel the suggested changes would encourage people to work.
If agreed, the dates and times of the revised tariff would be from 9pm on Christmas Eve to 6am on December 27, and 9pm on December 31 to 6am on January 3.
Other proposals being put forward by the forum are increasing the soiling charge to £100, as the current charge of £40 does not cover the cost of a vehicle being valeted and does not take into account loss of income when a car is off the road to be cleaned.
The forum is also suggesting that a £5 charge be introduced for larger capacity vehicles that have been engaged for more than four passengers or for large items such as luggage/golf clubs.
The forum says that the cost of running larger vehicles is making such journeys uneconomic. This charge would not apply to wheelchair users.
If the proposals are approved by the executive, members of the public and businesses would then have an opportunity to comment.
If comments are received, a further report would be brought back to the Executive for members to discuss.
Source: https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/cost-falkirk-taxis-christmas-could-30706630
An applicant refused a taxi licence by Swansea Council has been ordered to pay £4,000 in costs after his appeal against the decision was thrown out by a judge.
Swansea Bay News reports that Mohammed Rashid, 47, went to court to try to overturn a decision by Swansea Council’s licensing committee that he was not a fit and proper person to have a licence.
But the judge sitting at Newport Magistrates Court agreed with Swansea Council, after hearing all the evidence presented by council lawyers and by Mr Rashid.
David Hopkins, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Corporate Services and Performance, welcomed the judge’s support and added: “This case demonstrates Swansea Council’s determination to ensure people are safe when using taxis.
“Someone getting into a taxi or booking a private hire vehicle after a night out, for a trip to the shops or to see friends needs to know the person behind the wheel is a safe and suitable driver.”
The court sitting on July 19 heard that Rashid’s taxi licence had been revoked by Swansea Council in 2015 following a number of concerns raised with the council about his suitability to be a taxi driver.
The following year he applied for a licence to another licensing authority and was turned down.
In his latest application to Swansea Council for a licence in November last year, he did not disclose the 2016 refusal or a speeding offence, both of which he was required to do.
Council officers looking into his application discovered the information, presenting the issues and other evidence about his suitability as a taxi driver to the licensing committee which then turned down his application.
Ordering him to pay council costs of £4,000, the judge said that as a taxi driver, responsibility and trust is paramount and that all drivers as part of their role will come into contact with the vulnerable. Therefore, higher standards were required.
Cllr Hopkins said: “Customers need to feel safe and secure when they get into a taxi or private hire vehicle. They can play their part too by checking before they get into a taxi that both the vehicle and the driver is licensed.”
Swansea Council and South Wales Police say they carry out regular spot checks to make sure taxi firms and taxi drivers are following the rules.
Source: https://swanseabaynews.com/2023/08/15/taxi-licence-bid-turned-down-by-judge/
A local councillor has sparked a debate on passenger safety after claiming that using locally licensed taxis is safer than hailing an Uber.
A taxi driver was attacked and subjected to racist abuse after two brothers refused to pay him up front.
Christopher Hilling, 64, admitted to engaging a child in sexual activity at Chelmsford Crown Court on Thursday 8 August.
Abdigani Ebrahim, 38, of Grangetown, admitted charges of affray and criminal damage following the incident in Northcote Street, Roath, last July.
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.