A taxi driver has told how the Edinburgh Airport drop off system recently tried to charge him a £5,500 drop-off fee.
The black cabbie, who also acts as Unite union rep, says that the problem has hit a number of drivers who have found themselves stung by a glitch in the system.
They said that shortly after the new drop-off zone had opened, they approached the barrier only to find that the airport was requesting thousands from them.
Somehow the system had calculated that the cab had been in the short stay drop off from June 1-19, despite the vehicle only being in the space for under ten minutes.
Another driver captured a picture of their charge which was calculated at £2,386 for one day, 15 hours and 55 minutes - this was despite them exiting the space within the allotted ten-minute period.
Those dropping off customers or family and friends in the short stay drop-off for less than ten minutes would normally incur a £5 fee in June and July 2023, but there appears to have been an issue with the system as prices were calculated incorrectly.
The union rep says that on both occasions the above incidents were swiftly dealt with by staff at the airport after contactless card payments would not process the extortionate fee.
But on another occasion a driver was charged £73 for a one hour 22-minute stay when they again left within the allotted ten-minute window - their system showed that they picked up their customer at 5.45pm and dropped them at the airport at 6.04pm before leaving promptly.
Another driver was also charged £30 incorrectly but both have been made to wait weeks to be refunded.
“It happened to me back in June when I dropped off a customer and I was asked to pay £5,500 at the barrier as it had calculated my stay from June 1 until June 19,” said the union rep, who wished to remain anonymous.
“This was despite me only being in there for a few minutes dropping folk off. I was then charged £302 again about a fortnight ago.
“On both occasions I pressed the button at the barrier and someone let me out. They just said they had been having issues with it.
“Another one of our drivers was charged over £2,000 but didn’t have to pay it again because the contactless knocked back with limits over £100.
"Unfortunately though a couple of other drivers were stung as they just tapped their cards and later saw the charges.
“They have been trying to get that money back for weeks now. One of them was told that if they try to chase it they will get put back to the end of the queue for a refund.
“It seems like they are just trying to make as much money as possible.”
He added that while taxi drivers notice such wrong charges, members of the public may not or would not bother fighting the extra fees.
Airport bosses say that the issue of incorrect drop off fees has been sorted. They added that refunds are always offered when fees are incorrect but these take time to process.
A spokesman for Edinburgh Airport said: “We are aware of a technical issue which affected some drivers using the Pickup & Dropoff area. This was resolved by July 20 and no longer persists.
“Those affected will be refunded and any queries raised at the exit barrier were resolved at the time. We apologise for any inconvenience.”
Source: https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/fuming-edinburgh-taxi-driver-charged-27431301
An operation to crack down on private hire drivers illegally accepting passengers in Nottingham city centre without first taking a booking caught seven drivers.
The West Bridgford Wire reports that 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 Nottinghamshire Police and Rushcliffe Borough Council, carried out an operation on the evening of Friday 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 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.
Nottingham City Council Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhoods, Safety and Inclusion, Cllr Sajid Mohammed, said: "Operations like this aim to keep the public safe and send a message to private hire drivers considering plying for hire illegally in Nottingham – you will be caught.”
Rushcliffe Borough Council’s Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Environment and Safety, Cllr Rob Inglis, added: “We’re disappointed three Rushcliffe registered drivers were caught and once the courts have chosen their action we will fully review their licences and assess whether to suspend or revoke them.
“Make no mistake, putting taxi passengers at risk in this way and plying for hire without licence and insurance to do so is completely unacceptable and we will always do all we can to ensure residents can enjoy using taxis with the peace of mind their safety is paramount."
An unassuming office above a children's playschool in a Birmingham industrial park was at the centre of a multi-million pound investigation at Britain's biggest council.
The tiny premises is the listed base of operations of private hire firm Green Destinations Ltd (GDL), which will have billed Birmingham City Council (BCC) an eye-watering £17million this year for ferrying children to and from school, analysis of documents leaked to MailOnline reveals.
Our investigation has uncovered that GDL, owned and run by Jameel Malik, is routinely paid around £200 a day - tens of thousands of pounds a year - to drive lone pupils just a few miles to school.
Included among the dozens of huge charges is a £230, three days a week charge, to drive a single child less than two miles each way to school in a wheelchair-accessible cab, around £65 per mile. A hackney carriage fare would be less than £15 a day.
Another example is a £210 a day, or £40,500 a year, fare to drive one pupil a little more than three miles each way.
The firm also charged £120 a day, nearly £23,000 a year, for a daily journey of just 1.5 miles each way for one pupil in a standard car.
The boss of rival cab firm HATS, which has similar contracts with the Labour-run authority, was more than surprised by figures which suggest GDL charge around £11million more per year than their competitors for a comparable service.
The number of routes operated by GDL in Birmingham has grown substantially since 2020 - and rose by more than a third between 2022 and 2023, leaked data suggests.
Allegations from a whistleblower that staff may have 'knowingly enabled or allowed overcharges to occur' spurred the more than £3billion-a-year authority to launch an internal investigation.
But the council has refused Freedom of Information requests from MailOnline for the investigation report, saying the 'information was given in confidence'.
Officers did however admit that there was a public interest argument to releasing the report as it concerned 'serious' issues of 'maladministration and misconduct by individuals, in the performance of Council business'.
This comes as the council faces turmoil after it was revealed it needs to find £100million to fix a 'failing' IT system - as the Labour leader was forced out.
Green Destinations Ltd has charged approximately £17million to run more than 450 home-to-school transport (H2ST) routes a year. But if their pricing mirrored that of nationally recognised competitors such as HATS, analysis suggests this cost could be closer to £6million - an £11million difference.
Birmingham City Council has repeatedly refused to engage when asked for comment on the accuracy of these figures.
The council claimed an internal audit found 'no evidence' that an employee or employees may have knowingly enabled or allowed overcharges to occur. But they have refused to release this report citing 'commercial sensitivity'.
When accounting for the number of pupils in a vehicle and route mileage, GDL, a large regional medical and H2ST transport firm, charges nearly three times more than their biggest competition, the data shows.
Another local firm, AFJ Ltd, also appears to be charging Birmingham Council far more than their competitors for their services.
They run more than 173 routes at a total cost of around £7million a year but analysis suggests that they charge nearly two times more than major competitors - amounting to approximately £3million a year.
Sources have told MailOnline that the council was made aware of higher amounts charged with GDL and AFJ's contracts by staff, but senior leadership has seemingly failed to act on those concerns for more than a year.
It has been claimed that staff who have raised these issues were routinely blocked from important meetings on H2ST contracts - and some of these people have been let go for seemingly unrelated reasons or decided to leave the organisation.
The officers who are directly responsible for arranging these H2ST contracts are still employed by BCC.
The data suggests that, aside from higher than usual prices on individual routes, a significant proportion of the money going to GDL and AFJ comes from the large proportion which have just one child in a vehicle - the most expensive way to transport pupils.
Half of the routes run by GDL are solo occupancy, which is by far the highest proportion of any H2ST in Birmingham. The firm runs more than 60 per cent of all solo H2ST routes in Birmingham.
More than a quarter of AFJ's routes in Birmingham, around 50 are solo occupancy routes, which is the second highest by some margin. This accounts for more than ten per cent of this type of route.
But major competitors, including nationally reputable firm HATS Group, which has contracts for a significant number of routes in Birmingham, run close to zero single-child home to school journeys.
HATS chairman, Henry Bilinski, has claimed that their firm has not been offered a fair opportunity to tender for lucrative solo-route contracts on this scale, which could be against public procurement laws.
He also said the company lost a significant chunk of their business a year after being brought in despite a pristine record.
But Birmingham council claimed all contracts were 'tendered in accordance with the council's procurement processes and in a legally compliant manner'.
HATS was brought in to run services at short notice in August 2021 after supplier North Birmingham Travel had their contract terminated after a scandal over poor welfare and compliance checks.
Despite issues with the outgoing supplier, HATS successfully redeployed more than 275 staff and procured 127 vehicles at a cost of nearly £3.2million. But the firm lost around half of their routes with BCC a year later.
Mr Bilinksi said: "In August 2022 just prior to the commencement of the new Academic Year, HATS was informed that we had lost approximately 50% of the school routes - despite our excellent compliance record, up-front investment and, we believe based on 25 years industry experience, being very competitively priced.
"The award of this work is governed by strict legislation which includes statutory and regulatory compliance, quality thresholds and cost weighting. Birmingham City Council will be aware of this legislation, including the robust checks and balances, governance and due diligence requirements, of which this legislation has oversight
"Despite this, HATS has the capability and the desire to undertake contracts for solo H2S routes in Birmingham but we have not been given the opportunity, or it is our understanding that we were outbid by other providers. The winning provider's tender documentation should always be submitted in commercial confidence to BCC, so we would not have sight of another provider's route pricing."
When asked to comment on an example route run by Green Destinations, which cost nearly £100 per day to transport one pupil under six miles each way, Mr Bilinski said: "We would have offered a much more competitive price. I want to deliver a service that is good value for money.
"Based on the information you've given me there's no way we would be charging this much."
He said: "The local authority should retender out the routes."
And staff who brought up the issues with GDL contracts were accused of unfairly targeting the firm by senior managers.
A Birmingham City Council spokesperson said: "The city council's Internal Audit regularly carries out reviews across the organisation, and responded following an allegation that an employee or employees may have knowingly enabled or allowed overcharges to occur. The investigation found no evidence or indication of this.
"Route costs vary due to the type of vehicle required, journey distances and durations and number of students on each vehicle and their individual needs. Solo occupancy routes are often required due to the individual needs of the students; these routes are regularly reviewed and all students are supported to access shared transport where appropriate.
"Historically, a large number of contracts were procured at short notice and high cost due to the emergency procurement of North Birmingham Travel contracts to avoid substantial disruption to vulnerable Special Educational Needs Students' school attendance. However, a new Procurement Framework is being launched to enable us to procure our contracts cost effectively.'
They said they could not provide a copy of the internal audit report as it contains 'commercially sensitive information'.
When specifically asked why Green Destinations and AFJ received the vast majority of solo routes between them, the spokesperson did not answer the question.
They said: "Following NBT termination there was an emergency procurement which was awarded to HATS.
"There was also a further procurement exercise undertaken to provide temporary cover if needed during the mobilisation period for summer 2021. There was a poor response from the market, likely owing to the shortage of appropriate fleet/drivers etc. Green Destinations won this. Some solo routes may have gone to GDL via that mechanism."
The spokesperson then claimed there was a 'healthy split of solo routes between providers' in May 2022. But leaked data shows and sources suggest this claim is open to question.
They said: "Our records show that when an exercise was undertaken to review the number of solo routes in May 2022, there was a healthy split of solo routes between providers. The number of solo routes was high at that time owing to Covid restrictions which were being phased out around then, allowing us to begin merging pupils back onto shared transport."
When pressed again on why Green Destinations had such a high number of solo routes compared to other providers, BCC again did not answer the question.
MailOnline understands that the council's internal review led to recommendations being made to senior leadership, but BCC did not disclose what these were when asked.
Sadiq Khan’s plan to expand the controversial ultra low emission zone (ULEZ) across London looks set to go ahead next month after a legal challenge to halt the scheme failed in the High Court.
The Telegraph reports that in a ruling on Friday 28 July, Mr Justice Swift said three claims made by five Conservative-led councils challenging the extension had failed.
The London mayor said he intended to press ahead with extending the road charging scheme after the judgment was handed down.
Mr Khan’s expansion was being contested on the grounds of the lawfulness of the consultation, whether he had the necessary powers to implement it as well as concerns over a planned scrappage scheme.
But all three challenges were dismissed meaning drivers in outer London could pay a £12.50 daily fee from August 29 if their vehicles do not meet the required emissions standards.
Giving a summary of his ruling, Mr Justice Swift said: “I am satisfied that the mayor’s decision to expand the Ulez area by amendment of the present road charging scheme, rather than by making an entirely new ... scheme, was within his powers.”
The judge added that, having “carefully considered” the consultation process, he was satisfied that enough information was given for people who wished to respond to provide “informed responses”.
He also said the consultation on the scrappage scheme was “not in depth”, but was “lawful”.
The councils - Hillingdon, Bromley, Bexley, Harrow and Surrey County Council - were successful in their application for a judicial review against the planned expansion in April.
Following the ruling, Mr Khan said the Ulez scheme will be expanded as planned following the decision.
He said: “This landmark decision is good news as it means we can proceed with cleaning up the air in outer London on 29 August.
“The decision to expand the Ulez was very difficult and not something I took lightly and I continue to do everything possible to address any concerns Londoners may have.”
He continued: “The Ulez has already reduced toxic nitrogen dioxide air pollution by nearly half in central London and a fifth in inner London.
“The coming expansion will see five million more Londoners being able to breathe cleaner air.
“I’ve been listening to Londoners throughout the Ulez rollout, which is why from next week I am expanding the scrappage scheme to nearly a million families who receive child benefit and all small businesses with up to 50 employees. I will continue to look at new ideas to support Londoners.”
In a joint statement released by all five Conservative council leaders, they echoed Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer by calling on Mr Khan to “further reflect” on his Ulez plan and insisted their fight had not stopped.
Cllr Baroness O’Neill of Bexley OBE, Leader of the London Borough of Bexley, said: “The judge may have said that the Mayor has the legal right to implement the scheme but, as we saw last week, there is also a moral judgment to consider. Even senior supporters of the Mayor have voiced their concerns around the expansion of this scheme.
Cllr Ian Edwards, Leader of Hillingdon Council, said: “Even the Mayor’s own supporters are now saying that it is the wrong time to be expanding this scheme. Many thousands of low-income earners, vulnerable people ordinary workers and small businesses who are the beating heart of our borough will have to shoulder further costs which they cannot afford. It will cause even greater financial hardship and for some it will cause the loss of business or employment.
“We will continue our fight on behalf of our residents and business through Parliament and at next year’s Mayoral election.
Cllr Colin Smith, Leader of Bromley Council, said: “Today’s decision cannot be disguised as anything other than bitter disappointment for motorists in general, traders who will now have to consider ceasing business and laying off staff, those who will now have to change jobs and, most desperately of all, people who will no longer be able to support vital care networks for vulnerable people across the whole of outer London in particular.
“However, do please be assured that this is not the end of the matter and this battle will continue.”
Responding to the ruling, the Conservative Party’s London mayor candidate Susan Hall said: “While it is a shame the High Court did not find the Ulez expansion to be unlawful, there is no denying that Sadiq Khan’s plans will have a devastating impact on families and businesses across the city.
“If I am elected Mayor, I will stop the Ulez expansion on day one and set up a £50 million pollution hotspots fund to tackle the issue where it is, instead of taxing people where it isn’t.”
Motoring groups also said they were disappointed following the High Court ruling.
AA spokesman Luke Bosdet said: “A restriction on car use that prices hundreds of thousands of low-income workers, families and elderly drivers off the road was inevitably going to cause a backlash.
“Today’s ruling is hugely disappointing but the AA hopes that the London mayor will now adopt some of the measures other cities with restrictions have used to reduce the impact on drivers who can least cope with them.
“The London Ulez suffers from three huge flaws: lack of public transport alternatives in many parts of outer London, the minimal time between the decision to go ahead and its implementation, and its massively disproportionate impact on those drivers least able to afford to update their vehicles.
“Most of these were identified in the impact assessment carried out for the Mayor but were ignored.
Hundreds of children across Merseyside have been treated to a memorable day out.
Taxis, decorated in balloons and banners, were on the roads across the region ton Wednesday 26 July for the charity Liverpool Taxi Drivers Children in Care Outing Fund (LTDCICOF).
Bernie Buxton, 79, set up the organisation in 1985 to run trips for some of the most vulnerable young people.
It is estimated that over the 39 years, Bernie and LTDCICOF have helped around 10,000 children since its foundation.
Each year, around 300 children in care are taken on an all-expenses trip and this year was no difference as a fleet of up to 50 taxis headed to Southport.
Bernie, from Stockbridge Village, previously told Liverpool Echo: "We even have grown ups now that come back and tell us they remember days out.
"Some of them were only three years old when the events started but now they’re in their 30s and 40s and they still remember the days out from when they were kids.
"We’ve made two trips to Disneyland Paris. One year we went by coach and then another year we flew from John Lennon airport with a group of 50 children and they were absolutely amazed.
"They stayed in a luxury hotel with a swimming pool - some of the kids had never even had a bath, never mind a pool."
At least 14 cars have been damaged since June, with drivers suffering financial loss and emotional distress.
The attack happened at around 12.45pm on Etruria Vale Road, Stoke, when the victim, driving a Toyota Avensis, was punched in the face by one of the men.
Cumberland Council has taken decisive action to protect public safety by revoking the licence of a taxi driver charged last week with a serious racially aggravated offence.
A historic bridge has been closed indefinitely after an Uber car became wedged on Saturday morning.
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).