A 27-year-old man has been sentenced after a drunken, unprovoked assault on a taxi driver in Peterborough.

Mathew Warner punched the cabbie in the face after being driven home to Sprignall, Bretton, in the early hours of Sunday, January 26.

The victim had picked up Warner in Bourne, Lincolnshire, after police instructed him to leave the area due to his intoxication.

Following the assault, the driver contacted police, leading to Warner's arrest.

Warner admitted to assault by beating at Huntingdon Magistrates’ Court on Monday, January 27.

He received a six-week prison sentence, suspended for one year, and was ordered to pay £200 compensation to the taxi driver.

PC Harvey, the investigating officer, condemned the attack: “The unprovoked assault the victim endured was awful. No one should be subjected to violence while trying to do their job.

"I would like to thank the victim for contacting us as soon as he could.”

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Uber has installed a geofence around the Nuneaton town centre taxi rank, please see email from Uber to Nuneaton Council below:

"Good afternoon, I have received the below email from Uber who have confirmed they have arranged for geo-fencing in the attached area.

Dear Ricky,

I hope this email finds you well.

We already applied our geofencing technology on the official Hackney rank a few weeks ago (please see screenshot attached). Apologies for not following up with an email to you. We also remind all PHV drivers on a regular basis that they are not allowed on any taxi ranks.

On the busy areas during night time: Often people assume vehicles would wait for their next dispatch while actually they are already dispatched and waiting for their customer(s). As long as there is no disruption to road traffic, we generally refrain from using a geofence in such cases. For safety reasons, people should be picked up exactly where they want to be, especially at night hours and in areas of the night time economy.

Regards,

Ricky Casserly Licensing Team Leader"

John Igoe, Director of MI Taxis who has fought so hard to get this geofence in place told PHTM: "I am really pleased with this result but it is just the beginning. Uber drivers are still ranking up outside the nightclubs .... We need the geofence area expanding in Nuneaton, the fight goes on!"

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The event, which is being hosted by The Rt. Hon Kate Osborne, MP for Jarrow and Gateshead, aims to raise awareness among MPs of the issues and struggles facing its 10,000 members, and to say thank you to all the MPs who have supported members in their constituencies who have been in dispute with employers such as Uber and Bolt.

In January, ADCU submitted an earnings and security claim on behalf of its members to Uber and Bolt, demanding an immediate 10% earnings for all drivers, and a reduction in waiting time, offering to get round the table to achieve a negotiated settlement.

The claim was also submitted to Transport for London, and to licensing authorities in Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham, Sheffield and Glasgow, with the demand that they implement recent legal rulings against Uber and Bolt in relation to paid waiting time, and other issues, as part of their regulatory responsibilities.

A key ask from ADCU is an end to the cruel and arbitrary tactic of instant dismissal and de-platforming of drivers as a first resort by the app-based companies after a complaint is made by a passenger, without any explanation or access to representation.

Maryan, a mother of three from Brent, who will be attending the reception on 5th, was de-platformed by Uber without explanation, like thousands of other ADCU members.

She says: “I choose to drive at night, because the roads are emptier and people are happier, they’re usually coming home from parties or nights out and just want to get home, and maybe listen to music in the cab. I love my work, and it helps me to put food on the table for my family. I drove for Uber for 2 years, and everything was fine until I came back from holiday. When I tried to go onto the app, there was a message saying I’d been blocked. When I called to find out why, Uber said I could no longer drive for them, as they had received a complaint from a rider about my driving, and I was blocked for good. There was no explanation, no notice, no opportunity for me to give my side of the story.”

Maryan was too afraid to contact TfL, in case she lost her licence and her ability to work for other platforms. So she contacted her MP, Barry Gardiner, who wrote to Uber for an explanation. They claimed a number of complaints had been made against Maryan for “dangerous driving”, and that she had received three in-app written warnings following those reports.

Maryan, who always drives within he speed limit and says she was never told about any of any of the alleged complaints, or received any of the warnings, says: “If I’m such a dangerous driver, then why do I still have a clean driving licence, with no offences for speeding, or anything else?”

ADCU is calling for the app-based companies to follow standard ACAS guidelines in relation to complaints against drivers, and for drivers to have the right to representation to the platform companies before being dismissed.

Zamir Dreni, elected General Secretary of ADCU, comments: “The app companies are able to get away with this due to the bogus and forced self-employment of drivers, something which 100% of our members are affected by. The regulators know it is going on, and there is a commitment to tackle it in the new Employment Bill. MPs have a vital role to play in ensuring that the new legislation fully addresses this cruel and arbitrary practice, which is ruining the lives and livelihoods of our members, and we will be talking to them about how to construct a solution that offers enhanced terms for our members, while recognising them as workers.”

“Our members are the driving force, literally, behind the night time economy, and the lifeblood of the UK’s towns and cities. But many are working dangerously long hours, and struggling to make ends meet, because of the nefarious practices of the platform employers. We look forward to talking to MPs about how they can better support drivers, and make sure the Employment Bill that’s coming down the line provides a fairer deal for our members," says Dreni.

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Pendle Council Leader Asjad Mahmood has survived a no-confidence vote brought by the Liberal Democrats, amidst a heated debate over the implementation of a taxi safety app. The Lib Dems subsequently resigned from the council's shared leadership.

The motion, brought by Lib Dem Councillor David Whipp, failed to garner enough support at an extraordinary full council meeting. While Independents, formerly of the Labour Party, voted against the motion, Conservatives abstained.

The dispute centres around the proposed taxi safety app, intended to improve safety checks and enforcement. Cllr Whipp, who was deputy leader prior to the resignations, expressed his group's pride in their contributions to the shared administration, but stated that the taxi safety issue was a "red line."

"That decision by the Independent group and several Conservatives has put public lives at risk," he argued, referencing a December vote that stalled the app's introduction.

He also highlighted the resignation of Conservative Kieran McGladdery over the issue, claiming Mr. McGladdery had raised concerns with the council, police, and Conservative Association.

“Kieran McGladdery resigned over taxi matters, gave a damning verdict about the Conservatives and, I understand, has reported the issue to the council and police,” Cllr Whipp stated.

Lib Dem Councillor David Hartley echoed these concerns, stating: "I've not heard one person say they don't support introducing the taxi app. We want safety. Taxi drivers do a good job but we must know vehicles are 100 per cent safe."

He also emphasised Mr McGladdery's resignation, quoting his complaint that "personal relationships were more important than public safety."

However, Independent Councillor Mohammed Iqbal countered that the meeting was "not about taxi safety," but rather an attempt to remove the council leader. He expressed disappointment with Cllr Whipp, citing their previously productive working relationship.

"We did not cancel the taxi safety app. We suspended its introduction," Cllr Iqbal clarified. He also pointed to low driver sign-up numbers as justification for the suspension, asking: “Currently, only 30 of over 800 drivers have signed-up. How can the taxi committee deal with 800 drivers who haven't signed-up? It'll be impossible."

Conservative Councillor Martyn Stone labelled the no-confidence motion as “purely political” and “blatant electioneering,” accusing Cllr Whipp of being a “doyen of disorder. A master of mayhem.”

He argued that the council had only suspended the app for six months, and that “no councillor would ever vote to overturn taxi safety checks.” Conservative Nadeem Ahmed echoed this sentiment, emphasising the importance of discussing other pressing issues, such as the budget and a recent audit report, and highlighting the £1,000 cost of the extraordinary meeting.

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Bradford could soon be home to a fleet of hydrogen-powered taxis as part of a pilot programme with automotive giant Toyota.

Bradford Council has revealed ongoing discussions with Toyota that could bring hydrogen cell Mirai cars to the district.

The potential partnership hinges on the development of a state-of-the-art hydrogen fuel site on Bowling Back Lane, which recently secured government funding, confirmed by Chancellor Rachel Reeves late last year. This refuelling station would be crucial for the hydrogen-powered taxis.

The potential pilot programme was revealed during a Bradford Council meeting where Councillor Mohsin Hussain requested an update on the rollout of electric taxis, funded through the district’s Clean Air Zone.

The council's response highlighted the success of the Clean Air EV Taxi Fund, stating it has already facilitated the upgrade of 520 taxis to zero emissions, with further applications being processed.

“This will result in around 800 electric taxis – the highest number of electric taxis in the UK outside London,” the response added.

Beyond electric vehicles, the council's statement revealed its exploration of other decarbonisation strategies for the taxi and private hire fleet.

“The Council continues to look at potential alternative funding sources and is also in discussions with Toyota regarding a Pilot Hydrogen Taxi Programme, involving fuel cell Mirai cars, to coincide with the roll out of hydrogen infrastructure in the district.”

Toyota has yet to respond to requests for comment from local press.

The Toyota Mirai is an electric vehicle powered by a hydrogen fuel cell stack, which generates electricity on demand by combining oxygen and hydrogen.

These vehicles are refuelled at hydrogen fuel stations, such as the planned facility on Bowling Back Lane. Toyota describes the Mirai as “the next step in the age of zero harmful tail pipe emissions, powered by electricity made in its innovative fuel cell stack that fuses oxygen and hydrogen together."

The Bowling Back Lane hydrogen production site is projected to generate £120m for the local economy and create up to 125 jobs. With a daily production capacity of 12.5 tonnes of hydrogen, it has the potential to displace the equivalent of 800 diesel-fueled buses from West Yorkshire roads daily. 

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