A viral photo of a taxi in Bangkok carrying a large wardrobe in its boot has sparked amusement and concern.
The image shows the yellow taxi driving through the city with the wardrobe sticking out of the open boot.
The Thaiger reports that the image was shared online causing a stir among social media users.
The photo was taken by a Thai taxi drivers’ group member on Facebook, who captioned it with the hashtag #fightingforlife.
The unusual sight prompted a range of reactions, with some questioning the necessity of pick-up trucks and others expressing concern about the potential danger.
Some speculated whether the image was edited, but others confirmed they had witnessed the scene.
One user commented: “Yes, I saw it too near the Victory Monument. How did they manage to do that?”
Another user added that they had seen the taxi reach its destination safely, but the wardrobe had toppled over and shattered the glass when it was unloaded in an alley.
The incident has highlighted the resourcefulness of taxi drivers in the face of challenging situations as well as the importance of road safety.
Source: https://thethaiger.com/news/national/bangkok-taxis-wardrobe-malfunction-amusing-yet-alarming
Taxi fares in York are set to increase due to soaring inflation.
The York Press reports that City of York Council members have voted to advertise the proposed increases of hackney carriage fares.
If implemented, the move will see the price of a ‘tariff one’ journey increase by around 60p per mile, from approximately £4.90 for the first mile (which includes a starting rate) to £5.50. Subsequent miles are charged at a lesser rate.
However, the new fares could see trips to and from the racecourse on race days increase to as much as £8.20 a mile for the first mile - and for Christmas and New Year trips up to around £10 a mile.
Cllr Rachel Melly said: “Hackney carriages are very important for public protection, for making sure people can get home safely.
“Disabled people are mentioned in the report as relying on hackney carriages for having independence and getting about.
“I would also include women, anybody who is intoxicated or vulnerable at night and needs to get home safely so it’s important that we consider this carefully.”
Cllr Jason Rose said: “It’s definitely worth acknowledging that the inflation levels have been high for a couple of years and continue to be really high.
“I think it is absolutely something that needs to go through as a review like this.
“But it’s worth noting as well that there are people in the city who are vulnerable, particularly in the categories you [Cllr Melly] already named for whom if they are living on the edge of the city I think it’s a 16.5 per cent increase on a taxi fare each time they get a taxi.”
He added: “They’re already hit by large cost of living increases, particularly the more vulnerable people are impacted more by those cost of living increases, and on top of that the transport fees are going to be a lot higher than that as well.”
Source: https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/23595408.york-council-looks-increasing-taxi-fares-city/
New taxi and private hire drivers in County Durham won’t need to prove their knowledge of the local area before starting as part of proposed new licensing laws.
According to the Northern Echo, Durham County Council’s General Licensing and Registration Committee (GLRC) recently agreed to remove the requirement for hackney carriage and private hire driver licence applicants to have to sit a locality test as part of the application process.
The prevalence of sat navs and smartphones have been cited as reasons behind the decision.
The changes, which are set to be approved at full council later this year, open the door for more drivers from outside the region to get work in the area.
It is the first major change to the policy since 2018, with the authority vowing to review it every five years.
Several public consultations were carried out to help shape the decision.
But the changes haven’t been warmly received by local drivers.
Thomas Philip Young, who works in Chester-le-Street, said: “Anybody with a pulse, a clean DBS check will just be able to come and away they go. I’ve looked at the criteria to get a licence and it’s pretty elementary.
“The council won’t be able to have any control over the amount of taxis, which means that those already here will struggle to make a living because the market will be too saturated.
"It’s a worrying situation and really puts the public’s safety at risk.”
Owen Cleugh, Durham County Council’s public protection manager, said: “The proposed policy has been subject to two public consultation exercises.
"The responses received were carefully considered before members of the GLRC decided to remove topographical testing from the application process for both hackney carriage and private hire drivers.
“Members agreed that with the widespread availability of sat navs and smartphones, there is less need for taxi drivers to demonstrate their own personal knowledge of the area in which they are licensed.
"If the proposals are agreed when they go to full council later in the year, all applicants will continue to be properly vetted and all necessary checks will take place to ensure they are a fit and a proper person before they are granted a licence.”
Mum Megan Freeman has spoken of her shock after a private hire vehicle smashed through her garden wall - wiping out her daughter's swing.
According to StokeonTrentLive, it's believed a two-vehicle collision around the junction of Furlong Road and Newport Lane in Middleport left the car in the wall - and partly in the rear garden.
Photographs from the scene show police coned the area off as the stricken cab was recovered.
Now Megan, who lives on Supreme Street, has told StokeonTrentLive how she was woken up to the sound of the crash.
The 24-year-old said: "It all took place at about 6.30am this morning. We were in bed and heard a crash and then sirens.
"I came outside to see what was going on. My daughter's swing is the other side of the wall and was knocked down and I dread to think if this had happened later in the day while we were out in the garden."
Megan, who is seven months pregnant, says it's not the first time there has been a crash right on her doorstep. Back in the New Year of 2021 a car collided with the wall at the front of the family home.
Now Megan, who has lived in the property since 2019, says herself and other residents want to see road improvements in the area.
She said: "There used to be railings at the junction of Newport Lane but they were taken down and not replaced.
"The road markings are all really badly worn away and this is a busy road. I now have to think about letting my daughter play out."
Her damaged wall is set to be fixed with Megan adding: "The housing association has been really good and said someone will be out to fix it."
Source: https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/stoke-on-trent-news/mums-horror-taxi-smashes-through-8529894
A taxi boss has suggested legal action could be taken against Edinburgh Council’s “ludicrous” plan to ban private hire vehicles from George Street once it is pedestrianised, whilst maintaining access for black cabs.
The £36m project to turn the city centre thoroughfare into a ‘cycling street’ with wider pavements will introduce new traffic restrictions, although ‘permitted’ vehicles such as delivery and postal vans will be allowed to enter between 7pm and 10am.
STV News reports that under the current proposals, that window will also apply to back cabs – but not pre-booked cars such as Ubers which make up the majority of the city’s taxis.
Council transport convener Councillor Scott Arthur said up to 5,000 taxis enter the street every day and that keeping this level of access would diminish the aims of the scheme.
However Kevin Woodburn, who runs the private hire firm Capital Cars, has called for “fair and equal treatment” of the trade’s two sectors, saying either both types of taxi should be permitted on George Street or neither should.
And speaking at the recent transport committee, he hinted at a possible legal challenge against the council over the new rules.
“We fail to understand the reasoning and the logic,” he told councillors on Thursday 15 June.
Mr Woodburn said two-thirds of the vehicles licensed by the council are private hire vehicles, adding: “The majority of the vehicles which service the public are not allowed access while the minority are – it makes no sense to us.”
Describing the situation as “ludicrous,” he said there was “no data to back up why this decision has been taken”.
He said: “My concern is that we once again are being put in a position where we have no choice but to go down a legal route.”
A written deputation submitted by Mr Woodburn added: “We are probably having to look at legal recourse to eventually have a conversation about this and other potential plans, all at yet another horrendous expense to everyone involved, including the council tax paying public of Edinburgh.”
Cllr Arthur said the more traffic restrictions are relaxed, “the more of the value of what we’re trying to do is lost”.
He said: “Even allowing taxis in the evening, we think there would be about one a minute coming in.
“During peak times, we’ve got data that shows between 3,000 and 5,000 taxis come into George Street in a day.
“If we allowed that level of access, whilst it might be good for businesses, in the short-term we’d lose a lot of the value we’re trying to deliver on the street if 5,000 taxis come in in a single day.”
The George Street transformation is now set to commence in 2025 – a year later than previously anticipated.
It will see the creation of a ‘European style cycling street’ within the central carriageway, connecting the City Centre West East Link cycle path and the future Meadows to George Street route.
Pavements will be widened to four metres with planters, shrubbery and relaxation spaces along the street. The latest designs also confirmed trees will be planted at either end.
Cllr Arthur said the project was “starting to get real” as it moved into the next phase which includes applying for the powers to begin construction and finalising plans.
However, concerns were raised at the meeting about the scheme’s £36m price tag and the possibility of it rising further.
The council has already committed £15m and a report said a further £10m will need to be taken from the active travel budget, whilst additional external funding will also be sought.
Councillor Sanne Dijkstra-Downie said the Lib Dem group supported the objectives of the scheme but there remained “major concerns”.
She said: “Given the financial position that we as a council are in, is this scheme actually affordable? Do we know for sure that we want to spend potentially £25m of council active travel money on this scheme and prioritise this over other spending?
“I’m uneasy about spending active travel funding which is desperately needed across our city in order to satisfy in-part very costly heritage concerns such as specific paving materials.
“I am deeply uncomfortable going forward at this stage with a plan that demands an additional £10m – maybe more – without any sense of what schemes we would not be able to implement as a result.”
The Liberal Democrats called for the project to be shelved until there is greater clarity on the ‘uncertain’ funding situation, but the move was defeated in a vote.
Artur Nowostawski has been jailed for six years and nine months after he attacked a taxi driver earlier this year.
Taxi drivers in the city are facing significant financial losses after a series of electric vehicle charging point failures left them unable to operate.
Police are appealing for help to trace a man who disappeared after getting into a taxi bound for the Otley area of Leeds.
The company’s operator licence includes a condition ordering all drivers to undergo the same training as those from other companies.
Police have stopped a private hire driver who was driving the wrong way on the M1 close to Junction 8 at Hemel Hempstead.
Newcastle City Council is set to introduce strict new measures to tackle illegal and inconsiderate parking near Newcastle International Airport.
West Mercia Police is appealing for information following a rape that took place in Malvern's Priory Park early on Sunday, August 4th.
Glasgow taxi users could be facing a near-10% fare increase and extended night-time charges.
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.