A man has been arrested after footage of a taxi driver appearing to threaten a passenger with a ‘gun’ circulated online.
According to the Belfast Telegraph, the driver has also had his “relationship with fonaCAB” terminated.
In the footage, a fonaCAB taxi driver appears to threaten a terrified front seat passenger with a gun, telling him he will “take his f*****g legs off” if a debt is not paid up.
On Thursday night, 1 June, the PSNI confirmed a 48-year-old man had been arrested.
A spokesperson said: “Detectives investigating a video circulating online showing a man with a suspected firearm have arrested a 48-year-old man on suspicion of a number of offences including possession of a firearm or imitation firearm.”
Earlier, FonaCAB said the driver was interviewed on Thursday morning, with the company saying the action was taken before the footage began to circulate.
"We were made aware of dashcam footage of an incident involving a fonaCAB driver around 23.30 on May 31 2023,” said a spokesperson.
"The driver was identified and called this morning to present at the earliest opportunity to fonaCAB Head Office, at which time he was interviewed and his relationship with fonaCAB immediately terminated.”
The video itself shows the taxi driver waving what appears to be a firearm in the face of a front seat passenger.
A passenger in the back seat looks on as the driver aggressively gesticulates towards the visibly shocked man in the front seat, at one stage striking him with the gun in the face.
"You are f****** lucky I’m not f*****g taking your knees out down this f*****g car park son. I’m f*****g telling you now, because that’s the f*****g mood I’m in. Believe me,” the driver is heard telling the man.
"Now I’m telling you, see what happens in this car, see if I hear anybody f*****g talking about it mate, I will take your f****** head off.”
The driver then continues his tirade, making an apparent reference to a debt owed by the front seat passenger, and indicates that he knows the man in the back seat.
"You f*****g hear me? Right, this is the f****** last of it son. You f*****g do what you do, you make up what you need to f*****g make up – quickly,” he said.
"You work your f*****g debt off. I’m telling you, see the next time I come back, I’m taking your f*****g legs off. Only because that’s my f*****g mate, and only he is my mate, I would be taking your legs off.
"That’s it, it finishes here. I promise you, that’s it over and done with, I’ll not come back near you. You f*****g make improvements.”
The shaken back seat passenger then asks the driver to get them out of the car park.
“Let’s get the f**k out of here mate. You didn’t f*****g tell me that mate. F**k me I’m shaking like a leaf here mate,” he said.
fonaCAB also said they had made the PSNI aware of the incident.
“fonaCAB has been liaising with the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA) Northern Ireland and the P.S.N.I, and any further action will be determined by them,” said a spokesperson.
"Our investigation was completed and our action taken before the footage was released on social media. Due to the nature of the content of the footage, it would be inappropriate to make any further comment on the footage while other investigations are undertaken.
"We will however state that any action which affects the safety of our passengers, staff and drivers is never acceptable and should any infringement occur will be dealt with immediately by fonaCAB and referred to the appropriate authorities.
"Drivers at fonaCAB complete the same training and vetting as all taxi drivers in Northern Ireland and in addition we expect them to maintain the high standards that we hold ourselves to.
"We do not tolerate incidents like this where safety is compromised, standards are not upheld, or the company and our drivers are called into disrepute.”
The Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) said they were also aware of the video.
"The Department understands this matter is now under investigation by the PSNI and it would not be appropriate to provide any further comment at this time,” said a spokesperson.
A driver licensed by Redditch Borough Council has had their licence revoked after their vehicle was found with illegal tyres.
The Redditch Advertiser reports that it came after licensing officers from Worcestershire Regulatory Services (WRS) on behalf of the council conducted a safety spot check exercise and found the taxi to have two tyres worn down to the cords, at risk of imminent failure.
Portfolio holder for community services and regulatory services, Cllr Lucy Harrison, said: “The vast majority of Redditch taxi and private hire drivers maintain their vehicles and are found to be in a safe condition, but the council will take robust action against those putting the safety of the public at risk.”
WRS licensing officers carry out regular checks on taxi compliance and safety alongside partner agencies.
Leader of Redditch Borough Council, Cllr Matt Dormer, said: “Taxis are a vital service, and a robust system of licensing and checks keeps standards high and weeds out problems to the benefit of all.”
During a routine traffic stop on October 21, 2022, police stopped a Fairview Minibuses Ltd. vehicle driven by Helen Goodland, who was not properly licensed to drive with the company.
SomersetLive reports that Fairview was successfully prosecuted at Bath Magistrates Court on April 24, and was fined £512 and ordered to pay £294 in costs.
Somerset Council has now given the company a formal warning, meaning it could be stripped of its private hire licence if there are any further infractions.
The matter was discussed at great length when the council’s regulatory sub-committee north convened in Bridgwater on Monday morning June 5.
Ms Goodland had made contact with the company on September 12, 2022 after being recommended to work for them by a friend.
Upon meeting company founder David King she provided her driving licence and was told a DBS check would be completed to see whether she was safe to drive a private hire vehicle.
Ms Goodland began doing journeys for Fairview shortly after, including transporting a nine-year-old boy. During this time, she also transported passengers to Heathrow Airport, to Weston General Hospital in Weston-super-Mare, and to Bristol Airport.
All of these journeys were carried out before Ms Goodland had received her completed DBS result certificate in the post.
On October 21, 2022, Ms Goodland was booked to transfer passengers to Bristol Airport, in a vehicle which had “no markings to indicate it was a licensed vehicle” – and was subsequently stopped at the airport by PC Anthony Quinlan.
She said in her police statement: “I was completely shocked as I am an honest person, and have not driven for Fairview Taxis since this date.”
In a written statement, PC Quinlan confirmed that Fairview had been successfully prosecuted on three charges – employing an unlicensed driver, operating a private hire vehicle using an unlicensed driver, and operating a private hire vehicle without the proper plates being displayed.
Fairview founder David King admitted to the committee that he had allowed Ms Goodland to drive for the company for several weeks – though he stressed that the relevant DBS check had been carried out.
He said: “We’ve been operating for 25 years. I would say we are a well-respected company in Highbridge and Burnham-on-Sea, and a well-run company.
"We’re not here to say ‘we didn’t do anything wrong’, we know we did something wrong.
“We were coming out of Covid, three companies within Burnham shut down within a short space of time, and we took on their contracts and two of their drivers.
“Within a few weeks we had a few drivers pack up or go into retirement, which left us very short of drivers for contract work we’d agreed to take on already.
“Helen came to us, she was looking for short-term work and we said we might be able to find her some school transport work.
“We did the DBS, and had a period of three to four weeks where we were snowed under. Helen agreed to help us out on a couple of jobs – and we were wrong to offer her the work.
“We have now put procedures in place to stop this from happening again. The last thing we want to do is to tie ourselves up like we did before.”
Under government regulations, the licence holder must declare any convictions, cautions or fixed penalties notices within five working days of the date of conviction.
Mr King said he had spoken to PC Quinlan about the issue and “presumed you [the council] had already known” about the offence, adding: “I put my hands up about that.”
Regarding the lack of proper plates, Mr King said: “We’d just had the vehicle back from bodywork repair, and we hadn’t put the signs back on. But there was still a sign in the window stating it was a private hire vehicle.”
Mr King said that the large amount of paperwork and safeguarding checks made it difficult to recruit and retain drivers.
Councillor Hugh Davies expressed dismay at the how the company had allowed Ms Goodland to drive for them.
He said: “I just can’t get over how you, with your 25 years’ experience, allowed this to happen.
“We read in the papers all the time about problems with dodgy drivers. I just can’t fit my head around it.”
After a lengthy deliberation in confidential session, the sub-committee voted to give the company a formal warning – with the proviso that any further breaches would result in a new hearing.
Councillor Simon Carswell (who chaired the hearing) said: “The offences of which Fairview were convicted were serious.
“Failing to ensure that their driver was properly licensed and driving before their DBS certificate was complete presented a significant risk to the public, and risked the confidence and integrity of the licensing system.
“There could be no excuse for such lapses by a well-established and reputable operator.
“We will issue a formal warning as to the company’s future conduct, which would include an inspection of the company’s records and procedures.
“Any future breach of our policy would result in a further appearance before this sub-committee with their licence at risk.”
Source: https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/somerset-taxi-company-given-formal-8497391#
An elderly taxi driver was the victim of an assault and attempted robbery by two passengers in Dundee.
STV News reports that the driver, a 79-year-old man, picked up two men from the taxi rank on Lochee’s High Street at around 9.30am on Tuesday, 6 June.
He was subsequently assaulted and attempts were made to rob him of his moneybag.
Police confirmed that the driver was unhurt, but “extremely shocked” following the incident.
Officers are now looking to trace the two men who got into the taxi, who were last seen leaving the yellow Nissan Leaf car on foot.
Police constable Mark Reid of Downfield Police Station said: “We are appealing to anyone in the area who witnessed the incident or the two men fleeing the taxi to get in touch with us.
“I would ask motorists who were in the area at the time and have dash-cam to contact us; you may have captured something that can assist our investigation.
“Anyone with information should call Police Scotland on 101, quoting reference number 1117 of Tuesday, June 6.”
London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, has announced the installation of more than 80 new rapid charging points in the capital.
With London currently hosting almost one-third of all charge points in the UK and boasting the highest volume and proportion of rapid chargers among European cities, TfL will release additional land to accommodate new suppliers interested in installing rapid and ultra-rapid charge points along the TfL road network.
In December 2021, the Mayor published the EV Infrastructure Strategy, which outlined the need for 40,000 to 60,000 public charge points in London by 2030, including up to 4,000 rapid chargers.
Currently, the city has 12,800 charge points, with more than 900 of them being rapid or ultra-rapid chargers.
Suppliers will be invited to deliver some 83 new EV rapid or ultra-rapid charging bays on several main roads, comprising 43 bays in north London and 38 south of the river.
“These sites will play a huge part in supporting high mileage, essential road users such as commercial vehicles and businesses and will help us work towards building a greener and more prosperous London for everyone,” said Mr Khan.
“But while London is leading the way, we need to see more action nationally to pick up the pace delivering electric vehicle infrastructure.
“When it comes to making the transition to cleaner vehicles and delivering the benefits of cleaner air, this must be considered an urgent national mission.”
A DfT spokeswoman said: “We’ve put more than £2bn into helping people switch to electric vehicles and have taken the lead in supporting the private sector installing chargepoints.
“In the first three months of the year, we have seen more than 760 rapid or above speed chargepoints installed across the UK, up 11 per cent over those months.”
Andrew Wescott, Director of Sustainability & Regulation at Addison Lee said: "Since starting our transition to electric in 2021, access to reliable charging infrastructure has been, and remains to be, the biggest barrier facing mass EV adoption. We therefore welcome plans from the Mayor of London to install 80 new rapid charging electric points across the city.
"However, cost of charging and the inconsistency of prices also presents barriers to EV adoption. Government must work with charging providers to remove the discrepancies in costs between those who can charge at home and those who rely on the charging network, particularly in cities where home charging is not the norm.”
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.