A taxi driver has been convicted of fraud for overcharging one of his passengers and has been ordered to do 100 hours’ unpaid work.
The York Press reports that City of York Council prosecuted David Richardson for his actions on June 1 last year.
When he appeared before York Magistrates Court the 30-year-old licensed hackney carriage driver pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position.
He was made subject to a community order with 10 days’ rehabilitative activities and 100 hours’ unpaid work.
The probation service will decide what work he will do under the national community payback scheme. He must complete all the order including the unpaid work within 12 months.
According to the charge, Richardson, from Acomb, was expected to safeguard, or not act against, the financial interest of a named man, but he dishonestly abused his position as a licensed hackney driver by charging an excessive fare with the intention of making a gain for himself.
A charge alleging he had committed a similar offence on May 25, 2022, was dropped by the prosecution when he pleaded guilty to the June offence.
Source: https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/23481684.york-taxi-driver-david-richardson-charged-big-fare/
A private hire driver was stabbed in the neck by a passenger after he asked for the fare.
According to the Liverpool Echo, Merseyside Police were called after a private hire driver arrived at Whiston Hospital with a stab wound to his neck at around 4am on Wednesday, February 15.
The driver drove two men from an address on Jean Walk in Kirkby to Dragon Lane, in Prescot.
After the driver dropped one of the men at a separate address in his silver Toyota Prius, he asked the second man for the fare.
The suspect then shouted at the driver before stabbing him in the neck inside his vehicle.
The suspect then got out of the car and ran back towards the direction of Prescot. The victim drove to Whiston Hospital where he received treatment for stab wounds to his neck.
Since the attack officers have carried out extensive CCTV examinations and witness enquiries and detectives are continuing to appeal for more information.
Detective Inspector Tracey Martin said: “This was an unprovoked attack on a man who was left alone in his car with serious injuries to his neck and we are doing everything we can to find the person responsible and bring him to justice.
"The suspect was described as a white man in his twenties, with a Liverpool accent, of a larger build, with light brown hair who was wearing a grey pullover hoodie.
“We are keen to hear from anyone who may have seen the assault or any suspicious behaviour at around 4am on Wednesday 15 February near Dragon Lane.
"Similarly, if you were driving in the area at the time of the attack and have any dashcam footage please contact police as soon as possible.
“While some months have passed since the incident, any information you hold could be vital to our enquiries. The use of knives and any weapons is reckless and will not be tolerated in Merseyside.
“If you witnessed any part of the incident or saw the suspect, then do let us know as any information you hold could support to our enquiries.”
Anyone with information is asked to DM @MerPolCC on Twitter, call 101, quoting reference 23000133457.
You can also pass information anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, or contact them via their online form at: Give information anonymously | Crimestoppers (crimestoppers-uk.org) Always call 999 if a crime is in progress.
Source: https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/taxi-driver-stabbed-neck-passenger-26769973
London black taxis are to carry supplies of military-grade emergency bandages in a bid to save the lives of knife-crime victims.
The Evening Standard reports that medical kits are being given for free by the charity Rapaid to 500 London cab drivers this week – with the aim of having 5,000 in circulation by the end of the year, covering about a third of the capital’s taxi fleet.
The bandages, which can be used without medical training, can help to stem catastrophic blood loss from stabbings before paramedics arrive on scene. Transport for London has approved the initiative.
Cabs will display green windscreen stickers to indicate to emergency “first responders” – such as off-duty medics or police officers – that they are carrying the kits, each of which contains four bandages.
The bandages are used by the UK and US military and are designed for battlefield use on “serious bleed” injuries.
Alex Chivers, a former special forces soldier, first thought of the idea while serving as a firearms officer with Wiltshire police.
He put some bandage kits into taxis in Manchester in 2019, and has expanded the scheme to Oxford, Swindon and Exeter.
He told the Standard: “You can bleed to death in under five minutes if you have a serious haemorrhage. These bandages are designed for the first five or ten ‘golden minutes’ before specialist help arrives.
“This is just a simple life-saving initiative. TfL think it’s fantastic. No-one is expecting taxi drivers to become paramedics – they’re just carrying the bandages for us. They’re not expected to jump out and deal with things.
“It initially started because of terrorism but knife crime has become very prevalent. We are trying not to scaremonger. We hope that they are never needed, but they’re there just in case.
“We had a report back from Manchester where one of the bandages saved someone’s life – they had fallen drunk onto a bottle.”
The Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association said cabbies were often flagged down by people needing help in an emergency. It said many drivers had agreed to carry the kits.
Steve McNamara, general secretary of the LTDA, said: “We are delighted to be supporting this fantastic initiative with the potential to save lives.
“Black cabs are a staple on London’s streets and so are ideally placed to carry these bandages, with participating taxis able to be quickly flagged down in an emergency or drivers to pull over and help if they come across a serious incident or life-threatening situation.
“We know that cabbies often stop to assist people in distress and help keep Londoners safe when the worst happens, now they will be better equipped to do so.”
A taxi driver has had his licence revoked after driving more than 100 miles after failing an MoT.
According to SomersetLive, he drove his vehicle 110 miles with four major defects and one "do not drive until repaired" dangerous defect — and lied to Bath and North East Somerset Council’s licensing officers about the journey.
Bath and North East Somerset Council’s licensing subcommittee heard the taxi driver’s case in a private session, but minutes of the meeting in March have since been published.
The taxi driver told the committee he took full responsibility, apologised, and was prepared to accept any punishment.
He added that he had no intention to harm anyone, and had family and personal problems at the time of the issues.
He said that after his car had failed the MoT he had taken it back to get it fixed.
Councillors revoked his taxi licence on notice, stating: “Whilst members acknowledged that the licensee may have had personal and family issues during the relevant period, this is no excuse for neglecting the upkeep and essential repairs of his vehicle in order to ensure the safety of the travelling public.”
The committee also noted that all four of his tyres only had a tread of 2mm — just above the legal minimum of 1.6mm — in May 2022.
But he then drove a further 2,701 miles on those tyres, only replacing them after his car failed its MoT in September 2022.
The taxi driver stated that he had not fully checked the paperwork and had only been using the vehicle for his personal use during this time, but was told by councillors that the car still posed a danger to the public.
By the time it was brought in for its MoT in September, the ply or cords were exposed on one tyre, and another had a cut deep enough to reach them.
The taxi driver had received no complaints from the public during his time as a taxi driver.
He had held his Bath and North East Somerset Hackney Carriage/Private Hire Driver’s licence for just under two years.
Source: https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/local-news/taxi-driver-gave-lifts-passengers-8384642
Concerns have been raised that a “taxi champions” scheme to help drivers switch over to digital services is failing after no volunteers came forward.
According to The Bolton News, a recent meeting of Bolton Council heard that the initiative is intended to help drivers manage the switch over from in person to online licensing renewals.
But Cllr Rabiya Jiva said the new online system was proving difficult for many people who were not used to using digital services, while council helplines had not proven much use either.
She said: “When you have a new system in place, until you phase it out surely we should have something in place to inform people that they still have the other option?”
Cllr Jiva told the meeting that she had sampled a helpline designed to help drivers through the process but did not find it to be of much use.
She said: “I even rang the helpline myself to test it, I started at 2.30pm on April 6 and after about 36 minutes I just gave up.”
She added: “I wanted to experience it for myself, the frustrations of individuals.”
The meeting of Bolton Council’s corporate and external issues scrutiny committee heard more broadly about the switch over to online services as part of the “digital revolution.”
But Cllr Jiva, who represents the Crompton ward and is currently a candidate in Halliwell, said she recieved an email from the council's licensing team which told her no one had volunteered to be a “taxi champion” to help drivers with applications.
She said: “We can’t just expect to put the demand back on to taxi champions, hopefully we could but it's a paid service so I need to stress there, can we put some mechanisms in place around that?
"It isn’t as smooth as some individuals think it is.”
Cllr Jiva said she was continuously seeing cases of taxi drivers who were struggling and called on Bolton Council to engage with the trade and its representatives in finding a way forward.
She also said that digital services more broadly had proven difficult for many people, especially those who are older or vulnerable, with many having to rely on younger relatives.
Cllr Jiva said: “Let’s find a happy medium and connect with those people who use our services.”
In response, Bolton Council officials say they are looking for ways to make the service easier for drivers.
Customer service manager Chris Hart said: “Just because we’ve delivered the form doesn’t mean we’re leaving it like that, we’re working with colleagues in the taxi licensing department to improve it and we acknowledge that.
“Its quite a big change, asking people to upload documents that they had previously handed in so, we’re looking at ways we can make that easier and reduce the number of documents which they have to upload.
“We’re also looking at developing online tutorials to give guidance on how to do it online as well to accompany those taxi licence forms.”
Source: https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/23467739.bolton-concern-digital-taxi-licence-switch/
A former paratrooper turned pet taxi driver is in the running for an Animal Star Award for his work in Wakefield and Pontefract.
Tariq Rehman, 75, from Stechford, had his licence removed by Solihull Council in November last year following a complaint from a passenger.
A taxi firm boss has branded the criminal justice system "broken" after new figures revealed almost a third of offenders in the town reoffended within a year.
Dramatic CCTV footage has captured the moment a hooded figure set a taxi alight on a residential driveway.
A Drongan taxi driver has been convicted of sexually assaulting a female passenger after offering to waive her fare in exchange for sex.
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.