A General Motors autonomous car company has settled a lawsuit for millions with a woman who was hit by one of its self-driving taxis and dragged along a San Francisco street last year.
The Independent reports that the woman was struck by a human hit-and-run driver and propelled into the path of a Cruise robo-taxi.
In a statement posted to X, the company said the vehicle detected a collision and attempted to pull over to avoid more safety issues.
As the car tried to pull over, it continued for about 20 feet before coming to a stop with the pedestrian pinned to the bottom of the car.
The woman sustained “traumatic injuries” and was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Now, the company is set to pay the woman between $8 to $12m in a settlement.
A representative for Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital told Fortune that the woman had been discharged but declined to state additional information about her condition.
Cruise stopped its taxi service in San Francisco following the crash after regulators found the company had not been forthcoming with information.
Later, the company pulled all of its self-driving taxis in the US off the market.
It is now starting to reintroduce them with human drivers that can take over in case of an emergency.
The company will start testing out the cars in Phoenix before moving to other Arizona cities.
Cruise is in the process of getting its permit reinstated in California, where the crash happened. The application is still under review.
Cruise was acquired by General Motors in 2016 and has since reported $9.2bn in losses.
Following the incident, General Motors cut Cruise’s annual budget by $1 billion and replaced the company’s management team.
A thug who attacked a taxi driver in a mistaken case of road rage has been ordered to pay his victim £2,000.
According to the Glasgow Times, Ibraheem Khan, 27, pounced on Abdelella Yousif in Glasgow’s St George’s Cross on November 13, 2022.
The court earlier heard that Khan’s Volkswagen Golf vehicle was stopped at a green light when Mr Yousif pulled in behind him and sounded his horn to indicate to his customer that he had arrived.
Occupants in the Golf took issue with this with one of the passengers shouting at Mr Yousif.
Khan moved off through the lights and came to a stop a short distance ahead of Mr Yousif’s taxi.
The driver pulled further into the road to collect his customer before Khan reversed his vehicle closer to the taxi.
Khan’s passenger shouted and gestured aggressively at Mr Yousif before the pair exited the Golf.
Prosecutor Alasdair Knox said: “Mr Yousif’s driver's side window was open at this time.
"The male passenger punched the victim to the head and face through the window then opened the driver door, whilst continuing to punch Mr Yousif.”
The victim then pushed himself out of the vehicle when Khan approached him.
Mr Knox added: “Khan proceeded to repeatedly punch him to the head.
“This part of the assault lasted between 10 and 14 seconds. Khan then walked back towards the Golf.”
Mr Yousif’s nose was burst and covered in blood due to the attack.
Khan drove off at speed and entered the wrong side of the road before returning to the correct lane.
He also failed to stop and ran two red traffic lights before he collided with a vehicle near St George's Cross subway station.
Police attended and noted "significant damage" to both vehicles.
Mr Yousif was taken to hospital where he was treated for a nasal fracture, swelling to his face, oral cavity damage, a chipped front tooth and a loose tooth.
John Scullion KC, defending, told the sentencing: "He accepts full responsibility for his actions in relation to the charges and doesn't seek to minimise his involvement in any way.
"He bitterly regrets acting as he did - he expresses his remorse for his behaviour and recognises the impact this will have had on the victim as well as the wider community."
Khan pleaded guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to assaulting Mr Yousif to his severe injury and permanent disfigurement.
Khan, of the city's Kelvinside, also admitted a separate charge of dangerous driving.
Sheriff Andrew Cubie said: "This was an incomprehensible offence.
"The custodial threshold has been passed and I have considered the matter carefully.
"The tendering of your plea, a positive background report, remorse and work record, a difficult childhood, as well as a lack of analogous offending and being at a low risk of re-offending, saves you from custody."
The sheriff imposed a £2,000 compensation order which Khan will pay his victim. Khan was also fined £800 and ordered to do 250 hours of unpaid work.
He was further tagged for eight months and will be kept indoors between 8pm and 6am as well as put under supervision for 12 months.
Khan was disqualified from driving for 12 months and must sit the extended test when the term is over.
Edinburgh taxi drivers will no longer be charged by the council to use The Royal Mile on their annual outing.
According to the Edinburgh Reporter, the cab drivers organising this year’s Edinburgh Taxi Outing in June were quoted a figure understood to be around £1,500 to have planters blocking traffic on the High Street temporarily moved.
Following calls for any fees for the long-running event to be waived, the local authority had said they would be free to shift the large boxes themselves or alter their route by turning left down Cockburn Street.
However, announcing the U-turn on Monday 13 May, council leader Cammy Day said there would be no charge and said the issue “has now been resolved”.
Taxi Outing secretary Keith Bell said: “I was confident this was just a bureaucratic misunderstanding and that once the relevant people became involved the matter would be sorted, and I’m glad it has.”
It is understood that earlier in the week organisers were told the cost could be reduced to £400.
In an initial letter the council told them that events wishing to use a route which requires planters to be moved – including the much-loved outing which marks its 77th year this year – then “costs for the work would be at the expense of that organiser”.
The Association of Hackney Carriage Drivers of the City of Edinburgh hit out in response, saying despite efforts to uplift the spirits of vulnerable children, “bureaucratic hurdles erected by the council” threatened to “undermine altruistic endeavours”.
The tradition sees the capital’s cabbies treat local youngsters with special needs, life-limiting conditions and terminal illnesses to a fun day out parading through the city in their balloon-clad taxis, soaking spectators with water pistols.
Originally the convoy, bound for Musselburgh for an ice cream stop and then East Lothian, travelled along Princes Street and Regent Road.
However amid tram works the procession was directed along the Royal Mile, and this became the established route for the event. It was also a convenient place to drop off the Lord Provost en route.
The planters were first installed in 2020 as part of a range of measures to make it easier and safer for people to walk, wheel and cycle during the pandemic, although the council had previously agreed to permanently close the High Street to traffic between North Bridge and St Mary’s Street.
Cllr Day said: “The taxi outing is a highlight every year for the children, drivers and public who love the fun spectacle – and the possibility of getting soaked! – as the cabs and young people travel through Edinburgh.
“It’s an unforgettable day out which lives long in the memories of all the children taking part so I asked officers to waive any fees that may be incurred for the removal of the planters, I’m pleased to say this has now been resolved.
“We recognise how important this annual charity event is for both the young people who take part and the drivers so I’m delighted that they’ll now be able to travel down the Royal Mile.”
The mother of a boy on a bicycle chased by a cabbie after being in collision with his private hire vehicle has told how her son required surgery for a broken arm.
Leah Pond says Alfie, 11, hit a ditch and came off his bike after the driver chased him along Pound Gardens, in Norton, Stoke-on-Trent.
He broke his arm and sustained several cuts, scrapes and bruises.
She says the PHV had been reversing on ‘the wrong side’ around a corner in Pound Gardens when Alfie collided with the back of the cab.
A witness told StokeonTrentLive that the vehicle 'was reversing up the hill in a blind spot' caused by a hedge when the collision occurred – although this claim contradicts a police statement which stated the car was stationary.
Leah said Alfie stopped to apologise to the driver. But she added: “The driver jumped out and grabbed hold of him. Alfie managed to get himself free and rode off.
"The taxi driver chased him, which resulted in Alfie hitting a ditch and breaking his arm. He has cuts, scrapes and bruises all over him.”
The taxi driver then got back in his cab and drove off, according to witnesses and a police statement.
Alfie was taken to hospital and received further treatment at the Royal Stoke University Hospital on Thursday 9 May, when he was placed under anaesthetic and had the broken bone readjusted.
Leah added: “As the taxi driver was chasing him, these adults were shouting ‘leave him alone’. If that taxi driver had caught up to Alfie and got hold of him, what was he going to do to him?”
Another witness, told StokeonTrentLive: “The taxi was reversing up the hill in a blind spot at the top of the street. You can’t see anything around that corner, because there’s a hedge in the way.
“The lad went into the back of the car, and stopped to apologise. But the taxi driver got out of the car and started chasing him down the street. He was really scared, the little lad.”
Leah added: “He was shouting abuse at Alfie. Being 11 years old, and having a grown adult chasing him, he was scared, so he has shot off.
“Even if he had come back and checked Alfie was alright, that would have been a different matter, but he’s just got into his taxi and left.”
The driver was described as black, of medium height, bald, wearing a black T-shirt, cream shorts and glasses.
A Staffordshire Police spokesperson said: “We were called at 6.50pm on Tuesday 7 May, to reports a taxi driver chased a boy who had collided with the back of his stationary car.
"The collision happened between 6.35pm and 6.45pm in Pinfold Avenue. The driver drove off after he chased the boy.
"We’re keen to speak to anyone who saw what happened or those with any CCTV, dashcam or doorbell footage from the area at the time.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Staffordshire Police on 101, quoting 581 of May 7, or by using Live Chat on the force's website. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.
Source: https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/stoke-on-trent-news/mums-fury-alfie-11-breaks-9279585
A private hire firm fed up with the number of roadworks in Stafford town centre has sent a formal complaint to the Government - branding the county council 'totally and utterly incompetent'.
StokeonTrentLive reports that three major routes into Stafford have been affected by roadworks which has led to gridlock, hundreds of lost bookings each week, and lengthier journeys for customers.
Now Aerobrights has slammed Staffordshire County Council's highways department for its handling of the situation which is affecting routes including the A449 Wolverhampton Road and Chell Road in the town centre.
It has submitted a letter of complaint to Transport Minister Mark Harper and Stafford MP Theo Clarke, saying the roadworks have been 'poorly planned' and allowed to go on for weeks and months longer than necessary.
It means self-employed drivers are refusing to work at peak times because of the traffic issues.
Driver Bill Armstrong says it took him an hour to complete a round trip from Staffordshire Technology Park to Stafford Station on May 2.
He added: "It's complete gridlock. When we had the big motorway closure it took 30 minutes to get from the station to Tesco to pick somebody up.
"It's losing us as much as 200 to 400 jobs a week and drivers are paid by the job, so it's really affecting their income.
"You can't earn extra money while you're sitting there with the engine running, wasting fuel. The pollution is going to be astronomical.
"There's no management of the roadworks and no incentive for people to get the job done quickly - usually you see one person working and six standing around on their phones or watching.
"Chell Road is officially going to take nine months but it never needed doing from the start.
"What is really required is an eastern bypass - that has been needed for 50 years.
"In the winter you can get three motorway snarl-ups a week and Stafford grinds to a halt every single time."
Fellow cabbie Graeme Jenkins said: "There does not seem to be a plan to cope for the normal rush-hour traffic from 3pm onwards. Add to that extraordinary events like the M6 being closed and you have pandemonium with every side road blocked, taking hours to get through Stafford.
"What is this doing to the commercial life of Stafford, its future, reputation and pollution and where is the planning and support? This is an unbearable set of circumstances for people living and working in Stafford.
"Why is one job allowed to start before the first is finished and why does every job run over its time? Why are subsidiary works allowed to start when there is enough traffic disruption already?
"This is just poor management. There does not seem to be any traffic management around the supporting roads to help ease the overall problem.
"I meet all spectrums of the Stafford population and they are all totally disgusted with the town management - the devastation of the town centre, which I understand is a national problem, but mainly the extensive ongoing roadworks for a cycle lane nobody seems to want.
"They would prefer the money spent on giving us back the town centre, lighted properly, with character."
Staffordshire County Council says the works on the A449 Wolverhampton Road works are for 'essential repairs'. Housing developer Taylor Wimpey is behind the roadworks at Beaconsided.
Councillor Mark Deaville, cabinet member for strategic highways, said: “I fully understand the frustration these road improvements are causing and apologise for the inconvenience to drivers. Our residents have told us that the quality of Staffordshire’s roads is a priority to them, as it is to us.
"Unfortunately, carrying out these works often causes delays, for which we are very sorry, but it is essential we fix our roads in a timely manner.
"We always review how we could better manage works in the future. The main works around the town are seeing over £16 million investment in the town’s road network, bringing long-term and lasting improvements for years to come and unfortunately in this case need to be carried out now due to funding and planning requirements.”
Ways of increasing the amount of wheelchair-accessible taxis across the city are set to be explored to make it easier for those who need one to get one.
Cumbrian taxi drivers are fighting back against proposed licensing changes they fear will cripple their livelihoods.
Bolton taxi drivers are urged to sign up for free safeguarding and disability awareness training before the deadline on October 31st, 2024.
A Conwy Council meeting on Monday revealed a critical failing that allowed a taxi driver whose license had been revoked to continue transporting children to school.
Worcester City Council is seeking public opinion on a proposal to make safeguarding training mandatory for taxi and private hire drivers.
A proposal to increase driver, vehicle and private hire operator licences was discussed on Friday 19 July 19 at Sheffield City Council’s waste and street scene committee.
Through this collaboration, FREENOW willl provide additional benefits giving drivers up to 25% off pay-as-you-go rates across the entire bp pulse electric charging network and discounted fuel at all UK bp branded sites.
Wakefield Licensing, working alongside West Yorks Police Roads Policing unit, NPT, Off-Road Bike Team, Police Intercept Team, DVLA & DVSA, held a Partnership Day of Action at Thornes Park.
A pilot emissions reduction grant scheme providing financial support for hackney carriage drivers to upgrade to cleaner EURO 6 and fully battery powered vehicles has been launched.
The ride-hailing giant has submitted an application for an operator licence to Darlington Borough Council, with a decision expected in August.
Darlington could soon see Uber cars on its streets after the ride-hailing giant applied for a licence to operate in the town.
Stratford-upon-Avon District Council has revoked the licences of two taxi drivers following a series of speeding offences.
A Northampton taxi driver has been found guilty of trafficking cocaine between his home city and Milford Haven.
The move comes after concerns were raised by the taxi industry about the rising cost of purchasing new vehicles.
Guide Dogs charity has asked licensing authorities in England for their support in sharing guidance on the law on carrying guide or other assistance dogs with all taxi and private hire operators.
Reading Taxi Association (RTA) chairman Asif Rashid has slammed Reading Borough Council's proposed phase-out of older petrol and diesel cabs by 2028, calling it a financial burden for drivers.
Dorset Council is poised to review taxi fares across the region, excluding Weymouth and Portland which have separate regulations.
A North Belfast man, Ruairi Fintan Muldoon (31), has been sentenced to 12 months in prison with an additional 12 months on supervised release for a botched attempt to rob a taxi driver.
Passengers are been invited to take part in a survey aimed at finding out if the taxi trade in West Suffolk is accessible to all.
A Glasgow man, Darren Gray, 31, launched into a verbal tirade and racially abused a taxi driver on Paisley Road West on August 19th, 2022.