A drive to encourage more women in Wolverhampton to become taxi drivers has been launched by a councillor, after figures revealed that 97 per cent of the 20,000 working in the city were men.
According to the Express and Star, Councillor Wendy Dalton called for a campaign to recruit more women into the trade at a meeting of the council’s regulatory committee on Wednesday 8 March, which was also International Women’s Day.
She told members that she felt having more women taxi drivers would bring about “a greater assurance” for all passengers.
“Statistics for taxi driver numbers in Wolverhampton show us that 97 per cent of them are men,” she said.
“Speaking as a woman, I’d like to see more women taxi drivers as I think this would give all of us more assurance when taking a taxi somewhere, particularly if someone is travelling alone.
“What campaign could this council put forward to have an equality and a balance of more women in the profession? This issue is very relevant, especially as this week is International Women’s Week.”
Greg Bickerdike, the council’s licensing manager, said: “The initiative of working with women is something we are aware of and we are looking at how we can support this and encourage more women into the trade.
"We do have women who are in this profession, so it will involve speaking to them and understanding the benefits that a career as a licensed driver can provide them with – particularly around flexibility.
“And then the next step would be using that information to promote it to other women who may be fancy a career change, or women who are out of work, in order for us to get more female drivers licensed with us.
"That is something we are aware of and are working on, so I will be reporting back on it.”
Councillor Dalton said she would look forward to seeing a campaign for more women taxi drivers being implemented in the city.
The regulatory committee also approved the purchase of personal safety alarms for all vehicles licensed as a hackney carriage or private hire vehicle in the city.
Members also endorsed the ‘Safety Tips for Taxi and Private Hire Drivers’ guidance, produced to help workers in the trade stay safe.
A move to increase Glasgow taxi fares by 19.36 per cent will now go ahead after no objections emerged during a public notice period.
People had the option to give feedback on the fare increase for a month after it was agreed at the council’s licensing and regulatory committee in January.
According to GlasgowLive no representations were received about the rise in fares after a public notice was published in the local press.
Research found that taxi drivers’ costs in the city soared by 19.36 per cent over the course of 18 months between February 2021 and September 2022.
The minimum charge is to rise from £3.40 to £4. The £4 fee is for a distance not exceeding 886 yards and a time not exceeding two minutes 46 seconds.
The time charge is to be changed from an increment of 20p to 30p and the soiling charge is to go up from £35 to £42.
Night time additional fees are also rising from £1.20 to £1.40 after 11pm and before 6am.
On Wednesday 8 March, the licensing and regulatory committee agreed to instruct the council’s director of legal and administration to give notice of the decision to raise fares in line with licensing legislation.
However a taxi operator will still have the option to lodge an appeal with the Traffic Commissioner for the Scottish Traffic Area against the new taxi fare decision, which would mean it would be suspended until dealt with.
Source: https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glasgow-news/glasgow-taxi-fares-increase-after-26427896
People applying for taxi driver licences from North Somerset Council will no longer face a cap of five attempts at the knowledge test — but some might need to buy a newer car.
Currently, taxi drivers are only able to retake the knowledge exam a maximum of five times.
But Weston-super-Mare Uphill councillor, Peter Bryant, proposed an amendment to the five tests cap at a meeting of North Somerset Council’s licensing committee on February 7, arguing: “It shouldn’t be full and final.”
Under the new policy, which will be subject to public consultation before coming into effect, taxi driver applicants who have failed the test five times will get another chance to take the exam after six months.
Drivers will be expected to familiarise themselves with the district's roads in that time, but the option to wait another six months and have another attempt at the test will still be there for applicants who keep failing the test.
Mr Bryant said: “I think we are being generous to people, whether they take up the opportunity of having the second bash at it or not.”
The rules around which cars could be used as taxis were also agreed upon at the meeting.
Currently, vehicles can be up to eight years old when first registered as a taxi. But under the updated rules, no car older than five years will be able to be registered as a taxi.
Vehicles will also not be allowed to be taxis if they have previously been written off as an insurance loss for any reason.
Currently, vehicles that had been written off under category S or N but then repaired could be registered as taxis if an inspector agreed it was safe.
Drivers of taxis that are already licensed but would not be able to get a new licence under the updated rules may still be able to continue getting their vehicle re-licensed under “grandfather rights.”
The updated policies will not come into effect until they have gone through public consultation.
Source: https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/local-news/taxi-drivers-can-unlimited-tests-8228248
A man has been jailed for 14 years after killing a 21-year-old woman when he drove the wrong way on a major arterial road at high speed in a stolen van and crashed head on into an Uber cab.
The Welwyn Hatfield Times reports that Ashley Loveday, 39, was behind the wheel of a Peugeot Boxer van when the collision happened on the A13 in east London, early on November 25 last year.
Grace Payne, 21, who had been a passenger in a Toyota Prius Uber vehicle, was killed in the collision.
The driver of the Uber, Sundar Ali, 59, was seriously injured but survived.
Loveday routinely sped that evening at 85mph in 30 and 40 mph zones, up to 97mph in another 30mph zone and at between 70mph and 90mph in a 50mph zone on the A13 while travelling into oncoming traffic.
He also drove through red lights and pedestrian crossings.
A toxicology report found he had cocaine in his system.
In January, Loveday pleaded guilty to causing Ms Payne’s death and causing serious injury to Mr Ali by his dangerous driving.
Loveday, from east London, also admitted aggravated vehicle taking of the van on or before November 22 last year.
He appeared in the dock at the Old Bailey on Thursday 9 March, sporting a neck-tattoo and supported by a crutch.
Judge Mark Dennis KC sentenced him to 14 years in prison for causing death by dangerous driving, to two years and eight months imprisonment each for causing serious injury by dangerous driving and aggravated vehicle taking, to run concurrently.
Loveday will serve two-thirds of the sentence before he is released on licence.
The judge told him: “Your actions on that fateful night in November last year involved driving at the highest level of dangerousness to others in a prolonged and determined course of dangerous driving, leaving in its wake two victims.
“It has caused indescribable anguish for many, and irreparable harm.
“It was perhaps only pure chance that others were not also harmed at one stage or another in that dreadful course of driving.”
The judge also disqualified Loveday from driving for 19 years and four months from Thursday.
Ms Payne’s parents paid tribute to their daughter in a victim impact statement read out by the prosecutor.
They said: “Grace’s death has left us as a family devastated. We are struggling to come to terms with the fact that our daughter will never be coming home,” they added.
Ms Payne was described as a “caring, compassionate, bright, funny, bubbly” person who loved children and planned to one day retrain from human resources to become a primary school teacher.
Police officers pursued Loveday after the van he was driving activated an ANPR camera. Loveday failed to stop or slow down but instead increased his speed when officers started to follow him.
Officers discontinued their pursuit after Loveday joined the A13, deeming it “too dangerous” to follow him travelling against oncoming traffic.
A number of the officers involved were described as experienced and highly trained and the court heard that they had “never seen” driving as dangerous.
The prosecutor told the court that Mr Ali had “no chance at all” to avoid the defendant’s vehicle.
The Uber driver was taken to the Royal London Hospital with a wounded spleen and fractures to his right collar bone, left upper arm bone and bone at the base of his right thumb.
The court heard Mr Ali’s brain function is impaired and that he experiences painful headaches and forgetfulness.
In a victim impact statement, summarised by the prosecutor, Mr Ali said he has lost his income and believes he will never get his physical strength back.
He added that he is “traumatised” by the incident, especially in relation to what happened to Ms Payne.
Loveday has been before the courts since he was 16, having been convicted of 81 offences on 54 occasions between 2000 and 2022, the court heard.
His previous convictions include aggravated vehicle taking, wounding, affray and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
At the time of the offence, he did not have a driving licence, was uninsured to drive the van and was wanted for breaching court orders.
Loveday has never passed a driving test, the court heard.
Mr Bhasin said his client is “extremely distressed” over what did and is remorseful.
Ellis Williams, district crown prosecutor with the CPS, said: “This sentence reflects the severity of Loveday’s offending. He chose to indulge in a dangerous high speed vehicle chase, which tragically ended in the death of Grace Payne and left Sundar Ali with serious injuries.
“Nothing can bring Grace back but I hope this sentence goes some way to comfort her family at this difficult time.”
Taxi services from Edinburgh Airport will now be provided by a private hire firm after previous operator City Cabs lost out on the contract.
Edinburgh News reports that from April 14, Capital Cars will provide both the black cab and private hire operation at Edinburgh Airport after a joint bid by black cab companies was rejected.
The move from two operators to one single company will see Capital Cars – which currently only provides private hire vehicles – managing the airport service for the next five years.
It’s understood they will need to recruit black cab drivers, who are largely self-employed, but the move has sparked fears about a lack of available black cabs for those with disabilities.
A spokesperson for Edinburgh cab branch of Unite said: "Our big concern is that there will be a lack of available black cabs and these are crucial for peak times, families and larger groups and for people with disabilities or mobility issues.
"It will go from hundreds of black cabs to a handful or a dozen if they are lucky. There’s a real danger then that disabled people and particularly those that use wheelchairs will struggle to get accessible transport from the airport.
"It’ quiet now but during the summer and peak times there’s huge demand for vehicles, after we’ve seen a reduction in taxis since the pandemic."
Airport chiefs said the change will allow a ‘closer working relationship’ and that the deal would ensure "a steady supply of vehicles for passengers.”
An Edinburgh airport spokesperson added that they were confident that Capital Cars could deliver on the deal to provide a mix of both black cabs and private hire vehicles and stressed that the tender process had been ‘stringent'.
The changes will also see a shift to upgraded technology, including charging points for electric vehicles, a queue monitoring system, and new automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras, being installed to improve the passenger experience.
A spokesperson for Edinburgh Airport said: “Onward travel from an airport is an important part of the passenger journey and we want to make that as easy and smooth as possible by providing as many options as we can.
“The tender process has worked to identify how we can ensure a consistent and reliable supply of taxis and private hire cars for passengers who need that option and we are now able to confirm Capital Cars as our black cab and private hire operator for the next five years.
"We think the new measures we will introduce as part of this deal will provide passengers with up to date data on taxi and private hire times, as well as encourage that move to electric vehicles thanks to the installation of new charging points.
"We know the taxi industry has faced challenges during Covid recovery and that has been experienced in cities across Scotland and the UK, and we hope the new measures together with a sole operator operating our rank will allow us to have a closer working relationship to identify where and how we can improve the experience for passengers.”
A spokesperson for Capital Cars said: "We understand there is some trepidation around this contract, as it's the first time Edinburgh Airport has had only one operator delivering both black cabs and private hire vehicles. But we already have some hackney cabs registered to work with us and we are looking to recruit more in the coming weeks.
"Comments about a lack of black cabs are just scaremongering. We are confident we can deliver the mix of both vehicles and meet customers' needs."
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.