Since 2019, 86 private hire and hackney carriage drivers have had their right to trade revoked, according to Leeds City Council’s annual licensing report.
The number represents a tiny fraction of the city’s trade, with around 6,000 drivers currently operating locally.
Plying for hire – where private hire drivers illegally pick up a passenger in the street without taking a prior booking – was responsible for 29 of the revocations, although most of those date back to before the Covid pandemic.
Inappropriate behaviour was the second-most common reason, with 22 revocations, while motoring offences accounted for 20 drivers losing their right to trade.
The Yorkshire Evening Post reports that Ahmad Hussain, chair of the Leeds Private Hire Drivers Organisation (LPHDO) said the figures demonstrated that the trade was predominantly full of good people.
“86 drivers across four years is, in the context of the whole trade, a minimal number,” he said.
“It proves what we’ve said all along, which is that the vast majority of drivers are decent, honest people who work hard and protect the travelling public they carry around with them. We don’t need the bad eggs.”
Mr Hussain said he hoped the numbers would encourage the council to change how it makes decisions on whether or not to revoke a taxi driver’s licence.
Traditionally those calls have always been made by licensing officers, though some local authorities refer the decision to a panel of councillors.
Although Leeds is now shifting to a panel system for drivers who’ve clocked up too many penalty points on their licence, there’s no indication yet that that approach will apply to all cases.
Figures from the report also showed that 76 local drivers had their licences suspended last year, though in nearly half of all cases that was due to medical reasons.
Relations between the taxi trade and the city council have soured in recent years, primarily due to contentious changes to the way in which they’re regulated. Under new rules brought in last year, drivers who reach nine penalty points for minor offences risk losing their licence, down from the previous threshold of 12.
The LPHDO claimed the change was disproportionate, given that taxi drivers cover many more miles than the average motorist.
The council insisted, however, that it was acting on government guidance which has been handed down to all local authorities and that the new rules are still less strict than in other areas.
Taxi and private hire drivers in Bradford will be able to apply for grants of up to £10,000 to buy or hire electric vehicles.
The Telegraph and Argus reports that a £4 million pot of cash has been set up using money from Bradford’s Clean Air Zone, and drivers will be able to apply for grants from May.
The grant will be increased for non-wheelchair accessible vehicles from £6,000 over two years to £10,000 over two years, bringing it into line with the Hackney Carriage and Wheelchair Accessible Private Hire Vehicle EV grants.
Proprietors who have already upgraded to other compliant vehicle types (such as petrol/electric hybrid) can apply for a top-up grant if they choose to go fully electric.
A Bradford Council spokesman said: “The Bradford taxi trade has been extremely proactive in upgrading vehicles to Clean Air Zone standards.
“Thanks to grants already issued it is one of the cleanest fleets in the country with 98 per cent of the 4,000 strong licensed taxi and private hire trade meeting the CAZ standard.
“The applications process will be live from May 2023 for Bradford licensed vehicle proprietors.
“There are currently 200,000 electric vehicle movements per month in Bradford and these grants will support the Bradford taxi trade to also make the change to electric.
“Owners of electric vehicles can see savings in fuel costs as well as lower servicing and maintenance costs.
“These are on top of the driver health benefits of in-vehicle pollution reduction, respiratory health improvements and also a reduction in noise.
Councillor Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council's executive member for healthy people and places, added: “The taxi trade in Bradford is booming with applications to become a driver at an all-time high.
“We are pleased to further extend our support to the Bradford taxi trade for the upgrade of their vehicles to fully electric by offering up to £10,000 per vehicle in grant funding to assist proprietors with the running costs of a fully electric hackney carriage or private hire vehicle. The funding will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis.
“We would encourage anyone who is unsure if they need to pay or are entitled to grants or exemptions to call the Clean Air Zone team on 01274 435533 which is open Monday to Thursday, 8.30am to 5pm and Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm.”
Source: https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/23395324.taxi-drivers-can-apply-10k-caz-funded-grants/
The government has indicated it will not be intervening on the ULEZ extension, after being called upon to take action in a recent petition and letter sent to the Prime Minister.
The Romford Recorder reports that, Havering Residents’ Association (HRA), which forms the borough's administration in coalition with Labour, has garnered more than 700 signatures on its petition requesting the government step in and veto the ULEZ extension.
In it, the umbrella group claims the £12.50-a-day scheme for non-compliant vehicles, due to be implemented on August 29, poses a threat to workers, families, elderly, the sick and disabled.
“They will likely seek alternative employment outside of the zone, jeopardising the care sector and no doubt many other sectors,” it adds.
“Many will find the cost or replacement out of reach. The scrappage scheme is far too low, with a very restrictive criteria for eligibility, it is also only limited to those within the zone.”
Instead, the group wants to see the government veto the extension by “enacting Section 143 of the GLA Act (1999) because the mayor's transport strategy/policy is indeed 'detrimental to any area that is outside Greater London'”.
The same plea is made in a letter sent directly to the prime minister, Rishi Sunak.
A Department for Transport spokesperson however said that all decisions on road user charging “are a matter for the Mayor of London”.
The spokesperson added: “It is for the mayor to justify the decision to residents and businesses and properly consult to ensure those who can least afford to make the switch are supported through any future measures.”
The HRA’s call for government intervention differs from Havering Council’s official line.
While it refused to sign the section eight agreement, which grants permission to erect CCTV cameras and road signs on borough roads, the council decided not to join a multi-borough legal challenge, and is instead asking the mayor to delay the expansion and introduce an enhanced scrappage scheme.
When asked why the petition and letter were distributed under the HRA name and not the council, Cllr Gillian Ford, deputy leader of Havering Council, said: “This is a political decision. The council cannot play politics.”
Cllr Keith Darvill, the Labour leader, clarified the group's position had not changed, and that it intends to continue lobbying for a better scrappage scheme including an extension to those who drive into the capital for work.
A spokesperson for London mayor Sadiq Khan has previously told the Recorder that around 4,000 Londoners die prematurely every year due to toxic air, with the greatest number of deaths attributable to air pollution in its outer boroughs.
They also referenced the mayor’s £110million scrappage scheme, adding: “Any money received from the scheme will be reinvested into running and improving London’s transport network, such as expanding bus routes in outer London.”
View the HRA petition online here: https://www.change.org/p/the-government-must-veto-the-london-s-mayor-s-extension-of-ulez-to-outer-london
Source: https://www.romfordrecorder.co.uk/news/23391128.ulez-government-indicates-wont-intervene-expansion/
A Pembroke man has been jailed for trying to rob a taxi driver.
The Western Telegraph reports that Daniel Mckenzie, 31, appeared at Swansea Crown Court on March 15 where he was due to stand trial on a charge of attempted robbery.
Mckenzie had already pleaded guilty to a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm at an earlier hearing but changed his plea on the robbery charge.
Miss Donaghue, prosecuting, told the court that on September 4, 2022, Mckenzie had turned up drunk at his sister’s house. She said that his sister wanted him to go away and gave him £5 for the taxi driver to take him away from her house.
While in the taxi, the defendant took a joint out of his pocket and the taxi driver asked him to not smoke it.
He responded, “It’s not your car, don’t worry.” And when asked again, he put a lighter to the driver’s throat, saying “watch what I can do with this,” and said he was going to take his money.
Mckenzie grabbed the driver’s throat and punched him in the face. The driver pulled over and got out of the car, telling Mckenzie to get out.
He punched him again several times, which led to the driver pushing him to the floor.
When Mckenzie got up, he went to go for the car door, which the driver stood in the way of to block his access to the money.
A member of the public intervened and the police were called, taking the driver to hospital and arresting Mckenzie.
Mckenzie responded ‘no comment’ to all questions and an examination of the driver showed he had gained small lacerations on his face.
Miss Walton, defending, told the court how Mckenzie, who has more than 30 convictions for 54 offences, including one for robbery in 2011, believed that he was supposed to be taken to a garage as that was how far the £5 would take him, but when they went passed, he believed he was being overcharged and ‘saw red.’
She said the defendant was remorseful and since being in prison, has gained work in a privileged position in the prison and wants to be someone his four children can look up to and he has been working on bettering himself.
Recorder Christian Jowett sentenced Mckenzie to 54 months in prison for the robbery and 10 months for the assault, with the sentences to run concurrently and the time he has spent on remand to count towards the sentence.
Soiurce: https://www.westerntelegraph.co.uk/news/23389614.pembroke-man-jailed-attempted-robbery-assault/
A ‘predatory’ private hire driver who kept a pencil case of condoms and lube in his glove compartment has been jailed for raping a passenger.
According to the Metro, Homayon Ahmadi, 33, attacked the woman, aged in her 40s, in Croydon after picking her up from a hospital earlier on the evening of April 19, 2021.
Three months later, on July 25, a 21-year-old woman phoned police to say she and a friend had been molested after being collected from a central London nightclub.
Ahmadi, of Uxbridge, west London, was given a 13-year prison sentence after he admitted rape and two counts of sexual assault at Croydon Crown Court.
In a statement, his first victim said she suffers constant flashbacks and ‘paralysing fear’, My London reports.
She added: ‘The rape has had a major impact on my life, and I am constantly afraid and am no longer able to focus on my studies.’
Detective Constable Natalie Alchin, who led the investigation, said: "Ahmadi is a predatory offender, and we are pleased he is behind bars and unable to cause further harm."
The first victim called 999 on April 19 to report that she had been raped by a mini cab driver who picked her up after she had been discharged from hospital.
She was still wearing her hospital slippers and was in a vulnerable state, the court heard.
Alisdair Smith, prosecuting, said: "She approached this defendant in a car, and he was, the prosecution say, acting officially as a taxi or at least purported to be one and on that basis, she went with him.
"She was soon aware that she had no way to pay and said her partner at home would pay upon their arrival. The defendant’s demand was that she have sex with him."
He told jurors Ahmadi then pulled into a garage in Croydon and raped her.
Detectives immediately launched an investigation and began extensive enquiries to try and identify the driver and vehicle.
While that investigation was ongoing, the 21-year-old victim phoned police to report her attack.
Shortly after booking their cab home, her phone died, and the students started asking drivers parked up outside the nightclub if they were there to pick them up. When they approached Ahmadi’s window, he lied he was their driver and whisked them away.
They realised within minutes he was going the wrong way to their address and became worried when he stopped off to buy whisky, offered them a swig and suggested they go back to his.
Ahmadi then pulled over again, this time to demand one of the women sit beside him in the front.
The two victims attempted to get out of the car and leave, at which point Ahmadi sexually assaulted the first victim, while her friend attempted to stop him.
He proceeded to sexually assault the second woman before jumping back into his car and driving off.
The incident was reported to the police immediately but as the women were unable to identify the off licence, police were limited with the extent of the investigation.
However in October, Ahmadi was arrested on suspicion of drink driving and was later connected to the two attacks. During his interviews, he answered no comment but claimed that sex had been consensual, before later pleading guilty to the three charges.
The court heard Ahmadi had moved to the UK from Afghanistan in 2010 to study finance and had been granted asylum. His wife had been killed in a suicide bombing in Kabul alongside 40 others, which had led him to develop depression, PTSD and alcohol issues.
Speaking of the impact his actions had on the women, Judge Elizabeth Lowe said: “Women are entitled to go out if they want to, they are entitled to drink alcohol, they are entitled to get drunk, they are entitled to walk alone and they are entitled to do all of those things without fear of being sexually assaulted or raped by men like you."
She continued: “Everyone should appreciate, the only person to blame for those nights is you and the impact on these brave women is you.”
Labelling his behaviour "predatory and exploitative", he was jailed for 13 years with an extended licence period of seven years. He was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and a restraining order, preventing him from contacting any of his victims.
Upon his release, he is prohibited for applying for a licence or acting as a taxi driver.
DC Alchin said: "There may be other victims of Ahmadi who until now have not spoken to police. If you believe this is you, please contact us on 101. We have specialist officers who will support you."
A private hire driver was found asleep in his vehicle in the middle of the road, prompting concerns for public safety.
A private hire driver who continued to work despite having his licence suspended, has been prosecuted by Oldham Council.
The Hinckley Area Taxi Association has proposed new tariffs to Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, which could make the borough's taxis the most expensive in Leicestershire.
Shaun Meenan attacked the teenager, who was a stranger to him, both in his vehicle and then in her home after gaining entry under false pretenses
Hillingdon Council launches consultation on PSPO to prohibit PHVs and taxis from waiting in residential streets around Heathrow Airport.
A taxi driver was left shaken after being robbed and assaulted by a knife-wielding passenger in Gateshead.
The proposed changes,which are set to be discussed at the licensing committee this week, would affect fares during weekdays, evenings,weekends, and festive periods.
A 71-year-old taxi driver has had his license revoked by the Stratford-on-Avon District Council due to public safety concerns.
Wolverhampton taxi drivers are set to be given powers to record audio in their cabs if they feel in danger following a spate of attacks.
Residents of Stirling are being invited to have their say on plans for a new taxi rank in the city center, as the local authority looks to address a growing demand for taxi services.
As of this year, only 278 licensed taxis are in service, significantly lower than the government's goal of 310.
Over 200 children from across England suffering from chronic or life-limiting conditions experienced a dream come true this weekend, thanks to a heartwarming initiative by London's black cab drivers.
Residents are being encouraged to participate in a consultation on proposed new taxi charges.
Taxi drivers at Bristol Parkway railway station are expressing frustration over a subsidised bus service that they believe is cutting into their business.
A year after the removal of a taxi rank due to lack of customers, Ipswich Borough Council is proposing to introduce a new five-place rank on Key Street.
A taxi driver who had his licence revoked following allegations of posting offensive material online has been given the chance to reapply.
The Glasgow Low Emission Zone (LEZ) has shown initial positive results in reducing air pollution, according to a new report.
Colin Aylward, who lives in Chittys Lane, Dagenham, captured the shocking incident on his home security system.
Independent Councilor Dave Patrick warned that the proposed increases would make Fenland one of the most expensive places in the country for taxi travel
Bleed kit charity, RAPAID, has already installed over 5,000 kits in UK cities in a bid to put emergency bandages in permanent circulation so that they are on hand whenever needed.