Police have released mugshots of three people who tried to force an Uber driver to give them money. The driver was racially abused and beaten up by one of the three.
The Leicester Mercury reports that the drunken trio, brothers Shane and Joseph Woolley and Joseph's girlfriend Louise Horrobin, approached the car in Bakewell Street, Coalville.
The driver said to Shane Woolley, "Alright, mate?", and was punched in the face. Shane Woolley repeatedly punched the man while demanding money, telling him: "Give me your ******* money now or I'll batter you".
The driver explained Ubers were booked online and no cash was involved.
Using an offensive term about Asian people, Shane Woolley added: "All you ***** have money, where the **** is it?"
The other two defendants began searching the vehicle and the driver's wallet for cash, with Joseph Woolley climbing into the front passenger seat to look.
After some time, Shane Woolley got into the driver's seat and drove up the road, leaving the Uber driver behind, while the other two robbers walked away empty-handed.
But Shane Woolley changed his mind and returned to the Uber driver and threatened him to get into the car with him so they could go to a cashpoint.
Woolley drove him to Morrisons, but discovered the victim did not have his wallet with his bank card as the trio had stolen it and thrown it away.
So Shane Woolley took the driver back to Bakewell Street, and, while making threats, forced him to help him search the ground for the wallet.
The Uber driver started screaming for help, and Shane Woolley repeatedly punched him, knocked him to the ground and kicked him in the ribs before fleeing the scene.
The victim was left covered in blood from the many wounds to his face. All three robbers were arrested the next day.
The three already had 90 previous offences between them when they carried out the robbery at about 1.30am on Wednesday, March 29, last year.
Leicester Crown Court heard on Thursday, April 18, that the whole thing, including an audio recording, was caught on CCTV.
The court heard that Horrobin, 36, from Coalville, had 43 previous offences on her record. Joseph Woolley, 38, from Coalville, had 12 previous offences while his brother Shane Woolley, 31, from Thringstone, had 35 offences on his record.
Shane Woolley admitted robbery and attempted robbery, while the other two had each admitted attempted robbery.
Judge Philip Head, sentencing the trio, described the incident as a "really nasty attack on a vulnerable taxi driver" and as a joint enterprise between the three.
Shane Woolley was jailed for 64 months, Joseph Woolley was sentenced for 43 months and Horrobin was jailed for 30 months.
All three will serve half their sentences, minus the time they have already spent in custody since last year.
Source: https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/local-news/pictured-coalville-trio-who-tried-9247154
Changes to taxi fares on the Isle of Man have seen maximum prices rise and the late-night tariff pulled forward by an hour.
BBC News reports that the revisions by the Road Transport Licensing Committee (RTLC), the regulatory body responsible for overseeing taxi fares, were brought in after consultation with Isle of Man Unite Taxi Branch and the Manx Taxi Federation.
Secretary of both lobby groups, Mike Birchall, said the "majority of drivers" were happy with the moves to offset increasing costs.
But RTLC chairman Graham Curphey admitted it had been "a mistake" not publicise the changes more widely prior to them coming into force.
On Monday, the fare for tariff one, which applies to journeys made between 06:00 and 23:00 BST, increased by 30p to £3.80 for the first 60 seconds of a journey, while tariff two fares rose by 40p to £4.70 for the same distance.
A 50p rise in the surcharge for fares from the Isle of Man Airport rank, now set at £2, has also been introduced.
A survey by the committee found 39% of respondents backed no changes to tariffs, but 46% supported increase in fare prices of between 1% and 5%.
Mr Curphy said there had been complaints that there were "no taxis around at midnight when people are kicked out of pubs and clubs" and introducing the more expensive tariff at 23:00 might encourage more operators to pick up.
But if the change did not work for the industry the RTLC could "revisit it", he said.
Mr Birchall said drivers "needed some kind of increase" to cover insurance, mechanic and general cost of living increases.
They had backed the "reasonable" changes and did not want to increase prices any further to "hit the pockets of the general public", he added.
A taxi driver has suffered several head injuries after being attacked by two passengers.
The Bucks Free Press reports that shortly after 1am on Saturday, April 20, a male taxi driver in his 40s picked up two men to drop them off at Sainsbury's n Witan Gate, Milton Keynes.
Before leaving the car, the two offenders started to attack him multiple times as they attempted to steal his phone and money.
The taxi driver managed to escape the vehicle, but was soon caught again by the offenders where they further assaulted him.
Police said the victim sustained several injuries to the head area and was taken to hospital for further treatment, but has since been discharged.
Two 16-year-old boys, both from Milton Keynes, have been arrested on suspicion of robbery.
They have been released on bail until July 19.
A police spokesman said: "We are asking individuals to come forward with any further information on this incident, particularly with digital evidence, for example dash-cam, CCTV or camera footage.
"You can also make a report online or by calling 101, quoting reference number 43240180812.
"If you don’t wish to speak directly to police, you can also call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111."
Source: https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/24279101.taxi-driver-suffers-head-injury-robbery-attack/
Aberdeen International Airport is holding talks with taxi drivers following strikes over proposed changes at the Dyce hub.
One of the proposals includes scrapping the £200 per week barrier fee that taxi drivers are charged to pick-up passengers and replacing it with a departure charge of £7.
Changes to work patterns are also being floated which would scrap the need for drivers to work shifts – something the airport says will “provide more flexibility”.
The airport said it is “committed to implementing changes to improve the service for passengers”.
Earlier this week, some drivers “withdrew from service” in protest at the proposed changes.
However it is understood striking drivers are back on the job, with talks ongoing with airport bosses.
The changes could be controversial for passengers as, if enacted, the £7 departure charge would be passed on to customers if the driver decides to do so.
In January the drop-off fee for airport taxis increased by 150%, with passengers being forced to pay an extra £3 for every journey, increasing from £2 to £5.
At the time, the airport said these changes were brought in to bring the facility’s fleet “in line” with external taxi companies.
Aberdeen International Airport has been running its own taxi service since June 2018. Prior to this, Comcab was it’s operator.
The airport has faced criticism from passengers about the shortage of cabs and the length of time people have had to queue to get one.
Last year, the airport said they were exploring “a number of initiatives” to recruit more drivers.
Regarding the proposed changes, a spokesman for Aberdeen International Airport said: “The recruitment of taxi drivers remains a challenge not just for the airport but city-wide.
“In January, Aberdeen International Airport committed to implementing changes to improve the service for passengers.
“We will continue to work with drivers within our fleet to provide more flexibility.”
A spokeswoman for union Unite – which represents some of the airport’s taxi drivers – added: “Members made Unite aware of the situation, but as talks are ongoing we cannot comment further at this stage.”
Black cab drivers in London are calling for more support from government to help them make the transition to an all-electric fleet, and have teamed up with InstaVolt, the UK’s leading rapid charging network to show how this could be done.
Currently, just under 60% of London’s almost 15,000 strong black cab fleet is made up of zero emission capable, electric taxis.
The LDTA says reducing VAT on public charging to 5% and improving access to rapid chargers through superhubs, like InstaVolt’s, could help accelerate the move to every cab being an EV.
InstaVolt has just launched its largest ultra rapid EV charging superhub in the capital at Syon Park in Brentford. Although it’s built with all EV drivers in mind, InstaVolt says the new 14 charger superhub addresses the lack of rapid chargers in the capital.
To support black cabs drivers’ campaign to have VAT reduced to 5% at public charging points in line with home chargers, InstaVolt is also removing 15% of the cost at its chargers in the capital for a month, as a sign of solidarity.
Situated just 3 miles from the M4, and close to Heathrow Airport, Syon Park is along a main commuter artery, the A316 which runs from the capital to the M3.
Simon Smith, InstaVolt’s Chief Commercial Officer, said: “Cabbies are busy people for whom quite literally time is money and they need ready access to reliable charging solutions so they can get back on the road as quickly as possible, making InstaVolt the perfect partner.
"At Syon Park and across our network, cabbies can benefit from our industry leading 99%+ reliability as well as accessing a whole host of amenities.
“We are also delighted to be supporting the black cab drivers in their fight for lower prices for on-street public charging by self-removing 15% of our charging cost, effectively leaving a 5% element inline with the VAT for home charging.”
Since 2018, all taxis licensed for the first time have had to be zero emission capable and there are calls for the government and TfL to step in to do more to support drivers and reduce VAT on charging points.
Steve McNamara, General Secretary of the LTDA, said: “Well over half of London’s black cabs are now electric but the shortage of rapid public charging points and rising cost of charging remain barriers to wider uptake of electric taxis.
"Reducing the VAT on public charging, bringing it into line with home chargers, would help level the playing field for those drivers unable to charge at home as well as supporting drivers with mounting operating costs.
"We hugely appreciate InstaVolt’s gesture of removing the VAT equivalent themselves to demonstrate the positive impact such a reduction would have.”
Transport campaigner and original Top Gear presenter Quentin Willson, is the founder of FairCharge, which argues VAT needs to be cut on public EV charging.
Quentin said: “FairCharge has campaigned for three years repeatedly asking the Treasury to cut the VAT on public EV charging, and help reduce costs for those electric car drivers who can’t charge at home. Affordability is one of the key levers to mass EV adoption.
"I’m really encouraged to see InstaVolt symbolically reduce their prices, to reflect the difference a VAT cut would make, hopefully this will help HMT appreciate that reducing the tax on electricity for public EV charging is an important lever for increasing EV adoption.”
Supporting the cause is Edmund King OBE, AA president. He said: “It's unfair that black cab drivers, and others without access to off-street parking, should pay four times as much VAT on charging as those fortunate enough to be able to charge at home.
"We are pleased that InstaVolt are supporting the campaign for change.”
Source: https://instavolt.co.uk/black-cabbies-and-instavolt-join-forces-in-vat-fight/
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.