by News Desk | Jul 20, 2014 | World News
Seven Virginia taxi cab and limousine companies filed a civil lawsuit Friday against ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft, the latest move in a fight between the startups and traditional car-hire services.
The civil lawsuit argues that Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc., whose customers use smartphone applications to request a ride and pay for it, are operating in Virginia without having obtained the required licenses and permits.
Most of the plaintiffs are based in Northern Virginia, though Stafford Limousine Inc., which does business as Love Limousine, is based in Richmond and operates in central and Northern Virginia. The suit was filed in Fairfax Circuit Court. If you want help with your business claims, then you can hire attorneys from Pacitti Law Firm to make your legal work easier.
Uber and Lyft have drawn fierce opposition from taxi drivers in cities around the world. The companies operate in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads but do not currently have drivers in Richmond.
“While we can’t comment on active litigation … Uber will vigorously defend the rights of riders to enjoy competition and choice, and for drivers to build their own small business,” Taylor Bennett, spokesman for Uber, said Friday.
Bennett said Uber continues to provide residents and visitors with safe and reliable rides as it continues to work with city and state officials to develop a sensible regulatory framework.
Chelsea Wilson, spokeswoman for Lyft, said the lawsuit is without merit. “We look forward to resolving it quickly and effectively.”
She said Lyft is working with the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles and state leaders “to come to a solution that preserves a future for ridesharing in the state of Virginia.”
On June 6, the DMV ordered Uber and Lyft to stop operating in Virginia in violation of state law and said unauthorized drivers could face penalties.
The order came after talks with the San Francisco-based companies broke down. However, those talks with state agencies and authorities have resumed.
“After those cease-and-desist letters went out, I knew there had to be a better way to resolve this issue,” said Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring.
“I’m glad we were able to get folks back to the table, and I appreciate the work my transportation team has done along with the DMV, the McAuliffe administration and the companies to try to give consumers more transportation options that are safe and appropriately regulated.”
As a result of the resumed talks, Uber and Lyft have filed applications for brokers’ licenses and requests for temporary operating authority with the Department of Motor Vehicles.
The DMV is reviewing the applications and requests. However, no timetable has been set for a decision, Sunni Brown, an agency spokeswoman, said Friday.
“The administration, Office of the Attorney General and DMV are encouraged that these companies are taking these first steps to operate in accordance with the law,” she said.
Brown said Uber submitted more than 200 pages of documentation in its request for temporary authority, providing information to support its position that it meets the threshold.
As defined by law, temporary authority requires that there be an immediate and urgent need for the service and that no other authorized carrier be available to provide the proposed service.
“In light of these developments, DMV is revisiting the temporary authority question and seeking guidance from the OAG and the administration,” Brown said.
A broker is defined as a person or a company that sells, provides, furnishes contracts or arranges for passenger carrier transportation.
“Any business or person providing for-hire passenger transportation in Virginia is required to be licensed with the state, but it would be fair to say that our goal from the beginning has been compliance,” Brown said.
by News Desk | Jul 17, 2014 | UK News
ILLEGAL parking by renegade taxi drivers outside Nottingham railway station is being targeted in a clampdown.
The city council is accusing cabbies of “flouting” the double yellow line restrictions in Carrington Street and making the road dangerous.
It has vowed to catch offenders and bring an end to the “unofficial taxi rank”.
The council said it is stepping up patrols by Community Protection Officers and using CCTV to catch offenders and issue them with £70 fines.
The blitz has been welcomed by commuters.
Steven Parr, 54, from Wilford, travels to London to work and has seen the taxis on the double yellow lines. He said: “There have been times when buses can’t get through and it’s a busy road. Rules are rules and they shouldn’t be allowed to get away with it.”
Student Sarah Peace, 20, of West Bridgford, added: “I can’t see why they are parking there. There’s a massive taxi rank at the side of the station anyway.”
An official taxi rank runs along Station Street for cabbies wishing to pick up fares from Nottingham Station.
This will be extended further along the street – to take up around three-quarters of the length of the road – when work to shut the junction with Carrington Street is finished.
But the council has said there is a cat-and-mouse game going on with taxi drivers who continue to use Carrington Street illegally when patrols aren’t taking place – particularly when trains from London arrive in the city.
It is understood that lookouts alert taxi drivers when a Community Protection Officer is in the area.
When the Post visited Carrington Street at 4.30pm, there was a CPO in the station and taxis were using the official rank on Station Street.
He told the Post: “They won’t come here while I’m standing here, but they’ll come back after I finish and they’ll be lined up on both sides of the street.”
When the Post revisited at 8.30pm, six taxis were queuing along Carrington Street.
Jamil Ahmed, chairman of the Nottingham Licensed Taxi Owners & Drivers Association, said he welcomed the action.
He added: “I hope the city council takes action to ensure it’s a level playing field for all. Some taxis unfortunately take advantage when there is a weakness in the system.
“These taxis are undermining the main taxi rank and action should be taken.”
Jane Urquhart, portfolio holder for planning and transport at the city council, said: “The restriction on Carrington Street allows for passengers briefly alighting from or getting into vehicles, but not for long-term parking or creating an unofficial taxi rank.
“It is enforced by camera, as well as by CPOs if we become aware that the restrictions are being seriously flouted.
“There is no reason for taxis to park at the front of the station, flouting restrictions and creating problems for traffic on what is a busy bus route in and out of the city.”
Source: Nottingham Post
by News Desk | Jul 17, 2014 | UK News
SCORES of taxi drivers from other parts of the country are exploiting a loophole in the law by coming to Bristol looking for work, it has emerged.
At least 100 hackney cab drivers from as far afield as Sheffield and Cornwall are taking advantage of the legal anomaly to ply their trade in the city.
Old-fashioned black cabs from other parts of the country can operate in Bristol legally, but only as private hire cars.
They are not licensed or insured to pick up passengers in the street, unless they’ve been pre-booked.
Cab drivers based in the city have to pass a local geography test which examines their knowledge of the city and the rules surrounding MOT tests are also much tougher.
But black cab drivers from outside Bristol are allowed to come to the city and work as private hire cars, which means they are not supposed to stop and pick up passengers in the street.
Under the law, private cars can only be booked and drivers who don’t stay within the rules are not insured. At the moment all Hackney carriages in Bristol have to be blue, so people know they are safe and are also covered by the law.
But some Bristol-based drivers are worried the “Bristol blue” brand is being devalued, because the private hire vehicles, which are not as strictly regulated by the council, are breaking the regulations.
According to cabbies in Bristol some of the drivers from other parts of the UK are even painting their vehicles Bristol blue, so members of the public do not realise they are getting into an uninsured vehicle.
Bob Savery, 63, a taxi driver based at Temple Meads, said: “This is a matter of public safety and we are very concerned that someone will get hurt.
“People get taxi or private hire licences from councils miles away from Bristol, to avoid paying a high insurance and plate fee and avoid taking the geography test.
“They get a taxi licence there, but come all the way over here to pick people up – because Bristol is easy pickings.
“In North Devon for instance, it’s dead in the winter for drivers. But there is always work in Bristol. But Bristol City Council has not necessarily approved these drivers or their cars to work as taxis.
“If people get in them they might not be covered by insurance, and if an accident happens, or someone gets hurt, people will be so angry that nothing was done about this.”
Tim Lloyd, 53, also a taxi driver in Bristol City Centre, said a lot of the drivers he knew were concerned.
He said: “There are dozens doing it. We are not saying all private hire cabs are dangerous, but the public needs to be better educated, and needs to know the risks.
“All taxi drivers I know in Bristol are worried about what could happen.”
A spokesperson for Bristol City Council said: “The practice of out-of-town vehicles operating in major cities is a national issue, as highlighted in a recent Law Commission report concerning taxi and private hire services.
“This recognised that some taxi drivers are exploiting licensing authorities known to have lower standards than the area they are intending to operate in. Unfortunately, while this is undesirable, the practice is a lawful one. There is a draft Deregulation Bill currently before parliament which, if passed, would remove this incentive by introducing national minimum standards so that all licensing authorities are operating with common minimum standards.”
Source: The Bristol Post
by News Desk | Jul 14, 2014 | UK News
Source: MailOnline
It cruised through London traffic on Monday morning as the city recovers from a recent spate of tube strikes – but this particular taxi wasn’t searching for potential fares.
Indeed, the cab in question appeared to be driven by Gary Barlow’s wife Dawn – and she looked at ease behind the wheel as she pulled out of a quiet residential street.
The vehicle – a distinctive black taxi commonly driven by licenced drivers in and around the capital – is thought to have been gifted Dawn by her husband.
Taxi for Barlow! Gary Barlow’s wife Dawn drives a black cab in London on Monday
While unconventional, the cab – available to purchase from around £25,000 – could potentially serve an ideal purpose in ferrying children Daniel, 13, Emily, 11, and 3-year-old Daisy around the city.
On Monday, Dawn appeared to be driving solo, the amber taxi insignia visible just above the windscreen.
MailOnline have contacted Gary’s representatives for further comment on the reported purchase.
Here she comes: Dawn is at ease behind the wheel of her black cab, thought to be a gift from Take That star Gary
I’ll drive: Dawn takes to the road in her conventional black cab
Cruise control: The car eases into Monday morning traffic
The rumoured move echoes a similar purchase by supermodel Kate Moss, who privately owns her very own novelty cab.
Away from the road Take That frontman Gary is toasting the success of recent debut album Since I Saw You Last.
The long player, a potential gamble given the mixed reception afforded previous solo efforts, climbed to number two on the UK album chart following its release last November.
Folk infused lead single Let Me Go reached number two on the singles chart, and the singer will be hoping for similar success with the album’s second release, Face To Face – a duet with Sir Elton John.
Speaking of his collaboration with Gary, Sir Elton said: ‘It really was a fun day and I loved working with Gary.’
The track was released on January 20 via digital download.
Happy couple: Gary and Dawn married in 2000
Behind the wheel: Supermodel Kate Moss has also been pictured driving around in her black cab
Looking good: The star may have inspired a brand new trend
by News Desk | Jul 14, 2014 | London News
IT WAS on the 7th December 1681 that King Charles II issued a Royal Warrant for the foundation of a hospital for the soldiers who had become infirm and old in the service of the Crown.
In 1682 work started on the 66 acre site, which had been purchased by the King, the architect responsible was Sir Christopher Wren and it was modelled on Louis XIV’s Hotel De Invalides in Paris and it would be another ten years before it was completed.
Following the death of King Charles II in 1685 his brother King James II carried on with the development of the hospital; he was also responsible for the scarlet coat which is still worn to this day as the uniform of the Chelsea in Pensioners.
In 1692 in the reign of William and Mary the hospital received the first in- pensioners. At the present time there are 286 in-pensioners at the Royal Hospital, the oldest in-pensioner 102 and the average age is 82 and 6 months,
104 pensioners fought in the Second World the in-pensioners include surv- ivors of the many campaigns that took place between the Two World Wars and after 1945. The Statue of King Charles II, which was originally in Whitehall Palace, was moved to Founders Court in the grounds of The Royal Hospital following the death of Charles II.
This statue which depicts the King as a Roman was gilded in Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Year.
THE FOUNDERS DAY PARADE
On 5th June 2014, due to our involvement with the Royal Hospital, Committee members of The London Taxi Benevolent Association for War Disabled were invited to The Founders Day Parade. This Parade is to remember the Founder King Charles II who after the battle of Worcester in 1651 took refuge in an oak tree to escape his pursuers, the Statue on this day is
decorated in oak leaves.
At 10:30am The Band of the
Grenadier Guards under the Director of Music Major K. Davies LRSM ALCM commenced playing and at 10:45am the in-pensioners under the command of the Adjutant Colonel S.C.Bate RRC paraded on Figure Court, those that were able to march formed four Guards and the rest of the pensioners occupied seats around the parade ground.
At 11:00am His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent entered the parade ground with the Governor Sir Redmond Watt KCB, KCVO,CBE,DL and Lieut- enant Governor Major General A.P.N. Currie CB, The Secretary and Mayor of Kensington and Chelsea were received with a fanfare by The Fanfare Trumpet- ers of The Band of The Coldstream Guards under the Director of Music Major D. Wolfendale BA (Mus) LRSM. ALCM.
His Royal Highness then inspected the parade which was followed by the march past with the band playing
The Boys of the Old Brigade and the assembled gathering of 600 guests clapping in time to the music.
His Royal Highness then addressed the parade and the Governor replied telling the guests that the pensioners engage in various outings throughout the year and recently twenty of them being part of a visit to Holland which was in London Taxis organised by The London Taxi Benevolent Association for War Disabled and thanked the charity for this. He then called for three cheers for the Founder King Charles II, then three cheers for Her Majesty The Queen, and finally three cheers for His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent, which was followed by a long fanfare and the National Anthem. A short fanfare was then sounded and a piper Major (Retd) L.M.Ingram led His Royal Highness through the parade to the Octagon, thus ended a very enjoyable day.
Visit www.taxicharity.org for more information.
Derek Leone, PRO
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