Uber driver who called woman a black c*** and punched her in the face walks free

by News Desk | Oct 18, 2016 | London News

An Uber driver who punched a woman in the face and called her a black c*** during a row over drop-offs walked free from court today.

Taleka White, 27, was dragged out of a minicab and hit twice across the face after her driver, Shahab Akbar, 33, flew into a rage in Addiscombe, south London.

Her face smashed into the ground after she was sent flying by the second blow, Croydon magistrates’ court heard.

Akbar, who had been an Uber driver for just under two years on the night of the incident on November 29 last year, was handed a 16 week suspended prison sentence and a community order at a hearing today.

He was found guilty of one count of racially aggravated common assault after a trial at the same court on September 23.

Guilty: Shahab Akbar

Non-emergency paramedic Ms White, who has a four-year-old son, was left terrified and injured after the attack, with a lump on her head, bruising to her face and a bloodied wrist and knuckles.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, Ms White said: “This has been a nightmare part of my life and has left me broken in a way and I never thought that was possible.”

Prosecutor Angela Mahadeo told the court the two women had taken a lift using the Uber minicab app after a night out in Croydon town centre on Saturday November 29.

Injuries: Her reddened hand (Taleka White)

She said Akbar grew angry when he became confused over where to drop her friend. He then began to insult Ms White and called her a black c**** as she continued the journey alone, she said.

Ms Mahadeo told the court that when he arrived at her mother’s house he got out of the minicab and opened the passenger door.

“He grabbed Ms White by the arm and started to pull her out of the vehicle,” Ms Mahadeo said.

“Whilst he was doing that he spilled her can of coke. She said ‘what the f*** have you done that for’?

“He then punched Ms White in the face. He punched her in the face again which pushed her down onto the floor.

Ms White was left with a bruised face after the attack

“She recalls seeing the minicab speeding away. Her mother opened the door and saw her outside bleeding.”

Akbar, who is married to a teacher, had his private hire vehicle licence revoked after the incident and no longer drives for Uber.

He maintains that he is innocent.

Mitigating, Ernest Aduwa told the court it was an “isolated incident” and that Akbar, of Lampits, Hertfordshire, was of a man of good character with no previous convictions.

“Whilst he doesn’t accept that he committed the offence. He does accept that the behaviour alleged is unacceptable,” Mr Aduwa said.

“He would like me to tell the court that this whole experience has been embarrassing for him and has been quite traumatic and left him feeling ashamed.”

Sentencing District Judge Roscoe said: “The court found you guilty of pulling her out of the car, punching her twice in the face and calling her a black c***.

“There is no excuse for that whatsoever. You have shown limited remorse.”

He added: “Your conduct on this night will have a lasting effect on Ms White.

“The injuries may heal but she has been left with an apprehension and a worry and fear that things might happen if she takes a minicab again, which will live with her for much longer.”

Akbar was sentenced to a 16 week prison sentence suspended for two years and a 200 hour community order.

He was ordered to pay £500 in compensation to the victim, an £150 victim surcharge and £600 in costs.

Source: Evening Standard

A Giant Vote Of No Confidence In TfL’s Current Administration.

by News Desk | Oct 18, 2016 | London News

A stark difference surrounded yesterday’s demo. The protest manifested purely from driver momentum.

The words on everyone’s lips:

“Should TfL choose to ignore this action, it will be at their own peril”.

The message….was a giant vote of no confidence in the current TfL administration.

Police estimated well over 5,000 taxis assembled at two separate pre-planed objectives, causing gridlock outside Palestra, plus a second front at Tenison Way, Waterloo.

The signal given the protest began, with reports most of the city had been paralysed as traffic heading south over Blackfriars and Waterloo bridges became gridlocked.

The disruption saw TfL desperately trying to diverted the buses, but there was nowhere for them to go, as SE1 ground to a halt. With segregated cycle lanes and the multitude of road works, lockdown is now simply achievable.

Most of the time, the demo had a lighthearted atmosphere with police officers to a man, saying they supported our stance. Leaflets were given out to passers-by, many of whom were actively deleting the Uber App.

Just before 6pm, on a given signal from the organisers, attention suddenly switched to Parliament square, completely catching the traffic police off guard.  By 7pm all approach roads into the square were solid, buses caught in the chaos emptied, as passengers made an exodus towards the tubes.

TfL’s director of surface operations Peter Blake told the Evening Standard, ” there is no need for this protest, we urged the organisers to call it off. The mayor has recently launched a comprehensive Taxi and Private Hire action plan that is aimed at driving up standards and improving services”.

Is this man for real?

If TfL are worried about safety, why are they refusing to publish the minicab related sexual assault/rape statistics recorded across the 32 London boroughs for the year Feb 2015-Feb2016 ?

So far, we’ve only been given the stats recorded over 6 selected boroughs.

Why are TfL slowly dismantling the Private Hire Act 1998 in favour of a company that has circumvented regulation and legislation to suit it’s self at every opportunity.

Instead of enforcing existing regulation, TfL are now openly revising regulation to protect this company.

Over the last few months, there has been a mounting of evidence showing collusion from TfL’s top level of management. It’s time the government got involved and held a public inquiry into the alleged corruption and open bias from TfL.

   

Yesterday protests saw a new era in style of demonstrations, no egos, no recruitment drive, just driver lead momentum.

The Independent Taxi Alliance (ITA) organisers have today made it clear that should TfL continue to ignore the Licensed Taxi Trades grievances, then this type of action will be escalated and could eventually become a daily event.

Are The CC Machine Suppliers Using TfL’s Authorisation To Rip Us Off?

by News Desk | Oct 18, 2016 | London News

Drivers who are still in a daze about them being forced to fit card readers into Taxis without any statutory UK legal duties yet still find themselves pressured

doing so under TFL duress no choice or consideration regarding intellectual study surrounding what is truly beneficial to a singular Taxi driver & his own personal life situations or business.

The passenger has clearly been given all the perceived advantages regardless of the law of the country contradicting any supply of goods or services in fair & balanced reasoning. TFL have simply no idea how we operate in terms of conditions hours or risk & have simply lumped us all as one business model…this is simply without doubt pure discrimination because there are so many different factors in the carriage of passengers or goods how can TFL make any fair assumption of our service with a one tier solution?

If for example You are a nervous driver who has experienced several serious issues of bilking over the years (the police call it a civil matter…remember that) & you now decide you are no longer going to accept street hirings because of the losses and safety so you opt for a radio or App base who supply entirely account work (which you are perfectly entitled to do) you will not need any card readers in your vehicle (I know several drivers who do exactly that)…… yet on the rear of the “Positioning of Signage” letters we all received from TFL states on exemptions “no such exemptions will be granted” & this has still been taken into account despite all the raised safety concerns surrounding TFL’s isolated fixing demands, that is very worrying indeed as it abandons you just as the police do with bilking.

All of Londons Taxi business competitors without exception are notably are forced to accept card payments until they receive advance credential authorisation, and the same applies to the entire TFL transportation network as you simply cannot pay a fare in arrears (and will be fined if you are caught doing so)

If anybody in London… Britain..or the Planet does not consider this discriminatory against London Taxi Drivers then they can only be employees of the Undemocratic dictatorship of Transport For London Taxi section, as Private hire are not affected.

I discovered late last week Paypal are now on the list for Metrocab drivers and all will be revealed on Monday, But on closer product inspection ….particularly equipment pricing things are starting to look quite uncomfortable in a cartel sense and the pricing issues that are surfacing are not making sense?

Firstly, A singular Contactless Paypal reader can be now bought for a reduced price of £39.99 (£47.99 incl vat) and a Suitably good quality Bluetooth android printer for between £35-£50 incl Vat worse ways £100 incl for the pair, …so that currently leaves the £298.80 paypal “bundle” costing amost whopping £200 more for supplying 2 fitting brackets and they still have to be fixed at a cost of £70 plus vat or more if you have a Metro or Vito,
note, Izettle also use the same Muira M010 equipment as paypal and theirs is even dearer at £358.80 incl vat.

No matter how you look at this issue…it is a rip off, and the word “TFL approval” jacks the costs up, so buy you fixings separately, and as the tfl ultimate plan is to make all readers joined up with your meters why pay over the odds for equipment?

I am certain there will eventually be legal light shone on this whole enforced TFL card reading agenda which will result on final driver choice being made on appropriate needs driven by individual choices of safety and personal business need and other derivatives and not the simply dictatorial agenderist opinions of TFL employees who as we are currently seeing are making calamitous errors of judgements all over our trade without any self consequences of incompetent penalty.

Be out in force Monday to demonstrate outside the cockroach nest otherwise known as TFL, as enough is enough.

Be Lucky

greenbadgejohn (on twitter)

London traffic means buses are ‘slower than a horse and cart’

by News Desk | Oct 18, 2016 | London News

Londoners waste more than 100 hours sat in traffic every year, according to a new study.

The capital has been named as the worst area in the UK for congestion, with drivers spending more than 12 working days sitting in stationary traffic last year.

In a study for the Sunday Times, traffic information company Inrix also revealed that congestion has increased by 40 per cent in London in the last four years.

Figures from TfL added that some central London buses were travelling at an average of 3.8mph, which is slower than a horse and cart.

A five mile journey in the congestion charge zone last year took 25 minutes, which is almost five minutes longer than in 2012.

The average speed of any vehicle travelling through central London last year was 8.3mph, down half a mph from 8.8mph in 2002, the year before the introduction of the congestion charge.

Inrix chief economist Graham Cookson told the Sunday Times that congestion in London has grown more in the last four years than the company believed it would grow in the 17 years between 2013 and 2030.

The gridlock has been blamed on the rise of internet shopping being delivered by white vans, segregated cycle lanes and an increase in the number of mini-cabs.

Data from Inrix, taken from 18 urban areas in the UK over four years, showed that building thecycle superhighway at Elephant and Castle had caused average speeds on nearby roads to slow by more than two mph.

Garrett Emmerson, TfL’s Chief Operating Officer for Surface Transport, said: “There are a number of factors behind the levels of congestion. London’s success means that we are seeing rising levels of construction traffic, private hire vehicles and internet deliveries, alongside the essential work to improve the safety of our roads.

“We are making the most efficient use of our limited space by encouraging walking, cycling, public transport and essential traffic, and will continue to do this to ensure our roads benefit all Londoners.”

Source: Evening Standard