by News Desk | Jul 22, 2016 | London News
Robert Evans, Stanwell and Stanwell Moor’s County Councillor welcomed the opening of a new designated car park for minicabs at Heathrow Airport a couple of weeks ago.
For months, even years, the two villages represented by Labour’s Robert Evans have had an increasing problem of minicabs and Uber drivers, parking at the road side awaiting their passengers.
Private hire drivers, now have a dedicated, on-airport parking facility on the airport’s Northern Perimeter Road.
‘I think this is great news,’ said Robert Evans, ‘as it’s something I started campaigning for, as soon as I was elected to Surrey County Council in 2013. ‘I’m really pleased Heathrow Airport responded to the issue and listened to local people. However, I’m not complacent,’ added Cllr Evans. ‘I’m going to wait and see if this works but I am cautiously optimistic.’
Unfortunately private hire drivers seem unwilling to use the new facilities
Taxi Leaks can reveal that the new Private Hire feeder park at Heathrow has not worked. In fact it has been an expensive flop, minicab and especially Uber drivers, have decided to give the place a wide birth, preferring to park up in residential streets, local park cafes, McDonalds and garages.
The new toilet facilities have not proved to be enough of an attraction as you can still find bottles of urine and plastic bags full of human faeces in residential streets and gardens.
Below is a letter from local resident Clive, with reply from editor, published in the Heathrow Villager local news paper
Sir,
Having just read about the so called success of taking mini cabs off the road. This is not true. We live in Sipson lane, within 800 yds there are 70 to 80 mini cabs parked up to 10 hours a day.
Not only that they park outside our houses, urinating into bottles, pooing into paper bags, sleeping in the back of their cars. This does not sound a success to me.
What do you think sir?
Clive
Clive you are Correct I recently drove down Sipson Lane and on the side where the Cafe is. There must have been at least 60 vehicles on the road and the car park was ram jammed full, hopefully the council will send a traffic warden down there to move them all on.
Ed.
by News Desk | Jul 21, 2016 | London News
Dear Mayor Khan,
I would like to thank you for your reply to my email, dated 19 Jul 2016, but I cannot.
I felt your letter, an insult to my intelligence, was a fob.
You did not answer any of my questions or engage with any of my suggestions.
Did you actually read my email?
In your reply you suggest I may be aware of the introduction of more stringent regulations.
Are any of these regulations new?
Or is TfL finally enforcing those already in place, but never previously policed?
Correct Hire & Reward insurance has always been a requirement. TfL decided not to enforce it.
In fact, Leon Daniels lied to the GLA, that Uber had ‘on/off’ insurance. They did not.
Leon Daniels also lied to the GLA, stating he was in possession of Uber’s landline. The landline he offered Ms Shawcross was Jo Bertram’s personal number.
So these “more stringent regulations” are nothing more than TfL finally doing their job.
Do Uber now comply with all the specifications laid out by TfL, regarding landline and offices?
And taking into account that Uber have sworn on oath, that they do not receive or handle customer bookings in any way, worldwide; do they still comply to your ‘stringent regulations’?
In my email, I proffered three points toward preventing rape and sexual assault in TfL Licensed Minicabs.
- Scrapping onscreen locations.
- Banning blacked out windows.
- A minimum of five years residency.
You acknowledged none of them.
Your reply was like an automated TfL response on Twitter; stating all Private Hire applicants go through an enhanced DBS. “Have a nice day.” “You’re welcome.”
The Licensed London Taxi trade has had enough political sidestepping and untrue truths from your predecessor.
Refugees and asylum seekers are afforded certain exemptions, if the DBS cannot check the applicants’ background.
This is unacceptable. Do you expect someone’s daughter to get into a car with a stranger?
Are our daughters not as important as yours?
You, along with most MPs and the media, refuse to acknowledge the glaring problem this trade is facing from unchecked predators.
I watched you answer the ‘Uber rape’ question. You were quick to qualify yourself by saying one rape is one too many. But went on to say that Uber is (only) 32 of 154.
Surely you understand that the rise in sexual assaults since 2012 is because TfL relaxed their regulations to the point of deregulation, to appease Uber.
That deregulation went across the Private Hire board.
No it is not just Uber drivers who have raped and sexually assaulted women during a twelve month period, but because of their influence over TfL, deregulation has been allowed to happen.
Now we all know that serious crime, such as murder, rape and sexual assault can happen to any profession.
Doctors, teachers, politicians, policemen, TV presenters, even Taxi drivers bring shame to their trade – but not on the scale of Uber.
And Uber’s safety record is hardly enviable, is it?
It seems a Prius is crashing somewhere in London, daily.
I personally cannot remember one single day where I did not witness an imbecile with a roundel doing something dangerous.
Dads Defending Daughters is concerned about safety.
One of our members knows only too well the horror of being the father of a rape victim.
Rape can destroy lives and families.
You know that it is widely recognised that only ten percent of victims come forward.
TfL or police need to legally enter Uber’s premises and view all previous complaints against Uber drivers, and make sure that all have been forwarded on to the correct authorities.
A young woman recently tweeted a complaint to Uber, against a driver for masturbating whilst driving. Did that, and similar complaints ever get reported to the police?
You promote yourself as a family man, who loves his wife and daughters. I do not doubt your sincerity for a second; it’s the most natural thing in the world.
What about my daughters? What about everyone else’s daughters, wives, mothers, sisters, aunts?
What about our sons? Rape is not gender specific.
If you consciously keep Londoners in the dark, then you are culpable; much the same way as the BBC are with Jimmy Savile.
An informed population may make informed decisions.
We are not going away. In fact the less you do to check this rise in rape and sexual assault, the bigger and stronger we become.
If you are going to reply to this email, please do so having read it.
Kind regards,
Leonard H. Etheridge
Dads Defending Daughters.
by News Desk | Jul 20, 2016 | London News
In accordance with the taxi ranks action plan, in August 2015 we published our policy on all ranks and extension areas. This policy set out what points will be taken into consideration when designating a new island rank or extension area. An island rank is a rank located within an all London license area which certain supporting drivers will be permitted to use.
In accordance with this policy, from today, 20 July 2016, we are starting a trial of two new island ranks at:
• Junction Road (Archway station), Islington.
– Rank number 5786
– Times of operation: 19:00-02:00
– Drivers license for Haringey, as well as all London drivers, can use this rank.
• Clapham High Street, Lambeth.
– Rank number 5787
– Times of operation: 19:00 to 07:00
– Drivers license for the clap and extension area, as well as all London drivers, can use is rank.
These new trial island ranks will be in place for a minimum six months period and will be monitored to assist passengers and drivers usage to determine whether they should be designated as island ranks on a permanent basis.
by News Desk | Jul 20, 2016 | London News
Under Mayor Boris Johnson, TfL spent the best part of a billion pounds, putting in ridiculous congestion causing traffic schemes. They are now looking for a slap on the back for putting a bandaid plaster over the gaping wound they’ve inflicted on the population of the capital.
After an increase in fatalities from cyclist who thought it a great idea to undertake lorries turning right, Boris and his whipping boy introduced half a billion pounds worth of segregated cycle lanes. This was hoped to prevent a couple of dozen cyclist deaths. As a result there has been a massive increase to pollution caused by the extra congestion. Preventable premature deaths in London have gone up by over 2,000 from 8,000 to 10,000 per annum and you can
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London’s worst pollution hotspots will get an £11 million funding boost to help bring in tough measures to improve toxic air quality, it was revealed today.
Five “low emissions neighbourhoods” will be set up across eight of the capital’s most polluted boroughs by 2019.
The fund, run by Mayor Sadiq Khan, will support proposals including strict penalties for the most polluting vehicles, car-free days, green taxi ranks for zero-emission-capable cabs and reserved parking for clean vehicles.
At 60k a pop and with associate health risks to the driver, who does Mayor Khan think is going to buy the “Green Taxis”, especially with more and more “Car and Taxi Free Days looming.
As for “Green Taxi ranks“, this cannot be allowed as it is a restriction of trade. Someone who has just bought a TX4 euro 6 has a working life of 15 year. As a licensed Taxi driver, he must be given access to each and every Taxi rank, otherwise he is being discriminated against.
Our representatives must take this up with the Mayor ASAP.
In one breath, Mr Khan said: “Air pollution is permanently affecting children’s lung development and nearly 10,000 Londoners are dying early every year due to the long-term exposure of London’s dirty air.
In another breath the Mayor announced that Oxford Street is to be pedestrianised!!!!
Where does Mayor Khan think this traffic is going to go?
Taxi Leaks recently asked Dame Tanni Grey Thompson to support access to Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road for all wheelchair access vehicles. She refused saying she has no trouble shopping around Westfield in her wheelchair.
So in future, can we expect to see only ex-Para-Olympic athletes shopping in W1 and Fitzrovia?
The outcome of these proposals will see complete chaos and gridlock, causing more congestion, more emissions and with more pollution and most certainly more premature fatalities.
“We need urgent, bold action and this includes targeted local initiatives.” Said the Mayor….Try banning all private vehicles from within the congestion zone….ah but that would put a stop to the money raised from congestion charging!
Better still sack the idiots who come up with these stupid, ill thought out schemes.
Another Consultation For TfL To Disregard?
It follows the launch of public consultation on air quality this month with proposals including a £10 “T-charge” for the most polluting vehicles in central London and the extension of the Ultra Low Emission Zone by 2020.
The five hotspots include Marylebone in Westminster, where plans include an electric vehicle delivery scheme and improving emissions from buildings
A “City fringe” scheme, covering parts of Hackney, Islington and Tower Hamlets, will feature tree planting, a focus on walking and cycling with improved pavements and cycle routes and parking places for clean vehicles.
The Barbican proposal in the City of London includes no-idling zones, green taxi ranks and restricted access to certain streets for all but the cleanest vehicles.
No-idling Zones
This will mean every time you pull up at lights, you will be expected to turn off your ignition.
Two problems here:
1. When lights turn green you now have to wait for the car in front to start up and move off, then you start your engine…result, traffic build up less vehicles get through on green. Causing even more congestion. Engine shake up from starting up, more emissions of airborne micro carbon particles (PM10, PMx), these are dangerous particles, even more so than NO2/CO2 emission. If you’re looking to save on your next vehicle purchase, consider the opportunity to buy
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2. In my Taxi, when I turn off the engine, the driver’s compartment locks deactivate, leaving me at risk to the likes of the thriving scumbags operating in the Marylebone, Islington and Holloway areas.
Not one trade org has bought this problem up with manufactures. No one from TfL or the Mayors office has investigated this proposed breach in our security.
Some one tell me again “Just what is it our trade representatives actually do these days?”
by News Desk | Jul 19, 2016 | London News
New research and investigations from automotive experts HPI and consumer group LicensedTransportUncovered.com (LTU) has revealed that private hire, minicab and chauffeur customers are at risk due to an epidemic of clocking, with hundreds of millions of miles being removed from odometers across the UK every year.
HPI and LTU have teamed up to warn of the dangers that clocked private hire, minicab and chauffeur-driven vehicles pose to the public who may be unwittingly putting themselves at serious risk every time they use one. The illegal practice of clocking revealed by an LTU investigation, takes place when drivers look to cut corners by saving on maintenance costs and deliberately defraud second-hand car buyers, when the vehicle is sold on.
HPI, the UK’s leading authority on vehicle checking services ( check this list), estimates that used car buyers have a one in 20 chance of purchasing a vehicle with a mileage discrepancy, with the practice costing motorists £800 million every year*.
An investigation by (LTU) found hundreds of private hire, minicab and chauffeur-driven vehicles in the north west of England operating with clocked mileage. Post private hire usage, some vehicles went to dealers and were offered for sale at inflated prices.
The investigation found that one driver removed 114,000 miles from his Toyota. A Mercedes-Benz with 180,000 miles off the clock was on sale for £20,250 when it was really only worth £11,150 with its true mileage reading. In the worst case found as part of the investigation, a staggering 460,000 miles had been removed from the odometer of one private hire vehicle.
Chris Hargreaves, of LTU, said: “Clocking within the private hire, minicab and chauffeur industry has reached epidemic proportions and something needs to be done to prevent this unscrupulous practice before a real tragedy happens.
“The 330 clocked cars we found had about 80 million miles removed but that was just in the north west of England. UK-wide it’s safe to say that hundreds of millions of miles must have been wiped out thanks to clocking.”
“It’s truly shocking to discover that reputable leasing companies are giving out lease agreements to the industry based on as little as 10,000 miles per year – 27.3 miles per day! Surely neither the vehicle manufacturers nor the leasing companies have to be in the industry to see the warning signs. In most local authority districts a licensed vehicle has to be doing at least 1,000 miles a week to make any money. So why is any lease deal being done for less than, say, 50,000 miles per year? If any thought was given to these transactions, the ridiculously low mileage lease deals would never be signed up in the first place.”
HPI and LTU believe that as pounds and pence increasingly take precedence over public safety a major clampdown is urgently required.
Barry Shorto, head of industry relations at Cap HPI, said: “Our valuation data conclusively shows the potential cost to dealers and motorists of the clocking problem. With clockers able to add thousands of pounds onto the value of a car, unsuspecting buyers stand to lose out, as do dealers. That’s why we advise retailers and consumers alike to conduct a vehicle history check to spot a mileage discrepancy before they buy.
“It can be almost impossible to tell a clocked vehicle just by looking at it, which makes a vehicle history check an even more vital form of protection for buyers. A clocked vehicle could be hiding serious levels of wear and tear, especially if it has been previously used as a high mileage private hire vehicle for a couple of years, meaning the additional cost of unexpected windshield repair or even a potentially serious safety threat to driver, passengers and other road users. An HPI Check can help protect consumers from buying a vehicle with something to hide, saving them cash and keeping them safe.”
The HPI Check includes a mileage check against the National Mileage Register as standard, now with over 200 million mileage readings. HPI also confirms whether a vehicle is currently recorded as stolen with the police, has outstanding finance against it or has been written off, making it the best way for consumers to protect themselves from fraudsters looking to make a fast profit.
Register (NMR) checks and investigations have grown by over a third in the last five years.
Added Barry Shorto: “Not only should dealers make conducting mileage investigations an integral part of their business process, to protect their reputation and their customers, they need actively to promote the fact to their customers that these checks have been done. Our data confirms that consumers are seeking peace of mind against clocking, yet some dealers are choosing to overlook this. Proof of a mileage check should be a key part of a dealer’s sales strategy, promoting the quality of their stock, as well as highlighting the dangers of clocking for their customers.”
As part of its investigations, HPI found:
- Whilst almost one in three (29%) of used car buyers are believed by dealers still to be unaware of the risks of clocking, more than one in five customers now ask dealers, directly, for proof that they have validated a vehicle’s mileage.
- However, despite growing consumer awareness of the dangers of clocking, only ten per cent of dealers surveyed said they actively declare that they have conducted a mileage check on a vehicle, vitally weakening their sales proposition.
- Over 52 per cent of dealers said that consumers who enter their showrooms do know about clocking, but the level of concern varies significantly.
- 92 per cent of dealers consider clocking a ‘terrible’ blight on the industry and a major risk to its reputation.
Who are HPI and Cap
HPI and cap are two of the most recognised brands in the motor industry. cap is recognised as a leading provider of data and insight to the automotive industry. Its award-winning used car pricing and technical information has been trusted for more than 30 years.
Established in 1938, HPI is a primary source of vehicle information for the UK motor industry and motoring consumer. HPI encompasses both the HPI database of all UK road registered vehicle descriptions and histories, and the National Mileage Register (NMR) which holds in excess of 200 million mileage readings.
*Office for Fair Trading (OFT) figures for 2015
by News Desk | Jul 19, 2016 | UK News
Davey Hope, a cabbie for around 20 years, is believed to have pulled over on the A19 after spotting a car that had crashed into the central reservation
Davey Hope telephoned police before going to see if he could help anyone
Tributes have been paid to a heroic taxi driver who was killed as he tried to help another driver at a crash scene.
Popular Davey Hope died when he was struck by a car on the A19, in Killingworth, near Newcastle, early on Saturday.
The 44-year-old, who had been a taxi driver for around 20 years, is believed to have pulled over after spotting a car that had crashed into the central reservation, at shortly after 1.30am.
He telephoned police before going to see if he could help anyone, but while out of his cab another car collided with him.
A 24-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving in connection with the incident.
As police continue to probe the incident, Davey’s devastated friends and colleagues have spoken of their loss, as they set-up an online funding page to support his heartbroken family.
Andy Thompson, who worked with Davey at Crown Taxis in Burradon, said: “We in the taxi trade are grieving for our loss that pales into insignificance to the hole in their hearts his family are feeling.
A 24-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving
“As a trade, we have started a Go Fund Me page, that we feel could give a great deal of support to his grieving family, to ease the initial financial burden that his grieving family should not need to be under.
“And so we, as a public, can say goodbye to true Samaritan that died and was taken from family and friends whilst being ‘a true gentlemen’.” ‘
Davey lived in Wallsend with his wife and was a devoted stepfather to her children, reports the Newcastle Chronicle.
His wife, who is a desk clerk at Crown Taxis, is understood to have been working when her husband was killed.
She learned of the tragedy when police turned up at the office to deliver the dreadful news.
Davey became well known among fellow taxi drivers and passengers during his long career on the roads of Tyneside.
He moved to Crown after spending a number of years at Blueline Taxis.
His larger than life personality encouraged a number of nicknames.
He would always blast music at the request of younger customers he drove into Newcastle, which prompted a number of passengers to request ‘Disco Dave’ when ringing to book their taxis.
He was also known as Davey ‘Spillage’ Hope in reference to his former career as a decorator, and tendency to spill the odd pot of paint.
Davey was treated at the scene by paramedics following the collision, but nothing could be done to save his life.
According to the Bail Bonds Gazzete news, the arrested man has now been released on police bail.
The driver of the car who collided with Davey stopped at the scene and is helping officers with inquiries. He has not been arrested.
The A19 was closed in both directions between Killingworth Way and Holystone for almost 11 hours while the collision was investigated.
A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: “At 1.41am on Saturday police received a call from a taxi driver who had come across a car that had collided with the central reservation on the A19 near to the Killingworth turn-off.
“The taxi driver had stopped his car at the scene of the collision and got out to see if he could help anyone.
“While out of his car, and trying to help, another car passing the site of the collision collided with him.
“The driver of the car who collided with the man stopped at the scene and is helping officers with inquiries. He has not been arrested.”
However another man, aged 24, has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and is currently in police custody over the same incident.
The arrested man has now been released on police bail
GettyBritish PoliceThe arrested man has now been released on police bail
“We have identified the deceased man, have made contact with his family and are supporting them at this difficult time. Our thoughts are with them.”
The incident has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) as a matter of protocol because Davey spoke to the police in the minutes before his death.
More than £700 has already been donated to the fund set-up for Davey’s family.
The page’s creator wrote: “We are raising money for the family of an amazing bloke Davey Hope who was tragically taken from his beloved family and friends on Saturday morning,
“Davey was loved by all who were lucky enough to have had the pleasure to meet him and leaves behind his wife, son, daughter and his grandchildren – who he doted on.
“Also our thoughts go out to his parents and his brother.
“Davey was very well known in the taxi trade around Newcastle and North Tyneside and we all lost a true friend who lost his life doing what he always did – helping others.”
Local taxi drivers are planning a procession of cabs for Davey’s funeral.
To donate to the fund visit www.gofundme.com/daveyspillagehope
Source: Mirror
by News Desk | Jul 19, 2016 | World News
Traffic police in Cape Town continue to impound cars connected to internet ride sharing service Uber at record rates, despite attempts to legalise the service in the city, learn how to release your impounded car in an easy way.
As you can see this page that the data provided to Fin24 by the City of Cape Town reveals that 302 Uber cars were impounded between January and June 2016 because drivers did not have metered taxi permits. Fin24 further understands that at least another 13 Uber cars have been impounded this month, according to City of Cape Town traffic inspector data.
These figures for 2016 have already overtaken the 255 Uber cars impounded by Cape Town traffic police for the period January to November 2015.
Amid a flurry of car impounds last year, Uber, the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape provincial government moved to get over 200 Uber partner drivers registered with permits. People can check out chevrolet car dealership to get the best cars at reasonable prices.
“Uber has secured a number of operating licences but there has also been an increase in the number of Uber vehicles on the road operating without operating licenses,” Maxine Jordaan, inspector for traffic services at the City of Cape Town, told Fin24.
Uber spokesperson Samantha Allenberg told Fin24 on Friday that all Cape Town driver partners are prompted to apply for metered taxi permits from the Western Cape government. Uber doesn’t employ drivers but rather partners with them to share revenues.
Most of Uber’s estimated 2 000 Cape Town drivers haven’t yet received metered taxi permits and these drivers cannot operate legally until they have the licences on hand, said the city.
City officials told Fin24 that Uber drivers who undergo the application process for these permits receive receipts, but this alone doesn’t given them approval to operate.
The Western Cape’s Transport and Public Works MEC, Donald Grant, in turn has denied claims from metered taxi drivers that his office has failed to properly regulate Uber.
“Operating licences were issued to 210 Uber partners in terms of the National Land Transport Act (NLTA) and in accordance with comments received from the City of Cape Town based on their Integrated Transport Plans,” Grant’s office told Fin24 late on Friday.
“The Provincial Regulatory Entity issued these operating licences with clear conditions, which if not adhered to, could lead to the operating licenses being withdrawn or cancelled. There is therefore no failure to regulate,” said the department.
According to the department it and the City of Cape Town are further investigating reports of illegal Uber operations.
If necessary, a “joint enforcement plan to impound illegally operating vehicles” will be implemented, added the department.
Uber engaging with regulators
On Monday, Uber did not immediately comment on the number of cars impounded in Cape Town.
But last week, the internet service told Fin24 that it has been working with regulators to accommodate its service and it referred questions of legality to the City of Cape Town.
“From our perspective, this has been a long process. It’s been two and a bit years of engaging with the city about making them to understand the benefits that technology brings,” Allenberg told Fin24 on Friday.
“But also understanding that regulation just didn’t fit people that wanted to operate on technology platforms. So, this is about finding a way that we can create a category for these transport operators or finding a way that they can work within the current regulation.
“And we’re very much in that process at the moment. There have been some positive first steps. I think it also speaks to the fact that this hasn’t been an overnight thing. This has been a long discussion and engagement, and there has been some positive movement,” said Allenberg.
Earlier this year, Cabinet approved the National Land Transport Amendment Bill which regards Uber operators as metered taxi operators.
Uber, at the time, welcomed the move.
Growing conflict
In the meantime, tensions between the local metered taxi industry and Uber have started to boil over this year in South Africa amid growing calls of unfair competition.
In May, three metro police officials were injured after metered taxi drivers stoned two Uber cars and two metro police vehicles outside the Sandton Gautrain station in Johannesburg.
READ: Uber, metro police cars stoned in violent attack
The Sandton attack came just days after a group of metered taxi drivers chased Gauteng Transport MEC Ismail Vadi after he announced the licensing of Uber partner-drivers.
Uber cars were stoned outside the Sandton Gautrain station earlier this year. (Image: Mark Hansen)
And just last week, around 200 metered taxi drivers in Cape Town marched to the Western Cape Transport and Public Works Department offices to demand answers on Uber.
The metered taxi drivers said that MEC Grant had failed to answer their queries on why most Uber partner drivers continue to operate in Cape Town despite not having the right paperwork.
After Grant didn’t address the drivers, violence ensued as one Uber car had its windows smashed. Police also arrested 15 metered taxi drivers for forming an illegal gathering. For car services, people can check out or see this website.
“Uber is allowing them (partner drivers) to be registered on that platform without any permits,” David Drummond, the spokesperson for disgruntled Cape Town meter taxi drivers, told Fin24.
“There’s probably been about almost 600 impounds in the last year.
“Surely the government must turn around and say we can’t just keep taking your drivers off the road. You guys (Uber) are violating the law of the country…yet nothing is done about it,” said Drummond.
Global pressure
It’s not just South Africa where Uber has had regulation headaches.
Uber announced last week that it planned to suspend its services in Hungary from July 24 amid a government decision in that country to block access to the app.
Last month, France’s Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve called for a nationwide legal clampdown on its fare splitting service UberPOP.
And in Germany late last year, Uber retreated from the likes of Hamburg and Frankfurt to the cities of Berlin and Munich as it grappled with a ban from using unlicensed cab drivers.
Source: Business Tech
by News Desk | Jul 19, 2016 | London News
A hairdresser was left needing stitches after allegedly being “dragged down the road” by an angry Uber driver.
Sabrina Benltaief claims she woke up in hospital after the man drove off while she was leaning into his car, leaving her unconscious in the street.
After previously being dropped off by the same driver, Ms Benltaief realised she had left her phone in the passenger seat after leaving it to charge.
But after the driver returned an hour later to return it, Ms Benltaief said he started demanding money in return for the phone.
She put her head through the window on the passenger side of the car to pay the driver and he started driving off with her still leaning into the vehicle, she claims.
The 20-year-old told the Standard: “I went to the window and said thanks for doing that and I appreciated it but then he started looking at me funny.
Sabrina said the driver became aggressive and started demanding money (Sabrina Benltaief)
“He said he’d call the police and started shouting that he wanted £20.
“So I got out my bag and he started driving really quickly. Then I fell out and hit my head.
Stitches: The wound was too deep to be glued (Sabrina Benltaief)
“I can’t remember much after being dragged down the road by him.”
Ms Benltaief, from Bromley, said she needed stitches on her head after the incident and has been left with chronic neck pain.
She claimed the incident, which took place outside the Ministry of Sound in Elephant and Castle, has left her frightened to use Uber ever again.
Ms Benltaief said: “I feel disgusted. I get Ubers every single weekend and I don’t know if he feels bad or anything.
“He just left me unconscious on the road. I was lucky I was with my friends.”
Sabrina has also suffered damage to her shoulders (Sabrina Benltaief)
An Uber spokeswoman said the driver in question has been suspended from using the app while the incident is investigated.
She added: “This behaviour is unacceptable for any licensed driver who partners with Uber.
“When we are informed of serious incidents like this, it is our policy to immediately block the driver from using the app while we investigate exactly what happened.
“Safety of both riders and drivers who use the app is our priority and we always work with the police to support any investigation.”
A Met Police spokesman confirmed the incident had been logged as a road traffic collision but there will be no further action taken against either party at this stage.
Source: Evening Standard
by News Desk | Jul 19, 2016 | London News
Credit Card Package – further to the changes by TfL on the mandatory credit card mandate which come into effect in October, cab:app has a fully approved solution which includes a contactless chip & pin device, a fixed bracket for the passenger compartment and a printer. This is now available to buy as a bundle or individually as follows (prices below exclude VAT and postage):
- M10 contactless chip & pin device – £79
- Fixed bracket for passenger compartment – £50
- Micronics Star Printer SM L200 – £170
- Bundle of chip & pin, bracket and printer – £295
As a reminder, the cab:app solution accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, contactless and Apple Pay. Processing fees for drivers are 2.7%, payment to your bank account is next day Monday to Friday. In addition, drivers also benefit from cashback, which is 10% of the net profit cab:app makes on each card transaction with the option to accept in cash or convert to shares in cab:app. We will also be updating the device software (remotely) in the next 2-3 weeks with a tip feature so passengers can add a tip at the end of the journey when paying by card.
The fixed bracket has already been approved for the TX vehicle and we’ve just had news that TfL have approved the same bracket for the Vito, so we will update you on this shortly together with the list of garages and their fitting costs.
Credit Card Rental Scheme – a number of drivers across the UK and Ireland have requested a rental option for the contactless chip & pin device rather than purchasing outright. We are pleased to announce that we have reached an agreement with our suppliers to provide a free device as part of a rental service that will cost £2 a week (£8 a month) with no tie in or contract.
Please note that this is for the device only, so London drivers will still need to purchase the fixed bracket and printer to comply with the new TfL regulations.
As there is a new Mayor and head of TfL, we have taken the opportunity once again to challenge the need for a mandatory fixed bracket and printer as we believe this to be an unnecessary cost and should be at the driver’s discretion. We await a response so we have been recommending that drivers wait a little longer before purchasing the bracket and printer just in case!
You can purchase the cab:app contactless device directly from the app. If you are interested in purchasing the bracket, the printer or would prefer the rental service then please email us with your name and address at ‘support@cabapp.net’
Thank you to everyone in advance for your support and patience, as the long term success of cab:app will ultimately be determined by drivers.
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by News Desk | Jul 18, 2016 | London News, UK News
In a Toronto court case, Uber have openly admitted (under oath) that worldwide, they do not receive or handle customer bookings in any way.
They said they simply put the customer in contact with the driver, and then it is the driver who accepts the booking IN CAR.
This actually means that Uber do not operate within the terms of their TfL operators licence. In fact it is the drivers who are acting as operators outside the conditions of their Private Hire drivers licence. Therefore every journey accepted by Uber’s drivers past and present could and should be deemed to be undertaken illegally.
TfLTPH already know this but are too frightened to take action against this alleged multibillion dollar corporation which up to now has been protected by Government ministers such as chancellor Osborne who was leaning on the previous Mayor Boris Johnson to give Uber an easy ride.
An operator found guilty or aiding and abetting the driving passengers for hire and reward whilst without insurance will have his operators’ licence revoked immediately and prevented from holding a licence for three years.
Surely this should be an open and shut case, TfL Operator License terms clearly state that a Private Hire Booking can only be accepted by a licensed operator at their registered operating centre.
A driver can hold an operators license but a moving vehicle cannot be considered as a registered operating centre.
Uber are clearly misleading everyone and acting outside of the terms of their operators license.
So both Uber are breaking the terms of their license and every Uber driver is also breaking the terms of their drivers license by accepting a booking that has not been given to them by an licensed operator.
Here is the summary of Judge Sean F Dunphy in the Ontario Court of State Justice in 2015 which can be located here https://www.canlii.org/en/on/onsc/doc/2015/2015onsc3572/2015onsc3572.pdf
It was very clear that a P2P service such as Uber do not actually accept the booking, but the driver does.
Lee Ward Chairman of Alpha states
“This has been proven quite easily by myself and a friend who is an Uber driver. We drove to the outskirts of Sheffield to ensure that no other Uber driver was close by and I requested a trip from the Uber App, which I could not make because no Uber cars were available and therefore Uber could not and did not accept my booking.
I then asked my friend to log into his Uber drivers App and make himself available for work, which he did. Sure enough I could now link myself to a driver on the Uber circuit, so I therefore requested a journey, but, I asked my friend to not accept the booking. Because he did not accept the booking the Uber App then told me to try again later, which is quite obvious that the booking was never accepted in the first place by Uber even though a driver and vehicle was in the area.
Again, this simply proves that what Judge Dunphy identified that it is the driver who accepts the booking and not Uber or any of its servers, companies registered under its umbrella or an employee of Uber that accepts the booking as an operator of private hire vehicles is by law required to do. The driver quite clearly accepts the booking and Uber then link the P2P request of the customer with the driver. Even if the driver accepts the booking and then chooses to decline the booking, the customer is then still without a booking being accepted because they have to try and get another driver to accept the booking by repeating the process.
This then means that every driver who accepts a booking by a user of the Uber App is actually plying for hire!
Another scenario that would support this action is that if a friend of mine has an operators license and puts his phone on divert to my mobile so that I can take calls and then cover the work I would also, as a driver, be accepting the work and not him himself who is a licensed operator”.
Mayor Sadiq Khan pledged that he would crack down on Private Hire companies and drivers who broke the law, so now lets see some action, Uber have basically handed it to you on a plate and openly admitted that they are breaking the law and the terms of their operators license, so come on Mr Khan, now is your opportunity to prove you are a man of substance.
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