National Taxi Association

A private hire driver has denied causing a teenage girl’s death by careless driving.

Kirsty Louise Fennon, 18, lost her life when she was hit by a private hire car on the A1085 Coast Road between Redcar and Marske.

The popular student, of York Road, Redcar, was killed while walking along the road following a night out.

A 46-year-old East Cleveland man has been charged in connection with her death.

Craig Williamson made a brief appearance before Teesside Magistrates’ Court yesterday .

Williamson, of Byland Road, Skelton, is accused of causing death by careless driving.

Members of Kirsty’s family were in court when the driver pleaded not guilty to the charge.

It is alleged that Williamson was exceeding the 40mph speed limit at the time of the accident.

It happened at 4.50am on Good Friday on a 40mph stretch towards the Marske end of the Coast Road.

It is said Kirsty was struck by a Skoda Octavia private hire car driven by Williamson.

The teenager was walking along the Coast Road towards Marske when the tragedy happened.

Unfortunately Kirsty’s injuries were not survivable and she died at the scene.

At the time devastated parents Peter and Allison Fennon paid tribute to their “amazing” daughter, who would have turned 19 a month after her death.

They said: “It’s apparent that in her short life she has touched many people’s hearts.

“Kirsty was the most loyal friend that anyone could have wished for and she will be sadly missed by everyone.”

Tribute pages were also set up on the internet in memory of the teenager.

source: http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/

A new smartphone app launched in Sydney that allows customers to book private hire cars instead of taxis may be illegal according to the New South Wales government.

Uber and Dash, two new apps that have soft-launched in Sydney, connects customers to private hire car drivers who can then book their services on demand. Unlike popular taxi booking apps like GoCatch, Ingogo, Taxi Pro and myTaxi, Uber and Dash allow customers to connect to private hire car drivers instead of licensed taxi hires.

Private hire vehicles differ from licensed taxis in that they need to be pre-booked and do not allow pick-ups from the street. According to the Passenger Transport Act, it is also required that the fare be agreed in the booking process for private hire vehicles. However, Uber and Dash are alleged to be operating in a legal grey area as cars linked to these apps can be booked minutes in advance of the pick-up and do not adhere to an agreed fare during the booking process. While Uber and Dash list standard fares on their app site ($8 base far with an additional $3.25 per kilometre for speeds over 18 km/hr and $1.25 for speeds below 18 km/hr), the prices aboard these private hire vehicles vary based on distance travelled, speed and time in reality.

A Transport for New South Wales spokesman said: “The use of any technology to work out fares based on speed or time by a hire car driver operator is an offence. Should a complaint be lodged against a driver or operator about the use of the equipment, Roads and Maritime Services has powers to investigate and prosecute drivers and operators for using this technology.”

Taxi booking apps already available on smartphones like GoCatch claim that Uber and Dash are blurring the distinction between taxis and a private hire vehicle. Both Uber and Dash maintain that their apps are based on legal advice and uphold the sound nature of their business.

source: http://www.anythingforhire.com/

Taxi drivers are furious after a student union banned them from picking up passengers on campus in the evening.

Last month, University of Leicester Students’ Union banned all but one minicab firm – Street Cars – from driving on to the campus in the evening.

It is understood the firm paid about £10,000 for the privilege – a figure neither the union nor company would confirm.

A spokesman for the students’ union said the move was designed to improve safety.

Cabbies said it could put them out of business.

Black cab driver Gurpal Singh Atwal, secretary of the RMT Union in Leicestershire, said: “We have been proud to pick up students and staff in the evenings for 40 years and this decision is unfair.

“Drivers who are not with this chosen firm are losing about £100 a night.

“We have families to feed and people will go out of business.

“The union is giving the work of 10 companies to one.

“It says it is safer to make this decision and cheaper for students, which suggests other firms are dangerous and expensive. That is not true.”

Cabs used to drive on and off campus via Mayor’s Walk, off University Road, even though the road was exit only.

It has now been blocked and Street Cars is allowed to enter the university via Wyggeston Drive, using a swipe card to open the barrier.

Drivers exit via Mayor’s Walk, where they pick up fares.

Dan Flatt, academic affairs officer at the union, said: “This decision was solely taken to prevent a serious accident – and, from the evidence so far, is working very well.”

He said the service involved fixed-price journeys, a voucher scheme for students short of cash and the vetting of drivers.

“This is a service tried and tested in other cities, notably Birmingham and Leeds,” Mr Flatt said.

“We are obviously concerned that an important group of business people are distressed, but there have been many efforts to prevent cabs driving the wrong way on to the campus, to no avail, so the closure of this road was inevitable.”

The union said Street Cars was chosen after a tendering process which saw four or five firms invited to bid for a one-year contract.

Kully Singh, owner of Street Cars, said his firm was chosen because of its low fares and in-car technology.

“We won the contract on the basis of our prices as well as the service we offer,” he said.

Mr Atwal said: “Big firms said they were not contacted. If they had told us black cabs, I’m sure we would have clubbed together to offer more money.”

http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/

Police arrested the driver of this Nissan X-Trail after a passenger claimed she was assaulted

A 57-year-old man was arrested after a woman was sexually assaulted by a bogus taxi driver in Wigan.

Police say a 29-year-old was the victim of an “appalling sexual attack” in the Beech Hill area after being picked up in the town centre at around 4.10am on Sunday October 14.

Now officers are appealing to two women to come forward who they believe might be vital witnesses.

Two weeks after the initial attack, police arrested a 57-year-old man on Warrington Lane, Lower Ince, on suspicion of sexual assault, after a genuine taxi driver came across him.

Earlier in the night the genuine taxi driver had been approached by a young woman who told him that she had seen an appeal from the police on Facebook and that they were looking for the driver of the silver Nissan X Trail in connection with sexual offences.

This young woman told the taxi driver that the Nissan had attempted to pick up one of her friends but she left before the taxi driver could take her details.

When the man was arrested, a young woman was inside the Nissan, but she left before the police arrived.

Police are now appealing for these witnesses to come forward.

Officers are also appealing to other women who may have been approached by a man driving a Silver Nissan X-Trail, or who have seen this vehicle in suspicious circumstances.

The woman who spoke to the taxi driver was said to be in her late 20s or early 30s, of a medium build with shoulder length dark hair and wearing a maroon jumper.

She spoke to the driver near the taxi rank at Brocol House, King Street.

The second woman, said to be in the car, was white, in her late teens to early 20s, of a slim build with bleached blonde hair and wearing a cream or white short dress.

The man arrested has been bailed until 14 November 2012 pending further police enquiries.

Detective Constable Craig Hurst of Wigan CID said they “desperately” need to speak to witnesses to put the offender behind bars.

He said: “Firstly, it is right we should reassure both the victim of the original sexual assault, and the wider community, that we have made an arrest and while there are clearly a number of inquiries still to be made, we are progressing very well with our investigation.

“We now desperately need to speak to these two women as they could hold crucial information that will help us put the offender of this appalling sexual attack behind bars.

“I would therefore appeal to these two women, if they are reading this appeal, to get in touch with police immediately.

“I want to emphasise that these women have done nothing whatsoever and that we simply want to speak to them about what they know.

“I would also continue to ask anyone who has information about either the original sexual assault, or the whereabouts of the silver Nissan X Trail vehicle over the last two weeks, to call us.”

Anyone with information should call police on 0161 856 7259 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

http://www.itv.com/news/granada/

A THUG punched a taxi driver in the face and left him needing hospital treatment after being told not to eat takeaway food in his cab, a court heard.

Kevin Middleton, 26, of Melbourne Road, Winshill, hit Nadeem Alam so hard that it chipped three of his teeth and caused swelling and bruising to his face as well as cuts on his lips.

The attack happened at 2.30am on October 13 when Middleton reluctantly got out of an Alpine Taxi based in High Street, Burton.

Zoe Speake, prosecuting at Burton Magistrates’ Court, said: “The defendant and two other men got into a cab supplied by Alpine Taxis.

“The driver asked the men to get out while they were eating food and as the defendant left the cab he punched him hard in the face before running off down High Street.

“The driver was so badly injured that he had to go to Burton Queen’s Hospital where he was advised to take pain killers and to visit his dentist as soon as possible.

“Middleton was arrested and told officers that he thought the taxi driver had been racist towards him and that’s why he lashed out.

“The defendant has a lengthy list of previous convictions with the latest being assault in August and drunk and disorderly in September.”

Suki Ark, defending, said his client caused problems when he was intoxicated and had since quit drinking alcohol altogether.

Mr Ark told the hearing: “He can’t recall much from the evening as he was drunk — he can just remember waking up in a police cell.

“All of his offending happens when he is drunk and he knows this type of behaviour cannot carry on.

“He is a father of a young child and he needs to sort his life out.

“He has decided to knock the drink on the head to avoid getting into trouble again.”

The case was adjourned for a fast delivery report before sentencing.

Middleton was released on unconditional bail and ordered to reappear at the Horninglow Street courthouse on Monday.

source: http://www.burtonmail.co.uk/News/

For all media enquiries please contact:

Elizabeth Faulkner, media relations, PwC, 020 7213 1018, 07877 758 609 [email protected]

Derek Nash, media relations, PwC, 020 7804 3058, 07703 470 224,
[email protected]

Manganese Bronze Holdings plc, LTI Limited, MBH Services Limited and MBH Property Services Limited – in administration

Matthew Hammond, Tony Barrell, Ian Green and Mike Jervis were appointed joint administrators of Manganese Bronze Holdings plc, LTI Limited, MBH Services Limited and MBH Property Services Limited (“the Group”) on 30 October 2012.

The Group is the manufacturer and retailer of the iconic London taxi, sold in the UK and abroad. It provides a retail and maintenance service through its wholly-owned dealerships throughout the UK, under the trading name The London Taxi Company. It has a turnover of £75m and 277 employees in total including three overseas employees. 175 employees are based at the Group’s head office and manufacturing site located in Coventry with the remaining employees spread across dealerships in London, Manchester, Leeds, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Coventry.

The culmination of several issues led to the Group being placed into administration. The Group has been making losses for four years due to a combination of poor UK sales, supply chain issues, and high warranty costs. These issues were further impacted by the discovery of material accounting errors in the first half of 2012 which increased the extent of the Group’s losses. More recently, the discovery of a steering fault resulted in the recall of circa 400 vehicles and a suspension of sales which had an immediate detrimental impact on the Group’s cash flows.

Following a suspension of its shares earlier this month, the Group has been unable to secure sufficient funding. Without financial support to overcome these operational issues, the Group came to the conclusion that it could not continue to trade as a going concern. As a result the directors placed the Group into administration. LTI Limited is concentrating all its resources on fixing the steering fault. The administrators have entered into discussions with key stakeholders to secure funding to support the business through this period whilst the administrators seek a sale of the business and assets as a going concern

Matthew Hammond, joint administrator and PwC partner, said:

“Our immediate priority is to secure funding in order to explore the options rapidly developed by the Management team and key suppliers to resolve the steering box recall. We are reviewing the existing financial position to develop a range of options to rescue the business or alternatively dispose of it to an investor that can continue the business to a secure future for the iconic London Black Cab. We have immediately commenced discussions with an encouraging list of UK and International interested parties and would encourage any further interested parties to contact us as a matter of urgency.”

Ends

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. Table: Number of employees based at each of the company’s dealerships London Manchester Leeds Glasgow Edinburgh Coventry Employees 55 26 6 3 12 2

2. General Customer Enquiries: Tel: +44 (0)24 7657 2000, Fax: +44 (0)24 7657 2001

3. Creditor/Supplier queries: Adam Huckerby, 02476 572 076

4. Employee queries: Diane Perkins, 02476 572 077

5. Sale of business: Matthew Hammond, 0121 265 6670 or Darren Jukes, 0207 804 8555

About PwC

PwC firms help organisations and individuals create the value they’re looking for. We’re a network of firms in 158 countries with close to 169,000 people who are committed to delivering quality in assurance, tax and advisory services. Tell us what matters to you and find out more by visiting us at www.pwc.com <www.pwc.com> .

“PwC” is the brand under which member firms of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited (PwCIL) operate and provide services. Together, these firms form the PwC network. Each firm in the network is a separate legal entity and does not act as agent of PwCIL or any other member firm.

PwCIL does not provide any services to clients. PwCIL is not responsible or liable for the acts or omissions of any of its member firms nor can it control the exercise of their professional judgment or bind them in any way.

2012 PricewaterhouseCoopers. All rights reserved.

A blind woman was abandoned two miles from home by a private hire driver who mocked her disability and laughed at her when she could not identify local landmarks, it has been claimed.

TAXI drivers in Henley are asking South Oxfordshire District Council to set their fares in order to make prices fairer.

The district council wants taxi drivers to use meters set by individual operators from June.

But the South Oxfordshire Taxi Drivers’ Association says fares should be fixed by the council in order to prevent smaller companies being disadvantaged.

The cabbies do not currently have to use a meter and many display fare cards showing the minimum fare and the price of each mile thereafter. Companies are able to set their own fares.

About 25 drivers from Henley attended a meeting with the council last week.

Munir Hussain, secretary of the association, said: “We don’t mind using meters but we want the council to fix the charges rather than individual operators setting their own.

“It would lead to more friction between the companies and the drivers on the rank. If there were 10 drivers on the rank that could mean 10 prices and we don’t want that. Most operators want the council to set the prices. There would be more complaints if every private company could set its own price.”

Mr Hussain, of Streamline Executive Cars, used to work in Reading where the council sets the fares and he says the system works well.

Drivers also objected to plans which would mean taxis could only have MOTs carried out at two garages in Didcot.

The association asked for at least one garage to be available in Henley or Reading for the 250 drivers working in Henley.

Since then, the council has said five to seven garages will be made available to drivers but their locations are still to be chosen.

source: http://www.henleystandard.co.uk/

A private hire taxi firm from Maryport has moved closer to bringing the first London-style taxi cabs to West Cumbria.

Father and son William Patterson Senior and Junior, who run Rosie’s Travel, want to introduce the wheelchair-accessible cabs.

Allerdale council’s licensing panel this week agreed to change its age policy on taxis to enable older London cabs to be bought.

The current policy says all vehicles must be licensed before four years of age, but councillors voted to extend this to 10 years for London taxis.

Mr Patterson Sr said that London taxis were known to have a long life span and were very expensive at four years old.

He wrote to the council to ask them to extend the age policy for London taxis.

Mr Patterson Snr said: “We wanted to buy a purpose-built London taxi which was more than four years old but looked as good as new.

“Because council rules would not allow it we had to buy an almost new car and convert it into a taxi.

“This cost us approximately £8,000 more than it would have cost to buy the London taxi which had a higher health and safety standard and looked better.”

Gillian Collinson, senior licensing officer, told the panel that concern had been raised by some proprietors who wanted to buy wheelchair-accessible vehicles but found them too expensive.

She said: “The long-term risk is there is that there are insufficient numbers of wheelchair accessible vehicles available.”

Councillor Jacqueline Mounsey said: “It is a great idea to provide a service for people in wheelchairs and we should support it.”

London taxis would come under the same regulations on full service history, and vehicles over five years would be tested twice yearly.

source: http://www.timesandstar.co.uk/