Pioneering “taxi” firm grounded by legal wrangle

August 5th, 2010

Harvey Chauhan

A NEW taxi firm that uses state-of-the-art technology to take bookings is locked in a battle with the city council over whether the system is legal.

Harvey Chauhan launched his Affordable Chauffeurs business in Derby last month.

Unlike other private hire firms, which take bookings over the phone, his company uses staff with fluorescent jackets who take bookings on the street.

They use hand-held satellite navigation devices to take the bookings, agree a fixed price, call the driver working nearest the location and print out a receipt.

The receipt is handed to the driver at the end of the journey so that he or she knows the price agreed.

But within days of Mr Chauhan starting up in the Wardwick, the system sparked complaints from hackney cab drivers and questions from the council’s licensing department.

Only hackney cabs may be hailed from the street. And although Mr Chauhan’s firm takes booking, the council wanted to make sure it was not illegally touting for business.

It told Mr Chauhan to stop using the equipment while it looked into the legality of the system.

But he says that while the investigation is taking place, he is losing between £500 and £600 a week, as well as drivers who had agreed to use the system.

He claims he tried to show council officers the equipment several times before launching the business to make sure they were aware of how he would be operating.

Mr Chauhan said: “I’m hoping we will reach an agreement with the council this week.

“But it should have been tied up before I even went into business.

“I knew from other areas that questions had been raised by councils, so I went in to Derby City Council several times to try to show them the equipment and explain it to them to answer any of those questions straight away.

“They weren’t interested in a demonstration of the equipment and it wasn’t until after I started operating on June 5 that a licensing officer said they thought there could be an issue with the system.

“Then, on June 8, they said they didn’t think it was legal and told me not to use it.”

Mr Chauhan said he had paid £45,000 for the software to run the business, which he saw as a niche market, and was losing money every day.

Javed Khan, chairman of Derby Area Taxi Operators’ Association, said: “I confronted this business last month in the Wardwick because, as far as I could see, they were illegally touting for hire.

“The drivers didn’t appear to have any ID and we couldn’t see plates on the vehicles.

“We have got concerns about public safety.”

But Mr Chauhan said his company did not approach potential customers and people with the handheld devices just wore fluorescent jackets saying “for affordable cars book here”.

A council spokesman said: “We are aware that a complaint has been made and are, therefore, unable to comment until a full inquiry has been conducted into the matter.”

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Taxi rank stays put

August 4th, 2010
CONTROVERSIAL plans to move Wisbech taxi rank from the Horse Fair bus station to outside a nearby pub have been shelved.
The proposed move had caused outrage among taxi drivers and the customers who were opposed to the plan, which would have seen the rank re-located to a parcel of land adjoining the Case pub.

But on Thursday Fenland Council, which had mooted the move on safety grounds, decided not to proceed with the proposals.

The council changed its mind over the move after a decision by its Cabinet to spend money on a safety survey was called into question by councillors and it was then looked at the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, who referred the matter back to full council.

However, an alternative recommendation was put to Thursday’s full council meeting which stated the move should no longer be considered unless it is proved imperative on safety grounds.

The recommendation met with unanimous support with Wisbech councillor Jonathan Farmer suggesting the parcel of land at the Case, which is owned by the council, should be used to provide extra disabled parking.

He said the suggestion had originally come from residents and he thought it was a good idea as it would help solve the problem of insufficient blue badge parking in the town.

While councillor Simon King suggested the Case site could be used to provide extra parking for taxis.

Councillor Dave Patrick, who had led the taxi drivers campaign against the move, said the drivers would be pleased to remain at the Horse Fair.

“I have spoken to the taxi drivers and absolutely most prefer it to stay as it is,” said Mr Patrick.

http://www.fenlandcitizen.co.uk/news/Taxi-rank-stays-put.6453781.jp

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Five Hyndburn taxi drivers suspended

August 4th, 2010

FIVE taxi drivers have been suspended after a three-month investigation uncovered unsafe vehicles, speeding and the use of mobile phones while driving.

Police said the five had been temporarily suspended of their licenses for ‘persistent breaches’ of regulations after a joint operation by police and Hyndburn Borough Council.

The operation saw more than 50 warning notices issued for failing to wear a taxi badge, not displaying signs and for having no fire extinguisher or first aid kit.

More than 30 drivers were given £60 fixed penalty notices for contravening no entry areas, driving using a mobile phone, failing to wear a seatbelt and speeding.

Five drivers were also summonsed to court for offences such as having dangerous vehicle parts and plying for hire, police said.

Sergeant Simon Lynch said of those suspended, the worst breach had involved a taxi which had ‘clearly been involved in an accident with headlamps hanging loose’.

He said: “It was grossly unroadworthy but still being used as a taxi.

“The others were largely suspended for not having badges or plates or basic safety equipment, which is just not acceptable. People should have the comfort of knowing they’re in a bona fide cab and they have the right to expect a first aid kit or fire extinguisher should anything happen.

“The operation came about because breaches like using mobile phones and having no plates were getting quite blatant. Members of the public were concerned and so were cab companies, and drivers themselves.

“There are over 420 licensed taxis in Hyndburn, mostly operated by drivers who take great care of their passengers. Unfortunately there are some who are less stringent and it is they who we are targeting.”

Police will continue to run similar operations in the future and are appealing to anyone with information to contact them on 0845 1 25 35 45 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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

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Hammer gang rob £50k from taxi firm owned by wife of Tam ‘The Licensee’ McGraw

July 31st, 2010

MASKED bandits robbed £50,000 from a taxi firm owned by the widow of gangster Tam McGraw yesterday.

The hammer-wielding gang attacked a car taking Glasgow Private Hire’s cash to the bank. They smashed the windows, grabbed money bags from two terrified employees then fled in a waiting motor.

The cab firm were once owned by the late crime boss McGraw - known as The Licensee - and are still 40 per cent owned by his widow Margaret, 58.

Last night, a source close to the firm said: “The two guys were really shook up. Three blokes jumped out of a car, carrying hammers.

“They were all wearing balaclavas and began setting about the car, smashing all the windows. They grabbed a number of bags and made off.”

The raid happened after the car left the firm’s headquarters in Edinburgh Road, Glasgow, with the cash box just before 4pm.

The pair had stopped off at the Post Office in Carntynehall Road in the city’s east end to collect tax disc application forms.

The company were known as Mac Cars when owned by McGraw. The name changed when they were partly bought over by millionaire Stevie Malcolm, now managing director. Last night, he offered a £10,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the robbers.

He told the Record: “I am really angry that my staff had to endure such a terrifying ordeal. These were two people who were just going about their work. Yet they find themselves in a situation that no one should have to face.

“A reward is the very least I can do to make sure that people who work for me are not subjected to such violence.”

Detective Sergeant David Scott said inquiries were continuing and appealed for witnesses.

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

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Cabbies’ call on licences

July 30th, 2010

TAXI drivers in Lowestoft and Waveney are appealing to the district council to reduce the number of licences being issued after fears were raised that lives could be put at risk.

Representatives of the Waveney District Council Hackney Taxi Drivers’ Association made their plea to this month’s licensing committee but their request was turned down by councillors.

At the moment there are 135 licensed Hackney carriages in Waveney which compares to just 51 in the neighbouring Suffolk Coastal district.

“The council just doesn’t seem bothered that every time a new plate is given out it is taking work away from the rest of us.

“There are not enough ranks to support the volume of taxis in our area which means it’s getting very difficult to find some where to park

“This is affecting our livelihood,” said Brian Arlow, the association’s chairman.

Mr Arlow was backed by fellow taxi driver Barry Baxter who has been driving a cab in the area for more than 25 years.

“In all my years as a taxi driver I have never known a situation as bad as this,” he said.

“Because there are so many taxis in the area many drivers are being forced to work longer hours and this is a very dangerous situation.

“We have already had a fatal accident involving a taxi driver in another part of the country because he was having to work at least 14 hours a day to earn a living and we don’t want this happening here,” said Mr Baxter.

The taxi drivers point out that it is within the council’s power to put a limit on the number of Hackney licenses it issues.

“We do not want to see any existing taxi drivers deprived of a licence but ask that the present number is capped.

“New licenses could be issued by the council when existing ones become vacant,” said Mr Baxter.

The problem is so bad that there are too many taxis for the ranks in Lowestoft and many taxis are forced to wait for fares outside designated waiting areas.

“This problem is particularly bad at nights and if a taxi is damaged in an accident while queuing outside a rank it will lead to insurance problems,” said Mr Arlow.

A spokesman for Waveney District Council said: “The council has never had a policy of limiting the numbers of Hackney licensed vehicles. This policy is in line with the recent guidance issued by the Department of Transport.

“Additionally, we must consider the needs of the travelling public and it is the council’s view that there remains a demand for Hackney cabs which would not be served by the placing of a restriction.”

Meanwhile taxi drivers in Waveney are being encouraged to join the taxi drivers’ association so that it has a stronger voice and are urged to contact existing members for more details.

source: http://www.lowestoftjournal.co.uk/content/

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China-made London taxis to begin UK assembly in September

July 30th, 2010

Manganese Bronze, the leading manufacturer of the distinctive London taxi, reported today (30 July) that sales volumes had fallen during the first six months of the year but it was beginning to crank up savings from its Chinese manufacturing operation.

UK sales volumes were down 12.9% to 803 vehicles (2009: 922) although the company managed to cut operating losses by 29.9% to £1.0m (2009: £1.4m) as challenging market conditions continued but projects and initiatives that were instigated to return the Group to profitability have begun to take effect.

These included the closure of the North American business, UK cost savings, the move to a UK assembly only operation, restructuring of the UK dealer network, the Chinese supply of parts and TX4 model international sales. The impact of reduced costs from Manganese Bronze’s joint venture in Shanghai (SLTI) and the restructuring of its Coventry operations in the UK would contribute to second half improvements, it said.

The Group has incurred exceptional costs related to the planned move to import kits of bodies and panels from SLTI for assembly in Coventry. The transfer will begin following the three week summer shutdown on 16 August.

Ending the manufacture of body panels and chassis in Coventry will result in a total of 60 manufacturing redundancies with 32 employees having already left the business, with a further 28 scheduled to leave during August/September. The company expects to realise annual savings of £2.4 million by assembling the Chinese-made bodies and panels for its TX4s in Coventry.

Chief executive John Russell said it had been another challenging six months for the Group but he was pleased to have managed to reduce the operating loss so dramatically – a sign of a reducing cost base, and the benefits of the joint venture. “We have secured initial third party funding for our international customers which will help to drive future international sales volumes for SLTI produced TX4′s,” he went on. “The steps we have taken to mitigate the uncertainty of the economic climate are beginning to take effect which bodes well for the full year.”

source: http://www.worksmanagement.co.uk/article/26710/

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Immigration and benefits clampdown on cab drivers

July 30th, 2010

AN illegal immigrant and seven suspected benefit fraudsters have been discovered working as Woking cabbies in a multi-agency clampdown on taxi drivers.

A 32-year-old Pakistani man was found to have overstayed his visa on July 22 and, after being apprehended by Surrey Police officers, was handed over to the UK Border Agency.

Immigration officers are now making arrangements for the man’s removal from the UK.

Surrey Police officers stopped 27 taxis last week as part of an operation to ensure cabbies are complying with the law.

The initiative involved 12 officers from Surrey Police, Woking Borough Council, the Benefits Agency and immigration services and took place in Goldsworth Road.

The crackdown comes in the wake of complaints about the operation of taxis in the borough made by members of the public to the council and police.

As a result of the activity, one driver was found to be an illegal immigrant who had overstayed in the country and was therefore working illegally.

His taxi plates were confiscated by police and released to the borough council licensing team.

He was then dealt with by the immigration officers who were on the scene.

A spokesman from the UK Border Agency said: “On Thursday, July 22, UK Border Agency officers carried out immigration checks in Goldsworth Road, Woking.

“A 32-year old Pakistani male was found to have overstayed his visa. The UK Border Agency are making arrangements for his removal from the UK.”

A further seven drivers were found to be claiming benefits while working and each will be subject to a review by the Woking Borough Council benefits investigation office.

Woking’s Neighbourhood Sergeant Dave Griffiths said: “This operation was a huge success and a fine example of the different agencies working together and sharing information.

“In just over two hours there were 26 cars stopped, which were licensed by Woking Borough Council. The other one was from the London area.

“The joint approach allowed offenders to be dealt with quickly and efficiently by staff from the appropriate agency.

“We received positive feedback from those legitimate drivers stopped and their passengers.

“This type of operation will be carried out in the future in a bid to ensure that taxis operating in the town are doing so safely and legally in order that our residents can feel confident in using them.”

Councillor Gary Elson, portfolio holder for taxi and private hire licensing, said: “We are extremely pleased with the way the operation was conducted and that the majority of taxi drivers stopped were compliant with the law.

“We will continue to work closely with partner agencies to ensure the safety of Woking’s taxi-travelling public.”

source: http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/s/

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Residents’ anger over urinating Slough taxi drivers

July 29th, 2010

Angry residents have claimed taxi drivers are ruining their “quality of life” by urinating outside their homes.

Taxi firms said the behaviour would not be tolerated

People living in Kenilworth Close, Slough, have put up a sign saying, “This is not a public toilet” and photographed drivers caught short.

Colin Davey, who has started a campaign, said drivers were acting like animals urinating in an area where disabled and elderly people live.

One firm suspended a driver and others said behaviour would not be tolerated.

Mr Davey has also gathered dozens of signatures to hand in to Slough Borough Council and Thames Valley Police to tackle the problem.

“Taxi drivers come into the close, urinate and drive out again,” he said.

“The problem is they just urinate in front of our homes. This is a filthy habit and one way or the other we will stop it.

“The majority of housing is allocated to supported housing, so many of the residents are disabled, elderly or unfortunately have terminal illnesses.”

The majority of housing is allocated to disabled, elderly or terminally-ill people

He said although the problem has been reported to police, it still occurred.

“Maybe it’s not important enough to them but it certainly ruins our quality of life,” Mr Davey added.

“If the government and the police want to keep blaming the young ones for anti-social behaviour, maybe they should look at the behaviour of the so-called adults who call themselves professional drivers yet act like animals.”

Residents have claimed the drivers appeared to work for the firms 711-711, A4 Cars, Compass and Viking.

David Green, of A4 Cars said: “I know we had an incident a couple of weeks ago where someone phoned and complained.

“We suspended the driver for one week and put a warning out to all of our drivers. It’s totally unacceptable and we don’t want that going out from our company.”

A spokesman for 711-711 said he had not received any complaints but always worked alongside the council and police.

“I would suspend them on the spot. We could never ever tolerate it and we would take action,” he added.

Compass Cars said it was aware of the situation but believed none of its cars stopped there.

Viking said one of its drivers may have been caught short before, but it has toilet facilities in its central office and would warn its drivers.

Slough Borough Council said it would investigate the reports and praised residents for capturing evidence.

“As the licensing authority for taxis, the council can apply pressure on both companies and individuals,” a spokeswoman said.

“There is no reason why residents should have to put up with such anti-social behaviour.”

source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-10800279

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Taxi driver caught in ‘sting’ keeps licence

July 28th, 2010

A PRIVATE hire driver who illegally picked up passengers was allowed to keep his driving licence after telling magistrates his livelihood was a stake.

George Barlow, aged 48, was one of a number of private hire drivers summonsed to court following a Trading Standards “sting” in December.

The court heard that special constables in plain clothes got into taxis in the Nelson Square area as part of the operation.

Private hire vehicles are not allowed to pick up passengers unless they have been pre-booked. If they do it invalidates their insurance.

Bolton Magistrates’ Court heard that Barlow, of Cherry Tree Avenue, Farnworth, picked up the officers at 8pm on December 18 last year and took them to a pub in Blackburn Road.

The officers paid the fare and also made a note of the registration number.

The court heard that Barlow has been a taxi driver for 17 years and would lose his job if he did not have a licence.

Yesterday he pleaded guilty to plying for hire when he was not licensed as a public hackney carriage and had no insurance to cover that use.

He already had seven points on his licence, and magistrates gave him another seven.

Receiving a total of 12 points or more usually results in a ban, but magistrates decided against a ban, given his circumstances.

In an exceptional hardship plea to the court, Barlow said: “I need my licence because it is my living.

It’s a job I like doing and I have got many customers.

I will lose my job without a licence.

“This was out of character.

I have been a silly lad and made a mistake. I never want this to happen again. Coming here is an embarrassment.”

He was ordered to pay a fine and costs totalling £1,180.

Dilshad Mehmub, aged 24, of Vincent Street, Bolton, also appeared before the court yesterday.

At 12.20am on December 19, officers asked the defendant to take them to the Last Drop Village in Bromley Cross.

The journey was paid for and his registration details were noted.

Mehmub pleaded guilty to plying for hire when he was not licensed as a public hackney carriage and had no insurance to cover that use.

The court heard he was banned from driving in January for six months and no longer works as a taxi driver.

He is currently looking for a job after completing an accounting and business course.

He was ordered to pay a total of £940 and had seven points put on his licence.

Cllr Nick Peel, Bolton Council Executive member for housing, licensing and regulations, said: “Private hire drivers need to be aware that this is not allowed under regulations and our enforcement officers will be continuing to monitor the situation.

“The majority obey the rules but we will catch those who flout them.”

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

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Hackney carriages to park in spaces protest

July 27th, 2010

NOT IN FAVOUR: Taxi driver Peter Tyson

Angry taxi drivers are planning a city centre protest line as they battle for more official ranks.

Members of the Hackney Drivers’ Association Ltd, who work from Preston’s train station, have been told to line up outside the Preston Council headquarters, on August 2.

In a letter addressed to council chiefs, Charlie Oakes, chairman of the group, said: “Further to our earlier complaint about the actions of enforcement officer and the lack of ranking spaces supplied by Preston City Council for our members who work at Preston Station.

“I have been instructed by the members to inform the council that a peaceful assembly will take place at the Town Hall on the 2 August 2010, by the hackney drivers from Preston Station.

“Unless urgent talks takes place to resolve the issues which our members have suffered and continuing to suffer.

“It would be regrettable if such action would need to be taken but our members fell aggrieved by the actions of the licensing department.”

Pete Tyson, treasurer of the Preston Hackney Carriage Association, said: “The situation is very frustrating, we do not have enough places for cabs who want to wait, it has been ongoing now for several years really.

“That is partly because of parking restrictions and partly because of the amount of hours drivers are now working in order to make a living due to the recession.

“Drivers are working longer hours because of the recession and because of that there are more taxis which are not moving.”

But Mr Tyson said he would not be advising his members to take part in the action.

He added: “I am aware of it but we prefer to work with the council through negotiations because we need town hall on our side.

“I am not in favour of it, I am in favour of carrying on with exhausting the channels we are going down.”

A spokesman for Preston Council, said: “We are currently looking into the situation and will respond to them in due course.”

Two years ago cabbies protested after the number of spaces at Preston railway Station was reduced.

An estimated 100 drivers took to the streets for a go slow demonstration after the number of spaces was cut.

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

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