Archive for July, 2010

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

Saturday, 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

Friday, 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

Friday, 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

Friday, 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

Thursday, 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

Wednesday, 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

Tuesday, 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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£1 levy scheme to catch a taxi from Norwich’s tombland

Monday, July 26th, 2010

Taxi passengers could soon be asked to pay £1 to catch a cab from Norwich’s Tombland under plans to secure the future of the city’s taxi-marshalling scheme.

Taxi Marshalls Veronica Newnham and Andrew March in Tombland, March 2009

But there are fears the charge - on top of existing fares - could lead cabbies and punters alike to desert the rank in favour of pick-ups further along the street.

The initiative, launched in 2008, involves security staff supervising the taxi rank on Friday and Saturday night to minimise trouble and help ensure people get home safely.

Intially financed by security firms as a trial, it later attracted Home Office funding and was then kept afloat by donations from pubs, clubs and restaurants in the Prince of Wales Road area.

Funds ran out last month and there were fears that the scheme could be withdrawn if other means of financing it were not found.

But Norwich City Licensing Forum has been looking at ways to make the Tombland scheme self-supporting and hopes to roll it out to other marshalled ranks elsewhere in the city centre, possibly extending the marshals’ hours until 6am.

Its working party has now approved a proposal for a charge of £1 per cab, which passengers would pay via a ticket machine in Tombland, and agreed to ask licensed businesses in the area to refund the charge on receipt of a dated ticket.

Members hope that if the city council gives permission for the ticket machine to be installed in Tombland, the new scheme could be up and running by November.

Nick De’Ath, who chairs the forum and runs The Lawyer and The Unthank Arms, said: “This seems to us to be the fairest way to pay for the service provided by our marshals while, at the same time, offering the opportunity for businesses that benefit as well as their customers to contribute to the costs if they wish and ensure at the same time the safety of their clientele.”

Julian Foster, chairman of the City Centre Safer Neighbourhood Action Panel, said the area was a priority for the local police safer neighbourhood team and that continuing the scheme would allay fears over anti-social behaviour.

“I am delighted, too, that we have at last broken through the obstruction experienced elsewhere in the country caused by a the lack of public funding to retain the marshals who provide such a useful and worthwhile service,” he said.

“I hope, too, that the public will appreciate the opportunity it provides to make a night-out in Norwich a safe experience at a minimal extra cost to the public; a means for businesses to contribute towards that cost if they wish and a service to participating cab drivers that will ensure their cabs are not misused by people they would rather not have in their cabs and who might cause them trouble if they had not been vetted by our marshals.”

But cab driver Patrick Keenaghan said the scheme would drive business away from the Tombland rank. “If people have to pay £1, they are just going to flag down a cab a few yards down the road where they don’t have to pay,” he said.

“This will make life even more difficult for drivers who are already working 18 hours a day just to pay the bills.”

source: http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/content/eveningnews24/

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Is this the end of the road for New York’s taxis?

Monday, July 26th, 2010

Is this the end of the road for New York’s taxis?

New York’s traditional taxis are being killed off by a combination of climate change and the recession

Like the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty, New York‘s sedan-style yellow taxis are iconic symbols of the city. But now the Ford Crown Victoria – the traditional American cab model for more than two decades – is on the road to extinction.

Emmy Rossum in The Day After Tomorrow. Photograph: Sportsphoto Ltd./Allstar

Last month, Ford announced it would stop making the Crown Vic (as it is affectionately known) from next year. Ascending in its place is the mighty Ford Escape (shaped like a Jeep) and the not-so-iconic Toyota Sienna (essentially a people carrier).

Climate change and the recession are the unlikely killers of the Crown Vic: as the economy soured and petrol prices rose, money-conscious cabbies turned away from the gas-guzzling model in favour of hybrid taxis, introduced by New York’s green-minded mayor, Michael Bloomberg, in 2005. There are now 3,480 hybrids out of 13,237 yellow taxis on the road and, under new city rules prohibiting taxis over five-years-old, sedans will have disappeared by 2015.

Its slow demise is lamented in both the front and back seats. “I feel sad about it,” says cabbie Edison Capa, 42. “This type of car is designed for this type of job – it’s fast, comfortable and has a great big trunk.”

“These new cars are garbage,” barks 81-year-old attorney Murray Landsman as he climbs into Capa’s cab in downtown Brooklyn. “I don’t get in them unless I can’t avoid it. They’re too small and uncomfortable. And if you want to fit three [people] in the back – forget about it.”

The Crown Vic’s fall from grace is also symptomatic of something bigger. Immortalised in countless movies and TV shows such as Taxi driver, Woody Allen’s Manhattan, and Sex and the City, New York’s unmistakable yellow cab models – from the instantly recognisable “checker taxi” onwards – have always exuded American culture and power. Now, as globalisation tightens its grip, they increasingly look the same as cabs on the road from Tokyo to Toronto, except for that great asplash of colour.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/25/new-york-yellow-taxis

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Taxi drivers and police row over casino parking

Monday, July 26th, 2010

Taxi drivers and police row over casino parking

A row has broken out between Dundee taxi drivers and the police over the collection of fares outside the new G Casino — with some drivers threatening to boycott the entire city centre at kicking out time.

Graeme Stephen, chairman of the Dundee Taxi Association, hit out at the road policing team’s policy of moving drivers on from picking up punters outside the casino, on West Marketgait.

Mr Stephen complained that officers are telling drivers not to park in the clearway outside the casino but move to the other side of West Marketgait where taxis traditionally pick up the hordes of party-goers leaving Fat Sams and Liquid nightclubs.

However, Mr Stephen pointed out that that side of the carriageway is also a clearway and criticised the police for not operating a consistent policy.

He said, “We’re getting told you can’t sit outside the casino because it’s a clearway but my opinion is the police are there to uphold the law, not make it. If they are going to say stop it on one side, they should stop it on the other side for Fat Sams.

“There’s some weeks go by and nobody tries to move you but every third week or so they tell us you can’t sit here.

“Taxis sit on double yellow lines at Deja vu and the DCA. If they are going to move us on from one place, they should move us on from other places. They keep changing their mind and they are not consistent.”

Mr Stephen said moving taxis to the other side of the road is extending the queue right down West Marketgait as far as the petrol station, while encouraging people leaving the casino, often intoxicated, to cross the dual carriageway.

“Surely the situation of people crossing the road with a drink in them is far less safe than us sitting outside the casino at a time of night when taxis are about the only traffic about,” he said.

Many drivers have become so frustrated with the situation they are now threatening to boycott the city centre in the early hours of the morning.

Mr Stephen said, “A lot of taxi boys are talking about not coming into the centre of the town for a few hours and letting the people walk to them at the bottom of Lochee Road, the bottom of the Hilltown and the bottom of Perth Road, which is going to make trouble for the police.”

Inspector Alan Szwec acknowledged how much more difficult the city centre management team’s job would be were taxis to stop picking up punters in the town centre.

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

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