miwhip: London gains another private hire app looking to uncut rivals

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Transport for London awards Private Hire Operator Licence to miwhip Ltd, a London-based technology and transport company.

Founded in the UK’s capital city, miwhip is an app built on a digital platform that allows London riders to connect to private hire drivers. Providing an on-demand service, aimed towards the 8.7 million Londoners & nearly 20 million tourists visiting one of the most popular cities in the world. On 19th October miwhip were officially licensed as a Private Hire Operator by Transport for London. miwhip have shaped their focus around a continued commitment to set a standard of transparency, compliance and a quality service, along with a strong focus on safety, fair competition and security for all users in London’s Private Hire Industry. In an already bloated and volatile private hire market, miwhip looks to undercut competitors like Uber by offering it’s drivers a low commission rate of 15%, instant pay-outs and 24/7 London-based support. Rizwan Ahmed, CEO of miwhip Ltd, said: “The city will be home to our vision for miwhip, and it only seems fair for it to be valued here, in London. After much preparation and anticipation, we’re proud to be given this opportunity and aim to rise to every challenge from here on. Having witnessed our father’s journey as a cab-driver in Wembley, helped us address some of the challenges we know London drivers face today - This also represents the true foundations of miwhip. Our promise is to give back to our city and place our driver-partners first. “It’s a commitment that is close to our hearts and reminds us every day that our story is successful simply because it is real. I’d like to pay tribute to the team, drivers, and supporters for helping us reach this point. The stage is equally theirs...Thank you.”

October 27, 2018 at 12:23AM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Perry Richardson THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Lincoln cabbie stripped of his licence after accumulating 12 points

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A Lincoln cabbie has bee stripped of his licence after accumulating 12 points.

Graham Taylor of Thorpe On The Hill received a ban after not disclosing that he had been caught speeding three times in five months, as well as disobeying a train signal, the offences took place back in 2016.

Taylor's license was revoked in March of 2018 by the City of Lincoln Council, but an appeal was launched, which was heard at Lincoln Magistrates Court. The revocation was subsequently upheld by the court.

It was also revealed that Taylor had committed similar offences in 2009 and 2011, as well as a non-disclosure offence.

The revocation means that Taylor will not be able to re-apply for a new license for a minimum of two years.

October 27, 2018 at 12:59AM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Steve Kenton THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Calls for advertising watchdog to investigate Evening Standard after Uber interview

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It has been revealed byOpen Democracythat there have been calls for an investigation by the Advertising Standards Authority into the Evening Standard, which is edited by George Osborne, after what can only be described as a "gushing" interview with Uber CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi.

The basis behind the calls are the fact that the interview, which was presented as a news article, failed to inform readers that the minicab giant is one of several companies who are part of a £3 million deal called Future London.

Future London is a commercial deal where companies are promoted through positive news and commentary.

Lib-Dem, London Assembly Member, Caroline Pidgeon and Green Party MP, Caroline Lucas have both called for an investigation.

Whilst the printed version of the Evening Standard did not mention the "Future London" initiative, the online version did give a minor nod to Uber's involvement with the project.

It is considered "best practice" to highlight a company's involvement in such projects by using company branding and making sure that any commercial links are highlighted.

According to Open Democracy, the Evening Standard had claimed that "editorial pressure" had led to the ommission of any recognition of the initiative.

The excuse has, however, been branded as a "pathetic arse-covering exercise" as well as making the accusation that readers are being treated like idiots by an industry insider, the latter comment was made after a sentence was inserted after around 400,000 copies had already been circulated without any tie-in acknowledgement.

Questions have already been asked regarding George Osborne's role as editor when the deal was first announced.

Dara Khosrowshahi said in his interview with The Evening Standard that he would love to have the whole of the London Transport industry on the Uber platform, including Black cabs.

It has been widely believed that former chancellor, George Osborne is a major advocate of Uber, with many, including Steve McNamara at the LTDA accusing Downing Street of behaving like "paid up lobbyists for Uber."

October 27, 2018 at 12:45AM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Steve Kenton THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

latest ride-hailing firm Ola could be setting up office on the outskirts of London

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Ride-hailing firm Ola could be setting up office in Reading, just outside London, as they look to continue growth across the UK. According to In Your Area, the Indian based app firm have submitted a planning application to Reading Borough Council for office space on Greyfriars Road.

Ola offer a similar service to ride-sharing giants Uber. The only difference is that Ola give passengers the option between a private hire vehicle and a traditional metered taxi. Ola already operate in Wales and recently announced that they will also be available in Bristol, Bath and Exeter. A freedom of information request also recently revealed that they were granted an operators licence by Wolverhampton city council. Ola have yet to apply for a licence to operate in London, but if they were to acquire office space right on the doorstep of the capital, it could well be a matter of “when” rather than “if.”

October 26, 2018 at 04:44PM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Michael Murphy THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

London cabbie releases magical taxi children’s book

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London taxi driver, mum and now author has released the fantastic children’s book “Pops the Magic Taxi”.

The book see’s Joe’s mum drives a black taxi called Pops. But Pops is not like any other taxi: she is magic and can travel back through time! Readers can join Pops, Mum and Joe on their first time-travelling adventure as they rescue a runaway dog at Battersea Power Station. Fiona Kennedy a cabbie since 2001 was inspired to write the children’s book based around a magical taxi whilst stuck in traffic on Park Lane. The inspiration around the topic of Battersea Power Station came a few weeks later and Pops was created. Kennedy said: “I was travelling on a coach to the British Museum for a class visit, when we passed Battersea Power Station. It was a hive of activity, after many years of being vacant it was finally being renovated. I got the children to count the cranes. “Like a lot of London cabbies, I listen to BBC Radio London. I have heard presenter Jo Good say ‘There’s a book in everyone’ on numerous occasions, but it had never stirred anything inside me before. As soon as I heard her say it, I had a lightbulb moment; everything came together. I had an idea for a book: that was the seed. The location, Battersea – was the earth. Finding out about London’s past – was the water and Jo was the sunshine, something clicked in my head and, a beautiful Poppy grew.”You can buy the book ready for Christmas by visiting www.popsthemagictaxi.com

October 26, 2018 at 01:03PM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Perry Richardson THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

New York cabbie charged with hate crime after attack

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A New York cabbie has been charged with a hate crime after attacking a Jewish man at a busy intersection.

Fox News reported that 37 year old Farrukh Afzal attacked Lipa Schwartz on Sunday morning.

The attack, which took place in Borough Park, Brooklyn, left 62 year old Mr Scwartz with minor injuries.

It is unclear as yet as to what provoked the assault, but it has been revealed that Afzal has previously been arrested eight times.

The charge came after the attorney's office came under pressure from the Jewish community.

October 26, 2018 at 01:04AM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Steve Kenton THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

New government figures show Private Hire Licences now outnumber Hackney Carriage by four to one

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A report published in the Birmingham Live, has highlighted the astonishing growth of private hire licenses that have been issued across England especially in Wolverhampton. New government data has shown that the number of PHV licenses issued by Wolverhampton City Council rocketed by nearly 4,000 in a single year. Figures released show that in March 2017 there were 4,989 private hire drivers licensed by the council — a year later that figure has reached 8,799. Neighbouring city Birmingham has seen a slight drop in private hire and Hackney carriage licenses issued. Private hire licenses dropped by 263, with hackney carriage licenses falling by just a small number of 39. Since the Deregulation ACT 2015, which effectively gave private hire drivers to ability to operate across the whole of England, many drivers have opted to obtain licences by licensing authorities that are considered “more lenient” in the application process. The rapid growth of ride-hailing app Uber has contributed to the rise of private hire drivers across the UK, with it now holding operating licenses in cities such as London, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Leicester, Manchester and Sheffield, to name but a few. According to the report, the amount of PHV licenses across the whole of England is currently at 223,323, up from 217,205 a year ago. Figures for hackney carriage licenses have dropped from 69,568(last year) down to 59,994 as of March this year. The figures confirm that there are now four private hire licenses to every one hackney carriage licence which seems to show no signs of closing any time soon.

October 25, 2018 at 06:24PM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Michael Murphy THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Uber rival Ola launching in more UK cities

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Indian-based ride-hailing app Ola are set to launch in Bristol as it seeks to challenge Uber Technologies Inc. across the UK market. Ola, who will also be operating in Bath and Exeter, currently complete around one billion rides a year around the world and are the only ride-hailing service in the UK that allows passengers to choose if they would like to order a private hire vehicle or a licensed metered taxi. Managing director of Ola UK Ben Legg has said that the firm is committed to safety, with the app screening all drivers and offers 24/7 voice support for passengers, along with in-app emergency features. According to a report in the Bristol Live, Ola is offering introductory commission rates for new drivers joining the platform, with a 10 percent charge for private hire drivers and a 5 percent charge for taxi drivers. 20 percent of Ola’s 1,300 drivers that signed up to their welsh platform are currently metered taxi drivers.

Ola currently operates in over 110 cities globally.

October 25, 2018 at 01:51PM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Michael Murphy THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Shaun Bailey Conservative Mayoral Candidate; Who is he and what is his transport policy?

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The Conservative Party have chosen their candidate Mayor of London for the 2020 elections, but what do we know of Shaun Bailey and his transport policy?

Shaun Bailey, the man charged to defeat current Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan, has appeared on the London Assembly since May 2016. Bailey has also worked as a youth worker in Ladbroke Grove and as an advisor to Prime Minister David Cameron. According to Shaun Bailey’s website his transport policies include:

Invest in London’s transport to make sure there is more capacity and increased frequency of public transport to meet the needs of our growing city.Put driverless trains on tracks – he will put driverless trains on tracks, so that hard working Londoners are no longer at the mercy of militant unions.Protect the Freedom Pass – he will protect the Freedom Pass (no sensible politician would say otherwise surely).He will get a grip on road maintenance, and will fight for more control over vehicle taxes to help fund the boroughs and get a grip on London’s potholes and road maintenance.He will scrap the suburban driving tax, i.e. the costly expansion of the Ultra-Low Emission Zone, and use the money instead to fund a clean bus fleet, saving Londoners money and cleaning up the city’s air.

Shaun Bailey goes on to say: “I know how important it is to have safe and reliable transport. I commute from the edge of London into work every day on tube and rail, I cycle regularly, and I often drive my children to wherever I need to. “I want to see a city with safe and reliable ways of getting around no matter where we work or live. “But Khan has broken his promises time and again, stripping out £1 billion from TfL’s budget, cutting investment in infrastructure and improvements, and raising fares on commuters. This has left our transport network being underfunded and overstrained, which on top of Khan’s horrendous strikes record, leaves the network vulnerable to being crippled without warning.” Is he a candidate that will appeal to the taxi trade in London? Hard to say, as he keeps his opinions regarding the taxi and private hire industry close to his chest for now. The Conservative Party also have few friends within the industry following Boris Johnson and David Cameron’s tenure.

October 25, 2018 at 11:14AM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Perry Richardson THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

“C-Charge for punters stinks!” says LTDA’s Street

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Sometimes I feel like someone has pulled back the curtain and revealed that the world has gone a bit nuts and the people in it are completely loopy. Twitter and the like have encouraged people to publish thoughts that were previously kept to themselves, and the prospect of doing it anonymously means they are often much more likely to be downright rude or offensive.

Things aren’t any better in political circles. Recently, mayoral candidate Barking Mad Andrew Boff declared his intention to “save the black cab trade” by turning us into low paid Uber drones. Fortunately, his campaign was kicked into touch when Shaun Bailey was nominated to stand for the Tories instead. More recently, a self-styled green campaigner Donnachadh McCarthy and former Liberal Democrat, put his head above the parapet in the Southwark News with another genius plan. His idea for making London greener would be to charge cab users a £5 congestion charge – yes, you read that right. Wow! This he says, would encourage people to walk, cycle or take a bus – or drive them back to their cars perhaps? It would also ensure that only the rich would have the privilege of using a taxi or a minicab. McCarthy is supposedly an author, who once wrote another column urging people to shower once a week to save energy and make the world a better place. If his columns are anything to go by, his books should be avoided at all costs. In a misguided and confused piece, he sets out his case. He says that daily taxi entries into London amount to 60,000, whilst there are an additional 80,000 minicabs in the city thanks to the explosion of Uber. He says that “cabs” cause more serious injuries than HGVs, while black cabs and minicabs add up to 60% of the traffic in London. For a start there are 114,000 licensed minicabs in London, not 80,000, which casts doubt on everything else he says. And if it’s accurate that there are 60,000 taxi entries into London – a figure he does not qualify – the minicab figure would be more than 200,000, a lot more. He is not comparing like with like, but he’s clearly not interested in that. His mixing of the injury figures is an outrage too. Most “cab” related accidents are caused by his mates in the minicab trade, not London taxi drivers, who despite causing no incidents at Bank junction, for example, have been banned and stopped from providing the gold standard service for which we are renowned. Not only that, but in his effort to show taxis clogging the streets, he uses a picture of parked taxis with no drivers. The drivers are not in their cabs because they doing charity work at the remembrance service, one of many similar events which cabbies give up their time for, unlike his Uber chums. As with many of the people who loved to stick their oar into our business, McCarthy shows a complete lack of understanding of our trade, and wilfully mixes up minicabs and taxis to make his point. This ultimately reveals his bias. Towards the end of the piece he urges people to oppose the removal of the congestion charge exemption for minicabs, which he says would be unfair. The Southwark News must be desperate to allow such ill-informed drivel in its pages. Just like his plan for showering once a week, his proposal for London and the taxi trade is a real stinker.

October 25, 2018 at 10:14AM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Anthony Street - LTDA THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Geely and Daimler to launch ride hailing service

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It has been revealed that Geely and Daimler are to join forces, and launch a premium ride-hailing service in China.

The partnership, which has been reported in City AM, will see Didi Chuxing, who merged with Uber in 2016, facie stiff competition from the two motoring giants.

It is alleged that the current Chinese market is worth almost £18 billion.

The deal will see Mercedes Benz S-Class, E-Class and V-Class cars used as the vehicles of choice in the quest to provide a premium service.

In early 2018, Geely chairman Li Shufu bought a 9.69 per cent stake in Mercedes-Benz.

It is believed the current valuation of the Chinese market shows that it is worth more than all of the other ride hailing markets put together.

October 25, 2018 at 03:07AM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Steve Kenton THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Passenger fined for “scaring” taxi driver and told to stay indoors

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An irate taxi passenger must pay a fine of £75 for scaring a cabbie and has been ordered to remain indoors every night until the new year.

Ryan Hancock was one of four men who hailed the taxi in Daybrook, Nottingham in the early hours of the morning. Mr Hancock pleaded guilty to using threatening behaviour as Nottingham Magistrates Court heard that one passenger hit the back of the cabbies seat whilst a second man screamed “Drive, drive, go on drive." Tom Heath who was representing the driver in court said: "The driver became quite scared.” The unnamed cabbie then pulled over and asked them to leave his taxi due to their behaviour. One passenger said “do you want a fight?'" Heath went on to say that the driver then went to call the police, however Hancock ended the call and said he "would knock him out," Nigel Dicks, mitigating and defending Hancock said the defendant agreed to the threatening behaviour. He however rejected claims that he kicked off the wing mirror of the vehicle they were thrown out off. The arguement was said to have begun when the passengers questioned the £2.90 flag fall rate on the meter. Deputy District Judge Olwyn Davies slapped a down a curfew on Mr Hancock lasting three months. According to Nottinghamshire Live the judge said to Mr Hancock: "Taxi drivers work alone and are often in a situation where they are vulnerable. They are entitled to expect some protection from the law. "If you have a dispute, complain to the council, don't act in this fashion."

October 24, 2018 at 07:25PM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Perry Richardson THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Uber driver fined over £2,000 for illegally plying for hire in Essex

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An Uber driver has been fined for illegally plying for hire in Basildon and driving without insurance following a crackdown by the council’s licensing team who were assisted by Essex police. Uber driver, Raja-Nouman Abbassi, 42, was given a Band C fine of £550, a victim surcharge of £55 and full costs of £2,240. According to a report in the Echo News, Abbassi was also given six penalty points on his driving licence. The successful prosecution was congratulated by the chairman of Basildon’s Council Licensing Committee Peter Holliman, who said it was good news for public safety as any driver who illegally takes a fare immediately invalidates his/her insurance.Holliman continued by saying the prosecution sends out a clear message that Basildon Council will not tolerate illegal touting for business.

October 24, 2018 at 04:53PM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Michael Murphy THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Reading Taxi driver fails in his bid to have his Hackney Carriage licence reinstated following an sexual assault allegation

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A hackney carriage taxi driver from Reading has lost an appeal to have his licence reinstated following an allegation of sexual assault. According to a report in Heart, the alleged victim, a female student, took a trip in the black taxi of the accused from outside the Q Club, Friar street, to the Cemetery Junction area last November. According to the woman’s statement, the driver helped her out of his taxi and then attempted to kiss her and sexually assault her. A complaint was made by the woman to the police and also reported to the Council. The police did not pursue a prosecution but after hearing the evidence the licensing Applications Sub-Committee decided to revoke the accused hackney carriage licence. The driver in question appealed the decision at Reading Magistrates Court on October 5 2018, but the decision to revoke his licence was upheld by a district judge who stated that the original decision was correct.

Councillor Tony Page, Lead Councillor for Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport, said: "People taking a black cab have a right to feel confident that they will be transported safely and without incident. "This is a shocking case which belies the professional behaviour of a vast majority of Reading's hackney carriage drivers. "This case acts as an example of the good work our Licensing officers do to ensure the town's licensed taxis meet the high standards expected by the Council and the Reading public."

October 24, 2018 at 12:47PM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Michael Murphy THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Uber's main US rival Lyft joins forces with London based startup to push autonomous Taxi project

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It has been announced this week that London based mapping startup Blue Vision Labs is joining forces with Lyft in their mission to revolutionise transportation, via a full technology, team, and product acquisition of Blue Vision Labs. Blue Vision Labs will be the first Lyft office in London, and will become part of Lyft’s Level 5 division to build technology for Lyft’s self-driving efforts.

Blue Vision Labs started with the mission to advance the capabilities of today’s robotics and AR platforms by solving some of the hardest technological challenges in the field.

In March of this year, Blue Vision Labs made progress on this goal by releasing the Blue Vision Labs AR Cloud, a technology that allows developers to create shared AR experiences that were not possible before at unprecedented scale.

One potential application of their AR cloud allows them to connect ridesharing passengers with their drivers by overlaying the car’s position onto the rider’s smartphone screen in augmented reality. Joining forces with Lyft means they can develop experiences like this at a much greater scale.

The technology created for their AR cloud is powered using centimeter-accurate 3D maps that cover entire cities, and are built using fleets of vehicles equipped with mobile phones. They believe that gaining a detailed understanding of the world is the key requirement for achieving a safe and scalable self-driving platform.

Specifically, this technology helps cars know where they are, what is around them, and what they should do next at a scale not possible with other technologies.

Blue Vision Labs have said they are very excited to be working with Lyft to contribute to their efforts in enabling the future of autonomous mobility.

Currently Lyft does not operate a service in the UK, but provides taxis and shared forms of transport in cities across North America. It opened its first European office in Munich in January 2018.

October 24, 2018 at 10:46AM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Michael Murphy THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

TaxiPoint launch the London EV survey to drivers

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The taxi industry’s biggest online publication has launched a survey to gauge opinion on the electric revolution in the capital.

TaxiPoint are asking London cabbies to complete the survey to gain a clearer picture on where trade opinion stands on electric taxis and the network provided ten months on from the EV Taxi launch at the start of the year.

Questions surrounding vehicles, charging and general opinion will produce an anonymous report that will be published on TaxiPoint and handed to key officials and organisations.

It takes two-minutes to complete and is open to ALL London taxi drivers whether they have driven an EV vehicle or not.

To take part click on the image below and have your say:

October 24, 2018 at 10:18AM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Perry Richardson THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT

Fourteen year old boy stabs taxi driver over £5 fare dispute

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A 14-year-old boy repeatedly stabbed a Wolverhampton taxi driver who asked for the £5 ride to be paid up front.

The judge at Wolverhampton Crown court heard that the teenager launched the vicious attack on taxi driver Harkawaljit Sarkaria in Moseley after running off with £250 in cash.

The teenager, who can’t be named for legal reasons, was later found by police with a taser disguised as a torch.

Mr Howard Searle, representing the prosecution at the Crown Court, said the boy opened the front door of the vehicle and grabbed the driver’s wallet after a dispute over the fare. The driver then gave chase. The teenager then brandished a knife and stabbed Mr Sarkaria around the shoulder as another passenger in the car then joined in kicking the cabbie and jumping on his taxi. Luckily two members of the public rushed to the scene and helped detain the young suspect until police arrived. The teenage attacker admitted wounding with intent, possession of a disguised firearm, robbery and possession of a knife.

According the Express and Star the Judge Michael Challinor told the boy that “It is shocking that someone as young as you is facing such serious offences.”

The attacker was handed an 18-month detention and training order of which around half will served in prison.

The second youth involved in the attack was dealt with separately.

October 24, 2018 at 09:47AM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Perry Richardson THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT